It's All About Children Thursday & Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

All About Children Thursday is a weekly meme hosted by Bookworm's Dinner, to share our love of children's literature. This is the place to share the YA literature, picture books, series chapter books, and any other books for kids. There are so many great books published, soon to be released and maybe just your favorite of all time. Let's hear about them! Now's your opportunity to pass these treasures along. All you have to do is sign in with Mr. Linky and link your blog post. What books for children or YA did you read this week or recently that you want to shout about?

Title: Guess How Much I Love You
Author: Sam McBratney
Genre: Children's
Copyright: 1994
Pages: 24

"Guess how much I love you," says Little Nutbrown Hare. Little Nutbrown Hare shows his daddy how much he loves him: as wide as he can reach and as far as he can hop. But Big Nutbrown Hare, who can reach farther and hop higher, loves him back just as much. Well then Little Nutbrown Hare loves him right up to the moon, but that's just halfway to Big Nutbrown Hare's love for him.

I adore Guess How Much I Love You, it's a must-have book for every child and the child in every adult. I bought a copy the year it was published, the year my youngest son was born and have read it regularly to both my boys. It's a simple story with a wonderfully sweet message and beautiful watercolour illustrations. A little hare and a big hare try to describe the love they feel for each other and find that love is hard to measure.

I read this book every couple of years just because it makes me smile, and sometimes, depending on my mood, the heart-warming sweetness of the story brings tears to my eyes. Last year my 7 year old niece and I read it together, each reading the corresponding part of little nutbrown hare and big nutbrown hare. I don't know a child who doesn't fall in love with these adorable hares. This would have to be one of my all time favourite children's books and definitely a family-keepsake.

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly event hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books to discuss your reading week ~ the books you've read and those you plan on reading in the coming week. Thanks Sheila :)

Well the boys spread their head cold germs around and even though I was the last 'man' standing I finally succumbed on Sunday, just in time for school holidays *grrr*. The eldest actually had tonsillitis so spose he's not really to blame. I finished 2 good books but I'm in two minds about 13 Reasons Why, will tell you all about it in my review.

A busy week ahead and we're off to the coast on Saturday for the Gold Coast Cup, the annual week long soccer tournament that Cal's team plays in. It's more than just the soccer; it's relaxing, sun, surf and some down-time or party time for parents :) ... can't wait. Just the one scrapbook layout last week. This is a photo of my dad and the boys and I taken last year on the morning of Anthony's 18th birthday.

Click on the title to check out my review of:

THE NEUROLOGY OF ANGELS by Krista Tibbs

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Completed last week:

FALLEN by Lauren Kate

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher 

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This Week's Reading List:

THE SCARLET LION by Elizabeth Chadwick ~ page 45

A DOG NAMED SLUGGER by Leigh Brill

Not too sure what I'll be listening to but I'll have an audio on the go for sure


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Reviews scheduled this week:

STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens

SAVING MAX by Antoinette van Heugten


Reviews still to do:

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins

DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain

SPIRIT BOUND by Richelle Mead

BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead

FORGET-HER-NOTS by Amy Brecount White





This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

Free Kindle Books

Thought I'd share the links for the free Kindle books I've downloaded lately, everyone loves a bargain and these ones are available FREE for INTERNATIONAL readers.

I thought the Acupressure Guide For Hangovers might come in handy next week when I'm at a week long soccer tournament with my son. Parents usually have a few nights out and when you're not used to drinking it doesn't take much to feel a little under the weather. Yeah I know, not drinking would solve the problem but where's the fun in that :) so I'm going to take a quick squiz at the guide, handy emergency treatment?? LOL

And if you know a good hangover remedy ... don't keep it to yourself!!

Compromising Positions by Jenna Bayley-Burke

Falling in love is the last thing on his busy agenda…but compromising positions can lead just about anywhere.

David Strong knows how to do a lot of things—run an international fitness company, finesse stock portfolios and stay out of emotional entanglements. That is, until he gets tangled up with Sophie Delfino and her Sensational Sex workout. He’s supposed to help her demonstrate Kama Sutra positions for her couples’ yoga class. The rigorous postures require more than just physical control. And his co-instructor unexpectedly tests his control to the limit.

Sophie’s been fantasizing about David since her teens, but she never dreamed she’d actually be expected to run through her intimate desires—with an audience! The class is very professional, tame even—or it would be, if she’d been in any of the positions before. But she hasn’t—except in her wildest fantasies about David. Sophie knows she wants David in every way, and she’s flexible enough to use whatever she has to get him.

David can’t afford any unexpected distractions. Besides the sensual positions he has to endure without embarrassing himself in public, there’s an embezzler stealing from his company. And then there’s Sophie—who is well on her way to stealing his well-guarded heart.

Free from Amazon - here's the link

Marked by Elizabeth Naughton

THERON – Dark haired, duty bound and deceptively deadly. He’s the leader of the Argonauts, an elite group of guardians that defends the immortal realm from threats of the Underworld.

From the moment he walked into the club, Casey knew this guy was different. Men like that just didn’t exist in real life—silky shoulder-length hair, chest impossibly broad, and a predatory manner that just screamed dark and dangerous. He was looking for something. Her.

She was the one. She had the mark. Casey had to die so his kind could live, and it was Theron’s duty to bring her in. But even as a 200-year-old descendent of Hercules, he wasn’t strong enough to resist the pull in her fathomless eyes, to tear himself away from the heat of her body.

As war with the Underworld nears, someone will have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Free from Amazon  - here's the link

Accupressure Guide For Relieving Hangovers by Dr Ian Stein

Alleviate Headaches, Neck & Joint Pain, Anxiety Attacks & Other Ailments

Acupressure is an effective way to relieve painful sensation associated with hangover. Sit comfortably or lie down, close your eyes and breath deeply when massaging the active points.

Product Features:
Practical and fully illustrated.
Step-by-step guide to treatment of every condition.
Every step explains point location, direction of force, and duration of massage.
No previous experience necessary.
It is not necessary to massage active points on your own, you can ask somebody else to massage points for you.

Total treatment duration for most conditions is 10 to 15 minutes.

Free from Amazon - here's the link

Dracula by Bram Stoker

The aristocratic vampire that haunts the Transylvanian countryside has captivated readers' imaginations since it was first published in 1897. Hindle asserts that Dracula depicts an embattled man's struggle to recover his "deepest sense of himself as a man", making it the "ultimate terror myth"

Free from Amazon - here's the link

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

The Neurology of Angels by Krista Tibbs

Genre: Fiction
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 272
Book Source: Author Krista Tibbs very kindly sent me this copy

The Neurology of Angels is a novel about the hearts inside the business and politics of drug development and the consequences of a choice between saving one child and treating thousands. Galen is a neuroscientist and entrepreneur who loses everything to develop a cure for stroke. Eddy is a devoted father who enters politics on a mission to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Elizabeth is a pharmaceutical industry lawyer who is raising a daughter with a rare and fatal genetic illness. Their families become forever entwined as the three parents engage in a tug-of-war over a failing system of good intentions. In the wake, heroes are born.

Review:

Neurology of Angels is a touching story and whilst fiction it feels like it's based in truth. It isn't a light read, the scientific terminology is quite weighty but as a former nurse and mother of children with medical issues I found it an extremely interesting and worthwhile read. The story focuses on drug research, development, testing and approval in the US but many of the issues are relevant to us in Australia and probably worldwide. This book is more than just the science and politics of drug development and approval though, it involves 'real' people battling loss and heartache.

Galen is working on the development of a drug treatment for the neurological disease that killed his former fiancee and best friend's sister. Eddy's daughter Isabel develops the same disease resulting in Eddy's move into politics to lobby for change in legislation to improve accessibility of drugs. Attorney Elizabeth lives each day with hope and fear that a treatment will become available before it's too late for her daughter. Elizabeth's daughter Sera has VWM disease(Vanishing White Matter.) The characters are so realistically written, you can't help but identify and empathise with them and become involved in their daily lives.

In Australia we are fortunate to have a government subsidised system for pharmaceuticals but new, expensive drugs are not PBS listed immediately, this can take years, so while a cost-effective treatment exists, more condition-effective or possibly life-saving medications may only be accessible to those who can afford them.

My apologies for the long winded review but I feel very strongly about the issues highlighted in The Neurology of Angels and appreciated the care taken by Krista in drawing attention to the intrinsic difficulties in creating a win-win system. Finding a balance between pharmaceutical companies seeing a profit to advance their company and conduct further research and new drug development and having drugs available and affordable for all who need them. Establishing the fine line between approving drugs that are safe for use in a timely manner and bureaucracy gone mad. No clear cut answers but what is clear is the need for a fresh look at the big picture, a new system not an overhaul of a tired, old system. Only then will sustainable change without needless loss of life be a possibility.

My thanks to Krista for the opportunity to read and review her book, I really enjoyed it. Visit Krista Tibbs' website to find out more about this author and her work.

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly event hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books to discuss your reading week ~ the books you've read and those you plan on reading in the coming week. Thanks Sheila.

Another busy, productive week, amongst other things, spring cleaning started, a day spent scrapping with Alaine and 3 books read ... woohoo! I love it when 2 of my all time favourite things come together, reading and scrapbooking, check out the layout below of Alaine, Annie and I participating in Dewey's 24hr Readathon last year.

2 reviews posted this week click on the titles to see my thoughts on:

THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams ~ 5 stars. Don't forget comment on this review & receive 2 extra points in this months giveaway.

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Completed last week:

LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott ~ 5 stars, the saddest, darkest, most horrifying story I have ever read. Click on title for review.

MOCKINGJAY by Suzanne Collins ~ 4.5 stars, better than Catching Fire but can't beat The Hunger Games

DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost ~ 4.5 stars, gotta love Cat & Bones

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This Week's Reading List:

FALLEN by Lauren Kate - page 95 (audiobook)

THIRTEEN REASONS WHY by Jay Asher (kindle)

THE SCARLET LION by Elizabeth Chadwick

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Reviews scheduled this week:

THE NEUROLOGY OF ANGELS by Krista Tibbs ~ 4 stars

STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens ~ 5 stars

Reviews still to do:

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain

SAVING MAX by Antoinette van Heugten

SPIRIT BOUND by Richelle Mead

BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead

FORGET-HER-NOTS by Amy Brecount White

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Genre: Young Adult
Copyright: 2009
Pages: 213
Book Source: Own audio

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in her isolated community without ever questioning the fact that her father has three wives and she has twenty brothers and sisters; without ever questioning the strict rules imposed by 'the Prophet who leads them. But now Kyra has started keeping secrets. She reads books that are forbidden and sneaks away to meet Joshua, the boy she hopes to choose for herself, instead of having a husband chosen for her. Kyra knows that it's only a matter of time before her two secret loves are discovered. And when the Prophet decrees that she is to become the seventh wife of her sixty-year-old uncle, Kyra is forced to make a desperate choice. But saving herself means endangering everyone she's ever cared for. How far should she go for freedom?

Review:

This was an incredible book to listen to on audio and I was hooked from the opening sentence "If I was going to kill the prophet, I'd do it in Africa." Superbly read by Jenna Lamia (of Shiver fame) this small book is brimming with emotion and the tense atmosphere makes it almost impossible to put down.

13 year old Kyra has been raised in the polygamist sect The Chosen Ones, a community that has become oppressive under Prophet Childs' guidance control. Kyra's family are more lenient and loving in comparison to others, but fear encourages a culture of obedience and these weak parents permit abusive acts of discipline to be carried out on infants who cry or children who are disobedient, making for difficult reading.

Fortunately Kyra has a mind of her own, I cheer her on as she visits the mobile library bus and finds a friend in Patrick and as she develops 'normal' feelings for Joshua, a boy her own age. When she is "chosen" as the 7th wife to her father's brother, 60 year old Uncle Hyram, her spirit and courage give her the strength to do what she knows in her heart is right.

"I take real excellent care of my wives," Uncle Hyrum says when we get to my front porch. He pulls me close to him. His arms are like steel rods. "I'm gentle with the new ones." ... VOMIT!

I can't recommend The Chosen One highly enough, heart-stopping suspense, poignant, disturbing, hopeful.

Glimpse, Carol Lynch Williams' latest book was released June 2010 and I can't wait to read it.

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

Genre: YA Fiction
Copyright: 2008
Pages: 170
Book Source: Own Audio

Synopsis:

"Once upon a time I was a little girl who disappeared.

Once upon a time my name was not Alice.

Once upon a time I didn't know how lucky I was."

When Alice was ten, Ray took her away from her family, her friends -- her life. She learned to give up all power, to endure all pain. She waited for the nightmare to be over.

Now Alice is fifteen and Ray still has her, but he speaks more and more of her death. He does not know it is what she longs for. She does not know he has something more terrifying than death in mind for her.

This is Alice's story. It is one you have never heard, and one you will never, ever forget.

Review:

This is without doubt, the saddest, darkest, most horrifying story I have ever read. And unfortunately the synopsis doesn't lie ... I don't think I will ever forget it, as much as I wish I could.

The content is so disturbing I actually felt dirty, it revolted me, saddened me and made me very angry. I wanted to jump into a steaming shower and scrub my skin clean. I wanted Ray to be punished, I wanted him to die a slow, painful death. I even imagined myself inflicting that slow, painful death. The overwhelming emotions this story evoked in me are a testament to Elizabeth Scott's writing.

I don't agree that this story should be read carte blanche by young adults but I do think it should be read. Elizabeth Scott intended this book to be read by teens and I agree that most teens are aware of the evil existing in our society, but in saying that, I was shocked by the writing and I'm an avid reader of graphic horror. The 'realness' of this story was way scarier than any horror novel. Sadly in our world sexual predators like Ray exist and children are abused, abducted, threatened and murdered every day.

Many of you are aware of my review backlog, the fact that I'm reviewing Living Dead Girl minutes after finishing it should give you some indication of how deeply it affected me. Living Dead Girl is physically and emotionally painful to read but my discomfort pales into insignificance in the face of the unspeakable acts faced by 'Alice', leaving her a damaged shell, a living dead girl.

 

Caution: this book contains graphic verbal, physical, and sexual abuse towards a child. 


Visit Elizabeth Scott's website to find out more about this author and her work.

This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

A weekly event hosted by Sheila from One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books to discuss your reading week ~ the books you've read and those you plan on reading in the coming week. Thanks Sheila.

I got two books read last week, Still Missing was absolutely brilliant, my review will be up this week. Alaine and I had another scrapping day and Bella and Cindy had a play date.  And soccer update: Callum's Premier Youth soccer team finished 5th, they had to win their last 2 games but only won one. Boys were disappointed that there will be no semi-finals for them this year but they have another two years in this division as many teams consist of 18 year olds, so they've done extremely well. My dad came to watch Cal's last game as it was played on Father's Day.

Click on the title to see my reviews for:

STOLEN by Lucy Christopher ~ incredible, incredible!

DAMAGED by Pamela Callow ~ good debut suspense/thriller


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Completed last week:

STILL MISSING by Chevy Stevens ~ 5 stars, absolutely brilliant, very moving!

THE NEUROLOGY OF ANGELS by Krista Tibbs ~ 4 stars

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This Week's Reading List:

DESTINED FOR AN EARLY GRAVE by Jeaniene Frost - page 45

LIVING DEAD GIRL by Elizabeth Scott

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Reviews still to do:

THE CHOSEN ONE by Carol Lynch Williams (this week)

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain

SAVING MAX by Antoinette van Heugten

SPIRIT BOUND by Richelle Mead

BLOOD PROMISE by Richelle Mead

FORGET-HER-NOTS by Amy Brecount White



This month on The Eclectic Reader one lucky reader will win one of four books. Check this blog post for details. International entrants welcome.

September Competition

In this month's giveaway I've included a choice of books from my favourites again (I also have trouble picking just one book so my solution is to leave the decision to you *evil grin*.) Take your pick from the following - Beautiful Darkness by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl, ( Beautiful Creatures was my favourite read in January) 2 of the most moving stories I've read lately, Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams, and last but not least, Torment by Lauren Kate, (Fallen was a favourite of Alaine's & I have to read it before Torment is released.) Something to suit everyone's taste.

Good luck choosing! All books are brand new and the winner's choice will be purchased by me from The Book Depository in the UK or the US specifically for the winner. If the winner is not in a Book Depository delivery area then they will receive a $15 Amazon book voucher.

Please read the full post and note that the cover of winner's book may differ from that pictured.

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Caster Chronicles Book 2

Ethan Wate used to think of Gatlin, the small Southern town he had always called home, as a place where nothing ever changed. Then he met mysterious newcomer Lena Duchannes, who revealed a secret world that had been hidden in plain sight all along. A Gatlin that harbored ancient secrets beneath its moss-covered oaks and cracked sidewalks. A Gatlin where a curse has marked Lena's family of powerful supernaturals for generations. A Gatlin where impossible, magical, life-altering events happen.

Sometimes life-ending.

Together they can face anything Gatlin throws at them, but after suffering a tragic loss, Lena starts to pull away, keeping secrets that test their relationship. And now that Ethan's eyes have been opened to the darker side of Gatlin, there's no going back. Haunted by strange visions only he can see, Ethan is pulled deeper into his town's tangled history and finds himself caught up in the dangerous network of underground passageways endlessly crisscrossing the South, where nothing is as it seems.

If you'd prefer book 1, Beautiful Creatures, just let me know in your comment.

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

On the day she was abducted, Annie O’Sullivan, a thirty-two year old Realtor, had three goals—sell a house, forget about a recent argument with her mother, and be on time for dinner with her ever- patient boyfriend. The open house is slow, but when her last visitor of the day pulls up in a van as she's about to leave, Annie thinks it just might be her lucky day after all.

Interwoven with the story of the year Annie spent captive of a sadistic psychopath in a remote mountain cabin, which unfolds through sessions with her psychiatrist, is a second narrative recounting events following her escape—her struggle to piece her shattered spirit back together and the ongoing police investigation into the identity of her captor.

Come back and comment when my review of this incredibly moving story goes up next week and you'll get an extra 2 points.

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Thirteen-year-old Kyra has grown up in an isolated polygamous community without questioning her father’s three wives and her twenty brothers and sisters. Or at least without questioning them much—if you don’t count her secret visits to the Mobile Library on Wheels to read forbidden books, or her meetings with the boy she hopes to choose for herself instead of having a man chosen for her. But when the Prophet decrees that Kyra must marry her 60-year-old uncle—who already has six wives—Kyra must make a desperate choice in the face of violence and her own fears of losing her family.

Watch out for my review of this amazing story, leave a comment and you'll get an extra 2 points.

Torment by Lauren Kate
Fallen Book 2

How many lives do you need to live before you find someone worth dying for? In the aftermath of what happened at Sword & Cross, Luce has been hidden away by her cursed angelic boyfriend, Daniel, in a new school filled with Nephilim, the offspring of fallen angels and humans. Daniel promises she will be safe here, protected from those who would kill her. At the school Luce discovers what the Shadows that have followed her all her life mean - and how to manipulate them to see into her other lives. Yet the more Luce learns about herself, the more she realizes that the past is her only key to unlocking her future...and that Daniel hasn't told her everything. What if his version of the past isn't actually the way things happened...what if Luce was really meant to be with someone else?

If you'd prefer book 1, Fallen, just let me know in your comment.


HOW TO ENTER:

Competition is only open to followers of my blog (so if you're not a follower & you'd like to enter just click on the follow button on the right hand side of my blog - easy peasy) Leave a comment, with an email address telling me which book you'd like to win!

As per usual spread the word and you'll receive more entries.

EXTRA ENTRIES:

+2 post about this give-away on your blog & leave a link
+2 post the comp on Twitter & leave a link

+1 post the comp on sidebar of your blog

Competition is International. Ends September 30th and the winner will be announced on this blog. Good luck everyone!

I hope you like this month's give-away on The Eclectic Reader. I purchase books to give away as a way of supporting my favourite authors and to give a little something back to readers of my blog!

WINNER of August Competition: WISTERIA

Damaged by Pamela Callow

Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Copyright: June 2010
Pages: 453
Book Source: Review copy courtesy of Tricia @ Meryl L. Moss Media Relations

How far are you willing to go to forget your past?

Haunted by the death of her sister, and wounded by her ex-fiance's accusations, Kate Lange throws herself into her new career at a high-powered law firm. When the grandmother of a lonely private school student seeks her counsel, Kate thinks it's just another custody case. Until the teen is brutally murdered. And it isn't only Kate who wonders if her legal advice led to the girl's death.

How far are you willing to go to redeem yourself?

Put on notice by Randall Barrett, the firm's charismatic managing partner, Kate must fight for her career, for her reputation - and for redemption. Unwilling to live with the damage she has caused, Kate pursues the case on her own and unearths some chilling facts. Facts that lead straight to the heart of a legal conspiracy. Facts that lead Kate directly into the surgically-skilled hands of the Body Butcher.

Review:
I'm a fan of the suspense/thriller genre but over time I have become quite discerning and tend to read mostly authors I'm familiar with and already enjoy. My favourite suspense thrillers are those with a medical or forensic theme, preferably graphic & horrific (sick I know) so the appealing synopsis of Damaged influenced my decision to try debut author Pamela Callow ... and I was not disappointed.

Damaged moves along at a page-turning pace but not at the expense of character development. The main characters are fleshed out nicely but there are quite a number of minor characters to keep track of. I really liked main character, lawyer Kate Lange, she's strong and determined but carries a lot of pain and guilt from a troubled past. I'd like to know more about her boss Randall Barrett (maybe Indefensible will reveal more) and I didn't care much for Kate's ex-fiancee, detective Ethan Drake, something about his attitude really got up my nose! Kate's elderly neighbours, sisters Muriel and Enid were an endearing addition to the cast of characters, as was Kate's adopted dog Alaska.

Kate does make one or two silly decisions resulting in the cliched scenario of main character in danger but the twists and turns, murders, dismemberments, tissue donation and transplant litigation issues kept me enthralled.

Pamela Callow is definitely an author to keep an eye on. I'm really looking foward to reading more of her work and continuing with the Kate Lange series. Next up is Indefensible due January 2011, then Tatttooed in August 2011 and there is a 4th book planned for June 2012.

About Pamela Callow:
Pamela lives in Nova Scotia, along with her husband, two children and a pug. She loves to go for walks (unlike her dog), drink coffee, and can be spotted avidly cheering on her kids at their many activities when she isn't writing. Visit Pamela Callow's website to find out more.