Blog Tour and Book #Review: The Shadow of Your Smile by Susan May Warren

About the Book:

A Deep Haven Novel 

A beautiful blanket of snow may cover the quaint town of Deep Haven each winter, but it can't quite hide the wreckage of Noelle and Eli Hueston's marriage. After twenty-five years, they're contemplating divorce . . . just as soon as their youngest son graduates from high school. But then an accident erases part of Noelle's memory. Though her other injuries are minor, she doesn't remember Eli, their children, or the tragedy that has ripped their family apart. What's more, Noelle is shocked that her life has turned out nothing like she dreamed it would. As she tries to regain her memory and slowly steps into her role as a wife and mother, Eli helps her readjust to daily life with sometimes-hilarious, sometimes-heartwarming results. But can she fall in love again with a man she can't remember? Will their secrets destroy them . . . or has erasing the past given them a chance for a future? 

About the Author:

Susan May Warren is the RITA award-winning author of thirty novels with Tyndale, Barbour, Steeple Hill and Summerside Press.  A four-time Christy award finalist, a two-time RITA Finalist, she's also a multi-winner of the Inspirational Readers Choice award, and the ACFW Carol Award.  A seasoned women's events speaker, she's a popular writing teacher at conferences around the nation and the author of the beginning writer's workbook: From the Inside-Out: discover, create and publish the novel in you!.  She is also the founder of www.MyBookTherapy.com, a story-crafting service that helps authors discover their voice. 

Find out more at www.susanmaywarren.com. 

My Opinion:

Noelle and Eli and living separately together. Their marriage suffered a break upon the death of their daughter; she was murdered in a robbery at the convenience store where she worked. Eli, the sheriff at  time blames himself for not "knowing" that the perpetrator would do the deed. Noelle has just not dealt with her grief. She can't handle Eli's withdrawal and her lost dreams. On a trip to the city to start pursuing those dreams again she gets caught up in a robbery and is injured. When she wakes up in the hospital she has lost the last 25 years of memories and thinks she is a college student. She does not remember her marriage, she does not remember her children.


The synopsis drew me in but the storytelling didn't carry me through. I couldn't understand some of the reactions and behaviors so I had problems with the tale. When Noelle wakes up and is afraid of her dour, scowling husband instead of his being concerned he gets angry at her. Angry? This is not a reaction I would expect - at the situation perhaps, but not at the person with the amnesia. The two boys' reactions seem out of place as well.


The subplots involving a friend of the dead daughter whose father died in the same incident, her mother and the eldest son of the main family tie together well. It was a light and easy read I was able to get through in two short sittings.

The rest of the Tour Schedule can be found HERE.

Sometimes love requires a little forgetting ... Come back to Deep Haven and
find out what's been happening in your favorite quaint hamlet. If you're new to the Deep
Haven series - this is the perfect book to start with - each book in the series is a stand
alone story.




Susan is celebrating the release of The Shadow of Your Smile by giving
away a prize pack worth over $200 from 1/9-1/28.

One grand prize winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Gift Card (Use that to rekindle a little romance, treat
  yourself to a spa day, snap up those shoes you’ve been eyeing, or purchase a few great
  books!)

• The entire set of Deep Haven Books 

The winner will be announced on 1/30/12 on Susan’s blog, Scribbles! Just click one of the icons below to enter and tell your friends about
Susan's giveaway on FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning.

Disclosure:  I received an e-copy of The Shadow of Your Smile from Litfuse Publicity Group. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free e-book. I received no monetary compensation for this post.

The Wind Do Blow

It was windy yesterday.
VERY windy.
I was sitting quietly at the computer and I heard this WHOOOOOOSH sound. 
Then I heard a big CRASH.
Then I felt the wind.
FELT the wind?!

Uh-oh!
This was NOT good.
The skylight was gone.
I called the hubby to let him know and I went to look for it. I THOUGHT it would be in the gully.
That was the wind direction.


Uh, no.
I walked all around the yurt.
A bit of a challenge in the two feet of wet snow but I finally found the skylight.

It seems to have gone on a bit of journey like a flying saucer.
The debris field was pretty expansive. It crashed into the trailer and came to rest between it and the hubby's new tractor. Plexiglass EVERYWHERE.


*sigh*

Hubby came home and brought out the big ladder as the skylight is 18 feet up.

Harry had to inspect. (For more on that tale you can read Pricilla's blog)
Harry doesn't miss a chance to climb a ladder.

A friend was driving by and saw we were having a problem and came in to help the hubby which was really nice. We were so lucky that the weather held while he was getting it repaired. It was supposed to be raining. 

He got it repaired. A new skylight is ordered but it will be three weeks 'til it gets here.
The rains came in the night.
So did the leaks.
Drip, drip, drip.

My living room looks like some kind of strange modern art installation. It's gotten worse since I took this photo with the addition of three more buckets and two bowls. More books have come down from the shelves. I hope I make it three weeks.

Hold little skylight repair, please hold!

The Amazing Mat - #Review

If there is one thing the hubby and I have in common it's that we both track in lots of icky stuff from the yard. When you live on a small farm with free ranging goats and chickens you also have free ranging poop. 


It's a fact people. Farm animals drop it where they walk. And then the "farmers" walk in it. Disgusting, I know, which is why we take our shoes off before we hit the floor of our living space. But we do have to go down to the basement for items we have stored and then we get ick on our socks. Thanks to The Amazing Mat that ick now stays where it belongs. Here is the erm, poop direct from the site:


The Amazing Mat is not an ordinary rubber, fabric or grass door mat. It is constructed of separate layers of specially designed clear "sticky" sheets that collect dirt and germs when stepped on. When the top one gets dirty, simply peel it off (along with the dirt) and expose a new sheet. The mat is safe and easy to walk on for adults, children and pets.

I was sent the adorable Welcome Paws - what else would I pick? It is very cute. The mat is a good size. When I posted previously about my upcoming review there were a couple of questions:


Does it feel sticky? - Just slightly. Not so much that it impedes your walking on it. The instructions come with a warning that it is slippery when wet so it does not have a super tacky surface. The cats do not mind walking on it at all.


Does whatever is on the mat transfer to the shoe (or foot, if barefoot)in anyway? - I have not found this to happen at all.


When the mat gets dirty I just pull up the disposable layer and toss it away and THIS is my one problem with it. I hate disposable items because of the addition to the landfills. I wanted to try this though because of the untold amount of ick we track in and it has made a difference in what makes it upstairs. One layer lasts quite a long time. I have been using it for about two weeks now and I have only pulled off two layers. Keep in mind that this is NOT dealing with shoes only with socks. And cats.


I am pleased with The Amazing Mat and what it has kept from being tracked upstairs into my house.


If you want to try it yourself I have a special discount that will give you FREE SHIPPING! Just use the code SHIPNOW at checkout. It is good through 3/15/12.


You can shop for the The Amazing Mat
You can find The Amazing Mat on Facebook
You can find The Amazing Mat on Twitter

Disclosure:  I received The Amazing Mat gratis. Any opinions expressed are my honest opinions and were not impacted by my receipt of the free product. I received no monetary compensation for this post.