Mailbox Monday

~Mailbox Monday~  
is hosted by Laura  of  Library of Clean Reads during the month of February 
We share what books that we found in our mailboxes last week.

I received this Advance Reader Edition (on sale 4/19/11) from Random House Publishing Group:

Friendship Bread by Darien Gee

From Goodreads:
An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.
 
One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others. 

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

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I received this book from Shelf Awareness:

Kat, Incorrigible by Stephanie Burgis

From Goodreads:
Twelve-year-old Kat Stephenson may be the despair of her social-climbing Step-Mama, but she was born to be a magical Guardian and protector of Society--if she can ever find true acceptance in the secret Order that expelled her own mother. She’s ready to turn the hidebound Order of the Guardians inside-out, whether the older members like it or not. And in a society where magic is the greatest scandal of all, Kat is determined to use all her powers to help her three older siblings--saintly Elissa, practicing-witch Angeline, and hopelessly foolish Charles--find their own true loves, even if she has to turn highwayman, battle wild magic, and confront real ghosts along the way!

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I received this advanced promo unedited copy from the author!

Stilettos & Scoundrels by Laina Turner Molaski

From Goodreads:

Presley Thurman, a sassy, thirty-something red-head, was looking to reinvent herself. She didn't allow the fact she was recently fired to bother her - she was ready to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a writer. Presley is a lover of shopping and Starbucks, and even though she sometimes had bad taste in men, she always had great taste in clothes. Not looking back on corporate America, Presley decided to follow her dream. With her feisty nature and a spirit to not "sweat the small stuff," she was ready to tackle any challenge (even if she had no idea how she would pay the bills). When her friend Trevor offered her a job with his online magazine to interview public figures, she jumped at the chance. However, the new job turned into something unexpected when the U.S. Senator she was slated to write about was murdered - in her home town! Presley was excited - she hadn't seen so much buzz since the spring sample sale at Saks. She was ready for this adventure, even if it didn't seem to fit neatly into her life. She couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the middle of the buzz. Presley was determined (not to mention curious) to find the killer and write her story. After all, she couldn't afford her shoe habit without a job and she was certainly not one to shy away from danger. The only thing standing in her way was an old high school fling, Cooper Sands, head of the Senator's security. He was not actually standing in her way, but because of his good looks, he was the biggest distraction and one she was having the hardest time overcoming. Cooper felt it was too dangerous for Presley to look for a killer and tried to distract her with reliving the past; which Presley found more dangerous than any killer. While she attempted to resist Cooper's good looks and charm, Presley was able to discover the Senator's wife, Helen, had been having an affair... with her best friend's boyfriend! Did Helen kill the Senator? Or was it the Senator's love of gambling that got him killed? And what was Cooper's secret tie to the mob boss Garrison Palazzo? Presley was betting her favorite pair of Manolo's she will find the killer... but will time run out!

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I became friends with Dijorn Moss on Facebook, and was interested in checking out his book, so I purchased it:

The Retreat by Dijorn Moss

From Goodreads:

For those who have ever wondered what goes on at a men's retreat, The Retreat is an in-depth look into the lives of four men who have looked for answers in all the wrong places . . . until now.

Quincy is in the final stages of his divorce, but he still wants to know which church member had an affair with his wife. Jamal is on the verge of the promotion of a lifetime, but unresolved issues with his son, Jamir, threaten everything. Chauncey is a man who will go to great lengths for his church, but not for his terminally ill brother. Will is a young hustler who has been given a rare opportunity to make a choice that will change his life forever.

These four men are all at a crossroads in their lives. Will they lay their burdens down at the cross, or will they choose paths that will cause more harm than good? It will all be revealed at the men's retreat, where they learn that they need God and his wisdom more than ever.

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I also became friends with Larry Jabreel Wilson on Facebook.  I also wanted to check out his books, so he recommended this one to read first:

The KING of Erotica 1: The Throne's Special Edition by daPharoah69

Imagine a perfect world that seems like heaven on the outside but on the inside...hell, lies and deceit interweaves the bitter, passionate and lost into a monster of its own design. In the eyes of society, most people live cookie-cutter lives. They try to be better than everybody, boast about what they have and they selfishly show off their houses, lovers and cars to a world sick with confusion, bias and racism. They lie to themselves for the sake of acceptance. Wearing their Sunday Best, they go to church, praise God after shaking their hind parts in the clubs and they give to the needy...expecting something in return. But on the inside they are impure. On the inside they have bad intentions and they are so sexual they don't know if they're coming or going. Enter the no-nonsense flair of Dapharoah69, The King of Erotica. Melissa Jackson takes no shorts when it comes THE GOLDEN MASKS and pure, unadulterated sex. She's a Goulds, Florida native who tells it like it is and she doesn't apologize for it. She participates in a massive orgy in the back of the church. Clever...she just wants to live out her dreams! She's a gorgeous woman used to getting what she wants. She targets prostitutes she meets online. Will her British lover let her have the fantasy? Terrance Jo'Shawn is a straight man during daylight hours but when night falls...the pure freak comes out to play...with another man...who is attached to someone he loves the most in the world. The King of Erotica is an embodiment of everything you never imagined. The stories are brutally honest. The characters are selfish, needy and greedy...like some people you know in your life. The characters made their beds...but will they lay in them? Why does Melissa turn her church upside down? Why is Francine Mann getting cold feet about marrying Samuel Lester? Why is Prado (Samuel's brother) jealous of what he has? Why did she get her knees dirty in her home in a wedding dress with Samuel's brother? Will Prado destroy a marriage in the making? Will Clever live out her dreams? DOWN, SET, HIKE will change how you view...sports and sex. THE GOLDEN MASKS will change how you look at church and the tithe plates. RAYNE IN THE BEDROOM will change how you view theatrics, lesbians and...oral sex. JOINTS, BEER AND THE CHEATING LOVERS gives a new meaning to life, love and Holy Matrimony when two hot-and-horny men suffer the infidelity of their...hot and bothered wives. THE STRAP will show you how one woman remained faithful to a bisexual, selfish man after coming home to rose petals leading to her room. But were they for her? Or another man or woman? All this and more lace the King of Erotica Book 1: the Throne. GET SOMETHING from this book. Because the King of Erotica is a no-holds barred affair that will make or break your thought process while reading his presentation.

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Finally, I purchased these shirts from Brian W. Smith, one of my favorite authors!  Here is the link to purchase these awesome shirts and Brian W. Smith's books: hollygrovepublishing.com

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