Giveaway time!! ~She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell

When She Walks In Beauty came out back in April, I had my sister (after much begging on my part) drive the half hour and more, to the closest Barnes & Noble to buy it. I was completely smitten w/ the cover and the story, so, I had no problem with plunking down the $15.00 to the B&N cashier when it came time to purchase it. Little did I know that two weeks later, Jim Hart @ Bethany House Publisher, would be gracious enough to offer it up for review, and for free no less! To make a long story short, I somehow signed up for SWIB for review (though I've already written mine awhile back) and just received it in the mail a couple of days ago. So today, my book blunder is y'all's opportunity to win a free book!! And a fantastic book at that. I really enjoyed it (and my review for SWIB is HERE) and I know that who ever wins this giveaway, will love it just as much as I did.

So now onto the boring stuff......the giveaway rules:
1) You just have to have a valid U.S mailing address (sorry Canada:(
2) A valid E-mail address (and to prevent spammer, make sure to write e-mail like so: i95fahrenheit[at]ymail[dot]com)

3) You must leave one comment saying you'd liked to be entered including your e-mail address.
4) The giveaway starts today (June 15th. 2010) and will end one week from today (June 21st. 2010).

5) The winner will be picked on the 21st then announced on the 22nd. The winner will have 48 hr. to respond to my e-mail or another winner will be picked.


And oh! one more thing. Because SWIB has such a beautiful cover featuring a spectacular 19th century debutant dress, tell me (in your entire comment) what your favorite clothing trend is . It can be anything from togas to top hats. Anything goes.

*Thanks so much to Jim Hart @ BethanyHouse Publisher for providing me with a review/giveaway copy of She Walks In Beauty.

To learn more about Siri Mitchell or her books go to:

Her Website

The Publisher

Goodreads

Good luck, y'all!!

Love Ya,

Ashley

Review: She Walks In Beauty by Siri Mitchell

Title: She Walks In Beauty
Author: Siri Mitchell
Publisher: Bethany House
Date released: April 1st. 2010
ISBN:978-0-7642-0433-3

Stars:**** 1/2
Age rating: PG-14

Back cover (from Goodreads):

For a young society woman seeking a favorable marriage in the late 1890s, so much depends on her social season debut. Clara Carter has been given one goal: secure the affections of the city's most eligible bachelor. Debuting means plenty of work--there are corsets to be fitted, dances to master, manners to perfect. Her training soon pays off, however, as celebrity's spotlight turns Clara into a society-page darling. Yet Clara wonders if this is the life she really wants, especially when she learns her best friend has also set her sights on Franklin De Vries. When a man appears who seems to love her simply for who she is, and gossip backlash turns ugly, Clara realizes it's not just her heart at stake--the future of her family depends on how she plays the game.

My Thoughts:

It's no secret that I'm addicted to beautiful covers. So, when I saw the cover for She Walks In Beauty, I knew I just had to read it. I've read A Constant Heart by Ms. Mitchell and fell in love with it, especially with her use of first POV. She Walks In Beauty centers on the bright and beautiful Clara Charter,( daughter of the famous Dr. Charter of New York city) who is a New York's most promising debutante.

I liked, very nearly loved, She Walks In Beauty. In the beginning of the book, it felt like it was just party after elegant party for Clara, and not a whole lot of anything else. But towards the end, the story got a little faster in pace and we get to see a lot more action and interaction between the characters. I loved the rich historical detail but, I felt that the characters themselves, weren't really described with as much detail as I'd like. A lot of the secondary characters felt a little flat, although most of the main characters were real and well rounded. Siri Mitchell wove an important message about God loving us for who we are, and that we don't need to change ourselves in ordered to be loved. I definitely enjoyed the story plot and felt it was original and interesting. But, my favorite part would have to be the very end (and no, it's not because I'd finally finished reading it). The ending was romantic to a "T" and didn't leave me wanting but sighing with contentment. All-in-all if you like Victorian era themed books, that are rich and well written, then I would definitely recommend She Walks In Beauty.

To learn more about Siri Mitchell and her books go to:

Her Website

Love Y'all,

Ashley

P.S.

I couldn't help but re-post this review with a pic of the back cover. Don't you just LOVE it?!? LOL