Books are cheaper than heroin, but they DO add up....

Amy, Carrie, Chanin and Sarah buy (and read and review) their own stuff. They've been known to shop around from dealer to dealer looking for the best price. If you're interested in slipping them something to try out, just contact us.



Monday, February 20, 2012

The Sword-Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe (Review & Giveaway)

At the end of January, online friend Deborah Blake hosted author Alex Bledsoe on her blog, Writing the Witchy Way.  He spoke about finding time to write when you're a stay-at-home parent.  (Geez, the mind boggles.)  Deb reciprocated by explaining the concept of maladaptive inertia to Alex's readers.  Both posts are good reads, and I would get all cute and ask you to read them while I wait for you to come back to this post. EXCEPT. I. CAN'T. WAIT. THAT. LONG.

Do not look away. Finish this post.
Click through on the links later.
Read them later.  (Seriously, it's good stuff.)

Right now, at this very moment, I need to introduce you to the best thing I learned from Deb's and Alex's posts; I need to introduce you to Eddie LaCrosse and The Sword-Edged Blonde.

You're going to be so glad I did.

See, Eddie is tough guy, a sword for hire.  Living in a place that feels a little bit Medieval Times and a little bit Tombstone, Eddie makes a living by his wits, by his word, by his weapon.  I don't want to date Eddie, and I really don't want to be Eddie, but I would love to have a guy like Eddie at my back.  When you're in a pinch, and you need someone discreet to straighten out your mess, Eddie is your guy. He's a little bit Sam Spade, little bit Harry Dresden, and whole lot of Easy Rawlins.*

*If you're unfamiliar with any of these three, we can talk later.

At this point in his life, Eddie has his own code of dos and don'ts (like those other three), and he sticks to it even when it gets awkward.  Eddie gets the job done. In The Sword-Edged Blonde, the job is to find out what happened to his best friend's wife and infant child on the night everyone thinks the wife went crazy and murdered the boy.  The fact that Eddie's best friend commands his own kingdom and hasn't spoken to Eddie in years makes the situation trickier, but it doesn't change Eddie's code. The fact that the wife doesn't remember that night nor anything that happened before the day she met the king makes things interesting, but not nearly as interesting as Eddie's belief that he's met the woman before.

This book is for the tough guy in all of us.
The Sword-Edged Blonde takes Eddie on an adventure- and memory-packed journey to find the truth about that night.  You'll find out how a guy with Eddie's sordid past becomes friends with a king, and you'll be reminded that we're often the last ones to offer ourselves forgiveness.  It's Eddie's sordid past that makes me call this book western noir. The noir part is right.  Eddie is hard-boiled. He hasn't forgiven himself, but the western part is a bit odd because everyone else calls it sword-and-sorcery fantasy. I just can't shake the feeling that Eddie would fit right in during the shootout at the OK Corral. (Once, of course, he traded in his sword for a revolver.)  I'd say western noir is for anyone who likes the idea of frontier justice, the sanctity of friends, and never letting yourself off the hook.

So, I really, really liked this book, and I want to thank Deb for introducing me to Alex's work by paying it forward.  I have a paperback copy of The Sword-Edged Blonde to give away.

Yay, free book!  Free GOOD book!

How do you make this possible?  It's as simple as a few clicks of the mouse and familiarizing yourself with all our social media efforts!  (Check out all those pretty buttons and options up there on the right.)  You can enter up to four times.  Please provide your e-mail address at least once.

1.  Follow our blog.  You'll see the word "Followers" on the upper right of the blog, and if you haven't followed yet that's where you can get started.  Once you have become an official follower, or if you already were a follower, leave a comment on this post saying you follow The Family Addiction.  Please leave your email address in the comment as well so we can contact you if you win.  To reduce the likelihood of spam or scams, use this format: youremailaddress(at)youremailservice(dot)com.  As an example, thefamilyaddiction(at)gmail(dot)com.

2.  Doing that is one entry.  For another entry, Like our Facebook page.  Then leave a comment that you're an official Liker along with your email address.

3. Follow us on Twitter and leave a comment telling us you do.

4. Follow us on Pinterest and leave a comment telling us you do.  (Need a Pinterest invite?  We can make that happen!)

5.  That's four entries if you did all that by Wednesday, February 22, midnight CST!  We'll randomly select from the entries that are there by Wednesday, February 22, midnight CST and notify a lucky Follower/Liker/Commenter by email.


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11 comments:

  1. just wanted to say that i love your writing style, Carrie. it's very engaging and easy to follow : )

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  2. Hey! I'm friends with Amy. So excited about your blog and glad she introduced it to me. I'm following you but I don't like to post my email on facebook or on blogs. Amy knows how to get in touch with me.

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  3. The cover of this book doesn't look like one I would pick up to read, but the review makes me want to read it. Good job. Will add to my ever-growing wish list.

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    1. Binnie--the cover doesn't do the book justice. I never would have picked it up either, except I knew Alex. Thankfully, the later books in the series have MUCH better covers. Go check them out.

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  4. Ok, here's my comment letting you know I follow you on Pinterest. :) Amy can get hold of me if I win.

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  5. And here is my comment letting you know I've "liked" your page on facebook. I don't tweet or I would have followed you on Twitter too. I love books and am excited to dive into some that you have recommended!

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  6. I like your reviews. I find I'm not having enough time to read through all my "wish books"! Sound familiar????

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  7. Hey, Carrie! Love the review! I just discovered this book while perusing the Giveaway section at Goodreads. I can't believe I missed Deb's post! I'm so glad I didn't miss yours!

    I have followed your blog, liked you on FB, am following you on Twitter and Pinterest! I'm in this to win it, baby!

    Of course having said that...if I do win I wouldn't mind giving it to someone else. As a Betty I'm gonna read your blog anyway. I think it might be more beneficial for the giveaway to go to someone else. ;) I just have a crazy competitive edge and LOVE winning books. :)

    XOXO
    Cat

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  8. Carrie: Thanks so much for the kind review! I really appreciate it (and you're the first person to compare Eddie to Easy Rawlins!).
    You don't have to enter me in the contest. :-)
    Best,
    Alex

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    1. Alex,
      Thank YOU for Eddie. The second one is on hold for me at the library.
      I shouldn't have been the first to compare Eddie to Easy. They both operate alongside the system, but not in it. Yes? And they're both good to have as friends and very bad to have as enemies.
      Carrie

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