Dancing Naked In Dixie by Lauren Clark Review and INT GIVEAWAY!

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Travel writer Julia Sullivan lives life in fast-forward. She jet sets to Europe and the Caribbean with barely a moment to blink or sleep. But too many mishaps and missed deadlines have Julia on the verge of being fired.
With a stern warning, and unemployment looming, she's offered one last chance to rescue her career. Julia embarks on an unlikely journey to the ‘Heart of Dixie’—Eufaula, Alabama—home to magnificent mansions, sweet tea, and the annual Pilgrimage.
Julia arrives, soon charmed by the lovely city and her handsome host, but her stay is marred by a shocking discovery. Can Julia's story save her career, Eufaula, and the annual Pilgrimage? 
Summary


When Julia leaves her town to travel to the South, she enters a new world.  She has to pick up and understand certain mannerisms and adjust to how things are done in Eufaula.  The reader will likely find Julia's experiences hysterical as she struggles to get her bearings in Eufaula. 

Julia's character was nice enough, the reader will likely connect to her by the middle of the book.  The other characters are a riot.  Some have that old Southern charm while others remain Southern gentlemen.  There are other characters that are true characters, making the reader laugh.  Julia learns to love Eufaula and wants to fix what is threatening the small town. The town is experiencing difficulty with their historical rennovations and something seems a little underhanded.  Can Julia help save Eufaula? 

Readers will enjoy the mystery, intrigue, Southern charm, and slight romance that can be found in this book.  Naked In Dixie is recommended to adult readers.

4 Stars

EXCERPT # 1
I’m a travel writer at Getaways magazine. Paid for the glorious task of gathering up fascinating snippets of culture and piecing them into quirky little stories. Jet-setting to the Riviera, exploring the Great Barrier Reef, basking on Bermuda beaches. It’s as glamorous and exhilarating as I imagined.
Okay, it is a tad lonely, from time to time.
And quite exhausting.
Which is precisely why I have to get organized.
Today.
I sink into my chair and try to concentrate. What to tackle first? Think, think.  
“Julia Sullivan!”
   
Third reminder. Uh-oh.
Marietta rolls her eyes and jerks a thumb toward the inevitable. “Guess you better walk the plank,” she teases. “New guy’s waiting. Haven’t met him yet, but I’ve heard he’s the ‘take no prisoners’ sort. Hope you come back alive.”
I grope for something witty and casual to say, but all of a sudden, my head feels light and hollow.
I’ve been dying to find out about the new editor.
Every last gory detail.
Until now.
“I’m still in another time zone,” I offer up to Marietta with a weak smile. My insides toss from side to side as I slide out of my chair.
Marietta tosses me a wry look. “Nice try. Get going already, sport.”
I tilt my head toward the hallway and pretend to pout. When I look back, Marietta’s already disappeared. Smart girl.
“Fine, fine.” I tug a piece of rebellious auburn hair into place, smooth my wool suit, and begin to march toward the inevitable.
Our new editor.
My neck prickles.
I’m not going to worry. Not much anyway.
My pulse thuds.
Not going to worry about change. Or re-organization. Or pink slips.
Focus, Julia.





This product or book may have been distributed for review, this in no way affects my opinions or reviews.

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Review and Giveaway!: 365 Days! (USA)

“The stories I have tried to tell here are true,” says Glasser in his preface.  “Those that happened in Japan I was part of; the rest are from the boys I met.  I would have liked to have disbelieved some of them, and at first I did, but I was there long enough to hear the same stories again and again, and then to see part of it myself.”

Assigned to Zama, an Army hospital in Japan, Glasser arrived there in September 1968 as a pediatrician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, primarily to care for the children of officers and high-ranking government officials.  But with an average of six to eight thousand wounded per month, Glasser, along with all other available physicians, was called on to treat the soldiers.  The death and suffering he witnessed were staggering.  The soldiers counted their days by the length of their tour—one year, or 365 days—and they knew, down to the day, how much time they had left.  Glasser tells their stories—their lives shockingly interrupted by the tragedies of war—with humane eloquence.

The excerpts are telling…

Page 14…

Peterson was waiting with the medic near the edge of the pad.  The chopper had barely touched down when the crew chief jerked open the door.  The inside of the chopper was covered with blood.  In the dim half-light of the landing pad it looked like drying enamel.

Peterson and the medic started running onto the pad at the same time. Hunching over to clear the swirling blades, the crew chief helped them into the chopper.  The wounded man, his head hanging limply over the edge of the stretcher, was still lashed to the sides of the chopper.  Blood welled up from under his half-body cast.  Grabbing the top of the plaster cast, Peterson tore it off.  A great gush of blood shot up, hit the roof, and then dying, fell away.  He put his hand quickly over the wound and pressed down to stop the bleeding; he could feel the flesh slipping away from under his hand.  Taking a clamp out of his pocket, he took his hand off the wound and, with the blood swelling up again, stuck the clamp blindly into the jagged hole, worked it up into the groin, and snapped it shut.  The bleeding stopped.  The bleeding stopped.

Assigned to Zama, an Army hospital in Japan, Glasser arrived there in September 1968 as a pediatrician in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, primarily to care for the children of officers and high-ranking government officials. But with an average of six to eight thousand wounded per month, Glasser, along with all other available physicians, was called on to treat the soldiers. The death and suffering he witnessed were staggering. The soldiers counted their days by the length of their tour—one year, or 365 days—and they knew, down to the day, how much time they had left. Glasser tells their stories—their lives shockingly interrupted by the tragedies of war—with humane eloquence.
This book isn't a YA lovey dovey feel good storyline. This giveaway is for people who want to learn about what it's like to live in the middle of a war. You might have a loved one that once served in the military or known someone who has lost their life… this is for you. It's a tear jerker (so have a box of tissues near you) but it's also a book that makes you take a second look at life. It's a point of view from the wounded. 365 Days is a gut wrenching story about loss in the Vietnam War. Ronald Glasser is a doctor who had many incoming soldiers that needed medical and surgical attention. He sat down with some of them, heard and wrote their stories all of which eventually became the acclaimed book “365 Days”. All that is what the book is about-the war and those who made the fight. Each short story adds to the others making an unforgettable document of that war. These are stories about courage of the warriors, understanding of how much your life can change in one moment, and how the war effects not only the soldiers but the people those around them on the battlefield and at home. It will make you want to hug your family and say "I will always love you". After reading this story, I look at the military differently… I feel like I'm really in their shoes. I'm glad I picked up this book and hope that you will too. Five stars.

5 Stars

*Reviewed by Rachel*


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