Good Morning Monday!!

Happy Monday Everyone!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! OK...So, I'm a little excited! Yes, I know I get excited over the tiniest of things, but...it's not SO tiny that I've been blogging here for over a year. And while I was away in the hospital for some of that time, I still consider it a sort of Blog-a-versary!

I've been trying to get caught up with all of my friend's blogs and I got to finally *see* what some of you look like thanks to TRISH. She was at the book festival and I'm SO jealous! Because she took such wonderful videos, I felt like I was there (in part anyway)!

Back to the "Happy Blog-A-Versary" to me ... I have decided to give away one of the beautiful bracelets that you see below made by the very talented *Lizzy Bleu* over at her etsy shop! I just need to think of the WHAT we should do? *to determine the winner* and the HOW long we should make it last? I've been thinking and thinking but...I'm up for any ideas that you may have .... SO, if you've got any, feel free to email me @IAmHiMaintenance at Aol dot Com! I'd LOVE to hear from you! : )

Oh...and Mother's Day is coming up this Sunday and I still haven't gotten mom anything yet...So, for the time being, I'm off to do one of the things that I do best *and that is SHOP*! Hope to hear from you soon and I'll be posting the contest THIS WEEK! I think the winner should have some type of choice though...like either their name on the bracelet or just a mix of keys OR Lizzy does make different pieces such as necklaces and earrings as well. So...if there is something the winner likes better (I'm easy) and it's very possible that you can get a different item other than the bracelet! I LOVE a give-a-way! Especially when I get to pick ... *not as much as when I win*. But, you get the picture!

Oh, and the link to Lizzy Bleu's Shop again can be found .... right ... here ... lizzybleu on Etsy - lizzybleu typewriter jewelry!

We had beautiful weather here in Rhode Island last week! But, the beginning of this week doesn't look like it's going to be as nice *not at all* ... Actually, it looks like rain. Oh how I do love that smell right after it rains on a warm spring day! Maybe I'll have that to at least look forward too! If not, it's the PERFECT weather to snuggle up and READ! (with a nice cup of tea...ooooh or chai...yummy)!

Well...enough day-dreaming, I'm off to shop! Well, online ... it IS extremely LATE or EARLY (depending on how you look at it) here on the East Coast!

Till Then...

XXX ~ KISSES

The Princess*

A New Beginning!

Hi All!

Well, I'm finally home...

You have NO idea how good this feels! I can start reviewing again on a daily basis and I can hold contests and see all of my friends again.

But, I can't lie, there have been many changes made in my life. Permanent changes that have affected me greatly. I'm not ready to talk about all of them yet, but I will...in time. You've all been wonderful and to the authors and publishers "THANK YOU"! Can you hear me yelling?? See me waving *Waving Madly*!! Cancer is a horrible thing. It doesn't pick and choose. It's equally terrible to everyone! It doesn't care what you do, how old you are, what color you are, if you have a family or if you don't...

My choice...to fight back. And that I did. Did I win? To me, somewhat...and I know you all don't understand what I mean yet, but you will. I'm just not ready to talk about it yet and when I am, you'll be the first to know. A few closer friends online do know. I chose to tell them through private emails that they've sent to me. But enough about *C*...and more about BLOGGING, BLOGGERS and BOOKS!! YAY!!

I've received some really great books to review recently and I will get those posted! And today, I received a friend request on Face Book from my favorite Thriller writer Rick R. Reed! He now has ten (10) published Novels and I couldn't be happier for him! Continued success to you Rick! I was extremely surprised and honored that he was looking for me and wondering how I was doing. It made me *blush* a little... Anyway, he has a great post on the blog entitled "In Cold Blog" about his real life stalker experience and it's quite scary...you should check it out!

Another great thing...I've been book blogging over a year! It seems like yesterday! I can't believe it .... SO, in honor of that, I'm thinking up a great GIVE-A-WAY while we speak (or AS I TYPE!). Going through the blogs, I see just how much I've missed and some of it was quite a shock...

Dewey...I don't know what to say. I couldn't believe what I was reading and my prayers and heart go out to her and her family! I was sad I missed the read-a-thon. I missed so much. Those things made me sad and mad. It made me think of my own family and friends...my friends on line and what cancer "took away" from ME! I have been reading all of your blogs, just not posting on many! I've been lurking for a bit...Nymeth? Congrats on your "Dangerous Alphabet Book"... how cool is that?? Trish, I missed you greatly! And so many of you I tried to contact personally in a letter. J.Kaye? Your BLOG looks AMAZING! I promise to catch up on everyone and what they are doing...I also hope to have many of you stopping by here to catch up with me as well! So stop by and pass my blog on!

There are other things to "ME" besides reading and I think that I might let you all in on those things in between reviews as well...just in case...you never know. I don't want you to think ALL I do is READ. I love FASHION, PINK, CHOCOLATE and SATC...SHOES....SHOES AND SHOES! This year I think I'm going to let it all out. I have to. And not for you...for ME! So, if you want to learn about new authors, favorites, books and ME....the PRINCESS behind the BLOG, PLEASE stay tuned!

*PHEW!* I am SOOOO Glad to be back!! Unfortunately, that's all for now! Until then...

XXX ~ KISSES

PRINCESS

Matrimony - Give-A-Way

I wanted to let you all know that JAIME over at CONFESSIONS OF A BIBLIOPHILE is giving away her copy of "MATRIMONY"! So, just follow this link 2008: A Giveaway! - Matrimony Confessions of a Bibliophile and find out how you can get up to three entries ... (YES 3!) to win!!

Thank you Jaime!

XXX - KISSES

The Princess

J.Kaye's Having A Give-A-Way!

Yes, I know what you're thinking, (if you know J.Kaye), she is always having give-a-ways! But this isn't just any ordinary give-a-way! It's "Breaking Dawn" by Stephenie Meyer! And that's not all, she's having a chat everyday this week at NOON! Gustav and my good friend J.Kaye will be chatting away about the book! There are two copies to give-a-way and a week of talk! To find out how to win the book and all about the contest, follow this link J. Kaye's Book Blog: Noontime Chat: All This Week!

Most of all, have fun and best of luck!

XXX - THE PRINCESS

Until Next time...

Happy Reading!

So MANY BOOKS SO Little TIME!

NOT MY BLOG NAME...But then again THERE IS AN AWESOME GIVE-A-WAY going on there....wanna' know? huh? huh? Weeelllllllllllllllllllllll, I suppose I can share the news with a couple of hundred friends....lol

ALL you have to do to get the directions is visit Giveaway: The Gargoyle « So many books, so little time… OH AND SEE...Ugh, I did it wrong, I was going to keep you in suspense and not tell you what book it was yet. Well, it's an ARC of "THE GARGOYLE" by Andrew Davidson that was given through the E.R. Program by Library Thing! An awesome way to get Arcs and new books out MONTHS before they're on the shelf, just like the one above.

So, what are you still standing here reading this for?? HOP on over to SO MANY BOOKS, SO LITTLE TIME and find out ALL the details on how to win! OH and say the *I* Sent You!

That's it for now!

XXX - Kisses

THE PRINCESS

Legs Talk: Let Your Legs Do The Talking

Legs Talk: Let Your Legs Do The Talking By: D.E. Boone

• Publisher: Global Force Media LLC
• ISBN: 0979745349
• ISBN-13: 9780979745348
• Format: Paperback
• 112pp
• Pub. Date: February 2008
• List Price $14.95
• Author's Site Legs Talk by D.E. Boone. The gift book with a kick. The perfect gift for a friend who is going through a breakup. A whimsical...

From the Publisher:

Inspired by the edgier side of dating, Legs Talk employs comical banter and classic black and white photos, to illustrate the hilarious accounts of a doomed relationship.

I LOVED this gift-book and it gets a SOLID FIVE-STAR TIARA RATING here at Royal Reviews! Which Means - This Book Lives Happily Ever After On MY Bookshelf

My thoughts and Review:

"You break it you buy it!"

How many times has the man you thought of as "the one" ended up just being a number in your little black book? From page one this book had me on my toes! It's like a girl's night in all packed in one adorable book! D.E. Boone is original and refreshing and tells it like it is! This book is something we all could use at some point in our life, and that is a fact.

Heart-broken? We've all been and well all know the story and how we got there. It's timeless and I'd go as far to say a "classic" in it's own right. But you know what? I want to tell it again...as single women, when we look for a man, we dress-up, use our sensuality and "walk" with it so to say. There she is minding her own business, having a little "retail therapy" (which we all need by the way) and here he comes,could it be..Mr. Right? or should we say Mr. Right Now? I love a good story especially one I've lived through and can relate to one hundred percent! But when it's told a way so ingenious, edgy, and different that I've never seen it before, I am blown away! "Legs Talk: Let your Legs Do the Talking", is THAT book. We may know the story, but we certainly have never seen it narrated like this.

A tale of girl meets guy, falls for guy, finds out he's not what he said he was, disappoints, disappears, reappears, girl gives him another chance only to be hurt again ...then what? We all swear the next one will be normal! Except for one thing, as normal as this story sounds, it's anything but! This beautiful black and white picture book is told from the waist down. That's right, this book is narrated by a par of sexy, gorgeous and sensuous legs.

Have you ever been looking for that perfect gift book for a girl friend who just got dumped by the man of her dreams? Or maybe things just didn't work out between the two of them. And all you want is a little something to stop her from moping around and eating your entire pint of Ben and Jerry's? So what do you do? You rush out to the local bookstore and all you find sitting on the shelves are the "I'm so very sorry" books. Now to me ladies, in most cases, and even if you don't find out until later on, it's a blessing in disguise! So, why not celebrate? This book is how we as women can hold all the cards! We are sexy beings with intelligence, thoughts and feelings and isn't it about time we started to get treated like it?

So go put on your high heels and "walk that walk" because you're a woman and thanks to this book, you'll celebrate it! Nancy Sinatra didn't hit Number One in 1966 with "These Boots Were Made for Walkin'" for nothing! Right?

Thank you Mr. Boone, I totally got a kick out of this book and believe me, you will too!

***GIVE-A-WAY Notice: I will be GIVING AWAY COPY of D.E. Boone's "Legs Talk: Let Your Legs Do The Talking" this week! Hopefully, in the near future we can get Mrs. Boone in here for an interview as well, which would be great! This book give-a-way is made possible by Mrs. Boone hereself because she was so generous to send me two books. ONE for me and ONE to share! Yes, I did learn that from my mom, but if I only got one of these...um...sharing would've gone out the window! : ) The Lucky Winner will be posted at the end of the week. So, if you'd like this adorable little gift book, just leave a comment and you've got your chance!

Good Luck & Have Fun!!

That's all for now and Thank You for stopping by!

XXX ~ THE PRINCESS

Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers

Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers By: S.L. Chessor and C.L. Blankenship

Author: S.L. Chessor and C.L. Blankenship

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Pub. Date: April 5, 2008

Format: Paperback, 196pp

Author's Site: Welcome to www.50730.authorworld.com

MySpace: MySpace.com - S.L. Chessor - 59 - Female - Smalltown, Indiana - www.myspace.com/sybiljones1953

Five Tiaras ~ This Book Will Live Happily Ever After On My Bookshelf!

This collection of poetry is both heartwarming and full of memories.

My thoughts and Review:

"Family bond, the glue that holds us together".

Within the pages of this adorable book I found my family and if you look close enough, I'm sure you'll find yours as well.

When I think of families, especially mine, I think of memories. Memories hold the key to who we are, how we grow and what we become. Not every memory is one that you look back at fondly, that's a given and how life is. But then there are those memories that will make you laugh so hard you'll cry! And hey, if you can't laugh at yourself, who CAN you laugh at? Some memories are shared only between friends and some are dreams of what we want to be, do or love. To me, families and memories go hand and hand.

So who were you? The scared younger sibling or the older much more "sophisticated and mature" one that tormented the younger about monsters in the closet or under the bed? Children will get into trouble and it's usually because curiosity killed the cat or "the dog" in the case of this book! I know it isn't just my mother that used to say this so "Eyes in the backs of our heads" will have you laughing louder than you thought you would sitting alone with this book. One of the greatest gifts we get in life is our parents and the bond created between us. As much as we don't want to hear this as teenagers growing up and finding ourselves, most of the time they were right and did know best. But, just to make yourself feel better, one of my favorite poems in the book, "Whatever!" will help you remember when you knew it all and they were just so wrong about everyone and everything.

Children are our future and the elderly our link to the past, a time where life was a much simpler place. We should honor them, help them, and do as they wish! Right? After you read these poems you'll have to wonder if they do things because they can, are still laughing inside and getting a chance to live their second childhood! What is better than that? The respect of an adult but to live your youth all over again.

Young love and dreams that happen in life that make us look back years later only to wonder "What if?" are also part of this wonderful collection. Times when we have to make important live altering decisions are in this book as well. You'll remember your own and the people that you turned to for wisdom when you couldn't decide yourself. Even though I cried, I read several of these poems more than once, "Remembering Grandma" was one of them. Loosing both of my grandmothers at an early age always affected me personally, so this helped me bring them back, if even for just a little while.As stated in the beginning, not only happy times are written about in this book. Poems such as "Valentine's Eve" and "Blame it on someone else" discuss some of the problems facing society today. Other memorable ones are "Will anybody ever love me" , "Jane Doe" and "A Pretty Dress",

Mrs. Chessor and Mrs. Blankenship are a mother and daughter team that write from the heart. They give you their family and their memories on a silver platter. You will laugh, cry and say "That happened to YOU too?" This unique collection of poetry has something for everyone, something that will make you remember a time in your own life and something that will make you want to read it again and again. I highly recommend this book of poetry that will always have a special place on my bookshelf.

If you enjoy this collection of poetry, you might want to also read S.L. Chessor's debut book written in memory of her late father entitled "My Tongue Fell Out.

***GIVE-A-WAY Notice: I will be GIVING AWAY an AUTOGRAPHED COPY of S.L. Chessor and C.L. Blankenship's BOOK!! If you are interested, please leave me a comment, in the comments section. Mrs. Chessor has been offered an opportunity for an interview but I am unsure yet but will let you know just as soon as I do! Winner will be posted at the end of the week.

Good Luck & Have Fun!!

That's all for now and Thank You for stopping by!

XXX ~ THE PRINCESS

Odds and Ends!

I just wanted to remind you that Saturday night at midnight (EST) is the last time that you can enter for any of this weeks book raffles, there are two of them, so come by, read and check them out. If you're interested, all you have to do is make a comment or leave me a question and it's yours! (or it could be yours if there is more than ONE person that wants it) This week, I think these two books pertain to a limited audience so, I understand totally. The Tao of Fertility was extremely helpful and a huge amount of information.

On the other hand, I have "Dream Lucky", which I didn't feel so lucky to get. But that's up to you. If you like Swing and that era, you may love this book. You can check out my review below if you'd like to see my thoughts. And again, they're just my thoughts so I hope that does not stop you from wanting to read it. Both are ARCs and can NOT be sold. So, I'm giving them to YOU!

My mother always did teach me to share. Awe, and speaking of my mother, Maureen, she's never stopped being a wonderful mother and I'd like to say Thank you to her for that. She's a big fan of my blog..(I wonder why) and she reads, but never comments. I went through something just TERRIBLE this week that NO ONE should have to go through and then the childish behavior that followed was STRANGE to say the least. Some of you know what I'm talking about and some of you don't. I'm still deciding WHAT I should say. Anyway, back to my mom. She was so sad to see me upset on top of everything else I am going through. This reminds me of a great quote that I came across the other day. So, for ALL the moms out there, I'm going to post it right here! It's just TOO cute not too!

Bottom line, ALL parents hate to see their children hurt, no matter what their age. I also want to thank a few of my wonderful author friends that stop by the blog regularly. They were quite a big help and always full of care and kindness!

I LOVE authors! They're really gotten me through some tough times (medically). I always take comfort reading with me to the hospital. I need to. I thank each and every one of my favorites!

And Thank ALL of YOU, my Readers, for stopping by and always being full of friendship and friendly advice!

That's it for now (I'm done rambling)...

Oh no, wait, maybe I'm not! Mother's Day is coming up soon. I just got mom her gift today and I hope she's going to love it! She is an Amazing and Sweet Woman. She helps everyone and even volunteers her time! I guess I'm just lucky!

Ok...that's really it! (for now)

XXX ~ KISSES

The Princess

WINNERS of Sandy Patsy's Autographed Book!

As Promised, I'm listing the two lucky winners of Sandy Patsy's Autographed Book! Each winner will get ONE autographed copy! Please everyone stop back for the interview and there just may be more surprises then!

TRUST ME! SANDY PATSY IS *FULL* OF SURPRISES

Without Further Delay:

BKCLUBCARE and CHRISTYJAN!!

OK ... and the winners for my Relaxation and Name Suggestion Give-A-Way are

BUNNY B. and WENDY

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!!!!

I need you all to send me your names and addresses. OK? Thanks again for everything. I do want you to know that I'm STILL stumped on the name and I'm FAR from relaxed...LOL

Bunny B. I have a copy of a book that I recently read and loved (you have a new copy) and I will get that out to you as soon as I can.

Wendy - I'm trying to decide what I want to send to you...LOL They're both good...Oh who knows, maybe I'll let you choose! (Only because this was NOT like my typical give-a-way!)

Again, congratulations and please check back this week if you'd like the chance to make comments and participate in the give-a-ways on the reviews. Each one will only be good during the week of the review. Starting with Today's, The Tao of Fertility! So, any this week, you make comments or ask questions and then I will post the winners NEXT SUNDAY!

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR HELP!

That's All For Now!

XXX ~ KISSES!

THE PRINCESS

***As for this contest, I have emailed or contacted each member through their blog, you have 48 hours to contact me! ( OR your prize will be given to the next number pulled! ) Also, and I don't know if I want to put this restriction on my give-a-ways or not, but, I may have to say that from now on, it's U.S.A. and Canada participants ONLY. The shipping will kill me. I know, it's so unfair and I really don't want to do this, but if I'm going to give-a-way books weekly, it may be the ONLY way to keep them going. ANOTHER thing. IF you get a book and you like it, please try to leave a review for it somewhere on the net. It's NOT a requirement. It's yours to do what you want with. I just think it's a nice way to give back to all the wonderful authors in the world! Why not spread the word??

What's Your Secret? (Give-A-Way)

What's Your Secret?

I know you have one. So... Why won't you share it with The Princess? Hmmm? Okay, as you may or may not have read in yesterday's post, I'm having a terrible time relaxing and sleeping lately. I'm nervous and I'm scared and most of my own "relaxation techniques" are not working lately.

What are yours? Your relaxation techniques...spill 'em! I need to know what you do to relax. What do you do to calm down? You tell me and I'll BOOK you! If you think you have just the trick, share it with me. It doesn't even have to be something you do. Maybe it's something that your friend does or something you've "heard" works well. I'm THAT desperate for new ideas!

Here's something else I'd like your ideas for. And this will be FUN! The Princess thinks her real name is much too boring. I'm looking for a new name to possibly write and review under. So, if you submit a name, please be aware that I may use it! Well what SEXY name suits me? Be original and unique! I LOVE this. I promise to have a very special gift for the winner IF I pick one of your ideas! I have quite a few of my own ideas, but none of them have POPPED out at me... YKWIM?

That makes TWO ways to WIN and TWO different PRIZES that will be given away! So, help your friend the princess and think SEXY & RELAX!

I think it will be a really easy and fun give-a-way! (The book is of MY choice because I'm The Princess and this is MY castle) The good news is, I promise it will be a good one and I will pay the postage *of course! The Sexy Pseudonym will be given a separate SURPRISE gift! All you have to do is:

1. Give me your idea or ideas

2. Make sure I have your email address to get in touch with you

3. Be willing to give me your snail mail address (for shipping)

Easy! Right? Oh, and don't forget that Sandy Patsy's Comment and Question Give-A-Way below is still going on until the 20th. That's when this one will end as well.

Best of luck to you (and me) *smile*

That's all for now!

XXX ~ Kisses

The Princess

Mundane to Marvelous Monday!

Hi Friends!


I'm not sure I feel well enough to put up a review today, but I just wanted to let you know that I have to books coming in for review that are just *MY* thing! They are two Thrillers that are from my favorite author in this genre, RICK R. REED and I couldn't be more excited. They are "HIGH RISK" and "DEADLY VISION".

I was absolutely scared to death reading "IM" and I haven't had that happen in I don't know how long. I honestly can't get enough of this fabulous author. If you like horror, I mean real horror and to be scared. He's a great one to check out. Plus, I think he's a really good lookng guy! That never hurts, right?

So, I know there are a lot of you out there that share my love of this genre, and in case you haven't heard of him, I really recommend RICK R. REED. He totally ROCKS! And in MY world (and it IS my world) that's what counts!


That's it for tonight!

XXX ~ Kisses

THE PRINCESS


**** P.S. I'm having a hard time relaxing...I think I'm going to post about it tomorrow. The person with the best idea for me to relax and help me sleep will win a book courtesy of *Moi!
So, think about it and then tomorrow, let me know!

Princess' Premiere Royal GIVE-A-WAY

NEW INFO: OK, Up to Today @ 6 pm EST is the LAST POST that will be taken. The winner is going to be drawn by my son, who has done a wonderful job cutting out the papers and copying your names onto them. (Cute huh?) The names (yours may be in there more than once and are in there if I told you that I got your name when I posted) A few things for this give-a-way. It is open to anyone. That may change for furture give-a-ways, especially if they are going to be weekly with reviews and interviews. I feel awful for that, but I simply can't do it. If I could buy all of my new friends a book for BYFAB week, I would. You are all so wonderful and supportive and I appreciate the warm welcome.

ALL OF THE NAMES HAVE BEEN PLACED inside of the Pricess' pointy pink hat, as shown in one of the pictures below and will be drawn by my son at random. The FIRST name he picks out is the winner. I will post your name here! You have 48 hours to claim your prize. If I do not hear back from you, your prize is forfeited and given to the next name drawn and so on and so on (until we have a winner) ... In your email to me, you must include your adrress and the title of the book you would like. Good luck to all that have participated and THANK you for making my new blog a success. Please do continue to stop by for more daily fun and weekly prizes.

XXX- Kisses

The Princess




Hi All! As I promised, here it is, my very first ROYAL GIVE-A-WAY! Why am I doing this you ask? Well, I'm making major changes to my blog in the next few weeks, and not only that, it's Buy Your Friend A Book Week. And because I see all of you in our Book Blogging Community as my group of new and highly respected friends, it's that simple!


The major changes being made are going to be reviews or books that I've read and reading, blurbs about new books out, and hopefully MANY more book related topics. I'll be renovating the castle, so to speak! : )

About the GIVE-A-WAY, all you have to do, is post HERE, ON this POST ONLY, and link it up to your blog (for two entries) Please put something about me starting my new book blog and to stop by and see what's up! OK? The WINNER will be listed back here on Sunday, April 6th. I know a lot of you do the Sunday Salon, so you can stop by when you're done. I'm also trying to work on getting a Feed Burner thingie on here (Lord knows I'm NOT a TECHNO-Wiz! If anyone can help me with this, let me know!

On with the PRIZE.....(Drumroll PLEASE!)

You may pick ANY title (a brand new copy) that you would like! That's right, ANY Book Title may be yours. Just follow the directions, POST and LINK for two chances and then EMAIL me when you see that you are the winner with your information! It's your choice, you're MY friend and it's Buy MY friend a BOOK week! (OK, YOUR friend, technically...)

So, nothing fancy YET, just because it's my first one : ) But I would like a free book of MY choice, wouldn't you? Oh yes and if you POST about it on your blog, please leave the link for two chances! That's it!

(If anyone knows how to make this a "Sticky Post"...PLEASE inform the Princess! Thank you!) Good Luck!!