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Monday, April 25, 2016

Music Monday - "Dance Away" by Roxy Music (1979)

I love this song. I've loved it since first listen in my teen years, and still feel a little thrill when I hear it on the radio. 

"Dance Away" was a hit for Roxy Music in 1979. It was written by Bryan Ferry and released on the band's Manifesto album.  It was a big hit, and is one of Roxy Music's signature songs.   I always like the lyrics, about a man who dances away his heartache after his girlfriend leaves him for another man:  

"You're dressed to kill and guess who's dying'
Dance away the heartache
Dance away the tears
- Dance away"


Do you remember this song?  Any other Roxy Music songs you remember and like?  I'd love to hear from you in the comments, below.

Book Review and Giveaway - Sit Stay Love by Dana Mentink

Book Synopsis
Take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you're ready for a lesson in love . . . Tippy style.

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother's elderly dog, Tippy, he's quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn't thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can't abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal's world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too . . .

Discover the charming story of Tippy, the dog who brought a family together.


Purchase a copy: http://bit.ly/1W95mqe


My Review
When I received Sit Stay Love in the mail, I scanned a photo of the cover and posted it to my Facebook page with the words:  "I think I am the target audience for this book."   The cover features a soulful, expressive dachshund face - a senior dog.  The only thing I love more than dachshunds is senior dachshunds, and the dog on the cover bears a strong resemblance to my late dachshund Lucy Ricardo.

I read this book over the weekend, and it is a perfect weekend read.   Sit Stay Love is a light romantic story about Gina, a former school teacher turned dog sitter, and Cal, a baseball player who has just lost his mother and inherited her senior dachshund, Tippy.

Despite the difference in these characters' lives, a friendship with romantic chemistry slowly develops.  This all happens because of Tippy.  Part of the story takes place in San Francisco, and part takes place on a charming rural ranch.  

Gina is a very likable protagonist who practices kindness every day and prays for people she cares about.   Although Cal initially comes off as gruff, he becomes sympathetic as readers learn about his background growing up on a ranch with his mother, aunt, and uncle.

Of course, dachshund lovers will delight in this book.  The author really captures the doxie personality perfectly, and Tippy is a star in this story.

I very highly recommend Sit Stay Love, especially as a beach read or weekend read.   It is absolutely delightful, and you will fall in love with Tippy, as I did.

Author Bio
Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.



Giveaway
Join Dana in celebrating the release of Sit, Stay, Love with a blog tour and a Travels with Tippy prize pack giveaway!


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One grand prize winner will receive:
  • A copy of Sit, Stay, Love
  • A $75 Visa cash card
  • A basket filled with Tippy-themed goodies
    • Travel-themed decorator box
    • Reading dog statue
    • Dog journal
    • Poems for Dog Lovers
    • Snuggle Paws fleece blanket from Animal Rescue Site
    • Pawprint scarf
    • Doxie desk pen
    • Pupmobile auto magnet
tippybasket 

Enter today by clicking the icon below. But hurry! The giveaway ends on April 25th. The winner will be announced April 26th on Dana's blog.


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I received a copy of this book from Litfuse in exchange for an honest review.