Celebrating the Seventh Anniversary of SOS Aloha

Aloha!  Today is the 7th anniversary of my blog!  I created SOS Aloha six months after moving to Pearl Harbor - it became a means for me to remain connected to Romance Land!  I thank Mary Gramlich, the Reading Reviewer, for encouraging me then - and now - to find my own voice. I also appreciate the endless support offered by romance authors Anne Elizabeth and Cathy Maxwell.  I was honored that Pamela Clare asked me to review BREAKING POINT - my first full length review on SOS Aloha (link).    

I would not be here without the readers, too!  I still correspond with some of my first followers - Dani, Jane, Debby, Gale, and many more.

To celebrate my blog anniversary, I recommend books and films from my beloved Hawaii ...

Kauai, the Garden Isle, is home of romance author Jill Marie Landis, who gives readers a taste of Kauai life in MAI TAI ONE ON, Book 1 (of 4) in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series. Read my review here.  Also check out her novella, TROUBLE IN PARADISE, at this link.

Oahu, the Gathering Place, served as the backdrop for independent film, THE RIDE:

When cocky, young surfing champion David Monroe wipes out on a big wave, he slips back in time to 1911 Hawai`i. Washing up on Waikiki beach, he discovers the true spirit of surfing when he is befriended by a young Hawaiian beachboy not yet known to the world - the future Olympic and surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku.
THE RIDE is a nostalgic escape into surfing, a coming of age for a cocky surfer, and a romance across time.  Rent it from Netflix at this link.  I also recommend THE DESCENDANTS with George Clooney and PRINCESS KAIULANI with Q'orianka Kilcher - both are set on Oahu and refer to Hawaiian royalty.

UH Professor Chip Hughes launched the Surfing Detective mystery series with MURDER ON MOLOKA'I - read my review at this link.   I've enjoyed the other books in the series - WIPEOUT (Oahu), KULA (Maui), and MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE (Big Island of Hawaii).

Dee DeTarsio takes readers on a wild ride when a weather girl returns home to Maui, the Valley Isle, in HAOLE WOOD.  No sooner does Jaswinder bail out her grandmother for pakalolo (marijuana) than she finds herself becoming a suspect in an island murder.  Aided by oversized guardian angel who loves ketchup, Jaswinder soon learns that home was always in her heart. Check out my review at this link.

On the other side of Maui, Gina Robinson exploits every tourist trap and spy stereotype in THE SPY WHO LEFT ME.  Check out my review at this link.

The Big Island of Hawaii offers a diverse landscape, from snowy mountain top to black sand beaches.  In between are the ranches where paniolo - cowboys - are kings. Enter Shana Gray with COWBOY IN PARADISE, released earlier this week.  It is next in my TBR pile - review to come!

Hawaii's ninth island is ... Las Vegas!  Sin City is the No. 1 vacation destination for Hawaiians ... and home of a mini statue of King Kamehameha along the Strip.  Lori Wilde rolls the dice in LICENSED TO THRILL,

Wilde's fast-paced, steamy, and humorous novel follows beautiful, wisecracking Las Vegas P.I. Charlee Champagne, hired by uptight banker Mason Gentry to find his grandfather, who's on the lam with the family fortune. 

I read LICENSED TO THRILL long before I posted reviews on my blog ... so I will have to reread to share my thoughts on this laugh out loud romantic comedy with you!

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. What were you doing seven years ago?  Can you recommend any books or films from Hawaii or Las Vegas?  

2. Comments are open through Sunday, March 5, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Monday, March 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Hawaiian History - King Kamehameha Day

Hawaii celebrates King Kamehameha Day on June 11.   From Hawaii History (link),

Born at Kokoiki in North Kohala on the island of Hawai`i (in 1758), Kamehameha descended from chiefs of Hawai`i and Maui. As a young man, he distinguished himself as a talented warrior and served his uncle Kalaniopu`u, ruler of several districts on the island. A keen battle strategist and admirer of Western weaponry, Kamehameha later utilized guns and cannon to defeat his own enemies and consolidate his power in the Islands.

King Kamehameha is often referred to as the Napoleon of the Pacific.  By uniting the islands, he prevented them from becoming European and Asian colonies.   Also from Hawaii History,

Mamala Hoe (Law of the Splintered Paddle)

During a raid on Puna, Kamehameha pursued several fishermen and his foot got stuck in a rock crevice. Realizing the chief's disadvantage, one of the fisherman struck him on the head with a paddle which splintered. As the first fisherman prepared to strike Kamehameha again, the other fisherman made a plea to his companion to spare Kamehameha. Deeply moved by this incident, Kamehameha later proclaimed a law to protect the defenseless and to ensure the safety of travelers. A version of the law was incorporated into the state constitution in 1978.

The statue above was commissioned by the Kingdom of Hawaii in the early 1880s.   It was lost at sea enroute from Europe to Hawaii.   With the insurance payout, the Legislature cast a second statue which now stands in front of the Ali'iolani Hale (Justice Palace) as seen on Hawaii Five O (and pictured at the top).   The original statue awashed ashore in the Falkland Islands.  It was returned to Hawaii and erected near his birthplace near Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii (link).  A third statue now stands in the US Capital Hall's Statuary Hall along side Father Damien (link).

Kamehameha's private heiau (temple) in Kona

To celebrate King Kamehameha Day, I offer my favorite romance books set in Hawaii:

Ophelia London's MAKING WAVES, a novella from the Perfect Kisses series.  A journalist and surfer learn to trust again on Oahu's North Shore; review link.

Chip Hughes' mystery series, the Surfing Detective, visiting the islands of Lana'i, Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii:

- MURDER ON MOLOKA'I, review link

- WIPEOUT!, review link 

- KULA, review link

- MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE, review link

Gina Robinson's THE SPY WHO LEFT ME:  Set on Maui, the heroine attends her cousin's destination wedding only to bump into her estranged husband under cover.  The couple endure every tourist trap, family bickering, and Chinese spies, ultimately bringing them back together for the HEA.   

Check out my interview with Gina at this link and my review at this link.

Jill Marie Landis' Tiki Goddess series.  Set on Kauai, a California woman relocates to the North Shore to save her uncle (from fortune hunters), the Tiki Goddess bar (from going under), and the Hula Maidens (from themselves).   Laugh out loud comedy true to the spirit of the Garden Isle.

MAI TAI ONE ON, review link

TWO TO MANGO, review link

THREE TO GET LEI'D, blurb link

TOO HOT FOUR HULA, review link

Jill Marie Landis' TROUBLE IN PARADISE, a novella bringing a bride and groom to Kauai, only to have their wedding plans disrupted by Mother Nature and Hawaiian lore; review link.

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash, plus Hawaiian swag, to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Hawaii - do you have a favorite place, food, drink, book, movie, or something else?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 13, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 14.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Mahalo e ke Akua .... Thanks be to God

Yesterday, we departed Hawaii ... and today we land in Baltimore.   Oh, I will miss the people, the culture, and the spirit.   As my farewell gift to you, I share the chant my son learned at Scout Camp for the Hawaiiana Award:

No ka la e puka mai ana ... for the morning sun.

No na ao a me ka moa'e ... for the clouds and the trade winds

No ka ua ... for the rainbow

No na mea kanu e ulu ana ... for the plants that grow

No na maka e 'ike ai i waiho'olu'u ... for eyes that see color

No na ihu e honi ai i na pua ... for noses that smell flowers

No na pepeiao e lohe ai i ka'aka'aka ... for ears that hear laughter

No na lima e hana ai i lei ... for hands that make lei

No ko'u pu'uwai e aloha aku ai ... for my heart that loves

Today I am giving away my favorite humorous romance set in Hawaii - Gina Robinson's THE SPY WHO LEFT ME:

If there’s one thing that can ruin a vacation, it’s running into your ex. Just ask Treflee Miller. If she’d only known that her husband Ty would be here in Hawaii—muscular, sun-bronzed, and infuriatingly gorgeous—she would have brought the divorce papers for him to sign. But life is full of surprises when you’re married to a world-class spy…

Ty Miller can understand why his wife is tired of playing Mrs. James Bond. He’s never home, he’s always on a mission, and he’s usually surrounded by exotic informants. He has to admit that the perfect spy makes a pretty lousy husband. But for the sake of Ty’s security and Treflee’s safety, they can’t blow his cover. Not here. Not now. Not when his longing is so strong, her lips so tempting—and his enemies so close…

I interviewed Gina at this link.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Hawaii - what have you learned about it from reading my blog?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 10, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 11.

Mahalo,

"Crabby Kim" 
(Baltimore is known for its crabs)

To learn more about Gina and her books, check out her website at ginarobinson.com.