tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40804251074029977082024-03-18T21:14:11.105-07:00I Smell BooksAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.comBlogger191125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-9140255431231117552015-09-14T13:33:00.001-07:002015-09-14T13:33:45.462-07:00Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeCf4KWAEQC-wON0iKv-O7n3BYfd_YUXYUHdv_Mqs6zQdaSfsoIPLWYYLCNjM_tydiTTl7SECD9gafaSRZK__qvqMQBoHFwG_RHnB5sYWNUfySjJyqKUaXa1aMtAvrIrqWcv2T-X1XoiL/s1600/25574782.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbeCf4KWAEQC-wON0iKv-O7n3BYfd_YUXYUHdv_Mqs6zQdaSfsoIPLWYYLCNjM_tydiTTl7SECD9gafaSRZK__qvqMQBoHFwG_RHnB5sYWNUfySjJyqKUaXa1aMtAvrIrqWcv2T-X1XoiL/s320/25574782.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
Well, that didn't go as I had hoped.<br />
<br />
Brace yourself.... less than flattering review headed your way...<br />
<br />
I've heard of Karin Slaughter and was pretty excited to receive an advance copy of her latest thriller, Pretty Girls. But wow. After reading this, I 'm thinking it would be a really great idea if authors were required to use a rating system much like movies do. Because if this was a movie, it would have been rated worse than an R for sure.<br />
<br />
I've really been into psychological thrillers lately, but requesting this one was a bad move on my part and one I'm ultimately regretting since there are so many mental images that I can't give back. Seriously, the amount of detail and disgusting mutilation of these women was horrific. I've been a bit addicted lately to watching The Forensic Files and even those come across as more Sesame Street than what's described in this novel. There's just no way I would recommend this story to anyone I know. I rarely ever post a negative review - but I would be remiss if didn't share my honest opinion after reading this. I love a good intense thriller, don't get me wrong - but when it drifts over into the perverted world of necrophilia. Wrong. Just all sorts of wrong.<br />
<br />
Don't pick this one up. Just don't.<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">I still want to thank HarperCollins Publishers and ShelfAwareness for allowing me the chance to read an advanced copy!! </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">#1 internationally bestselling author Karin Slaughter returns with a sophisticated and chilling psychological thriller of dangerous secrets, cold vengeance, and unexpected absolution, in which two estranged sisters must come together to find truth about two harrowing tragedies, twenty years apart, that devastate their lives.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Sisters. Strangers. Survivors.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">More than twenty years ago, Claire and Lydia's teenaged sister Julia vanished without a trace. The two women have not spoken since, and now their lives could not be more different. Claire is the glamorous trophy wife of an Atlanta millionaire. Lydia, a single mother, dates an ex-con and struggles to make ends meet. But neither has recovered from the horror and heartbreak of their shared loss—a devastating wound that's cruelly ripped open when Claire's husband is killed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">The disappearance of a teenage girl and the murder of a middle-aged man, almost a quarter-century apart: what could connect them? Forming a wary truce, the surviving sisters look to the past to find the truth, unearthing the secrets that destroyed their family all those years ago . . . and uncovering the possibility of redemption, and revenge, where they least expect it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Powerful, poignant, and utterly gripping, packed with indelible characters and unforgettable twists, Pretty Girls is a masterful thriller from one of the finest suspense writers working today.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Rating: ** (the only reason I give it 2 stars is because the story flowed amazingly and her writing is intriguing and keeps you hooked - but the story itself was the huge turn off for me).</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8px; line-height: 19.32px;">Recommend: Nope. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-59672472054012332902015-08-27T13:42:00.000-07:002015-09-14T13:43:57.766-07:00Those Girls by Chevy Stevens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ws54LwRsiSig3idvb8eWoTwRKr7JP2HYtETAFddbuYZh9PjcHPAiEgAXcy1yUIdMUaHZbCSyZCd_krE1UO1ovE-XhY_jFNoGTFpURlSUqAfx6udWbYQSgPSv7JtNRQ6UX0n7FLdzj_yj/s1600/23014603.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ws54LwRsiSig3idvb8eWoTwRKr7JP2HYtETAFddbuYZh9PjcHPAiEgAXcy1yUIdMUaHZbCSyZCd_krE1UO1ovE-XhY_jFNoGTFpURlSUqAfx6udWbYQSgPSv7JtNRQ6UX0n7FLdzj_yj/s320/23014603.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">I'm a self-admitted Chevy Stevens addict. I freakin have loved everything she has put out. She knows that less can often be more when it comes to a psychological thriller & suspense. As soon as I saw her latest Those Girls was coming out, I begged every avenue of publisher I could find to request a copy. As a result, I won 2 copies!! I was able to gift a copy to a friend of mine who first introduced me to the amazing fictional world of Ms. Stevens and she was thrilled to say the least.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">I loved everything about this story line. I had to put it down at various intervals in order to catch my breath. And the fact that this story revolves around 3 sisters? Well of course you have me there too.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">Ugh - I just love her - read the synopsis below and if you're into suspense thrillers - you HAVE to try this one. Even if you're not, you might discover that you could be! </span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18.48px;">Thank you so much to Goodreads, ShelfAwareness AND St. Martin's Press for graciously allowing me the opportunity to read a copy for an unbiased review! This book is already out, so scoop up your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250034582/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250034582&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank">here!</a> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; line-height: 18.48px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Description: Chevy Stevens is back with her most powerful, emotional thriller yet— a story of survival…and revenge. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Life has never been easy for the three Campbell sisters. Jess, Courtney, and Dani live on a remote ranch in Western Canada where they work hard and try to stay out of the way of their father’s fists. One night, a fight gets out of hand and the sisters are forced to go on the run, only to get caught in an even worse nightmare when their truck breaks down in a small town. Events spiral out of control and a chance encounter with the wrong people leaves them in a horrific and desperate situation. They are left with no choice but to change their names and create new lives. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">Eighteen years later, they are still trying to forget what happened that summer when one of the sisters goes missing and they are pulled back into their past. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">This time there’s nowhere left to run. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 19.32px;">As much of a thriller as it is a deep exploration of the bonds among sisters, THOSE GIRLS is an unforgettable portrait of desperation, loyalty, and evil.</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-8753325412681894222015-08-05T13:51:00.000-07:002015-09-14T14:01:20.743-07:00House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ggjrkMqK0rU2H9jASokK1UVMFHMU1faF7PAe-FdPtojMNWO0o326nH3iitbFFaWD_DxeAn6ZPN0Z61IJfm7iN0GZejSjD1l3theOOWbXyvfqnZ2UnNrc8YMM1wJCCz4wUN7oDQO0g4d/s1600/22716451.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEga4ggjrkMqK0rU2H9jASokK1UVMFHMU1faF7PAe-FdPtojMNWO0o326nH3iitbFFaWD_DxeAn6ZPN0Z61IJfm7iN0GZejSjD1l3theOOWbXyvfqnZ2UnNrc8YMM1wJCCz4wUN7oDQO0g4d/s320/22716451.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">House of Echoes by Brendan Duffy was creepy and weird all in the right ways. I wasn't quite sure what to expect after reading the synopsis, but I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the details of them renovating this huge old mansion and at the flashbacks of the letters between the two old sisters. I was completely spooked out but entirely engrossed. Great pic for Halloween coming up!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This was a total win for me - and I highly recommend it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; line-height: 18.48px;">Very appreciative to NetGalley & Ballentine Books for allowing me the opportunity to read an advanced copy for an unbiased review! This book is already out, so check <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0804178119/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0804178119&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" target="_blank">here</a> for your own copy<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250034582/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250034582&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2" style="color: #577590; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">!</a> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; line-height: 18.48px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i></span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">In this enthralling and atmospheric thriller, one young family’s dream of a better life is about to become a nightmare.</span></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">Ben and Caroline Tierney and their two young boys are hoping to start over. Ben has hit a dead end with his new novel, Caroline has lost her banking job, and eight-year-old Charlie is being bullied at his Manhattan school.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">When Ben inherits land in the village of Swannhaven, in a remote corner of upstate New York, the Tierneys believe it’s just the break they need, and they leave behind all they know to restore a sprawling estate. But as Ben uncovers Swannhaven’s chilling secrets and Charlie ventures deeper into the surrounding forest, strange things begin to happen. The Tierneys realize that their new home isn’t the fresh start they needed . . . and that the village’s haunting saga is far from over.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;">House of Echoes</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"> is a novel that shows how sometimes the ties that bind us are the only things that can keep us whole.</span></span></i><div>
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">Rating: ****</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19.32px;">Recommend: Really enjoyed it and pretty sure I bit off all 10 of my fingernails.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-12530842741372675162015-07-03T14:45:00.000-07:002015-08-05T09:44:08.416-07:00The Third Wife by Lisa Jewell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoi4DKdVnxQfs1gY0UYDZPo2XcQI7GWAbP5WK9uz9jy5yS6DLN8leZA-t0IxOazPtg-pLbs58HUQU3r9Rb_Gwi1Gdq7FTJF_EtHYGFhM_owO943LOlPb4eZyi-apturofmVkCXjUQhn1yo/s1600/9781476792187.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoi4DKdVnxQfs1gY0UYDZPo2XcQI7GWAbP5WK9uz9jy5yS6DLN8leZA-t0IxOazPtg-pLbs58HUQU3r9Rb_Gwi1Gdq7FTJF_EtHYGFhM_owO943LOlPb4eZyi-apturofmVkCXjUQhn1yo/s320/9781476792187.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Because I was so intrigued and even enthralled with the development of <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-house-we-grew-up-in-by-lisa-jewell.html" target="_blank">The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell</a>, which I had read last fall - I knew I needed to get my hands on her most recent novel, The Third Wife. And again - this novel was comprised of a completely unique plot and characters - some kinda weird, some likable, some lovable and even some despisable. Throughout the entire time, I seriously could not for the life of me figure out who the heck had "done it". It was so well written. I admit because there was a lot of characters going on I got a bit confused now and then, but I actually didn't put it down long enough to lose my place in the narrative. In fact I read it in 2 days - which is pretty quick for even me!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">If you enjoy a story that will challenge your way of thinking or show you a different perspective to how some families live, I think you'll really enjoy this book. I'm fast becoming a fan of Lisa Jewell and look forward to seeing what else she comes up with!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A massive thank you to <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> and Atria Books for allowing me the chance to read an advanced copy!! If you are interested in picking this one up, go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Third-Wife-Novel-Lisa-Jewell/dp/1476792186/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1437774152&sr=8-1&keywords=The+third+wife" target="_blank">here</a>! </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Description: </span></i><i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">In the early hours of an April morning, Maya stumbles into the path of an oncoming bus.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A tragic accident? Or suicide?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Her grief-stricken husband, Adrian, is determined to find out.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Maya had a job she enjoyed; she had friends. They'd been in love.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">She even got on with his two previous wives and their children. In fact, they'd all been one big happy family.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But before long Adrian starts to identify the dark cracks in his perfect life.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Because everyone has secrets.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">And secrets have consequences.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Some of which can be devastating.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: ****</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: Yes! I thought it was refreshing to not read a cookie-cutter novel. Lisa Jewell keeps her novels fresh & exciting!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-38086181742669184402015-06-28T14:26:00.000-07:002015-07-24T14:26:41.178-07:00The Sound of Glass by Karen White<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzfJRszX603BUv1Fk6tGsZ12l9Pjf7HyXaLr5jteIHgCHfH7TD9MRUDvycA5t-vMQ271Nd0zfg9S4HSXeZd_66y1bFlVqDRDf4FfmpoAdjP3bjhxoYPYaOtiwQ1vP3zAhrXUjOnu2Pel8/s1600/23398961.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzfJRszX603BUv1Fk6tGsZ12l9Pjf7HyXaLr5jteIHgCHfH7TD9MRUDvycA5t-vMQ271Nd0zfg9S4HSXeZd_66y1bFlVqDRDf4FfmpoAdjP3bjhxoYPYaOtiwQ1vP3zAhrXUjOnu2Pel8/s320/23398961.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
I LOOOOOVED THIS BOOK! This is one of those books that you just immediately offer to anyone and everyone you come across. In fact, I immediately loaned it to my mother-in-law, then my co-worker Debbie, and soon I'm going to send it off to my sister Kati back in Seattle. <br />
<br />
Penguin Random House was generous enough to send me this copy of The Sound of Glass by Karen White and I couldn't have been giddier! I really enjoyed both <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2013/07/sea-change-by-karen-white.html" target="_blank">Sea Change</a> and <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2008/10/memory-of-water-by-karen-white.html" target="_blank">The Memory of Water</a>, by Karen White which I've also reviewed on my blog. <br />
<br />
There's just something about Karen's writing that sucks you in from page 1. And I insanely appreciate the fact that she doesn't get all graphic and sexually explicit in her novels - I just can't pass on a great novel that happens to include a couple graphic sexual scenes and not feel weird about it. <br />
<br />
Great, GREAT story and one that I would recommend to everyone. It really takes you on a journey of laughter, joy, sadness, anger, compassion and so many genuine emotions. Fantastic read!! <span style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Description: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>It has been two years since the death of Merritt Heyward’s husband, Cal, when she receives unexpected news—Cal’s family home in Beaufort, South Carolina, bequeathed by Cal’s reclusive grandmother, now belongs to Merritt.</i></span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Charting the course of an uncertain life—and feeling guilt from her husband’s tragic death—Merritt travels from her home in Maine to Beaufort, where the secrets of Cal’s unspoken-of past reside among the pluff mud and jasmine of the ancestral Heyward home on the Bluff. This unknown legacy, now Merritt’s, will change and define her as she navigates her new life—a new life complicated by the arrival of her too young stepmother and ten-year-old half-brother.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Soon, in this house of strangers, Merritt is forced into unraveling the Heyward family past as she faces her own fears and finds the healing she needs in the salt air of the Low Country.</span></i><div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: YES! YES! YES!!</span></span><br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-68294664146010933012015-06-14T14:12:00.000-07:002015-07-24T14:13:46.273-07:00Why? Trusting God When You Don't Understand by Anne Graham Lotz<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1vRU-YD-T0QcXG8Dyvby1e-GgxRHM21XvVWnhLwbMq2SwhEou-5WZDsbavr5ZwtY6q7TDXcH8Dvgc2XU8BJl6PxiEdhUS_12s2MORGelVQmBZTxfGdz3H-A0bA-HbExaGjdVFSMGQXp1/s1600/219901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr1vRU-YD-T0QcXG8Dyvby1e-GgxRHM21XvVWnhLwbMq2SwhEou-5WZDsbavr5ZwtY6q7TDXcH8Dvgc2XU8BJl6PxiEdhUS_12s2MORGelVQmBZTxfGdz3H-A0bA-HbExaGjdVFSMGQXp1/s320/219901.jpg" width="199" /></a></div>
My mother-in-law had left this at our house to read because she thought it would really encourage us during the season we've been enduring. And she honestly couldn't have been more right. This book might be tiny, but holy cow does it pack a large punch! I savored and yet devoured it at the same time. Then I started reading it over again to my husband out loud before we went to bed at night. <br />
<br />
I think a lot of us need reminding of the bigger picture of how God orchestrates things in our lives. It's easy to get negative and depressed with hardships, but God knows the beginning from the end. Anne's description of Martha & Mary and what they might have felt or did feel with the passing of Lazarus was brought into a whole new light and revelation to me. <br />
<br />
This book was everything I needed right at that moment and I've even passed it on to a friend at work. If you find yourself wondering "why do bad things happen to good people?", pick this baby up and prepare to have your mind renewed.<br />
<br />
<i>Description: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>Called "the best preacher in the family," by her father, Billy Graham, Anne Graham Lotz speaks around the globe with the wisdom and the authority of years spent studying God's Word. In her latest book, Anne shares her heart and God's teachings on the universal problem of suffering.</i></span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Drawing her characteristically keen insights from the familiar story of Lazarus in the ninth and eleventh chapters of the Gospel of John, Anne offers Jesus' reassuring answers to our heartfelt cries for understanding: Why doesn't God care? Why does He let these things happen? Why me? Why doesn't God answer my prayers? Why didn't He protect me? Why doesn't He perform a miracle?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Why? helps us understand and deal with suffering while guiding us to the ultimate answer-the Savior who shares our grief and our tears.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: Without ANY hesitation! I look forward to checking out more from Anne Graham Lotz.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-3285429319410464422015-05-30T14:06:00.000-07:002015-07-24T14:06:28.555-07:00Coming Back to Me by Caroline Leavitt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-XjftCqwTigIzUKWbyvPpm0hIV20N0kaWHVaIQfaqyzVazH4D5U0cckKBbu1XmbO3k_UedltbdDrxTy5cMFF1sj67Nu8DwYNGLDthP_S5D6Jebii4nD9YUNoBOvYgWDOeioE9ZnSVcEe/s1600/227784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7-XjftCqwTigIzUKWbyvPpm0hIV20N0kaWHVaIQfaqyzVazH4D5U0cckKBbu1XmbO3k_UedltbdDrxTy5cMFF1sj67Nu8DwYNGLDthP_S5D6Jebii4nD9YUNoBOvYgWDOeioE9ZnSVcEe/s320/227784.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
I actually enjoyed this more than I thought I'd would. I'm a cover snob and the dude peeking through the window kinda turned me off in one of those 'cheesey-romance' ways. But my friend Debbie loaned me this one and I can always trust her judgment...usually.<br />
<br />
It was a heart-wrenching love story, and I will admit that I enjoyed the entire story up until the very end - which left me with a WTF? Authors, you just can't do that to people! It was everything I usually enjoy in an easy read - and I tore through it pretty quick. I'd recommend to anyone (except for maybe any pregnant ladies, cause it might freak you out a bit). Just sayin.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Description: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><i>It can take a long time to build up a life, and only moments to destroy it. Gary and Molly met in the way couples do: after a long haul of being single, quickly becoming soulmates and rejoicing in that fact. Beautiful, red-haired Molly ignites a fire in Gary and he eases the pain she feels about her past. Starting a family is something they both want badly to do, and with great joy Molly finds herself pregnant.</i></span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">When she leaves for the hospital that things start to go seriously wrong. Just a few weeks later Gary is alone with a newborn and a mountain of medical bills he has no means to pay for. Desperate for help, he calls on Molly's long estranged sister, Suzanne.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">From Sue Miller to Elizabeth Berg, bestselling authors have tackled the challenges of love and marriage. Caroline Leavitt claims the turf in her own exciting way, twisting and turning a medical nightmare into an opportunity for redemption and hope.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: ****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: Sure, I thought it was a pretty great story!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-61509769682307099602015-04-20T10:45:00.000-07:002015-04-20T10:45:37.098-07:00Normal by Graeme Cameron<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialhaB2cHkso3mohDWeh4A_XDrYLwg-mv4sICU_F1Zuh7o-lwS4RzbaCMdFrHhIGeFCtzkdCH_IZG42A8UsU28Xihn51gABT0oTQqqePiQ3_D75nszOEgFgsIDrRsm8Gmy5VYyf8EYQIhd/s1600/23214378.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEialhaB2cHkso3mohDWeh4A_XDrYLwg-mv4sICU_F1Zuh7o-lwS4RzbaCMdFrHhIGeFCtzkdCH_IZG42A8UsU28Xihn51gABT0oTQqqePiQ3_D75nszOEgFgsIDrRsm8Gmy5VYyf8EYQIhd/s1600/23214378.jpg" height="320" width="214" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I'm not entirely sure how to feel about this. After the first chapter, my reaction was instantly - "What did I just get myself into?" Like I really wasn't sure what to do - stop reading it, keep reading it, bury it in the backyard? It was creepy in every sense of the word. I've been into a lot of psychological thrillers lately, but this is a whole other level of twisted. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
I'm not entirely sure I ever want to be inside the head of a psychopath serial killer again. It was just a tad too much. But on the other hand, the story development was amazing, the writing was incredible and I really had no clue where the story was headed. Even explaining it to my husband, he thought it sounded super intriguing, and I was mostly in agreement - except for just how dang creepy it was. I guess like watching Silence of the Lambs. Really good - super disturbing. You get me?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
I need a light & fluffy read after finishing that one. Or a cigarette, but then I'd probably need to be a smoker. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
Thank you <a href="http://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> and <a href="http://www.harlequin.com/" target="_blank">Harlequin</a> for allowing me the opportunity to preview a copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Normal-Novel-Graeme-Cameron/dp/0778318508/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1429551875&sr=8-2&keywords=Normal+book" target="_blank">Normal by Graeme Cameron</a> for an unbiased review! If you dare to pick this one up, just don't say I didn't warn you. <span style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">"The truth is I hurt people. It's what I do. It's all I do. It's all I've ever done."</span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;"> </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><i><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">What you don't know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he's carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he's holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">This is how it's been for a long time. It's normal…and it works. Perfectly. </span><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><br style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21px; outline: none;" /><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 21px;">Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24-hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room…the others. He doesn't need any of them anymore. He needs only her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem—he still has someone trapped in his garage. </span></i></span><br />
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 21px;">Rating: ****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 21px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; line-height: 21px;">Recommend: To only those who can handle a gritty and quite violent suspense thriller. </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-55360403131172878982015-03-27T14:39:00.000-07:002015-03-27T14:39:05.302-07:00These make me so giddy!!<div style="text-align: center;">
You know those little annoying ads on Facebook that just drive you nuts?! Well for once I was so glad that a certain one advertising British Illustrator, Johanna Basford's adult coloring books Enchanted Forest and Secret Garden! </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIDMPHtXiheoSDU50PfYWmi5acazOS8bO7dKz_AUxp7gyaM4ceLs9AfpQKJlLBqMmFO7LYZaSeouLYMe9loSrQ9i4GXj1sP59yEx-UhY8aQFBwv6Hq-JN3iprLBCkYXYpmhnUxi5t7YC6/s1600/enchanted-forest-an-inky-quest-coloring-book-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOIDMPHtXiheoSDU50PfYWmi5acazOS8bO7dKz_AUxp7gyaM4ceLs9AfpQKJlLBqMmFO7LYZaSeouLYMe9loSrQ9i4GXj1sP59yEx-UhY8aQFBwv6Hq-JN3iprLBCkYXYpmhnUxi5t7YC6/s1600/enchanted-forest-an-inky-quest-coloring-book-2.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-emd412lJFAiI5KSjgU4oG4R3XeQB3FfNlPJu1w1cSSXyln2uPR7ayQNaQTHAH4wgqAzLGie2eDV6oZkDsQQ5kHxxhHjN-PDZAVKfZLvAzMh8S6yoCjTwfg4ddKrN9PnayBwN0hBFHGXa/s1600/original-18074-1426716678-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-emd412lJFAiI5KSjgU4oG4R3XeQB3FfNlPJu1w1cSSXyln2uPR7ayQNaQTHAH4wgqAzLGie2eDV6oZkDsQQ5kHxxhHjN-PDZAVKfZLvAzMh8S6yoCjTwfg4ddKrN9PnayBwN0hBFHGXa/s1600/original-18074-1426716678-9.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">I mean people, REALLY look at these drawings! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0MnW5GriI4ClBAt7ur2cFct6-oDdppw0TyToyqzrPdDB1vbzqWnPfSTc_8ZaHxWNrSpoeoE3Fx1JidJlVXjSH7ZSmNRxRk757TUovous9ykGKDgN2KQ5-Zz1B5cDFhwKmS2hfBSfBqQP/s1600/740f6f9054a4a9e359637b0d9add2a25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP0MnW5GriI4ClBAt7ur2cFct6-oDdppw0TyToyqzrPdDB1vbzqWnPfSTc_8ZaHxWNrSpoeoE3Fx1JidJlVXjSH7ZSmNRxRk757TUovous9ykGKDgN2KQ5-Zz1B5cDFhwKmS2hfBSfBqQP/s1600/740f6f9054a4a9e359637b0d9add2a25.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">They are SICK! (And I mean that in the most awesome way!) </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">I'm not actually a huge coloring fan, but I am a huge embroidery fan and these pictures would make some absolutely STUNNING embroidery pieces. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">And apparently, I'm not the first one to have that idea. Check out Mary Corbet's GORGEOUS work of one of Johanna's illustrations from her website <a href="http://www.needlenthread.com/">www.needlenthread.com</a>:</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7a3KDAwTnzLRmcdISc2c4z7Z41Ui7mND4mE2zOWUwEvFwcw_W0kWX23ULEHRe2eilRylQBdRyFTt3zt9bVOMX0xl6cHwGnFDwbHMrvMXESqI4_ZtZCxTWEHptLGWyerxNaOHFFm9BeGP/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-189.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc7a3KDAwTnzLRmcdISc2c4z7Z41Ui7mND4mE2zOWUwEvFwcw_W0kWX23ULEHRe2eilRylQBdRyFTt3zt9bVOMX0xl6cHwGnFDwbHMrvMXESqI4_ZtZCxTWEHptLGWyerxNaOHFFm9BeGP/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-189.jpg" height="273" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWl0DZ023L9dol12pcJpOLjNL7r5-8WJXypcsrSATRi9MEGCmqXuJqYb0u28osBUD_wduy6-eNhbVKzngEZltY6D8Wo6eHk9Vm1geMzsPS9PmIDM3rvpXnIKUwl9g7FRo6CUKOIv7_vU5u/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-271.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWl0DZ023L9dol12pcJpOLjNL7r5-8WJXypcsrSATRi9MEGCmqXuJqYb0u28osBUD_wduy6-eNhbVKzngEZltY6D8Wo6eHk9Vm1geMzsPS9PmIDM3rvpXnIKUwl9g7FRo6CUKOIv7_vU5u/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-271.jpg" height="296" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO16HgHmJ_D6NXAicXtYo9HR3dNWjsj5QQPzKc4UGidP8e9iitfuKr-sNzfXVeTeT_yeLmNCwDXyUBI4fetcI1bapKPJN6TGd3reVaBj7G8nypLgQHwA6JkyT-oq8Ne4NTBhG6399H9cB/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-309+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrO16HgHmJ_D6NXAicXtYo9HR3dNWjsj5QQPzKc4UGidP8e9iitfuKr-sNzfXVeTeT_yeLmNCwDXyUBI4fetcI1bapKPJN6TGd3reVaBj7G8nypLgQHwA6JkyT-oq8Ne4NTBhG6399H9cB/s1600/secret-garden-embroidery-309+(1).jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Talk about inspiring! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">I know this is a book blog, and technically I AM raving about these astounding coloring books, but they're just too gorgeous not to stitch as well! And did you know coloring can greatly reduce stress? Lord knows we could all use a lot more of that in our lives ;-)</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">Copies of both books can be found on Amazon <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Enchanted-Forest-Inky-Quest-Coloring/dp/1780674880/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427492158&sr=8-1&keywords=enchanted+forest+coloring+book" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Secret-Garden-Inky-Treasure-Coloring/dp/1780671067/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1427492158&sr=8-2&keywords=enchanted+forest+coloring+book" target="_blank">here</a>!! And they're so affordable too!</span></div>
<div>
<br /><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-45056994451957971312015-03-25T14:20:00.000-07:002015-03-27T14:24:09.800-07:00That Night by Chevy Stevens<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGAy7BE4vbvUqhsDkiPqBxTDqmXRfIOYAuMw07f_TEUlTSCkGGNZvWQe4O0m0-HGjyj-jjuSQdRQzYADUgS4Iyjdnvm6S6TBUmLgdRAuaKlLDpdloascEWvssHHTAHdnrnrUQXbYa5AGg/s1600/18404248.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGAy7BE4vbvUqhsDkiPqBxTDqmXRfIOYAuMw07f_TEUlTSCkGGNZvWQe4O0m0-HGjyj-jjuSQdRQzYADUgS4Iyjdnvm6S6TBUmLgdRAuaKlLDpdloascEWvssHHTAHdnrnrUQXbYa5AGg/s1600/18404248.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
I don't even need to read the synopsis of a Chevy Stevens book to know I'm automatically going to like it. And not surprisingly - I actually loved it. <br />
<br />
She's still a relatively new author and this is the 5th book she's put out. Her first two, <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2011/03/still-missing-by-chevy-stevens.html" target="_blank">Still Missing</a> and <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2011/07/never-knowing-by-chevy-stevens.html" target="_blank">Never Knowing</a> were insanely awesome and I read those back in 2011. I didn't even know about her third book The Other Side - I'll need to reserve that from the library. Then I read her 4th book Always Watching in 2013, which I wasn't a huge fan of but it wasn't enough to throw me off her books altogether. As soon as I saw That Night was featured on NetGalley I pretty much begged and pleaded to be able to read a copy! I'm so grateful they allowed me, cause it was sooo good!! I love a good suspense psychological thriller (my taste seems to be really evolving the older I get...weird).<br />
<br />
The entire time I kept trying to figure out how everything was going to play out - though I admit I did have my suspicions and was totally dead on with those. Still, even though I figured it out, I so enjoyed every page of this intense story! And isn't that cover gorgeous? I'm such a sucker for covers involving water or leaves.<br />
<br />
Thank you so much NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for graciously allowing me the opportunity to read a copy for an unbiased review! This book is already out, so snag your copy here! <i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">They said she was a murderer.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">They said she killed her sister.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But they lied.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As a teenager, Toni Murphy had a life full of typical adolescent complications: a boyfriend she adored, a younger sister she couldn’t relate to, a strained relationship with her parents, and classmates who seemed hell-bent on making her life miserable. Things weren’t easy, but Toni could never have predicted how horrific they would become until her younger sister was brutally murdered one summer night.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Toni and her boyfriend, Ryan, were convicted of the murder and sent to prison.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Now thirty-four, Toni is out on parole and back in her hometown, struggling to adjust to a new life on the outside. Prison changed her, hardened her, and she’s doing everything in her power to avoid violating her parole and going back. This means having absolutely no contact with Ryan, avoiding fellow parolees looking to pick fights, and steering clear of trouble in all its forms. But nothing is making that easy—not Ryan, who is convinced he can figure out the truth; not her mother, who doubts Toni’s innocence; and certainly not the group of women who made Toni’s life hell in high school and may have darker secrets than anyone realizes. No matter how hard she tries, ignoring her old life to start a new one is impossible. Before Toni can truly move on, she must risk everything to find out what really happened that night.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">But the truth might be the most terrifying thing of all.</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: Yup! 2 thumbs up! But in my opinion, if you haven't read Chevy Stevens before, start with Still Missing, I think it's my favorite of them all!</span></div>
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-52288133944608474622015-02-23T13:12:00.001-08:002015-02-23T13:13:57.687-08:00Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8PuFe4NMpBJui1xhck8VTu-Ox4Vtj0PlsyEDGPxwbvC1zrepFfGrjBmg8eBtchVNgtrXyBOsFNP2_sBUbsBSr4bt5WKUBDKwUFdSkD2e_hObVW6bbQUH4gpfE3i9MR0fyuYmNZOY0f43/s1600/22716194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhr8PuFe4NMpBJui1xhck8VTu-Ox4Vtj0PlsyEDGPxwbvC1zrepFfGrjBmg8eBtchVNgtrXyBOsFNP2_sBUbsBSr4bt5WKUBDKwUFdSkD2e_hObVW6bbQUH4gpfE3i9MR0fyuYmNZOY0f43/s1600/22716194.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
Inside the O'Briens is my third Lisa Genova novel, and as I expected... it was fantastic!! I mean this woman can do no wrong. I truly am in awe of her writing and the way she portrays these rare & incurable conditions or diseases that individuals are left to face every day. It helps that she's a Neuroscience graduate of Harvard - I mean whoa. <br />
<br />
I fell in love with her first novel <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2009/06/still-alice-by-lisa-genova.html" target="_blank">Still Alice </a>back when I read it in 2009, then again her third novel, <a href="http://ismellbooks.blogspot.com/2013/02/love-anthony-by-lisa-genova.html" target="_blank">Love Anthony</a> when I read it in 2013. And now again, her fourth novel, Inside the O'Briens which releases in stores April 7, 2015. Why I haven't picked up her third book, Left Neglected is beyond me - I have to do that ASAP.<br />
<br />
With each heart-wrenching story she gives such a personal and in-depth understanding of what an individual and a family goes through when diagnosed with a difficult condition or disease. With Still Alice it was Alzheimer's, with Love Anthony it was Autism and with Inside the O'Briens it's Huntington's. <br />
<br />
My absolutely only issue with this book - is how it ended. I do hope to God that she's writing a sequel to it, because I just can't be at peace with the conclusion. I need a bow Lisa - it doesn't even have to be a pretty one, it can be ugly, it can even be downright disgusting - but I NEED A BOW! ha!! I sat there venting to my husband at the end of the book - "Oh no she didn't! I don't accept this - this can't be the end." And then I proceeded to start searching all over the Internet for clues of a sequel (*cue tears*). <br />
<br />
This is a great story folks - the kind that makes you think, makes you cry and makes you look at this reality for some from all different sides. I Loved it. A massive thank you to <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> and <a href="http://imprints.simonandschuster.biz/gallery-books" target="_blank">Gallery Books</a> for allowing me the privilege of reading an advanced copy. Pre-order your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Inside-OBriens-Novel-Lisa-Genova-ebook/dp/B00LQMDZPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424725708&sr=8-1&keywords=Inside+the+Obriens" target="_blank">here!</a> <i style="background-color: white; color: #33281c; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.1999998092651px; line-height: 18.4799995422363px;">(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">From award-winning, New York Times bestselling author and neuroscientist Lisa Genova comes a powerful new novel that does for Huntington’s Disease what her debut Still Alice did for Alzheimer’s.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Praised for writing that “explores the resilience of the human spirit” (The San Francisco Chronicle), Lisa Genova has once again delivered a novel as powerful and unforgettable as the human insights at its core.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: I recommend all of her books, they are just incredible and is in the top 5 of my favorite authors. </span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-72103433442260351082015-02-07T11:34:00.000-08:002015-02-23T11:34:40.903-08:00The Centurion's Wife by Davis Bunn & Janette Oke<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78IQATd5RPsGoXnFZ__FkOn6Lmjlrefgz-S6y1NpGOeSx-1fWnzWFCOJzpS9AI4cQWyD7TIH1uGlyOzQ8gaszoyVWfTuthCkY86mieCCt3sXUmCGXdIhTv59KmmEUrcwDKg3FSIQEplzC/s1600/3900619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78IQATd5RPsGoXnFZ__FkOn6Lmjlrefgz-S6y1NpGOeSx-1fWnzWFCOJzpS9AI4cQWyD7TIH1uGlyOzQ8gaszoyVWfTuthCkY86mieCCt3sXUmCGXdIhTv59KmmEUrcwDKg3FSIQEplzC/s1600/3900619.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
Typically the only Christian historical fiction you'll see me picking up is by Francine Rivers - the woman knows how to do it right. Unfortunately, I haven't found many other Christian authors that I enjoy historical fiction from. BUT I will say, I LOVED the Love Comes Softly series by Janette Oke, so when my mother-in-law dropped the Acts of Faith trilogy off at my house to give a try - I thought - heck why not?!<br />
<br />
Sigh.....but it was not to be folks. I read the first of the series, The Centurion's Wife and I just couldn't get into it. And I'll admit I was actually a bit frustrated. Here's why - because when Christian authors take actual historical Biblical accounts and "add" their spin to it, it confuses the absolute crap out of me. And then next thing I know - I genuinely think there was a niece of Herod's out there by the name of Leah who fell in love with a Centurion of the name Alban and they had a bunch of interactions with Jesus and the disciples. Didn't happen people. Every now and then I do love a great historical fiction novel, but it has to keep some distance from actual historical events or it just loses me all together. I hope that makes sense. Of course, that doesn't mean that I give up on Janette Oke all together, I just wasn't too keen on this one and therefore didn't feel compelled to read the remaining 2 books in the series. Hey, at least I tried right?<br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Janette Oke has dreamed for years of retelling a story in a biblical time frame from a female protagonist's perspective, and Davis Bunn is elated to be working with her again on this sweeping saga of the dramatic events surrounding the birth of Christianity...and the very personal story of Leah, a young Jewess of mixed heritage trapped in a vortex of competing political agendas and private trauma.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
Caught up in the maelstrom following the death of an obscure rabbi in the Roman backwater of first-century Palestine, Leah finds herself also engulfed in her own turmoil--facing the prospect of an arranged marriage to a Roman soldier, Alban, who seems to care for nothing but his own ambitions. Head of the garrison near Galilee, he has been assigned by Palestine's governor to ferret out the truth behind rumors of a political execution gone awry. Leah's mistress, the governor's wife, secretly commissions Leah also to discover what really has become of this man whose death--and missing body--is causing such furor. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">This epic drama is threaded with the tale of an unlikely romance and framed with dangers and betrayals from unexpected sources. At its core, The Centurion's Wife unfolds the testing of loyalties--between two young people whose inner searchings they cannot express, between their irreconcilable heritages, and ultimately between their humanity and the Divine they yearn to encounter.</span></i></div>
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: **</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: If blending between fiction & actual historical events doesn't bother you, then by all means give this one a shot! </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-69554569728348589682015-02-02T13:39:00.003-08:002015-02-02T13:39:47.248-08:00Follow The Leader by Mel Sherratt<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily1Jl3heafxfwd5NZMXGoSsWUJgnlKnm49qqJ0S-JD4tc0Hp3ZfdxeBR8UipskT-6ZLXBHA_wgMdjzHbs6J7_23lOx11fhivmEtZCC7pp5JPDUkRVjaaDemt65Pqs4_6fDGHeo7vShOQK/s1600/23199709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEily1Jl3heafxfwd5NZMXGoSsWUJgnlKnm49qqJ0S-JD4tc0Hp3ZfdxeBR8UipskT-6ZLXBHA_wgMdjzHbs6J7_23lOx11fhivmEtZCC7pp5JPDUkRVjaaDemt65Pqs4_6fDGHeo7vShOQK/s1600/23199709.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
You know you've picked a winner of a read when you can't stop thinking about the characters long after you put the book down. My husband was asking me the other day which book I was reading at the moment and I completely delved into the whole story of Follow The Leader trying to explain who was who and what I couldn't figure out and all the little details - really it was just an extremely futile effort, as I just could barely wrap my own mind around everything.<br />
<br />
But wow - so good. It was intense, it was well-paced and it was insane. And I honestly didn't even realize that I had read Book #2 in the DS Allie Shenton series! Follow The Leader definitely stands just fine on it's own, but now I HAVE to pick up the first one, Taunting The Dead and keep my eyes pealed for #3.<br />
<br />
Y'all, if you like a seriously intense & suspenseful read, you'll really enjoy this one! Holy crap. Thank you to <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of Follow The Leader by Mel Sherratt. You can pick up your copy when it releases on February 10th, by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Follow-Leader-Allie-Shenton-Novel-ebook/dp/B00MYBNYY2/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1422913021&sr=1-2&keywords=follow+the+leader&pebp=1422913023764&peasin=B00MYBNYY2" target="_blank">here</a>. <i>(*All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.)</i><br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A man’s body is found on a canal towpath. In his pocket, a plastic magnet in the shape of an E.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Days later, a second victim is found, this time with the letter V tucked into her clothing.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As the body count rises, the eerie, childlike clues point to a pattern that sends DS Allie Shenton and her colleagues into full alert.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The race is on. Allie and the team must work quickly to determine where the killer will strike next.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">The rules are simple but deadly—to catch the killer, they must follow the leader.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">From the acclaimed author of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Taunting the Dead</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> comes a flesh-creeping tale of a child's game with a terrifying, grown-up twist.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13.8000001907349px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: For reals.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-85185417846304324292015-01-13T13:01:00.000-08:002015-01-22T13:01:51.426-08:00The Illusionists: A Novel by Rosie Thomas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62PfZrsymV1Mq7I_IqZgFPtR58yZSIhngpXVdgSB751S6zGmIVf3oFH_UyMqBbjmfwI_SeX1dVQo2M1dNDmL6fL7pjhLUN0-A7-cdxuUBAWCHh1V7rem5QQnajUwoTScHLtTZZ1hzyJcr/s1600/21413820.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh62PfZrsymV1Mq7I_IqZgFPtR58yZSIhngpXVdgSB751S6zGmIVf3oFH_UyMqBbjmfwI_SeX1dVQo2M1dNDmL6fL7pjhLUN0-A7-cdxuUBAWCHh1V7rem5QQnajUwoTScHLtTZZ1hzyJcr/s1600/21413820.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
Plowing through The Illusionists was like re-reading Gone With the Wind all over again...and I don't exactly mean that in the best way. It's a hefty novel rounding out close to 500 pages and was divided into Parts - you know like Part 1, Part 2...and so on. When it comes down to it, I just didn't understand where it was going. When I finally delved into Part 2, all of a sudden the story turned into sorta a murder mystery - what the what? There were certain chapters where I was glued, and other's I was barely able to keep my eyes open - it was really just a flip of the coin for me.<br />
<br />
I don't always do so well with period type novels, so maybe that's where I was struggling, but I just didn't get it and was fairly disappointed in the long run. Man I hate having to admit that. Some of you might really enjoy this novel, since I've seen some really great reviews on Goodreads.<br />
<br />
Thank you to <a href="http://www.bookreporter.com/" target="_blank">BookReporter</a> for sending me this beautiful, complimentary hard copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-Illusionists-Novel-Rosie-Thomas/dp/1468309900/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1421960283&sr=8-1-spell" target="_blank">The Illusionists: A Novel by Rosie Thomas</a>. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for my review.<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Over the course of a brilliant career, bestselling novelist Rosie Thomas has earned an untold number of awards and the devotion of millions of loyal readers. Her new novel The Illusionists, set in London in 1870, is a thrilling step forward—a captivating tale of passion and intrigue in the theater world.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">At the start of The Illusionists, we meet Eliza, a young, beautiful woman of limited means. Through her work as an artist’s model, she meets the magnetic and irascible Devil—a born showman whose dream is to run his own theater company. Devil’s righthand man is Carlo Bonomi, an ill-tempered dwarf with an enormous talent for all things magic and illusion. And then there is Jasper Button, the enigmatic, unlikely final member of this fascinating cast of characters. Thrown together by a twist of fate, their lives are inextricably linked. As Eliza gets sucked into their seductive and dangerous world, she risks not only her heart, but also her life, which is soon thrown into peril.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: **</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: My personal opinion is to pass on it, but then some of you might really enjoy it - check out other reviews on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Illusionists-Novel-Rosie-Thomas-ebook/dp/B00J35271S/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421960283&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=The+Ilussionists" target="_blank">Amazon</a> or Goodreads and decide for yourself! </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-4435326180064687522015-01-06T12:41:00.000-08:002015-01-22T12:42:00.370-08:00The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjmhi4LnUoDtJfAy4kZ4B3YQuiW6062mDUGrmofz4-YkokYbVybypjZeonhgdkD09iCnwGph9-ubcNAZqZqI-KLwZGujNN5-CyZFh_5A0Uj6Dk3yJAZrwPS2iRTm9AmgTEUI771yEkpcN/s1600/20579282.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKjmhi4LnUoDtJfAy4kZ4B3YQuiW6062mDUGrmofz4-YkokYbVybypjZeonhgdkD09iCnwGph9-ubcNAZqZqI-KLwZGujNN5-CyZFh_5A0Uj6Dk3yJAZrwPS2iRTm9AmgTEUI771yEkpcN/s1600/20579282.jpg" height="320" width="209" /></a></div>
Who doesn't love a good nail-biting page-turner?! In all truthfulness, I'm not really a fan of starting a new book - it takes me forever to set the stage and envision who is who and what is going on. But that so wasn't the case with The Last Breath. At page one I was instantly hooked and<br />
<br />
COULD.NOT.PUT.IT.DOWN.<br />
<br />
For reals people. This book was almost perfection for me - minus all the gratuitous sex scenes. Ugh, why is that so necessary for some authors! Gah! It's like since Fifty Shades of Grey became a literary sensation, every writer and their mother wants to push the envelope with how gritty their love-making can get. I guess I'm one of the rare individuals who thinks that a little mystery and implied sensuality goes a long way.<br />
<br />
But apart from that - so stinkin good. If you've read any of my reviews in the past, you know I don't like to go into details on what I thought of the characters or the storyline because I don't want to influence someone who hasn't read the book yet themselves. But seriously I couldn't figure out the ending for the life of me and it completely took me by surprise! Amazing and bravo Ms. Belle.<br />
<br />
Thank you to <a href="http://www.harlequin.com/store.html?cid=242" target="_blank">Harlequin MIRA</a> and <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley </a>for a complimentary advanced reading copy of The Last Breath by Kimberly Belle. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review. Get your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Breath-Kimberly-Belle-ebook/dp/B00S4YJNJS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421959070&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Last+Breath" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Humanitarian aid worker Gia Andrews chases disasters around the globe for a living. It's the perfect lifestyle to keep her far away from her own personal ground zero. Sixteen years ago, Gia's father was imprisoned for brutally killing her stepmother. Now he's come home to die of cancer, and she's responsible for his care—and coming to terms with his guilt.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Gia reluctantly resumes the role of daughter to the town's most infamous murderer, a part complete with protesters on the lawn and death threats that are turning tragedy into front-page news. Returning to life in small-town Tennessee involves rebuilding relationships that distance and turmoil have strained, though finding an emotional anchor in the attractive hometown bartender is certainly helping Gia cope. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As the past unravels before her, Gia will find herself torn between the stories that her family, their friends and neighbors, and even her long-departed stepmother have believed to be real all these years. But in the end, the truth—and all the lies that came before—may have deadlier consequences than she could have ever anticipated…</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: ****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: If you love a good dose of suspense-filled women's fiction, then you will devour this!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-16700978467649789602014-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:002014-12-15T14:21:21.156-08:00Little Mercies by Heather Gudenkauf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVKfpe7MAS0w7liHpHXZru-QYFQbonpFtBnr9Tvs81A7F5WRNdMrjcXU2Pcwo-3BdvczpTqeS8GbMfJaxTBOBt1zANxuOjsfxC8HuFmQy2jQe9x4l50NyJBhw44YhpscV5Ob1qPyRicQW/s1600/18722887.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNVKfpe7MAS0w7liHpHXZru-QYFQbonpFtBnr9Tvs81A7F5WRNdMrjcXU2Pcwo-3BdvczpTqeS8GbMfJaxTBOBt1zANxuOjsfxC8HuFmQy2jQe9x4l50NyJBhw44YhpscV5Ob1qPyRicQW/s1600/18722887.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
As cozy and snugly the fall & winter seasons are for curling up with a good book - they're also insanely busy!! I really do want nothing more than to be able to get some more books under my belt before the end of the year and it's just not looking likely that I'll meet my 35 book goal for 2014. *sniff* I might have been a teensy bit too ambitious this time. Even still, wrapping up with Little Mercies brought me in at #25 for the year and it's been a great year of reading for me!! <br />
<br />
A massive part of why I've had such a wonderful year of reading goes to NetGalley and all that they offer for everyday readers like me to be able to request advance copies of books online. Seriously, when things get slow at work - they.save.me.<br />
<br />
I actually finished <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Mercies-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B00I66BPP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418681999&sr=8-1&keywords=little+mercies" target="_blank">Little Mercies</a> back earlier this month, but only have a free moment to write a little something of my thoughts on it. <br />
<br />
<b>It was so good y'all!!!</b><br />
<br />
I've even passed it on to my Mother-In-Law who also loved it and then on to one of my best friends, Jessica. Intense, moving, heart-breaking, mind-blowing...and you know what's the most sobering aspect about this story? It happens a lot. I can't really go into details, I just don't believe in sharing more than what the synopsis already gives you. But let me say this - I'm not a mom, so I can't relate on a personal level of how tragic and devastating something like Ellen goes through. But even still, just imaging it is traumatizing enough.<br />
<br />
Seriously, pick this one up you won't regret it! I received my copy compliments of <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> and <a href="http://www.harlequin.com/" target="_blank">Harlequin</a>. I bought <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Weight-Silence-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B00DSX0L82/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418681961&sr=8-1&keywords=the+weight+of+silence&pebp=1418681973602" target="_blank">The Weight of Silence</a>, by Heather Gudenkauf a while back and now am anxious to dig into it even more now! Little Mercies is already out now, so don't hesitate and grab yourself a copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Mercies-Heather-Gudenkauf-ebook/dp/B00I66BPP4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418681999&sr=8-1&keywords=little+mercies" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
<br />
<i>Description: </i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Veteran social worker Ellen Moore has seen the worst side of humanity; the vilest acts one person can commit against another. She is a fiercely dedicated children's advocate and a devoted mother and wife. But one blistering summer day, a simple moment of distraction will have repercussions that Ellen could never have imagined, threatening to shatter everything she holds dear, and trapping her between the gears of the system she works for.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Meanwhile, ten-year-old Jenny Briard has been living with her well-meaning but irresponsible father since her mother left them, sleeping on friends' couches and moving in and out of cheap motels. When Jenny suddenly finds herself on her own, she is forced to survive with nothing but a few dollars and her street smarts. The last thing she wants is a social worker, but when Ellen's and Jenny's lives collide, little do they know just how much they can help one another.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">A powerful and emotionally charged tale about motherhood and justice, Little Mercies is a searing portrait of the tenuous grasp we have on the things we love the most, and of the ties that unexpectedly bring us together.</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: *****</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Recommend: Yes! But do keep in mind, if you're a mom to little ones this could be hard to digest.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-19071433027601571182014-11-04T11:38:00.001-08:002014-11-04T11:41:40.134-08:00Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-flAhIq802j2nSl61L4fCfhv6fQhzKwX_6OCuwSuvYVmz_lxclgvFBOE_oZPk7QKRGiZwVEL9e13drmvHvD0utAoHjSIbVK-sLEOkDke5qRSVlpqZ9Ewc_DvjW8T7rulnrC2QfUOnjVE/s1600/Stillwater.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl-flAhIq802j2nSl61L4fCfhv6fQhzKwX_6OCuwSuvYVmz_lxclgvFBOE_oZPk7QKRGiZwVEL9e13drmvHvD0utAoHjSIbVK-sLEOkDke5qRSVlpqZ9Ewc_DvjW8T7rulnrC2QfUOnjVE/s1600/Stillwater.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
<div>
I realize I've been quite MIA for a while now - things got a bit crazy with my sister's wedding last month and I was fairly consumed with all the preparations, travel and all that goes along with it. But I'm back now and ready to pick up where I left off and hopefully able to somewhat achieve my goal of reading 35 books this year!!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Even though I am a massive fan of The Memory Child by Ms. Holmes, I do admit I struggled to get through Stillwater Rising. I don't know if it's because I had difficulty relating to the subject at hand or what - but I just wasn't all that connected to the characters. Even still, I thought it was a hugely interesting story and really appreciated the perspective surrounding the shooter's mother. We hear about these horrible school shootings and tragedies and always sympathize with the victim's families and their losses, but we don't often think about how hard it must be for the shooter's family to deal with the guilt or weight of responsibility that they must feel at being the perpetrator's parent or loved one. \</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
This is the first book in the Stillwater Bay series, but I'm not sure if I'm all that interested in continuing on with the following books. This one was already quite predictable and I'm pretty satisfied with how it all ended. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
There are 2 covers for this book that was printed - the picture above and then this one below. I seriously can't decide which one I like better, they're just both so beautiful!</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4unzMNCCCWFW-klYO-3_XE7QzA69EhBxRTURvkqRAcSdlDPuwHmGdFJ2JEkRGVZErIpe8Kv40BNaJq5ZdjV5m5_u1puG2dnGvLeovOm_y55_cgCfQCujhgIi49c5aeaCEh5cZ3GkqT8B/s1600/22400234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4unzMNCCCWFW-klYO-3_XE7QzA69EhBxRTURvkqRAcSdlDPuwHmGdFJ2JEkRGVZErIpe8Kv40BNaJq5ZdjV5m5_u1puG2dnGvLeovOm_y55_cgCfQCujhgIi49c5aeaCEh5cZ3GkqT8B/s1600/22400234.jpg" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: normal;">NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing (um crazy, back from my hometown Seattle!) graciously allowed me the opportunity to read </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stillwater-Rising-Steena-Holmes-ebook/dp/B00JEOZE2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415129060&sr=8-1&keywords=Stillwater+Rising" style="font-style: normal;" target="_blank">Stillwater Rising</a><span style="font-style: normal;"> by Steena Holmes, for which I am still insanely grateful for! You can pre-order a Kindle copy from Amazon for $5 right now by clicking <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Stillwater-Rising-Steena-Holmes-ebook/dp/B00JEOZE2C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415129060&sr=8-1&keywords=Stillwater+Rising" target="_blank">here!</a> Stillwater Rising releases on Nov. 11th.</span></div>
<div style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-style: normal;"><br /></span></div>
<i>Description: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte s husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be.</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: italic; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter s mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte s relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship."</span><br />
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;">Rating: ***</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.3199996948242px;"><br />Recommend: I still think this is a great read and I for sure recommend!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-65035014448672022212014-08-25T14:19:00.001-07:002014-08-25T14:19:02.930-07:00The Good Girl by Mary Kubica<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ7t8l3PkDPIN5WqFD7BC1xqqhXx6qhBFm5viFhS401Oai7NtYk55gOjtbu_chCFUTP5c0aieJ39pUkXPXr9GJUM8GGOdPgqYJnPcmujbdhTdL7URhsuybROfnmtttTb82IXbZzOzY5gt/s1600/18812405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirQ7t8l3PkDPIN5WqFD7BC1xqqhXx6qhBFm5viFhS401Oai7NtYk55gOjtbu_chCFUTP5c0aieJ39pUkXPXr9GJUM8GGOdPgqYJnPcmujbdhTdL7URhsuybROfnmtttTb82IXbZzOzY5gt/s1600/18812405.jpg" height="320" width="210" /></a></div>
When I started The Good Girl, I thought I was reading an almost identical plot line to Chevy Steven's - Still Missing. It had a very similar feel and I was getting stuck on the way things were developing along. Chevy Stevens is one of my absolute favorite authors and so unfortunately I was struggling a bit to lose myself entirely in this debut novel of Mary Kubica's. However, to The Good Girl's credit, it did take some unexpected turns and for that I found that it completely redeemed itself. I also thoroughly enjoyed the way the chapters jumped between "before" and "after" and alternated character's voices. The further along in the book I got, the more I needed to know what exactly had happened to cause a "before" and "after"!!<br />
<br />
I do feel terrible that I have that comparison in the back of my mind to Chevy Steven's book when writing this review and I'm sorry if it doesn't seem fair, but for me that for sure hindered my ability to lose myself within this book.<br />
<br />
All that aside - this book is definitely worth reading and I would highly recommend you pick up your own copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Good-Girl-Mary-Kubica-ebook/dp/B00IB5BSBG/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409000868&sr=1-1&keywords=the+good+girl" target="_blank">here</a>! <br />
<br />
A huge thank you to <a href="http://www.harlequin.com/" target="_blank">Harlequin</a> and <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/" target="_blank">NetGalley</a> for an opportunity to read an e-copy!<br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">"I've been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don't know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she's scared. But I will."</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> </span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn't show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia's life. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Colin's job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia's mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family's world to shatter. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a compulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems….</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: For fans of suspense & mystery/thrillers - you will very much enjoy this ride!</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-63054520579051345112014-08-12T12:19:00.002-07:002014-08-12T12:19:37.886-07:00The House We Grew Up In by Lisa Jewell<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKU-DRsjP4-q7CDvgMCX5cx5PfU2RvsxB2K4zG7pSKx1n47oFGNB84ZnUw1HTimm6RY1DOs8XMkutWBf565IUEB3wTbByH2QELpNPAkAPFO9S7Cg5DCAjwD0TuVUTke7mVI7y0gQkfID9/s1600/19210676.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPKU-DRsjP4-q7CDvgMCX5cx5PfU2RvsxB2K4zG7pSKx1n47oFGNB84ZnUw1HTimm6RY1DOs8XMkutWBf565IUEB3wTbByH2QELpNPAkAPFO9S7Cg5DCAjwD0TuVUTke7mVI7y0gQkfID9/s1600/19210676.jpg" height="320" width="206" /></a></div>
Can we just take one second and talk about how beautiful this cover is? I just love it and after finishing the story, I now understand the fragility implied within. As for the narrative itself, I've never read one that quite dealt with these types of issues before...hoarding specifically. That's not really a spoiler, as it's addressed throughout the entirety of the novel - but of course there's other more deep-rooted matters at hand here, as is often the case with unresolved wounds. It was sad - it was moving - it was tragic......AND it was redemptive. <br />
<br />
I very much enjoyed The House We Grew Up In and without giving away too much, I think it gives a very real look into today's crumbling family model when pain, selfishness and mental issues are involved.<br />
<br />
Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an Advance Copy! You can snag your own copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/House-We-Grew-Up-ebook/dp/B00GEEB9BU/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407870765&sr=1-1&keywords=the+house+we+grew+up+in" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins Rory and Rhys all attend the village school and eat home-cooked meals together every night. Their father is a sweet gangly man named Colin, who still looks like a teenager with floppy hair and owlish, round-framed glasses. Their mother is a beautiful hippy named Lorelei, who exists entirely in the moment. And she makes every moment sparkle in her children's lives.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Then one Easter weekend, tragedy comes to call. The event is so devastating that, almost imperceptibly, it begins to tear the family apart. Years pass as the children become adults, find new relationships, and develop their own separate lives. Soon it seems as though they've never been a family at all. But then something happens that calls them back to the house they grew up in -- and to what really happened that Easter weekend so many years ago.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Told in gorgeous, insightful prose that delves deeply into the hearts and minds of its characters, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The House We Grew Up In</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> is the captivating story of one family's desire to restore long-forgotten peace and to unearth the many secrets hidden within the nooks and crannies of home.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ****</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: It's definitely a no holds barred type of family drama, but nonetheless I would for sure recommend. </span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-36734288885044701972014-07-29T12:14:00.004-07:002014-07-29T12:14:56.160-07:00Apparently I'm not the only one!So it looks as though enjoying the smell of books isn't as rare as I thought! Check out this soy candle in the fragrance "Old Books" by <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Frostbeard" target="_blank">Frostbeard Studio</a> on Etsy! <br />
<br />
<img alt="Old Books -- Book Lovers' Scented Soy Candle -- 8oz jar" height="320" src="https://img1.etsystatic.com/023/0/5269172/il_570xN.488739997_ertj.jpg" width="320" /><br />
<br />
This candle needs to be in my house like yesterday. A little pricey at $15 for an 8 oz candle (I typically support my candle addiction with Bath & Body Works when they have a half-off sale).<br />
<br />
But seriously, you NEED to visit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/Frostbeard" target="_blank">their shop</a> and see all their fun & unique candle scents!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-60027235091820068712014-07-28T08:35:00.000-07:002014-07-28T08:35:10.616-07:00Virgin by Radhika Sanghani<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnNERQ5nfbUysj4qQojLDgnOsflRujqs52FQB_eAQAg3c7jvUoAqddULWfyjZdxw6KnCZZEgdBfmKbx8X-Kqd47LTv27obQk59xgrqXIJPq-LTbWOqnqlblVoTbMnWtwUfzRD5cV-hCAU/s1600/Virgin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnNERQ5nfbUysj4qQojLDgnOsflRujqs52FQB_eAQAg3c7jvUoAqddULWfyjZdxw6KnCZZEgdBfmKbx8X-Kqd47LTv27obQk59xgrqXIJPq-LTbWOqnqlblVoTbMnWtwUfzRD5cV-hCAU/s1600/Virgin.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
So. Uh-hum. This is one of those books that somehow knows about all the private conversations you've ever had with your closest girlfriends regarding the questions or mysteries involving sex. It was so blatant at times that I was blushing in the privacy of my own room - but so freakin hilarious at other times because I swear we've all wondered the same things or identified with some of the same issues that the main character faces. Well, okay, or maybe it was just me. <br />
<br />
I was 26 years old when I married my husband - and yes, I was a virgin, in every sense of the word. There's not many of us out there that decide to wait, and being as how I was raised in a religious background where sex was NEVER discussed, there was a whole lotta stuff I had NO CLUE about until after I got married. <br />
<br />
Though the main character, Ellie is on an outright mission to lose her virginity at the age of 21, I felt that the way this story resolved itself and the lesson she learned at the end of it all was actually quite poignant. I do not regret one bit saving myself sexually for my husband - there is a HUGE amount of pressure on teens and young adults to be sexually active and unfortunately our culture is so obsessed with sex that it can often easily define us. I laughed, I winced, I squirmed - I did all the things that I have done with my best girlfriends discussing these very things. Freakin hilarious book - but definitely not for everybody. Lol, but then again, maybe it should be.<br />
<br />
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for the opportunity to read this advance copy to give an honest review. All opinions are my own. If you dare, pre-order your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Virgin-Radhika-Sanghani-ebook/dp/B00HFXK46U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406561631&sr=1-1&keywords=virgin" target="_blank">here!</a><br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Okay, I admit it…I didn’t do it.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Yet.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">This is normal, right? I mean, just because everyone I know has talked like they’ve already done it doesn’t mean that they’re telling the truth…right?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">It’s not like I’m asking for that much. I don’t need the perfect guy. I don’t need candlelight or roses. Honestly, I don’t even need a real bed.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The guys I know complain that girls are always looking for Mr. Right—do I have to wear a sign that says I’m only looking for Mr. Right Now?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Sooooo…anyone out there want sex? Anyone? Hello? Just for fun?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">I am not going to die a virgin. One way or another I am going to make this happen.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Hey, what have I got to lose? Besides the obvious.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ***</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: This is a tough one - if you're interested in picking it up, you cannot go into it hoping you don't get offended. It's crass, funny, detailed, crude and ridiculously laugh-out-loud funny.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-49003253707521398812014-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:002014-07-28T08:35:37.680-07:00Since You've Been Gone by Anouska Knight<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yqb9mZ-LmlAulrUB0r7Vtp7PYsy54vuXJSOaZqIBB_TYRoN6jhByNIZaDVndiv04lJhKQS4c1UdtzWzyMM8v_m2Nc-vtOZB2x4vJ6ndxtq_9mLREybY9IW_z0lAHPZNH3wH2YjBN9ZYj/s1600/18528411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0Yqb9mZ-LmlAulrUB0r7Vtp7PYsy54vuXJSOaZqIBB_TYRoN6jhByNIZaDVndiv04lJhKQS4c1UdtzWzyMM8v_m2Nc-vtOZB2x4vJ6ndxtq_9mLREybY9IW_z0lAHPZNH3wH2YjBN9ZYj/s1600/18528411.jpg" height="320" width="208" /></a></div>
I'm a sucker for light & romantic reads - especially ones that add in a little baking and snarky British humor. This book was so fun and I cruised right through it! Not to mention, the publisher sent me an actual hard copy of the book, which was such a refreshing change of pace, since I've been devouring ebooks left and right. I know, I feel like a traitor. I never thought I'd be such a huge ebook fan, but I cruise through them so much faster!<br />
<br />
The cover is beyond darling and the writing was just so dang effortlessness. A perfect beach read - or if you're like me and unable to afford the time or money to get to a beach - a great summer afternoon book curled up on the couch with an iced coffee.<br />
<br />
Thank you Harlequin for the Advance Copy, super fun & adorable story! Since You've Been Gone releases on August 1 - but you can pre-order your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Since-Youve-Been-Gone-Hqn-ebook/dp/B00I66BPV8/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1406559514&sr=1-2&keywords=since+you%27ve+been+gone" target="_blank">here!</a><br />
<br />
<i>Description: <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">How do you learn to love again?</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">In one tragic moment, Holly Jefferson s life as she knows it changes for ever. Now to the external world, at least she s finally getting back on her feet, running her business, Cake. Then she meets Ciaran Argyll.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">His rich and charmed life feels a million miles from her own. However, there s more to Ciaran than the superficial world that surrounds him, and he too is wrestling with his own ghosts. Will Holly find the missing ingredient that allows her to live again and embrace an unknown and unexpected tomorrow?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ****</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: Yes, but be aware there were for sure a couple of steamy scenes too.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-72948807045788674722014-07-03T08:23:00.001-07:002014-07-03T08:23:18.582-07:00Bridge to Haven by Francine Rivers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fWFQNoRTWWqPuY2VpiKEJRAAEMVO6MUHfOejr4WouC7tPFGSMfKAJKMr9zf0RpzGaxGh2Oy0Sl3lCm7mLVFmofbcSlTVFwAkfsULxHg7Q5_6R5bLbqJXRFey_Ynu8Ur6hqQe0UxQvoRa/s1600/18228202.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fWFQNoRTWWqPuY2VpiKEJRAAEMVO6MUHfOejr4WouC7tPFGSMfKAJKMr9zf0RpzGaxGh2Oy0Sl3lCm7mLVFmofbcSlTVFwAkfsULxHg7Q5_6R5bLbqJXRFey_Ynu8Ur6hqQe0UxQvoRa/s1600/18228202.jpg" height="320" width="213" /></a></div>
Very few things get me quite as excited as seeing that Ms. <a href="http://www.francinerivers.com/" target="_blank">Francine Rivers</a> has published a new book!! When I saw that Bridge to Haven was released, it was the only thing I requested on my birthday wish list :-)<br />
<br />
I fell in love with her writing in high school - close to 20 years ago. Gah! Has it been that long!?!?! <br />
<br />
Ever since then, I've read absolutely everything she's published. I would say she is for sure one of my top 2 favorite authors. A large reason for that is she keeps things so real and honest - and without apology brings in God's truth in the most rawest of situations. I freaking love that. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's hard to find good quality Christian fiction without it being preachy or cheeseball. I never get that from Francine - and I savor every sentence she crafts in her stories.<br />
<br />
Bridge to Haven was a bit reminiscent of one of my all time favorite books (which happens to also be her best-selling novel, Redeeming Love). But that was quite alright by me - it was beautiful, heart breaking, redeeming, sobering and convicting. Loved it (as if you couldn't tell by now). My only wish is that she published books more frequently. Grab your copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bridge-Haven-Francine-Rivers/dp/1414368186/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&sr=8-1&qid=1404400848" target="_blank">here</a>!<br />
<br />
<i>Description: </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><i>To those who matter in 1950s Hollywood, Lena Scott is the hottest rising star to hit the silver screen since Marilyn Monroe. Few know her real name is Abra. Even fewer know the price she's paid to finally feel like she's somebody.</i></span><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">To Pastor Ezekiel Freeman, Abra will always be the little girl who stole his heart the night he found her, a wailing newborn abandoned under a bridge on the outskirts of Haven. Zeke and his son, Joshua--Abra's closest friend--watch her grow into an exotic beauty. But Zeke knows the circumstances surrounding her birth etched scars deep in her heart, scars that leave her vulnerable to a fast-talking bad boy who proclaims his love and lures her to Tinseltown. </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Hollywood feels like a million miles from Haven, and naive Abra quickly learns what's expected of an ambitious girl with stars in her eyes. But fame comes at an awful price. She has burned every bridge to get exactly what she thought she wanted. Now, all she wants is a way back home.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">In this riveting and highly anticipated tale of temptation, grace, and unconditional love, "New York Times" best-selling author Francine Rivers delivers big-canvas storytelling at its very best.</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: *****</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: Absolutely!!!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-16598122628690918912014-06-19T08:12:00.001-07:002014-06-19T08:12:27.905-07:00The Fever by Megan Abbott<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_5aMw6R36VRICb3JHOYoQkAq5WbunOT22pjyK1mmnE-QWz_S1SOF7qs7kL0DGmy6P2d1VHp5iNYhWvI7WI6zJnfYfBEawxmaAorSatY7CcC8hQaIgCK5AlgkRy0UTZZ0wXQ2jl1xDeyl/s1600/18656036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT_5aMw6R36VRICb3JHOYoQkAq5WbunOT22pjyK1mmnE-QWz_S1SOF7qs7kL0DGmy6P2d1VHp5iNYhWvI7WI6zJnfYfBEawxmaAorSatY7CcC8hQaIgCK5AlgkRy0UTZZ0wXQ2jl1xDeyl/s1600/18656036.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
The best word that captures the essence of this book in my opinion is "Eerie". <br />
<br />
As a matter of fact when you look the word "Eerie" up, its defined as:<br />
<br />
1. Inspiring inexplicable fear, dread or uneasiness; strange or frightening.<br />
2. Suggestive of the supernatural; mysterious.<br />
<br />
I mean if you've read this - you know those 2 definitions pretty much sums this novel up. I couldn't figure out if it was going to turn creepy sci-fi on me or dark and twisty like the movie The Talented Mr. Ripley. Did you see that movie? It totally creeped me out much like The Fever did.<br />
<br />
I thought it was well told and for sure kept me guessing till the very end. It was so intense but I also was a bit unsettled by the description of the some of the more intimate scenes.<br />
<br />
Overall, a wonderful surprising suspense story filled with twists & turns you won't see coming!<br />
<br />
Thank you so much NetGalley and Little, Brown & Company for the opportunity to read and review an advance ebook of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fever-Megan-Abbott-ebook/dp/B00FPQA4UK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403190507&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fever" target="_blank">The Fever</a> by Megan Abbott. I seriously am so grateful and blessed to have this opportunity and love every single minute (or page rather!) that I get to enjoy! If you're interested in pre-ordering your copy of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fever-Megan-Abbott-ebook/dp/B00FPQA4UK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403190507&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fever" target="_blank">The Fever</a> before it releases on June 17, go <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Fever-Megan-Abbott-ebook/dp/B00FPQA4UK/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403190507&sr=1-1&keywords=the+fever" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<b><i><br /></i></b>
<i>Description: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Nash family is close-knit. Tom is a popular teacher, father of two teens: Eli, a hockey star and girl magnet, and his sister Deenie, a diligent student. Their seeming stability, however, is thrown into chaos when Deenie's best friend is struck by a terrifying, unexplained seizure in class. Rumors of a hazardous outbreak spread through the family, school and community.</span></i><br />
<i><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">As hysteria and contagion swell, a series of tightly held secrets emerges, threatening to unravel friendships, families and the town's fragile idea of security.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">A chilling story about guilt, family secrets and the lethal power of desire,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Fever</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> affirms Megan Abbot's reputation as "one of the most exciting and original voices of her generation" (Laura Lippman)"</span></i><div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ****</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: I would say yes - but really only for mature audiences. If I had a teenager, I think it would be a bit too much.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4080425107402997708.post-31574494093870890462014-06-10T13:30:00.000-07:002014-06-19T08:40:23.650-07:00The All You Can Dream Buffet by Barbara O'Neal<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKkXcPnFgw8b0ZhDZ5TbX8Ep0dzPH4J-jo2-Urhq-96zgpHYC6cMGdQtbgSn5dJUaCoHnRLfjitKD56kYuPqd4GKhZa4S8wXKwa2d-ZzA7MDKa9ex5D9pVsgfZ0x9UYGdzjPct9cLPN7L/s1600/18248416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTKkXcPnFgw8b0ZhDZ5TbX8Ep0dzPH4J-jo2-Urhq-96zgpHYC6cMGdQtbgSn5dJUaCoHnRLfjitKD56kYuPqd4GKhZa4S8wXKwa2d-ZzA7MDKa9ex5D9pVsgfZ0x9UYGdzjPct9cLPN7L/s1600/18248416.jpg" /></a></div>
Well I think I've discovered yet another favorite author ALL THANKS TO NETGALLEY!!!!! Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
That and the fact that now I'm obsessed with finding my very own adorable vintage camper trailer. *sigh* I mean really. I now have this ridiculous itch to find a cute trailer to make all our own and travel across the country parking at little lakes and beaches, mountains, rivers and discovering little restaurants and bakeries along the way (with my 3 labs of course!). <br />
<br />
This story was SO dang adorable. It was fun, it was romantic, it was heart-warming, it was emotionally moving - it had everything INCLUDING some mouth-watering recipes (which I'm not usually a fan of in novels), but this totally worked.<br />
<br />
If I could change only one teensy-weensy thing - it would be the use of the "F" word. It was like discovering a sour grape in the midst of a bunch of luscious, juicy, sweet, vine-ripened ones. Some stories call for it - and it doesn't detract from the mood of the story. But here - it was just out of place in the midst of such a sweet story about friendship, courage, loss and love.<br />
<br />
Regardless of that tiny preference of my own - I am definitely adding other books of Barbara O'Neal's to my ever-expanding list to check out!<br />
<br />
Thank you so much to Random House Publishing - Bantam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a copy!! If you enjoy Susan Wiggs or Kristin Hannah (much like I do), then you should definitely get your hands on a copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/All-You-Can-Dream-Buffet-ebook/dp/B00F1W0DE0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1403191927&sr=1-1&keywords=the+all+you+can+dream+buffet+barbara+o%27neal" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
<i>Description: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Popular blogger and foodie queen Lavender Wills reigns over Lavender Honey Farms, a serene slice of organic heaven nestled in Oregon wine country. Lavender is determined to keep her legacy from falling into the profit-driven hands of uncaring relatives, and she wants an heir to sustain her life’s work after she’s gone. So she invites her three closest online friends—fellow food bloggers, women of varied ages and backgrounds—out to her farm. She hopes to choose one of them to inherit it—but who?</span></i><br />
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"> </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">There’s Ginny, the freckle-faced Kansas cake baker whose online writing is about to lead her out of a broken marriage and into a world of sensual delights. And Ruby, young, pregnant, devoted to the organic movement, who’s looking for roots—and the perfect recipe to heal a shattered heart. Finally, Val, smart and sophisticated, a wine enthusiast who needs a fresh start for her teenage daughter after tragedy has rocked their lives. Coming together will change the Foodie Four in ways they could never have imagined, uniting them in love and a common purpose. As they realize that life doesn’t always offer a perfect recipe for happiness, they also discover that the moments worth savoring are flavored with some tears, a few surprises, and generous helping of joy."</span></i><br />
<div>
<i><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span></i></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Rating: ****</span></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span style="color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">Recommend: For sure!</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08992749780186747878noreply@blogger.com0