Non Fiction Book #Review: A Year Round Slow Cooker

Book Title: A Year Round Slow Cooker
Author: Dina Cheney  |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: The Taunon Press Inc
Genre:Cookbook
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: paperback

Cost: $19.95

Pages: 224

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble |
Publication Date: Jan 22, 2013
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Synopsis:

Slow cookers are popular for good reason: They’re the ultimate kitchen problem solvers. If you’re watching your budget, they’re well worth the $30 they cost since they can turn the cheapest cuts of meat into unctuous, mouth-watering results worthy of a five-star restaurant. Slow cookers also do the hard work, cooking for hours while you’re out of the house only to come home to a meal just about ready to eat. And since slow cookers keep food warm, they allow different family members to eat at different times: a practical option in a world of staggered schedules. Yet, slow cookers have an image problem. Most home cooks use them for cold weather meals only, while others think slow cookers can only produce food that’s mushy, bland, and watery or rely solely on shortcut ingredients like spice packets, bouillon cubes, and bottled sauces. No longer does this must-have kitchen tool deserve to be stored away when spring months hit. In Year-Round Slow Cooker, home cooks will find 100 delicious, modern, practical slow cooker recipes featuring seasonal produce. Recipes speak to the home cook whose palate is more sophisticated and who wants to incorporate seasonal produce into all of her meals. Organized by season, Year-Round Slow Cooker features notes about the featured seasonal ingredients as well as invaluable tips throughout to help cooks maximize the power of the slow cooker.

I'm totally freaking out. The author is from CT, and she always has signings and classes I wasn't even aware of that until I was doing the review setup. I'm so excited now, I can get to meet her and get some of her classes.

I'm extremely happy that I received this book for reveiw. I have a slow cooker that I have been using for a few key recipes. I wanted to expand and learn more recipes, this book gave me a few really good ideas ( and of course they were delicious to try).  I personally loved that there were pages that helped you learn the basics of her recipes as well as the many ways in which to use your cooker.   I have a large cooker so I didn't try as amny recipes as I wanted because it just seemed a waste to mess up the large cooker for a small recipe but I'm going to get a smaller one so I can do the small servings recipes. (or that's the rational, I just want another awesome kitchen gadget).

I enjoyed how the book was broken down into seasons and recipes were listed at the front of each section.  There are a great variety of ingredients and recipes, many which could be made vegetarian quite easily.  There were also a few vegetarian recipes ( like the chili) that were included.  I loved that even with the complicated names some were actually quite affordable.

The author also gave information for switching from crockpot to stove or oven; gave spotlights on certain ingredients and generally made this a fun cookbook.

I will say that even though I truly loved the recipes I tried. There are a few that required pieces and cuts that not everyone can get, so while this is a great guide for the awesome recipes and it's broken down by season, some of the recipes are a little out there for those that might have a tighter budget.

I still enjoyed reading and using the recipes and will be adding the book to my collection. I mean the pictures alone made your mouth water, and I just wnated to taste the book.
 ★★★★☆

I highly recommend the book for the foodies and for those who want to learn to use their crockpots for quick delicious meals.
Happy Reading

Non- Fiction Book #Review: Hooked

Book Title: Hooked, When Addiction Hits Home
Author: Chloe Shantz Hilkes |Website| Twitter|

Publisher: Annick Press Ltd
Genre: Teen/YA
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook, paperback

Cost: $12.95

Pages: 120

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Indigo Canada | Publisher
Publication Date: March 2013
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Synopsis:

"Jenny dealt with the stress by forgiving her mom -- over and over and over again." This collection of ten true stories is based on interviews with people who, in their youth, lived with an addicted parent or sibling. The subjects speak honestly about what it was like to grow up with a family member addicted to alcohol, drugs, food, pills, or gambling. While describing how they managed to care for themselves and younger siblings, as well as the addicted family member, interviewees also touch on the topics of depression, social stigma, coming out gay or transgendered, and the health problems caused by addiction and stress. The maturity, sensitivity, and even the sense of humor in these accounts will give teens going through similar situations the important realization that they are not alone and that there are many ways to break free from the chains of others' addictions and to move on positively with one's own life. It's estimated that 1 in 8 Americans struggles with addiction to drugs or alcohol. "Hooked" is an excellent resource for both kids and adults affected by the addiction of friends and family members.

This has been a bit of an eye opener. Recently I have been reading a few fiction books that have been dealing with broken homes due to drug and alcohol. Normally when you read books it's about the romantic relationships that the addict is destroying very rarely do they discuss the effects it has on children so when I saw this non fiction look at the effects I had to snag it. (Plus I love reading anything to do with mental health).

Enclosed are stories told from the children of addicts of varying degrees, from high functioning addicts to those who had to deal with the major fallout each day.  It brushes on the fact that many of them deal with PTSD due to their home lives, have extremely hard times forming attachments and have emotional issues.

The stories here have been heartbreaking and eye opening, and made you realize there are more victims to an addiction than just the addicts themselves.  It highlights how much the children of addicts can suffer even if they aren't originally aware of the addiction.
 ★★★☆☆

It's a good read, and I believe it would help children who are in the situation to know they aren't alone.
Happy Reading

Book Review: An April Bride ( A Year of Weddings)

Book Title: An April Bride ( A Year Of Weddings)
Author: Lenora Worth |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Zondervan Fiction
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.79

Pages: 140

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: March 25, 2014
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Synopsis:

War changes everything . . . even their love. Bride-to-be Stella Carson can’t wait to marry her longtime sweetheart Marshall Henderson. But Marshall has been away serving his country and after suffering a head wound and being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome, he has distanced himself from Stella by asking her not to visit him in a Washington, D.C. hospital. Marshall returns to Louisiana just four weeks before the wedding, but as the big day draws near, Stella wonders if the man she’s loved for most of her life still wants to marry her.

  The author relied on a lot of misconceptions about amnesia and kind of used it the same way a daily soap opera would have.

To be truthful I wasn't a fan of this story I was severely annoyed with Stella, despite doing her research and knowing that by pushing you could make it worse she kept harping on him to remember her. He just came home from the war and she's attempting to make him back into the guy he was before he left, which I get, but we all grow and change and this isn't a change anyone would want but stop trying to make it all perfect. He's suffering from PTSD and a brain injury, it's not something that's going to be fixed in a weeks time, it can take up to years before it all works it self out.

I get it she wanted to be married and yes he can't remember and I'm sure that hurt, but are you more worried about a wedding or the groom?? She kept saying she was going to take it on faith and then immediately countered that by being pushy.  I get it, I do but maybe because I work in the field and know how frustrating it can be for those suffering from brain issues, especially issues dealing with memories, I was just annoyed that she kept saying she understood then kind of demanded perfection from him.

In the end I wasn't even a fan of Stella and I just felt bad for Marshall. I think if she had listened to him and went with on working with him over the weeks and seen it as a chance to court him again or be courted again then perhaps I would have liked it more. In the end she didn't learn a darn thing, she got her wish didn't she??  The book kinda made light of all the hard work that goes into the Veterans coming home, it ignored that for some those memories never come back and they still walk on faith and either move on or continue with their lives.  Stella didn't have to change, she didn't have to grow, this was just a lurch in the road to her perfect plans, EVEN though a friend told her to settle for the best or good enough she still held out for perfection and I feel the ending rewarding her whining and not growing instead of making her grow and change.

Even thought it's a good clean romance, I'm not a fan of it like I loved the others.  The faith was there and even though  the chance to learn kept coming up I felt like she wasn't learning anything. She would have a good  AHA moment (thanks Oprah) then turn right around and undo all the good she had just done. I will say the author is wonderful at pulling you into the story and sharing with a great turn of words the beauty of the south; and the importance of faith.  The cover of course is gorgeous!!

 ★☆☆☆☆

Make sure to RSVP to the other Weddings taking place this year. Click the link to get your invitation.

Happy Reading

YA Book Review: In Too Deep

Book Title: In Too Deep
Author: Amanda Grace |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Flux Books
Genre: YA Fiction
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: paperback

Cost: $9.95

Pages: 228

How I got it: BEA 2012 

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: Feb 2012
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Synopsis:

Carter didn't rape me. People at school think he did. Suddenly, new friends are rushing to my side, telling me that Carter hurt them, too. They say he's getting what he deserves. Maybe I don't want to fix this. Sam is in love with her best friend Nick, but she can't seem to tell him. So she decides to flirt with golden-boy Carter Wellesley, hoping Nick will see it and finally realize his true feelings for her. On Monday, everyone at school is saying that Carter raped Sam. He didn't, but Sam can't find the words to tell the truth. Worst of all, she's afraid she'll lose Nick if he finds out what really happened. As graduation approaches, Sam discovers that living the lie isn't as easy as her new friends make it sound--and telling the truth might be even worse.

I've heard a lot about this book. Kristi the Story Siren gave a great review that made me want to read it.  When I saw Flux Books at Book Expo America 2012, I was super excited and I quickly snagged a copy.  It's a small quick read, it took me one day, not because I loved it, but because I needed to see this car wreck through.  It's written for the young adult audience, so perhaps that's why it's like being in the mind of a little child, but if this was trying to be like Speak it failed miserably.

This book made me so mad I wanted to scream. This character was weak, stupid, deserved a bitch slap and then some. The character was beyond immature for her age, and made an accusation that was disgusting then tried to make it sound as if she was the victim,  I F**king hated this book, the concept, heck even as I'm typing this I'm getting mad all over again.  This book was not hashed out, it was a piss poor job of a story, if they had wanted to discuss how it affected the boy, cool if it had been told from his point of view this would have been a good story, this vapid, insipid idiot of a character?? If they had told the story as say someone else made the accusation and she was actually trying to clean it up?? Maybe then it would be different but she WENT along with the lie, KNOWING it was a lie; yes she never actually told the lie, but when given chances to fix it she allowed it to stand and allowed others to embellish it. She had a million chances in which to correct the mistake and didn't and I'm not here for it. 

This kid's life could be over, all these people someone is going to tell an adult and you f**king worrying about losing some dude...who asked you point blank to tell him the truth. Bitch your priorities are all f**king wrong get it together; especially because your father is the SHERIFF, how do you think this is going to go down?? Granted his friends were douchebags and they shouldn't have threatened her, because really that's not helping the situation. How many chances did she have to fix this before it got this far??? Yes the guy in this scenario is an idiot and an asshat, but NO ONE deserves to be accused of raping someone (unless of course they are actually a rapist).   If during her lying it had come out that he had raped another girl then I would say yeah, keep telling the lie because then maybe justice will be served, but it's all because he didn't treat them nice. 

There are no heroes in this story, the accused is one step up from a bottom feeder and the female lead is a dummy. I'm so done with this story. The only good part?? The ending because just as I suspected someone told a parent and it made it back to her dad.  I felt no sympathy for her at all as she dealt with the fallout.

 I know I wasn't the only one who thought so, as one of my fellow BEA buddies flipped out when she read it. My sister also read it because we heard so much about it, she read it on the way home; right after we got back from NY she texted me " You remember how excited we were about this book?? Yeah lower your expectations like lower yeah and keep going lower Yep right around there would be good. She could have solved all of this in fifteen minutes but she didn't she's an idiot" And I totally agree with her.

This is one the worst books written on this topic in my opinion especially in light of the events that was taking place when this came out. Nope I HATE THIS BOOK.  When books like this come out, it helps to feed into the belief that girls and women lie about rape, and while there might me a minuscule amount of idiots like this character, the vast majority of women aren't lying and their voices are being silenced by those who point out the few who did lie.  I feel no sympathy for the character because she knew it was a lie and the minute she figured out what was happening she had plenty of opportunity to correct the mistake.  

While I'm happy her classmates were willing to back her against her 'attacker' the truth is way too many young women are slut shamed by their peers after an attack. There are no lessons in this book, She didn't learn anything, the friends who egged her on didn't learn a lesson, no one went to jail,nothing was accomplished. She simply blew up her life and if gods forbid she was ever really attacked??? No one would believe because this story would always come up.

As a woman who has friends & a family member who were once victims; I feel like this book makes light of the devastation to family, friends and of course the victim.  Many victims never come forward because they won't be believed or they don't believe they will be heard and here she's believed even when it didn't happen. Her panic attack when she's confronted and her acting as if something did happen when the only thing that went on was an embarrassing tale of rejection?? Yeah, she's not a likable character at all.

I can't recommend this book to anyone because it's truly not worth it to me to pass on. Or perhaps it can be used as a cautionary tale, of what can happen when a lie gets out of hand.  IDK, but I do know that even though I despise this book, it could be a good conversation starter. Speak being on end of the spectrum and In too Deep the other.
 ★☆☆☆☆

Happy Reading

YA Book Review: Crash Into You (Pushing The Limits 3)

Book Title: Crash Into You
Author: Katie McGarry |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Fiction
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook, hardcover
Cost: $ 11.37

Pages: 474

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publish Date: Dec 2013
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Synopsis:

The girl with straight As, designer clothes and the perfect life-that's who people expect Rachel Young to be. So the private-school junior keeps secrets from her wealthy parents and overbearing brothers...and she's just added two more to the list. One involves racing strangers down dark country roads in her Mustang GT. The other? Seventeen-year-old Isaiah Walker-a guy she has no business even talking to. But when the foster kid with the tattoos and intense gray eyes comes to her rescue, she can't get him out of her mind. Isaiah has secrets, too. About where he lives, and how he really feels about Rachel. The last thing he needs is to get tangled up with a rich girl who wants to slum it on the south side for kicks-no matter how angelic she might look. But when their shared love of street racing puts both their lives in jeopardy, they have six weeks to come up with a way out. Six weeks to discover just how far they'll go to save each other.

Where do I begin?? I LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH.
Once again I stayed up late to finish this book, it took me longer than the others because after this there is nothing left for me right now. *sobs* I loved this book, the writing, the characters, the emotions, all of it. Katie gets to the heart of the story and bring you in, you become so immersed in their world and you love every second of it.There are moments that make your heart seize, that make you laugh out loud, that bring a few stray tears along and throughout it all you're rooting for them to make t, for them to survive for them to get out!! I loved how easily Noah & Echo fit into the story, along with Beth & Ryan. The glimpses of each couple only adds to the story, instead of taking away your focus.

I think I might actually love Isaiah more than I love Noah, yeah that's saying something. I didn't realize how much Noah and Isaiah depended on each other until this book, how deeply we misunderstood Isaiah due to the glimpses we got from other characters. For me his story hurt the worst because there were several chances for his lot to get better and always it came down to the selfish desire of one person. He had such big dreams and all he needed was a chance, just one to make it happen. I'm glad he was so independent and stubborn because it meant he stayed clear of so much that normally would bring others down.

Rachel has been for me a wonderful character, she still comes after Echo & Beth, but she's such a wonderful character. Her fear of being weak was literally killing her. I know, I have personally felt pressured to be something else but never like this; her family was beyond broken and dysfunctional.  To even make a child feel like this is just wrong, even if you thought so in your head saying out loud to your child is beyond disgusting. I get that her older brothers were coming from a good place but NO sir your doing it wrong!! 

I loved that Rachel had an outlet in cars and that made it amazing to read her and Isaiah's love, because I'm a car junkie myself (not like them but you know I'm good) and reading this story made me so happy to see a female character that wasn't just a hanger-on, she was actually into the cars and knew her stuff.

I know my heart seized when we got close to the end. I almost stopped reading because I didn't want it to be that way, but then I sucked it up and read and I'm so glad I did. I almost cried when I got to the end like I totally knew Isaiah wasn't going to leave her and I almost cried when I realized what that meant. I had to stop reading because I didn't want her to do that to my favorite characters like no, don't hurt them like this. PLEASE.

I can't wait to read more about Abby, Logan, West, Ethan and the rest of the gang. Ohh can we have Rico's story too??I loved every second of the book and I can't wait to get my physical copy to put next to the others. 

The playlist in the back of course only makes the book better, make sure to look out for my Book and Music Post for this book.

I highly recommend this book, this series and this author, Burn Rubber (see what I did there...yeah I'll stop now) to get this book my loves.
 ★★★★★
Happy Reading

YA Book Review: Dare You To ( Pushing The Limits 2)

Book Title: Dare You To (Pushing The Limits 2)
Author: Katie McGarry |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Genre: YA Fiction
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: Paperback

Cost: $17.99

Pages: 480

How I got it: Book Expo America 2013

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: June 2013
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Synopsis:

"I dare you..." If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen-year-old Beth who knows where. So she protects her mom at all costs. Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness. That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her. At all. Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does.... Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock-with secrets he can't tell anyone. Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things. The craziest? Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him. But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected. Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams-and his life-for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all...

Book two and this one was of course another marathon read. I don't know why I doubt Katie, but I was hesitant to pick this one up after reading Pushing because I was scared it wouldn't be as good.  And while Beth can't replace Echo, and Ryan isn't anywhere near as awesome as Noah I still loved this story.

We get to see deeper into Beth and why she was constantly running in Pushing. We see her true home life and why and how it went down hill. Poor Beth is that kid who just desperately wants to be loved so much she was willing to do whatever her mother needed her to do. She didn't want to leave her mother behind even though everyone else was desperately trying to save her.  Beth was drowning but didn't want to see it.

Having read books about the psychology of children of addicts I know that Beth fits the diagnosis to a T, but it was still heartbreaking to read.  I kept getting angry with her and on her behalf when certain people would tell her that her mother was her responsibility.  Like no Beth is a child and your sister is a grown woman why don't you help her??  Especially after what happened in Pushing the Limits, I wouldn't have allowed Beth anywhere near her mother  The solution to Beth's issues was so easy but no one wanted to be the one to do it.

Even though she's been given a new chance at life, Beth believes she's betraying her family and her friends by being happy. Ryan oh man Ryan is the golden boy whose family life looks great on the outside but has gone nuclear on the inside.  I loved that they both needed each other and that they worked at becoming a couple even with Beth's crushing issues. I loved seeing Noah & Echo again, meeting Chris and Lacy, Logan with his dare devil self and of course learning so much more about Isaiah. I can't wait to read more from the gang especially Logan's story, because that should be interesting to say the least.

I do love this book, but I felt like someone should have been more responsible and not put Beth in the position she was in; someone should have done more for her. Although when people like her Uncle tried to do more for her, she kept running from it. I get that her friends couldn't do it, but really everybody was being an enabler.  Beth like most kids can only see what's in front of her and was so focused on taking care of her mom she never saw the bigger picture, she never saw the fault within her parent.  Everyone was trying to keep her from drowning and Beth was hell bent on swimming out further.  I get it, but this annoyed me so much, like you have a chance at a better life, but you keep coming back, you keep running back to the cycle of abuse.   I loved that Ryan was able to point out to Beth what her 'normal' was and it totally freaked her out.Beth dominated the story, and even though we know Ryan's life wasn't exactly great, she definitely held down a good majority of the story.

Ryan's home life wasn't what the town thought it was, it imploded a long time ago but no one knows because his parents refuse to seek help or to even discuss it. His family was more concerned with image than with reality and I totally get why Ryan was being spun around.   His brother's announcement turned his whole world upside down and now he's trying to figure out where he fits in. Does he want the dream he's always wanted, the one that would make his family happy or does he want to go to college and make himself happy.  I loved the few glimpses we have of his brother and how clearly their relationship made Ryan feel centered and made their home life great.  His father was an overbearing asshat, who was attempting to live his dreams through his children.

Although it annoyed me, Beth's characteristics fit with the psychology of children of addicts and I thought Katie was wonderful for writing such a heart wrenching story.  I loved how messy and real the story was, how each persons life helped to build up the characters and also how some of the relationships held them down. It was a raw, and realistic look at modern life and I loved it immensely.

I will confess that I met Katie McGarry at BEA 2013 and I had no idea how wonderful her writing was. I know a lot of bloggers were fangirling over her being in the Harlequin booth and so I snagged a copy. Best Decision Ever!!

I love that she has included a soundtrack to the book and I will be making a playlist along with other songs I thought of will reading the story.  The playlist will be under the Books and Music Tab and on my Youtube channel under Playlists.
 ★★★★☆

I highly recommend the series and this book. Just don't start reading right before bed.  There are several others set to come out and I can't wait to read them!!!!
Happy Reading

Book #Review & #Giveaway: Unraveled (CLOSED)

Book Title: Unraveled ( Woodlands 3)
Author: Jen Frederick |Website| Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter|

Publisher: Pear Tree LLC
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook

Cost: $4.99

Pages: 280

How I got it: Author

Purchase: Amazon | B&N| iBooks| Smashwords
Publication Date: 1/16/2014
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Synopsis:

Twenty-five-year-old Sgt. Gray Phillips is at a crossroads in his life: stay in the Marine Corps or get out and learn to be a civilian? He’s got forty-five days of leave to make up his mind but the people in his life aren’t making the decision any easier. His dad wants him to get out; his grandfather wants him to stay in. And his growing feelings for Sam Anderson are wreaking havoc with his heart…and his mind. He believes relationships get ruined when a Marine goes on deployment. So now he’s got an even harder decision to make: take a chance on Sam or leave love behind and give his all to the Marines. Twenty-two year old Samantha Anderson lost her husband to an IED in Afghanistan just two months after their vows. Two years later, Sam is full of regrets—that she didn’t move with her husband to Alaska; that she allowed her friends to drift away; that she hasn’t taken many chances in life. Now, she’s met Gray and taking a risk on this Marine could be her one opportunity to feel alive and in love again. But how can she risk her heart on another military man who could share the same tragic fate as her husband?

Ok, y'all know how I feel about Military Men. So I went into this one dying to see how she would so this justice.  I had never read Jen before, but I'm about to remedy that. I LOVED the heck out of this book and there are more books out there so, yeah see this is why my TBR pile never goes down. I read one and have to put all the others on my shelf to read. LOl book lover problems.

I really LOVED this book, & I really loved the characters. They are amazing.  Sam wanted to be known as something other than a widow, and Gray was trying to figure out where he went from here.  I loved the way they flowed together, how they met, the interactions and just about everything. They wanted each other but each had their own reasons for resisting and I just loved the way they flowed and came together in the end.

This book was a character driven book, even though there were moments of drama; the story itself was about them and their moments together and separately.  I loved the evolution of Sam, how she reopened herself to living, how she learnt to let go to embrace life again and to not try to stand still in her pain.  I truly felt sorry for her mother in law to have to let go of everything, but really I'm not responsible for your feelings, they are 'YOUR' feelings.

Gray was an amazing character to read, he was heartbroken but couldn't see it because well, guys aren't supposed to be heartbroken and certainly not Marines. O_o He wasn't afraid of women, he just didn't trust them and this woman knocked him on his ass. I loved that he was there for his friends, wanted to get himself together and even though it sounded crazy had a bit of a plan.  He wanted the life his dad and Grandad (Pops) had in the military and he was at a crossroads.  I loved that he really gave it some serious thought and made a decision with his heart.

I did have moments where I laughed and wanted to hit Gray on the head, however in the end he pulled it together. I'm glad Bo had talked to him. As for Ethan?? Yeah man we'll catch you in a dark alley one day.

I really loved how Jen captured the camaraderie of military life, & also the messiness of it. Because really it's humans in uniform, and some of them are still scoundrels, just a little prettied up.  There were so many good moments within the story and so many valid points (makes me wonder if Jen is military, a military spouse or from a military family herself).  There was only one moment where I rolled my eyes *you'll know it when you get there no spoilers*  in this story but, I loved how she used it to really move the story along. (Crazy part?? I know someone who had that happen so maybe it's not so far~fetched after all).

Overall I really enjoyed the experience of reading this novel.  I loved their romance, their conversations, & of course the smoking hot love making scenes.  I want to read Bo & Noah's story, I wonder if we're getting a Tucker story. I would love to read that.
 ★★★★★

I have added the authors' other books to my TBR, I can't wait to get to them. I highly recommend this one.
Now for the Giveaway: Best Of Luck!!!!
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Book #Review: Undone (A Country Roads Novel)

Book Title: Undone ( A Country Roads Novel)
Author: Shannon Richard |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Genre: Romance
Series/Standalone: Series
Format: ebook, Mass Market, 

Cost: $6.00

Pages: 368

How I got it: NetGalley

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Publication Date: July 2013
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Synopsis:

Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida: Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot Why a shop would ever sell something called "buck urine" Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn't easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who's interested in much more than Paige's car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn't sure she'd ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?

Excerpt

By four o’clock Paige had set up her desk and computer. She decided to start reading through the instructions on the program she was supposed to use. About an hour later, there was a knock on the door and Paige looked up to see Brendan leaning against the doorjamb. He was wearing his navy blue pants and shirt and his five o’clock shadow. Dear God he doesn’t play fair. “You’ve been busy,” he said, looking around. “I ran into Mrs. Wisenbacker downstairs, who yelled at me for helping the havoc-inducing harlot get a job. I see you’re making friends.” “She didn’t like my shoes,” Paige said. “What?” “My shoes,” Paige said, turning in her chair so she could show Brendan her feet. “Apparently only harlots wear red shoes.” He pushed off the doorjamb and walked into the room, stopping next to her desk. He looked down at her feet and his gaze slowly traveled up her legs. Heat rushed into her cheeks and she was thankful she was still sitting down. “She’s crazy,” he said, finally meeting her eyes and grinning. “I’m a pretty big fan of those shoes.” “What are you doing here?” Paige asked, trying to focus on something besides the way he was looking at her. “I came to pick you up. Your car’s ready.” “Why did you come to pick me up?” she asked, panicked. She wasn’t prepared to be in a close, confined environment with him. “Because I told your dad I would. I can’t believe you ripped the carpet out of here,” he said, looking down at the floor. “It looks a lot better without it.” “Thanks. Can you help me carry the carpet downstairs?” she asked, pointing to the hallway where the rug still sat. “Are you serious?” “I can’t carry it by myself,” she said, standing up. If he was here she might as well get him to do something useful besides scrambling her brain. “What’s in it for me?” “What do you want?” she asked, before she could stop herself. She was flirting with him. Why was she flirting with him? Stupid thing to do really. “I have a couple of ideas,” he said as his gaze flickered to her mouth. There was another knock and they both turned to see Mr. Adams walk into the room. “Brendan,” he said in his big booming voice. “Mr. Adams,” Brendan said, holding out his hand. “You come here to check up on your girl?” he asked, shaking Brendan’s hand and clapping Brendan on the back with one of his large hands. His girl? Brendan’s girl? Paige’s stomach flipped. She opened her mouth to correct him but Brendan cut her off. “Yeah.” He winked at Paige. “She’s done a good job with this office.” “She sure has,” Mr. Adams said, looking around. He looked down at the floor, a thoughtful expression on his face. “You know, I’ve been wanting to get rid of that red carpet for a while now. And these wooden floors are looking mighty fine. Maybe you’ve got something going here, Paige. Just leave that carpet in the hallway,” he said as he continued to study the floor. “I might not want to store it after all.” “Really?” she asked, shocked. “Yeah,” Mr. Adams said, looking at her. “Maybe we should change things up here a little. Did you get a chance to look at the tribute program?” “A little. I’m going to really get into it tomorrow.” “Alright, you two have a nice night together,” Mr. Adams said, backing toward the door. “We will,” Brendan said, waving.(Click to CONTINUE READING ) 

What have I been doing with my life that I never heard of this series, or this author?? Yeah I'm certifiable. I loved the heck out this series and once I have cleaned up the TBR some more?? Oh best believe I'm getting the rest of the series, all in physical form too. (that's how you know I loved it!!)

I didn't read the synopsis going in, it was a new book on NetGalley and they sent me the "you should request this" email and I just clicked. (Yes I'm aware I have a problem. Look what can I say?? They have yet to steer me wrong)

What can I say about this book?? It's fun, funny, relateable and a fast read.  Paige was a young woman who is a lot like us really, she did good finished college landed a good job, had great friends and an amazing boyfriend then her world went a little sideways and now she's starting over.  With a pretty big chip on her shoulder (but ummm you can't blame her.) She moved back in with her parents and is trying to start over but there are people in town hell bent on making it difficult for her.

I actually really like Paige, because she was relateable, she was doing her best but the community wasn't trying to give her a break, and I mean there are only so many times you can take being talked down to before you snap.  Brendan never stood a chance, even before they met he was fascinated by her and once they met?? Yeah it was on.  I loved that Brendan was grounded had roots, a home, a good family and even a good head on his shoulders especially with his business.  Yeah he had some issues but none that made him a bad guy, or one you hope she would punch one good time before they get together.  He was actually a nice guy.  One who didn't hesitate to call her on her crap and man did he make her feel cherished.

I was excited to read the book and breezed right through it, I kept finding time to read while I waited, got a ride, caught a break at work, anything to get back to their love story.  There are few moments within the story I was angry on their behalf, and even some where I teared up a bit.  I laughed quite a bit as well and I just enjoyed rooting for them.  I loved the flow of the story and they way the characters were with each other (even the ones with the outlandish names LOL) and am excited to read the other story we saw developing with this one.

Personally I wished she would have found a way to handle the town's gossip blogger, getting her shut down would save so many people heartache. I'm from a small town as well and I can tell you if someone gossiped as much as this woman did and had the nerve to write it down?? She would be backing it up constantly, because the beat~downs she would get; would make her rethink if it was worth it.  ( I don't advocate violence, but in the instance of talking about a close family members death?? I'm not responsible for what I'm about to do.)  In this instance she wrote derogatory things about Paige which almost lead to something violent against our lead character and I would definitely have gotten a lawyer involved pushing for everything from bullying, libel/slander; she incited a riot and those names she kept calling everybody?? Yeah not cool, not cool at all.

There are a few loose ends, not for their story but from the town & I'm looking forward to continuing with this series, especially if we are going to get Bennett's story soon. The next one is Grace's and I can't wait to see how those two handle it.
 ★★★★★

Seriously go make room on the pile y'all it's a good read.
Happy Reading

Review Copy Clean Up 4.0 Wrap Up

 

Welcome to the fourth Review Copy Cleanup! After three successful editions in 2012 and 2013, we’re back for another month of review copy reading madness. Whether you have a polite pile or a complete mountain of review books to get through, everyone is welcome to join. 

What is the Review Copy Cleanup? 

The RCC is a month-long event in which Vicky from Books, Biscuits & Tea and me (Nyx at Nyx Book Reviews)  challenge ourselves to read as many review books as we can. We are both notorious for accepting way too many requests, and consequently our to be read piles are pretty daunting. For some extra motivation to read, we invented the Review Copy Cleanup. This year we are keeping things simple – no challenges and just one scheduled chat, and weekly updates so we can all keep track of each other’s process. You’re welcome to keep track of the challenge in the way that’s most convenient for you.

Well there you have it, I'm among my people. We swear we can read faster than we actually can or if we do we don't write the reviews right away so reviews pile up and we fall further and further behind. Here I'm confessing my guilty list of books to clean up and reviews to finally write ( or in my case transcribe, I write on paper and always seem to have a mental block when it comes to typing them up O_o I don't know I just work here..lol)

Book Reviews to Clean up Goal 25   Accomplished: 24 Noooooooo!!! I was so close!!!

• Crockpot Cookbook 2/23
• Hooked 2/23
• Bonds of Hope
• Office Toy 2/28
• Howl for a Highlander 2/13
• the New tarot handbook
• Night is Watching
• Twice Shy
• Truth or Date 2/28
• Play by Play
• When snow falls 2/13
• StarStruck Romance and other tails
• Tempestuous Eden 2/28
• Crash Into You 2/13
• Addicted to You
• Dare You To 2/14
• Impossible to Resist
• The Homesteader's Sweetheart
• The Homefront Hero
• The Rake's Redemption
• To Wed A Wicked Highlander
• Love at 1st Date 2/28
• True 2/01
• the dominant 2/9
• the submissive  2/9
• the training 2/9
• Soap Crafting2/9 
• Fetish Box 1 and 2 2/04
• the dom project
• April Bride2/11
• May Bride 2/26
• In Too Deep 2/12
• Staking His Claim 2/13
• Temporarily Yours 2/15
• His to Posses 1 Opal Carew
• His to Posses 3 Opal Carew
• His to Posses 1-6 Opal Carew
• The SEALs Salvation Tawny Weber 2/17
• Undone 2/26
• Unraveled 2/28

Books to Read This Month: Goal 25 Accomplished: 10

• Eye of Minds
• The SEALs Salvation Tawny Weber 2/17
• The SEALs Kiss Tawny Weber
• Cress by Marissa Meyer
• The Chase  2/28
• Staking His Claim2/13
• Temporarily Yours 2/14
• Vampires Need Not...Apply??
• His to Posses 1 2/16
• His to Posses 3 2/16
• His to Posses 1-6  2/16
• Once Upon a Prince
• March Bride 2/23
• Toxic Wolves
• The Wanderer
• The Newcomer
• Naughty and Nice
• Burn
• Highlander Most Wanted
• Undone 2/26
• Unraveled 2/27

Can you believe that!!! I was one freaking book review away from being done!! I can't believe this Ugh!!! At Least I cleaned up nicely, I still have a few reviews I have to work on, and I'm doing those this weekend.

I still did awesome on books to read as well, cleaning up 10 of my 25 and even getting five or six of those reviews written.

How'd you do?? Clean up your list any??  I'm taking part in two challenges in March to clean up the TBRs. Make sure to check back and see those and let me know if you're particiapting in anymore as well.

Happy Reading

Retro~ Reads Book #Review: Tempestuous Eden

Book Title: Tempestuous Eden
Author: Heather Graham |Website| Twitter| Facebook|

Publisher: Open Road
Genre: Romance
Format: ebook

Cost: $3.99

Pages: 318

How I got it: Open Road Media

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Publisher
Add To Goodreads
Synopsis:

It should have been an easy mission: employ any means to get the American woman out of the war-torn Central American country -- and tell her nothing. But Blair Morgan was beautiful, and for all his professionalism, special agent Craig Taylor found himself falling for her.Since the assassination of her beloved husband, Blair had been afraid to risk her heart again. Then she met Craig. Brave, generous, physically compelling, he was everything she wanted in a man, and their passionate nights together melted her defenses. Until the order arrived and Blair became Craig's hostage. Suddenly a pawn in a terrorist's political game, Blair struggled to forgive her abductor -- the man to whom she had given her soul. And soon, their journey through a jungle filled with dangerous rebels became a battle of wills between a man of honor and a woman of pride, as they fought to find the shattered remains of a love that left them both longing for more.

I loved reading this book by Heather. I own just about everything she has written and when I heard they were re-issuing her older books and needed reviews?? I was all over it.  Ok I have to say it's so funny to read books from only 10-15 years ago and realize how far we have come as a people, from health changes to communication. One of the reasons you can tell this is an older book is because of the inclusion of smoking, not that smoking doesn't happen but most romances now a days don't include it unless there is someone giving a lecture to a friend or spouse about it.  So it was both unique and great.

Going in I only knew it was by Heather, so I had no real idea what the book was about. I was however pleasantly surprised, and of course loved it. It had it's moments that made me look at the e-reader like wait what, then I remembered that this was before easy access to cellphones and then again in the middle of the jungle doesn't help you get reception too well anyway.  I loved how he worked and even how the assignment came to him. I loved his inner monologue, especially after he realizes how his feelings on Blair have changed.

Craig was a great character, I loved that he wanted to complete the mission but when he met Blair had to re-evaluate the way he went about it.  I really loved Blair, she had her really stubborn moments but she was actually a really good soul.  I mean how many people would have taken the tragedy and made it into something good like she did when she didn't have to??  She was trying her best with a bad situation and although I hated that people didn't trust her to do the sane thing and tried to manage her without her knowledge I believe she handled the fallout well.

That moment on the ship though?? Yeah I'm not sure I would have been able to handle it so gracefully. I totally get why it had to happen that way, but man how you grow up in the epicenter of it and be so clueless as to exactly powerful your dad is?? Or how much danger he daces?? (But then again I watch Scandal and Olivia had no idea y'all no idea). So I guess it's plausible. Even with naivete Blair was a fun characters, she was a whole lot stronger than she thought and certainly didn't allow him to run all over her the way he wanted.  I loved that Blair was making him work for her love, and although she loved him she wasn't willing to let him compromise on his dreams.

They were an extremely fun couple to read and I liked that they fought, made up and challenged each other in the end.
 ★★★★☆

A fun quick read that showcases once again why Heather is one of the best. A fun read for those who love military men and strong stubborn women. Add to your TBR piles when you have some space

Happy Reading