tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44114080179963456082024-03-13T16:41:22.100-07:00Books and Wine are LovelyWhat better way to enjoy a great book?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.comBlogger505125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-11215273210280208422019-02-10T12:05:00.002-08:002019-02-10T12:05:41.837-08:00No Exit by Taylor Adams <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="39938177" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1541624527l/39938177.jpg" width="212" /> </div>
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<i><span id="freeText9408306499582311947"><b><em>A kidnapped little girl locked in a stranger’s van. No help for miles. What would you do?</em></b><br /><br />On
her way to Utah to see her dying mother, college student Darby Thorne
gets caught in a fierce blizzard in the mountains of Colorado. With the
roads impassable, she’s forced to wait out the storm at a remote highway
rest stop. Inside, are some vending machines, a coffee maker, and four
complete strangers.<br /><br />Desperate to find a signal to call home,
Darby goes back out into the storm . . . and makes a horrifying
discovery. In the back of the van parked next to her car, a little girl
is locked in an animal crate.<br /><br />Who is the child? Why has she been taken? And how can Darby save her?<br /><br />There is no cell phone reception, no telephone, and no way out. One of her fellow travelers is a kidnapper. But which one?<br /><br />Trapped
in an increasingly dangerous situation, with a child’s life and her own
on the line, Darby must find a way to break the girl out of the van and
escape.<br /><br />But who can she trust?</span></i></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947"><b>My Thoughts </b></span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">At first this story started out calm and collected and I was wondering what everyone was raving about. She was driving in horrible conditions and then had to pull into a rest area. Then Darby walks by the van and sees the hand. OMG! I just about hide a heartattack!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">I mean is she sure that's what she saw or was it all her freezing cold imagination?</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">What would you do if that was you? I asked myself that as I was making my way through this crazy story page by page...</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Would I try to figure out who's van it is? Probably...</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Would I think of a way to free the child? I think so...</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Would I then come up with a plan as to how to kill her kidnapper? I'm not so sure...that's a rather large feet to tackle all on my own!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">But you do you girl!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">I mean there were A LOT of cringe worthy moments through out this book, but it was worth it!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Get your copy today! I can't type it all out our I will ruin your experience!</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText9408306499582311947"> I'm pairing this crazy tale with a Blizzard - bring on the bourbon! </span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText9408306499582311947">Rating</span></b></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpnXplSXFCE/XGCDHLS6xqI/AAAAAAAAEmo/R103wGAmROg3sAqoGyRAcej0_IeCvb4bQCLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MpnXplSXFCE/XGCDHLS6xqI/AAAAAAAAEmo/R103wGAmROg3sAqoGyRAcej0_IeCvb4bQCLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span id="freeText9408306499582311947"> </span><i><span id="freeText9408306499582311947"></span></i><img alt="Taylor Adams" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1442983907p5/8475510.jpg" /> <br /><br />
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<b>About Taylor</b></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor8475510">Taylor Adams directed the
acclaimed short film And I Feel Fine in 2008 and graduated Eastern
Washington University with the Excellence in Screenwriting Award and the
prestigious Edmund G. Yarwood Award. His directorial work has screened
at the Seattle True Independent Film Festival and his writing has been
featured on KAYU-TV’s Fox Life blog. He has worked in the
film/television industry for several years and lives in Washington
state. EYESHOT is Adams' debut novel, published by Joffe Books.</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeTextContainerauthor8475510">Link to Purchase</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor8475510"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073BVCHKG/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B073BVCHKG&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-46821304904877787052019-02-10T11:42:00.000-08:002019-02-10T11:42:26.641-08:00Our Little Secret by Roz Nay <div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span id="freeText10123796377713713270">They say you never forget your first love. What they don't say though, is that sometimes your first love won't forget you...<br /><br />A
police interview room is the last place Angela expected to find herself
today. It's been hours, and they keep asking her the same inane
questions over and over. "How do you know the victim?" "What's your
relationship with Mr. Parker?" Her ex's wife has gone missing, and
anyone who was close to the couple is a suspect. Angela is tired of the
bottomless questions and tired of the cold room that stays the same
while a rotating litany of interrogators changes shifts around her. But
when criminologist Novak takes over, she can tell he's not like the
others. He's ready to listen, and she knows he'll understand. When she
tells him that her story begins a decade before, long before Saskia was
in the picture, he gives her the floor.<br /><br />A twenty-something young
professional, Angela claims to have no involvement. How could she? It's
been years since she and H.P., Mr. Parker that is, were together. As her
story unfolds, it deepens and darkens. There's a lot to unpack...
betrayal, jealousy, and a group of people who all have motives for
retribution. If Angela is telling the truth, then who's lying?</span></i></div>
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<b><span id="freeText10123796377713713270">My Thoughts </span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270">Wow! What a great story!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270">Angela never quite got over her first love, not by a LONG shot. She is obsessed and that is putting it mildly! She and HP were a match made in heaven or so she thought until Saskia came in and stole her best friend (love of her life) out from under her. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270">Now she's (Angela) landed herself in a police interview room after Saskia goes missing.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270"> She should have done herself a favor and asked for a lawyer a long time ago.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270">She claims she has had no involvement with HP in years but as she talks herself out of trouble (or so she thinks) she's really talking herself right into prison. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270">I highly recommend this quick read to all thriller lovers. </span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText10123796377713713270">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText10123796377713713270"> This selection is leaning me towards a stiff drink, Scotch of the Rocks please! Make that a double!</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText10123796377713713270">Rating </span></b></div>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2eQznWP5lQo/XGB94U1ZmNI/AAAAAAAAEmc/dKubj20Sd_0SCL27MRRdruopNUCWM60bwCLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2eQznWP5lQo/XGB94U1ZmNI/AAAAAAAAEmc/dKubj20Sd_0SCL27MRRdruopNUCWM60bwCLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><img alt="Roz Nay" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1485012009p5/16176717.jpg" /> </b><br />
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<b>Link to Purchase</b></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250160812/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250160812&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-11000020830761415272019-02-10T11:16:00.003-08:002019-02-10T11:16:42.806-08:00The Wartime Sisters by Lynda Cohen Loigman<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="39863502" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1528811804l/39863502.jpg" width="211" /> </div>
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<i><span id="freeText18341672635761298034">Two estranged sisters,
raised in Brooklyn and each burdened with her own shocking secret, are
reunited at the Springfield Armory in the early days of WWII. While one
sister lives in relative ease on the bucolic Armory campus as an
officer’s wife, the other arrives as a war widow and takes a position in
the Armory factories as a “soldier of production.” Resentment festers
between the two, and secrets are shattered when a mysterious figure from
the past reemerges in their lives.</span></i></div>
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<b><span id="freeText18341672635761298034">My Thoughts </span></b></div>
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<b><span id="freeText18341672635761298034"> </span></b><span id="freeText18341672635761298034">What an amazing story about the trials and tribulations that can take place between sisters. This was such a powerful story with many important side stories backing it up.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText18341672635761298034">Ruth and Millie had to different childhoods due to the treatment from their mother and father (who never called his wife out on her behavior). Ruth was always portrayed as the ugly duckling who should take whatever she can get and be happy. On the flip side Millie was treated like the little princess that could do no wrong and deserved a prince (literally) to sweep her off her feet.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText18341672635761298034">That type of behavior on behalf of their mother will cause a deep seated animosity between the girls.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText18341672635761298034">This story also has issues revolving around domestic violence, abuse and bullying as well.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText18341672635761298034">I highly recommend this book to many and it is one of my top picks of the year!</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText18341672635761298034">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText18341672635761298034"> I'm going to pair this selection with The Pink Squirrel - doesn't it just sound fun?</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText18341672635761298034">Rating </span></b></div>
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<b><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73nVNtRHe4o/XGB4LDpeLpI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/pzJF2P3qDFotd_74VELJz-jkhzmsCw2nQCLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-73nVNtRHe4o/XGB4LDpeLpI/AAAAAAAAEmQ/pzJF2P3qDFotd_74VELJz-jkhzmsCw2nQCLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></b></div>
<b><img alt="Lynda Cohen Loigman" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1454122554p5/14056202.jpg" /> </b><br />
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<b>About Lynda</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor14056202">Lynda Cohen Loigman grew up
in Longmeadow, Massachusetts. She received a B.A. in English and
American Literature from Harvard College and a law degree from Columbia
Law School. Lynda practiced trusts and estates law in New York City for
eight years before moving out of the city to raise her two children with
her husband. She wrote The Two-Family House while she was a student of
the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College. The Two-Family House
was chosen by Goodreads as a best book of the month for March, 2016, and
was a nominee for the Goodreads 2016 Choice Awards in Historical
Fiction. Lynda's second novel, The Wartime Sisters, will be published on
January 22, 2019.</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeTextContainerauthor14056202">Link to Purchase</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor14056202"><b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250140706/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250140706&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></b></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-24763331027328727032019-01-13T13:15:00.003-08:002019-01-13T13:18:37.233-08:00Every Breath by Nicholas Sparks <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5VNXP--KDIk/XDuoexJYXuI/AAAAAAAAElc/R_ggcE2GVbgHqnijTISHfI5MXRcTLGvQwCLcBGAs/s1600/every%2Bbreath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5VNXP--KDIk/XDuoexJYXuI/AAAAAAAAElc/R_ggcE2GVbgHqnijTISHfI5MXRcTLGvQwCLcBGAs/s320/every%2Bbreath.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText2920159494543336877">Hope Anderson is at a
crossroads. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an
orthopedic surgeon, for six years. With no wedding plans in sight, and
her father recently diagnosed with ALS, she decides to use a week at her
family's cottage in Sunset Beach, North Carolina, to ready the house
for sale and mull over some difficult decisions about her future.</span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText2920159494543336877"></span></i><br />
<i><span id="freeText2920159494543336877">Tru
Walls has never visited North Carolina but is summoned to Sunset Beach
by a letter from a man claiming to be his father. A safari guide, born
and raised in Zimbabwe, Tru hopes to unravel some of the mysteries
surrounding his mother's early life and recapture memories lost with her
death. When the two strangers cross paths, their connection is as
electric as it is unfathomable . . . but in the immersive days that
follow, their feelings for each other will give way to choices that pit
family duty against personal happiness in devastating ways.</span></i></div>
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<b>My Thoughts </b></div>
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This book is quintessential Sparks and to be honest a good percentage of the book was a tad drawn out and boring for me. Although, I can say that I like the premise of the book with the letters in the mailbox on Sunset Beach.</div>
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I love the scenes that took place in Africa, they were breathtaking in detail and awe.</div>
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I hoped from the beginning that Tru and Hope would end up together from the very beginning, but that wouldn't make for a good Sparks tale now would it?</div>
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<b>Drink Selection</b></div>
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A perfect southern drink to go with the beach and sunsets would be a Mint Julep. Delish, am I right?</div>
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<b>Rating </b></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QM8LRRUNNyw/XDuqtoBo1GI/AAAAAAAAEl0/hffIMLms3nsf_lxleVTxCdjk-Nj3qxqHgCEwYBhgL/s1600/3white-wine-glasses-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="218" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QM8LRRUNNyw/XDuqtoBo1GI/AAAAAAAAEl0/hffIMLms3nsf_lxleVTxCdjk-Nj3qxqHgCEwYBhgL/s1600/3white-wine-glasses-1.jpg" /></a></div>
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<img alt="Nicholas Sparks" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1468247396p5/2345.jpg" /></div>
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<b>About Nicholas</b></div>
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<span id="freeTextauthor2345"></span></div>
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Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been <i>New York Times</i>
bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than
50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States
alone.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, <i>The Notebook</i>, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the novels <i>Message in a Bottle</i> (1998), <i>A Walk to Remember</i> (1999), <i>The Rescue</i> (2000), <i>A Bend in the Road</i> (2001), <i>Nights in Rodanthe</i> (2002), <i>The Guardian</i> (2003), <i>The Wedding</i> (2003), <i>True Believer</i> (2005) and its sequel, <i>At First Sight</i> (2005), <i>Dear John</i> (2006), <i>The Choice</i> (2007), <i>The Lucky One</i> (2008), <i>The Last Song</i> (2009), <i>Safe Haven</i> (2010), <i>The Best of Me</i> (2011), and <i>The Longest Ride</i> (2013) as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir <i>Three Weeks With My Brother</i>, co-written with his brother Micah. His eighteenth novel, <i>See Me</i>, published on October 12, 2015. His newest book, <i>Two by Two</i>, will be published on October 4, 2016.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including <i>The Choice</i>, <i>The Longest Ride</i>, <i>The Best of Me</i>, <i>Safe Haven</i> (on all of which he served as a producer), <i>The Lucky One</i>, <i>Message in a Bottle</i>, <i>A Walk to Remember</i>,<i> The Notebook</i>, <i>Nights in Rodanthe</i>, <i>Dear John</i> and <i>The Last Song</i>, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In
2012, Sparks and his publishing agent and creative partner Theresa
Park, launched Nicholas Sparks Productions, with Park as President of
Production. A film version of <i>The Guardian</i> is currently in
development, as is a film based on Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’s
friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Sparks lives
in North Carolina. He contributes to a variety of local and national
charities, and is a major contributor to the Creative Writing Program
(MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships,
internships, and a fellowship annually. He co-founded The Epiphany
School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. As a former full scholarship
athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of
Notre Dame) he also spent four years coaching track and field athletes
at the local public high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New
Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor Record in the 4 x400 meter,
in New York. The record still stands. <a href="http://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/philanthropist-nicholas-sparks" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b>Click to watch</b> the Runner’s World video with Nicholas</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The <a href="http://nsparksfoundation.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" title="The Nicholas Sparks Foundation">Nicholas Sparks Foundation</a>,
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international
understanding through global education experiences for students of all
ages was launched in 2011. Between the foundation, and the personal
gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been
distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects.
Because the Sparks family covers all operational expenses of the
foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.</div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Link to Purchase</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0796RNF48/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0796RNF48&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-75912663548624671342019-01-13T12:45:00.003-08:002019-01-13T12:45:56.968-08:00The Girls at 17 Swann Street by Yara Zgheib<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUuqHdRDHRA/XDuYbRZWwyI/AAAAAAAAElE/SG9VCTl7ZmEZvcG7otdOgqC9dwjBCM4IwCLcBGAs/s1600/17%2BSwann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tUuqHdRDHRA/XDuYbRZWwyI/AAAAAAAAElE/SG9VCTl7ZmEZvcG7otdOgqC9dwjBCM4IwCLcBGAs/s320/17%2BSwann.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText7190907899012388425">The chocolate went
first, then the cheese, the fries, the ice cream. The bread was more
difficult, but if she could just lose a little more weight, perhaps she
would make the soloists’ list. Perhaps if she were lighter, danced
better, tried harder, she would be good enough. Perhaps if she just ran
for one more mile, lost just one more pound.</span><br /><span id="freeText7190907899012388425"></span><br /><span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Anna Roux was a
professional dancer who followed the man of her dreams from Paris to
Missouri. There, alone with her biggest fears – imperfection, failure,
loneliness – she spirals down anorexia and depression till she weighs a
mere eighty-eight pounds. Forced to seek treatment, she is admitted as a
patient at 17 Swann Street, a peach pink house where pale, fragile
women with life-threatening eating disorders live. Women like Emm, the
veteran; quiet Valerie; Julia, always hungry. Together, they must fight
their diseases and face six meals a day.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText7190907899012388425"> </span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425"><b>My Thoughts </b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425">This is the most poignant read of 2019. I can say that right now, hands down. It's relevant, sad, scary, hopeful and breathtaking all in one.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Yara's intimate details on the topic of anorexia and other eating disorders are disturbing in a very must read kind of way. I have always wondered what life would be like for someone with that condition and Yara<i> </i>delivers with a brilliant writing style.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Anna has stopped living her true life and has sustained on only popcorn, apples and coffee. She currently weighs 88 pounds and has fainted several times. In an effort to save her life, her husband Matthius enrolls her onsite treatment at 17 Swann Street. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Here she meets many girls with their own personal demons. But they become a team and learn to fight together. But this disease takes lives, will they all make it?</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425"> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425"> <b></b></span><span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Perfect drink pairing would be a Mimosa! Delish!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText7190907899012388425"><br /></span><i><span id="freeText7190907899012388425"></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText7190907899012388425">Rating</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OS0PvvjtXDE/XDuinw1vkeI/AAAAAAAAElQ/HqSXf0FgP_oQjZyI99NNz0myM8WqR741wCLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OS0PvvjtXDE/XDuinw1vkeI/AAAAAAAAElQ/HqSXf0FgP_oQjZyI99NNz0myM8WqR741wCLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span id="freeText7190907899012388425"><img alt="Yara Zgheib" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1537994562p5/6491320.jpg" /></span><i><span id="freeText7190907899012388425"></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>About Yara </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor6491320">Yara
Zgheib is a Fulbright scholar with a Masters degree in Security Studies
from Georgetown University and a PhD in International Affairs in
Diplomacy from Centre D'études Diplomatiques et Stratégiques in Paris.
She is fluent in English, Arabic, French, and Spanish. Yara is a writer
for several US and European magazines, including The Huffington Post,
The Four Seasons Magazine, A Woman’s Paris, The Idea List, and Holiday
Magazine. She writes on culture, art, travel, and philosophy on her
blog, "Aristotle at Afternoon Tea.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeTextContainerauthor6491320">Link to Purchase </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor6491320"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1250202442/ref=x_gr_w_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1250202442&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a> </span>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-30501615952156161392018-12-18T19:02:00.001-08:002018-12-18T19:02:51.367-08:00Elevation by Shephen King <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmgYRQvt-N0/XBmrQACnvRI/AAAAAAAAEkY/8QILOJx-rSwd--dzrTQ-WDs0EL6Y7zgmwCLcBGAs/s1600/Elevation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-AmgYRQvt-N0/XBmrQACnvRI/AAAAAAAAEkY/8QILOJx-rSwd--dzrTQ-WDs0EL6Y7zgmwCLcBGAs/s320/Elevation.jpg" width="227" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText10166699881294958902">Although Scott Carey
doesn’t look any different, he’s been steadily losing weight. There are a
couple of other odd things, too. He weighs the same in his clothes and
out of them, no matter how heavy they are. Scott doesn’t want to be
poked and prodded. He mostly just wants someone else to know, and he
trusts Doctor Bob Ellis.</span><br /><span id="freeText10166699881294958902"></span><br /><span id="freeText10166699881294958902">In the small town of Castle Rock, the
setting of many of King’s most iconic stories, Scott is engaged in a low
grade—but escalating—battle with the lesbians next door whose dog
regularly drops his business on Scott’s lawn. One of the women is
friendly; the other, cold as ice. Both are trying to launch a new
restaurant, but the people of Castle Rock want no part of a gay married
couple, and the place is in trouble. When Scott finally understands the
prejudices they face–including his own—he tries to help. Unlikely
alliances, the annual foot race, and the mystery of Scott’s affliction
bring out the best in people who have indulged the worst in themselves
and others.</span></i></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>My Thoughts </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b>I'm not sure how I feel about this book - I'm personally not seeing the point to this story. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm lost as to why the main character, Scott, is wasting away and there is no reason why? Not to be a spoiler but it's NEVER said! What the heck?</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I've never read a book by Stephen King and truthfully this story is not making me jump on the bandwagon. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Aside from the main plot, the characters around the town of Castle Rock are well written and interesting but it doesn't truthfully help with my confusion and lost state.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Drink Selection</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> </b>I need a few drinks of something (no idea what) to wrap my head around what is happening in this story!</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Rating </b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qaIQwUhFVL4/XBmznwZKE_I/AAAAAAAAEkk/N72STxIkoeISAl6dDnONILpcg3S0D91FgCLcBGAs/s1600/3white-wine-glasses-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="218" height="175" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qaIQwUhFVL4/XBmznwZKE_I/AAAAAAAAEkk/N72STxIkoeISAl6dDnONILpcg3S0D91FgCLcBGAs/s200/3white-wine-glasses-1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><b></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCyzmDQSWig/XBmz4Zi9t6I/AAAAAAAAEks/AbOmuR7PVqUaGgjYaMYp8-4c-Ht5MWGrwCLcBGAs/s1600/3389.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="266" data-original-width="177" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-NCyzmDQSWig/XBmz4Zi9t6I/AAAAAAAAEks/AbOmuR7PVqUaGgjYaMYp8-4c-Ht5MWGrwCLcBGAs/s1600/3389.jpg" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>About Stephen </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextauthor3389">Stephen Edwin King was born the
second son of Donald and Nellie Ruth Pillsbury King. After his father
left them when Stephen was two, he and his older brother, David, were
raised by his mother. Parts of his childhood were spent in Fort Wayne,
Indiana, where his father's family was at the time, and in Stratford,
Connecticut. When Stephen was eleven, his mother brought her children
back to Durham, Maine, for good. Her parents, Guy and Nellie Pillsbury,
had become incapacitated with old age, and Ruth King was persuaded by
her sisters to take over the physical care of them. Other family members
provided a small house in Durham and financial support. After Stephen's
grandparents passed away, Mrs. King found work in the kitchens of
Pineland, a nearby residential facility for the mentally challenged.<br /><br />Stephen
attended the grammar school in Durham and Lisbon Falls High School,
graduating in 1966. From his sophomore year at the University of Maine
at Orono, he wrote a weekly column for the school newspaper, THE MAINE
CAMPUS. He was also active in student politics, serving as a member of
the Student Senate. He came to support the anti-war movement on the
Orono campus, arriving at his stance from a conservative view that the
war in Vietnam was unconstitutional. He graduated in 1970, with a B.A.
in English and qualified to teach on the high school level. A draft
board examination immediately post-graduation found him 4-F on grounds
of high blood pressure, limited vision, flat feet, and punctured
eardrums.<br /><br />He met Tabitha Spruce in the stacks of the Fogler
Library at the University, where they both worked as students; they
married in January of 1971. As Stephen was unable to find placement as a
teacher immediately, the Kings lived on his earnings as a laborer at an
industrial laundry, and her student loan and savings, with an
occasional boost from a short story sale to men's magazines.<br /><br />Stephen made his first professional short story sale ("The Glass Floor") to <i>Startling Mystery Stories</i>
in 1967. Throughout the early years of his marriage, he continued to
sell stories to men's magazines. Many were gathered into the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10628.Night_Shift" rel="nofollow" title="Night Shift">Night Shift</a> collection or appeared in other anthologies.<br /><br />In
the fall of 1971, Stephen began teaching English at Hampden Academy,
the public high school in Hampden, Maine. Writing in the evenings and on
the weekends, he continued to produce short stories and to work on
novels.</span> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Link to Purchase</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1982102314/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1982102314&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-66373996765147736372018-12-18T17:59:00.001-08:002018-12-18T19:04:58.196-08:00The Other Woman by Sandie Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h1wQRVpGuaQ/XBmbK5NZElI/AAAAAAAAEkA/fwFXkxRFCS4J1Bah14TDsM4kk1908otxQCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2Bother%2Bwoman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="313" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-h1wQRVpGuaQ/XBmbK5NZElI/AAAAAAAAEkA/fwFXkxRFCS4J1Bah14TDsM4kk1908otxQCLcBGAs/s320/The%2Bother%2Bwoman.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">Emily thinks Adam’s
perfect; the man she thought she’d never meet. But lurking in the
shadows is a rival; a woman who shares a deep bond with the man she
loves.<br /><br />Emily chose Adam, but she didn’t choose his mother Pammie.
There’s nothing a mother wouldn’t do for her son, and now Emily is
about to find out just how far Pammie will go to get what she wants:
Emily gone forever.</span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">My Thoughts </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span id="freeText8075489883889265190"> </span></i><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">What an AWESOME book! I loved everything about this book especially the fact that I was completely snowballed all the way to the very end!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">The fact that many of you may not have read this story yet now crosses my mind so I will NOT spoil it for you.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">But I will say that I 1000% did not see this ending and I love when a story can shock me that much.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">Pammie drives me COMPLETELY crazy throughout this book and I can honesty say that if I were Emily and Pammie was a boyfriend/husband's mom I would be getting a divorce ASAP. I can only handle so much and she surpassed my limits FOR SURE.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">I can secretly say I was happy when Adam's brother treated her well BUT THEN I remembered they are from the same mother and thought she should RUN!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">But then bits and pieces started creeping in and you can see the controlling nature out and that is never ok!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">This story will grab from the beginning and have your mind spinning at the end.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190"><br /></span><i><span id="freeText8075489883889265190"></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190">I needed a bottle to get through this book! WOW! Riesling hands down!</span><br />
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190"><br /></span><i><span id="freeText8075489883889265190"></span></i>
<b><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">Rating </span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n7GDcY8sTiA/XBmkcd9slcI/AAAAAAAAEkM/FsXs6AXNw6Mswvmw8gq5_UCtRLj4Rt7UACLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n7GDcY8sTiA/XBmkcd9slcI/AAAAAAAAEkM/FsXs6AXNw6Mswvmw8gq5_UCtRLj4Rt7UACLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><span id="freeText8075489883889265190">About Sandie </span></b><br />
<br />
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190"><span id="freeTextContainerauthor3917070">Sandie Jones has worked as a
freelance journalist for over twenty years, and has written for
publications including the Sunday Times, Woman’s Weekly and the Daily
Mail. She lives in London with her husband and three children. <i>The Other Woman</i> is her debut novel.</span></span><br />
<br />
<b><span id="freeText8075489883889265190"><span id="freeTextContainerauthor3917070">Link to Purchase</span></span></b><br />
<span id="freeText8075489883889265190"><span id="freeTextContainerauthor3917070"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/125019198X/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=125019198X&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></span></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-87040111936862597532018-12-02T17:08:00.002-08:002018-12-02T17:08:26.582-08:00Florida by Lauren Groff <div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="36098092" height="320" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1510685620l/36098092.jpg" width="204" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">The <i>New York Times</i>-bestselling author of <i>Fates and Furies</i>
returns, bringing the reader into a physical world that is at once
domestic and wild—a place where the hazards of the natural world lie
waiting to pounce, yet the greatest threats and mysteries are still of
an emotional, psychological nature. A family retreat can be derailed by a
prowling panther, or by a sexual secret. Among those navigating this
place are a resourceful pair of abandoned sisters; a lonely boy, grown
up; a restless, childless couple, a searching, homeless woman; and an
unforgettable, recurring character—a steely and conflicted wife and
mother. <br /><br />The stories in this collection span characters, towns,
decades, even centuries, but Florida—its landscape, climate, history,
and state of mind—becomes its gravitational center: an energy, a mood,
as much as a place of residence. Groff transports the reader, then jolts
us alert with a crackle of wit, a wave of sadness, a flash of cruelty,
as she writes about loneliness, rage, family, and the passage of time.
With shocking accuracy and effect, she pinpoints the moments and
decisions and connections behind human pleasure and pain, hope and
despair, love and fury—the moments that make us alive. Startling,
precise, and affecting, <i>Florida</i> is a magnificent achievement.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText692646120311840955">My Thoughts </span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">I have not read a collection of short stories before - this was a great book to introduce that type of read. A few of the stories didn't particularly interest me, but others were very riveting and attention grabbing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">I loved the attention to detail that Lauren gave each and every story. </span><b><span id="freeText692646120311840955"> </span></b><span id="freeText692646120311840955">What an amazing picture she paints as well as intricate stories she weaves.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">I won't give away too many details to each story but I will list those that attracted my attention; the stories regarding the abandoned sisters, a lonely boy with snakes and a searching homeless woman. They grabbed my attention and had me wanting to know more!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">For my first set of short stories, I was intrigued and will seek out more books of this type.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText692646120311840955">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955">I would pair this read with a warm applied cider or mulled wine, perfect for this time of year.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText692646120311840955">Rating</span></b></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mp8pUS1k1DI/XASBKwVYj0I/AAAAAAAAEjk/I91YwSIj60g3SiZBbKD9hS4A_pfRKFNtwCLcBGAs/s1600/200483474-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="359" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mp8pUS1k1DI/XASBKwVYj0I/AAAAAAAAEjk/I91YwSIj60g3SiZBbKD9hS4A_pfRKFNtwCLcBGAs/s200/200483474-001.jpg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /><span id="freeText692646120311840955"><img alt="Lauren Groff" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1330389831p5/690619.jpg" /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955"> <b>About Lauren</b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955"><span id="freeTextContainerauthor690619">Lauren
Groff was born in Cooperstown, N.Y. and grew up one block from the
Baseball Hall of Fame. She graduated from Amherst College and has an MFA
in fiction from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. <br /><br />Her short stories have appeared or are forthcoming in a number of journals, including <i>The Atlantic Monthly, Ploughshares, Glimmer Train, Hobart</i>, and <i>Five Points</i> as well as in the anthologies <i>Best American Short Stories 2007, Pushcart Prize XXXII</i>, and <i>Best New American Voices 2008</i>.<br /><br />She
was awarded the Axton Fellowship in Fiction at the University of
Louisville, and has had residencies and fellowships at Yaddo and the
Vermont Studio Center.<br /><br />She lives in Gainesville, Florida, with her husband, Clay, and her dog, Cooper.</span> </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span id="freeText692646120311840955">Link to Purchase</span></b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText692646120311840955"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1594634513/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1594634513&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-65085485552612705912018-12-02T16:44:00.003-08:002018-12-02T16:44:36.468-08:00The World Breaks Everyone by Lauren Clark <div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText15152292391975976800"><img alt="41045538" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1533419468l/41045538.jpg" /> </span></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800">A Gripping Cat-and-Mouse Suspense Novel<br /><br />Every day, I wake up certain of only three things: <br /><br />I am responsible for my mother’s death. <br />My father has vanished. <br />Someone wants me dead. <br /><br />I’m on the run. It’s me against the world. <br />I cannot let it break me.<br /><br />When
sixteen-year-old Olivia Jacobs and her celebrity chef father are
brutally attacked after his French Quarter restaurant opening, the
shell-shocked Olivia finds herself on the run on the streets of New
Orleans. <br /><br />Who wants her dead? And why?</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800">My Thoughts </span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800">This book was a little slow to start for me and pieces were slightly confusing to figure out (characterization) but once the action get going, I couldn't put the book down.</span></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800">The main character Olivia is juggling so many things on her plate - death of a parent, her father being kidnapped and someone threatening to kill her. What 16 year old could manage that life? Certainly not my children!</span></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800">This book is high energy, high stakes, action packed and will have you guessing all the way to the end. </span></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800">For those who are looking for an action packed page turner this would be the perfect read this winter!</span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800">Drink Selection</span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800"> </span><b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"> </span></b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800">I would pair this story with a hot glass of mulled cider on a cold winter night!</span></div>
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<b><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFOgN0kPyoc/XAR73KQQEXI/AAAAAAAAEjY/lUTRcejJYPEohPjb-rwXT5iJ4Sz_jrMswCLcBGAs/s1600/200483474-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="359" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NFOgN0kPyoc/XAR73KQQEXI/AAAAAAAAEjY/lUTRcejJYPEohPjb-rwXT5iJ4Sz_jrMswCLcBGAs/s200/200483474-001.jpg" width="150" /></a></b></div>
<br /><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"><img alt="Laura McNeill" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1427840443p5/5280308.jpg" /></span><b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"></span></b><br />
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<b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"> About Laura </span></b></div>
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<br /><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"><span id="freeTextauthor5280308">*Laura McNeill also writes under the pen name "Lauren Clark" (The World Breaks Everyone" (August 2018 release, suspense)*<br /><br />ACCLAIM FOR CENTER OF GRAVITY (July 14, 2015)<br /><br />"A
bold and poignant look into an imploding marriage, told in a chorus of
assured voices. Center of Gravity is a compelling, fierce, and
ultimately hopeful tale, and McNeill is a writer to watch."<br />- Josilyn Jackson, author of Someone Else's Love Story<br /><br />“McNeill’s debut is a heart stopping, nail-biting suspense novel that held me captive until I read the last page."<br />--Colleen Coble, author of The Inn at Ocean’s Edge and the Hope Beach novels <br /><br />"A
breathless, gut-wrenching, satisfying page turner about the real
superheroes of the world who stand up to evil and won’t back down."<br />--Erin Healy, author of The Baker's Wife<br /><br />Laura
McNeill has been a voracious reader since the age of four and would
rather be stranded at the library than on a desert island. In her former
life, she worked as an anchor and producer for CBS affiliates in
Upstate New York and Alabama. Lauren adores her family, yoga, her new
Electra bike, and flavored coffee. Center of Gravity is her first novel
with Harper Collins/Thomas Nelson.</span></span></div>
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<b><span id="freeText15152292391975976800"><span id="freeTextauthor5280308">Link to Purchase</span></span></b></div>
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<span id="freeText15152292391975976800"><span id="freeTextauthor5280308"><b> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G5R39MT/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B07G5R39MT&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></b></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-6466467753854381872018-11-06T08:18:00.001-08:002018-11-06T08:18:04.847-08:00Mother, Can You Not? by Kate Siegal <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNPwj310chk/W-G5fpjLFCI/AAAAAAAAEi0/Ikh6ChhwRAgrq21b6NemkxvS-SWb48TLACLcBGAs/s1600/26895155.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="309" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uNPwj310chk/W-G5fpjLFCI/AAAAAAAAEi0/Ikh6ChhwRAgrq21b6NemkxvS-SWb48TLACLcBGAs/s320/26895155.jpg" width="247" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText15060640132078121828"><em>Based on the wildly popular Instagram account @CrazyJewishMom, Kate Siegel's essay collection about life with the woman who redefined the term "helicopter mom"<br /> <br /> There is nothing more wonderful than a mother’s love. There is also nothing more annoying. Who else can proudly insist that you’re perfect while simultaneously making you question every career, fashion, and relationship decision you have ever made?<br /> <br /> No one understands the delicate mother-daughter dynamic better than Kate Siegel—her own mother drove her so crazy that she decided to broadcast their hilarious conversations on Instagram. Soon, hundreds of thousands of people were following their daily text exchanges, eager to see what outrageous thing Kate’s mom would do next. Now, in Mother, Can You NOT?, Kate pays tribute to the woman who invented the concept of drone parenting.<br /><br /> From embarrassing moments (like crashing Kate's gynecological exams) to outrageous stories (like the time she made Kate steal a cat from the pound) to hilarious celebrations (including but not limited to parties for Kate's menstrual cycles), Mother, Can you NOT? lovingly lampoons the lengths to which our mothers will go to better our lives (even if it feels like they’re ruining them in the process).</em></span></div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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What a funny freakin' book! I just happened to receive a copy of this in my <a href="https://www.hamptongiftbag.com/">https://www.hamptongiftbag.com/</a> 's bag that I purchased. For those of you who aren't familiar - Jane Ubell-Meyer puts together these amazing bags 4 times throughout the summer and it typically has 6-8 books and other goodies that you can purchase for the cost of shipping and a donation!! </div>
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This book happened to be in there this past summer!</div>
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Kate and her mother are probably the two funniest people I have read about, and the most brutally honest. Kate show's texts that her and her mother send each other and you will die laughing when you read them. Her mother actually refers to her as spawn, not daughter and it kills me every time!</div>
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They talk about a wide range of topics from work to love to dr. visits and college. If you are looking for a book to make you laugh then grab a copy today!</div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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This is clearly a Cosmopolitan book for sure!</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vbGq4vd4-cs/W-G9_g2eCoI/AAAAAAAAEjA/mRb0km0pVvo11nwoa3zM6UT-Djn3Oqk5ACLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vbGq4vd4-cs/W-G9_g2eCoI/AAAAAAAAEjA/mRb0km0pVvo11nwoa3zM6UT-Djn3Oqk5ACLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/14443491.Kate_Friedman_Siegel" rel="nofollow" title="Kate Friedman-Siegel"><img alt="Kate Friedman-Siegel" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1455740137p5/14443491.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Kate</strong> </div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor14443491">KATE FRIEDMAN - SIEGEL is the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26895155._Mother__Can_You_Not_" rel="nofollow" title=" Mother, Can You Not?"> Mother, Can You Not?</a> and the social media guru who started the hit Instagram account <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/instagram.com/crazyjewishmom" rel="nofollow">@CrazyJewishMom</a>. Kate, her debut essay collection, and her #CrazyJewishMom have been featured on <a href="http://www.crazyjewishmom.com/blog/2016/07/03/the-today-show/" rel="nofollow">The Today Show</a>, <i>BuzzFeed</i>, and on <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/video/instagrams-crazy-jewish-mom-turned-cultural-phenomenon-38213217" rel="nofollow">Nightline</a>. Previously, she served as an associate producer for Condé Nast Entertainment, overseeing digital video for <i>Teen Vogue</i>, <i>Bon Appétit</i>, <i>Condé Nast Traveler</i>, and <i>The New Yorker</i> Festival. Prior to joining Condé Nast, Kate studied English, creative writing, and theater at Princeton University.</span> </div>
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1101907045/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1101907045&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-19169602935528004112018-11-05T09:33:00.001-08:002018-11-05T09:33:01.998-08:00An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p3CcdoBBh_M/W-BV5zgkEzI/AAAAAAAAEic/Uqv88uxx6UUwY366zxw89oMiQxDDg1bFACLcBGAs/s1600/38240386.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="315" height="400" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p3CcdoBBh_M/W-BV5zgkEzI/AAAAAAAAEic/Uqv88uxx6UUwY366zxw89oMiQxDDg1bFACLcBGAs/s400/38240386.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText13954934581464738431"><em>A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway . . . but when the storm hits, no one is getting away.<br /><br />It's winter in the Catskills and Mitchell's Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing - maybe even romantic - weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.<br /><br />So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off all electricity - and all contact with the outside world - the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.<br /><br />Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead - it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, everyone starts to panic.<br /><br />Within the snowed-in paradise, something - or someone - is picking off the guests one by one. And there's nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm - and one another.</em></span> </div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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I loved the characters and the concept of this story. There were a few sections that were a little slow for me but they were few and far between. </div>
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There were times when I was thinking that these people are a little too calm for having all these dead bodies just chillin' (literally) around. </div>
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Then in the last few chapters it was like it hit them all of a sudden and they all lost it. </div>
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I can honestly say that I didn't really know who did it till the very end, this book really did have me guessing. There were so many possibilities!</div>
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All in all, I really enjoyed this read. </div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I would pair this cold, winter read with a Hot Toddy for sure!</div>
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<strong>Rating </strong></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c32dfd1Yvr0/W-B97U1S9yI/AAAAAAAAEio/SZoNat4JqmUjVC0spESU73ewmyRd7yMWgCLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-c32dfd1Yvr0/W-B97U1S9yI/AAAAAAAAEio/SZoNat4JqmUjVC0spESU73ewmyRd7yMWgCLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/1278320.Shari_Lapena" rel="nofollow" title="Shari Lapena"><img alt="Shari Lapena" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1464612471p5/1278320.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Shari </strong></div>
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<span>Shari Lapena is a Canadian novelist. She is best known for her 2016 thriller novel The Couple Next Door, which was a bestseller both in Canada and internationally. Lapena, a lawyer and English teacher before beginning her writing career, published her debut novel Things Go Flying in 2008.</span></div>
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<span><span><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span></span></div>
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<span><span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Unwanted-Guest-Shari-Lapena/dp/0525557628/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Amazon</a></span></span></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-45050621599171411012018-11-01T08:41:00.000-07:002018-11-01T08:41:10.650-07:00The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7KI5bc4I1Q/W9hr6YYOgrI/AAAAAAAAEh0/I2C4Xa-9V-IdJZa007OMbx_5oYPk3ioDgCLcBGAs/s1600/30969755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="311" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-I7KI5bc4I1Q/W9hr6YYOgrI/AAAAAAAAEh0/I2C4Xa-9V-IdJZa007OMbx_5oYPk3ioDgCLcBGAs/s1600/30969755.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText14141325240244932942"><em>There are no more cheerleaders in the town of Sunnybrook.<br /><br />First there was the car accident—two girls gone after hitting a tree on a rainy night. Not long after, the murders happened. Those two girls were killed by the man next door. The police shot him, so no one will ever know why he did it. Monica’s sister was the last cheerleader to die. After her suicide, Sunnybrook High disbanded the cheer squad. No one wanted to be reminded of the girls they lost.<br /><br />That was five years ago. Now the faculty and students at Sunnybrook High want to remember the lost cheerleaders. But for Monica, it’s not that easy. She just wants to forget. Only, Monica’s world is starting to unravel. There are the letters in her stepdad’s desk, an unearthed, years-old cell phone, a strange new friend at school. . . . Whatever happened five years ago isn’t over. Some people in town know more than they’re saying. And somehow Monica is at the center of it all.<br /><br />There are no more cheerleaders in Sunnybrook, but that doesn’t mean anyone else is safe.</em></span> <br />
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong><br />
I LOVED this book! I've been hearing so many great things and I was able to get it from the library and read it in 1 1/2 days. Now my daughter is reading it - she's hooked!<br />
This really is one of the first YA books I've read since I was younger and it totally sucked me in. <br />
The characters were well written, the story line was awesome, and each chapter had me wanting more. <br />
I had so many different thoughts of who did it by the end and I was still surprised. <br />
Top rated thriller/suspense read by far. <br />
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> <br />
I didn't have time to drink, I was too invested! LOL But if I had, I would pair this with a few glasses of yummy Red Cat wine! I love their semi-sweet blend of Catawba and Baco Noir!<br />
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<strong>Rating</strong> <br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-47ROcEIm2SA/W9sdymvQojI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/u1ij_yw3qf4IiOLc6Qo9YJa7kFZ9G1dXgCLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-47ROcEIm2SA/W9sdymvQojI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/u1ij_yw3qf4IiOLc6Qo9YJa7kFZ9G1dXgCLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/14047408.Kara_Thomas" rel="nofollow" title="Kara Thomas"><img alt="Kara Thomas" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1484772124p5/14047408.jpg" /></a><br />
<strong>About Kara</strong> <br />
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor14047408">Kara is the author of THE DARKEST CORNERS, coming April 2016 from Random House/Delacorte. She is also the author of the Prep School Confidential series from St. Martin's Griffin under the pen name Kara Taylor. Kara has written for Warner Brothers Television and currently writes full-time on Long Island, where she lives with her husband and rescue cat.</span> <br />
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1524718327/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1524718327&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-75068503079605886012018-11-01T08:11:00.003-07:002018-11-01T08:11:41.931-07:00I'll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RflA_h2nBGk/W9hqtdKHXwI/AAAAAAAAEho/y4YN7Iy6oEEBmu4R_z02jOW_4zM9_j8DwCLcBGAs/s1600/35068432.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="265" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RflA_h2nBGk/W9hqtdKHXwI/AAAAAAAAEho/y4YN7Iy6oEEBmu4R_z02jOW_4zM9_j8DwCLcBGAs/s320/35068432.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText5674464458649523358"><em>A masterful true crime account of the Golden State Killer—the elusive serial rapist turned murderer who terrorized California for over a decade—from Michelle McNamara, the gifted journalist who died tragically while investigating the case.<br /><br />"You’ll be silent forever, and I’ll be gone in the dark."<br /><br />For more than ten years, a mysterious and violent predator committed fifty sexual assaults in Northern California before moving south, where he perpetrated ten sadistic murders. Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.<br /><br />Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.<br /><br />At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.<br /><br />I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.</em></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I have mixed feelings about this book, I liked the idea of what it was about and found the case itself VERY fascinating but I found the book very slow and I had to pick it up many times to get through it. <br />
I'm amazed at the amount of information Michelle was able to amass on this case. She had great ties/connections with investigators, detectives, other news media etc. <br />
It's too bad that she was never able to see the case through to the arrest of who they think may be the GSK and his upcoming trial. <br />
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> <br />
I think this book deserves a stiff drink, whiskey it is!<br />
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<strong>Rating </strong><br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbKYde0cJV8/W9sXB-WVPTI/AAAAAAAAEiE/AoewFZwnmmckXQTGofI6Rl2WdaaIIZeIgCLcBGAs/s1600/Vintia%252B-%252BIlusion%252BWine%252B-%252BSet.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vbKYde0cJV8/W9sXB-WVPTI/AAAAAAAAEiE/AoewFZwnmmckXQTGofI6Rl2WdaaIIZeIgCLcBGAs/s200/Vintia%252B-%252BIlusion%252BWine%252B-%252BSet.png" width="200" /></a></div>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/16819959.Michelle_McNamara" rel="nofollow" title="Michelle McNamara"><img alt="Michelle McNamara" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1520140523p5/16819959.jpg" /></a><br />
<strong>About Michelle</strong> <br />
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor16819959">Michelle McNamara was a screenwriter, journalist, and true crime writer. She was the founder of the blog "True Crime Diary," which covers lesser-known crimes and cold cases. In 2005, she married comedian <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2824524.Patton_Oswalt" rel="nofollow" title="Patton Oswalt">Patton Oswalt</a>. They had one daughter together, born in 2009.</span> <br />
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Ill-Be-Gone-Dark-Obsessive-ebook/dp/B07HF88TL7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1541085022&sr=8-1&keywords=Michelle+McNamara">Amazon</a></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-20584442383398551772018-10-24T14:14:00.002-07:002018-10-25T06:21:10.227-07:00The Wedding Beat by Devan Sipher<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="12417705" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1325970363l/12417705.jpg" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeText17089668006782642631"><em>Sometimes the best man isn't even in the wedding party...<br /><br />Gavin Greene is a hopeless romantic. He's also a professional one: he writes the wedding column for a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, covering spectacular parties from coast to coast. But there's a thin line between being a hotshot reporter on assignment...and being a single guy alone on a Saturday night at someone else's wedding.<br /><br />Everything changes on New Year's when Gavin meets Melinda, a travel writer with enchanting dimples. A moonlit stroll across a Manhattan rooftop seals the deal. Until an Aussie with attitude swoops in and whisks her away before Gavin gets her number.<br /><br />Gavin crisscrosses New York City to find her again. And he learns that there's something worse than losing the woman of his dreams: Having to write an article about her wedding.</em></span><br />
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong><br />
First off, I liked how this story was told from the male perspective. 9 times out of 10 it's always female perspective. <br />
It's slightly, ok really out of left field, that there would be a guy that had dreams about marriage, honeymoons and babies his entire life. <br />
One funny line in the book, because he was still single he was letting down his species, really? HAHA Personally I think they would praise him.<br />
This book has all sorts of ups and downs - love at first site, hope, deceit, cheating, happiness, which will be Gavin's fate?<br />
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> <br />
So many weddings, have to pair it with champagne! Delish!<br />
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<strong>Rating </strong><br />
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pp38AQcFSmI/W9HDPpgSUlI/AAAAAAAAEhc/5VnIax69VTcCyr1RfBHLiF3HCWrcdf80ACLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pp38AQcFSmI/W9HDPpgSUlI/AAAAAAAAEhc/5VnIax69VTcCyr1RfBHLiF3HCWrcdf80ACLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a data-cthref="/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj86rL5_p_eAhWnneAKHUVMDGAQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hipvan.com%2Fhomeware%2Fdrinkware%2Fglassware-shooters&psig=AOvVaw1zVL3_jXlJelxptTp-ZYYX&ust=1540501902503874" data-ved="2ahUKEwj86rL5_p_eAhWnneAKHUVMDGAQjRx6BAgBEAU" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwj86rL5_p_eAhWnneAKHUVMDGAQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hipvan.com%2Fhomeware%2Fdrinkware%2Fglassware-shooters&psig=AOvVaw1zVL3_jXlJelxptTp-ZYYX&ust=1540501902503874" id="irc_mil" jsaction="mousedown:irc.rl;focus:irc.rl;irc.il;" style="border-image: none; border: 0px currentColor;"><br /></a><br />
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/5147967.Devan_Sipher" rel="nofollow" title="Devan Sipher"><img alt="Devan Sipher" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1394822615p5/5147967.jpg" /></a><br />
<strong>About Devan</strong><br />
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor5147967">Born in LA.<br /><br />I always thought that would make a good title for my autobiography. Not that I plan on writing one. <br /><br />I grew up mostly in Southfield, Michigan, which sounds misleadingly bucolic for a suburb of Detroit with more than 27 million square feet of office space.<br /><br />For the past eight years I've been a writer of the Vows column at <i>The New York Times</i>, and my first novel, <i>The Wedding Beat</i>, was loosely based on my experience at the <i>Times</i> as a single guy writing about weddings. <br /><br />My second novel, <i>The Scenic Route</i>, comes out in June 2014.</span> <br />
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong><br />
<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451235797/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0451235797&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-28115781911699575462018-10-22T06:59:00.002-07:002018-10-22T06:59:42.219-07:00I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life by Anne Bogel <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjK0Y5QIn6A/W83OMJMeDEI/AAAAAAAAEhE/9OKAe2HUROYsvbzI8TNcZeLBkak4CNNmACLcBGAs/s1600/38502471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="286" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WjK0Y5QIn6A/W83OMJMeDEI/AAAAAAAAEhE/9OKAe2HUROYsvbzI8TNcZeLBkak4CNNmACLcBGAs/s320/38502471.jpg" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText8383059387414871634"><em>For so many people, reading isn't just a hobby or a way to pass the time--it's a lifestyle. Our books shape us, define us, enchant us, and even sometimes infuriate us. Our books are a part of who we are as people, and we can't imagine life without them.<br /><br />I'd Rather Be Reading is the perfect literary companion for everyone who feels that way. In this collection of charming and relatable reflections on the reading life, beloved blogger and author Anne Bogel leads readers to remember the book that first hooked them, the place where they first fell in love with reading, and all of the moments afterward that helped make them the reader they are today. Known as a reading tastemaker through her popular podcast What Should I Read Next?, Bogel invites book lovers into a community of like-minded people to discover new ways to approach literature, learn fascinating new things about books and publishing, and reflect on the role reading plays in their lives.</em></span></div>
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<span><em><br /></em></span></div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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What a perfect book about the joy of reading. I connected with this book on so many levels and couldn't get enough. </div>
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There were bits and pieces that really stuck with me. The chapter regarding the "sins" that readers tell other readers in private - it makes me recall when people tell me that they DNF a book. I giggle because I used to feel bad as well, but I finally realized I'm not going to like every book and it's really a guessing game until I get into the book. </div>
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Right book right time - I have had the joy of this as well. Recently I read The Dinner List and it truly was the book that I needed at that very moment and I devoured it. </div>
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The concept of book shelf organization always fascinates me. I love the thrill of taking all of them done and reading each back and finding a fun new way to display them. Currently they are in color "order". </div>
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When readers are obsessed with a book, I get it, but when they tell me over and over again that I MUST read it, I tend to back further and further away in spite. LOL Promote/Love but don't be pushy!</div>
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The chapter on bookworm problems so true - must read!</div>
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For any of you that really know me, I would LOVE to get a job in a bookstore, even part-time! The atmosphere, the little bookish goodies, being surrounded by book lovers = pure heaven!</div>
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This may be the only book that I can honestly say that I will re-read. Once I know what will happen, it takes a lot of the joy out of it for me.</div>
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Lastly, book journaling is amazing! I just recently started this joy filled activity and I can honestly say that I get so much more out of a book while journaling and I will never stop!</div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I totally want to cuddle up with a nice warm cup of cider, delish for this cool fall weather enveloping us.</div>
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<strong>Rating </strong></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXSbgLo2wiw/W83TErCCa0I/AAAAAAAAEhQ/ZTPptdIuvNQtXuyK8w43D7VvzjAwRUBPACLcBGAs/s1600/5wineglasses2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="500" height="122" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dXSbgLo2wiw/W83TErCCa0I/AAAAAAAAEhQ/ZTPptdIuvNQtXuyK8w43D7VvzjAwRUBPACLcBGAs/s200/5wineglasses2.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText8383059387414871634"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/6537850.Anne_Bogel" rel="nofollow" title="Anne Bogel"><img alt="Anne Bogel" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1492269476p5/6537850.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span><strong>About Anne</strong> </span></div>
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<span>She<strong> </strong>is the creator of the popular blog <em>Modern Mrs. Darcy</em>. Known by readers, authors, and publishers as a tastemaker through her popular book lists and reading guides, books are the foundation of her site, which has been affectionately dubbed “a lifestyle blog for nerds.” Anne considers that high praise. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with her husband and four kids, yellow lab, and two thousand of her favorite books.</span></div>
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<span><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span></div>
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<span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Id-Rather-Be-Reading-Delights/dp/0801072921/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Amazon </a></span></div>
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-51243720984928042112018-10-19T11:48:00.000-07:002018-10-19T11:48:00.383-07:00The Waiting Room by Emily Bleeker <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMUKgUFv-kg/W8SS9BXzA3I/AAAAAAAAEgo/byZ_6-Tj1hkAVuOL5eONFr-j5f1rVr3tgCLcBGAs/s1600/38121937.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OMUKgUFv-kg/W8SS9BXzA3I/AAAAAAAAEgo/byZ_6-Tj1hkAVuOL5eONFr-j5f1rVr3tgCLcBGAs/s320/38121937.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
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<em>Ever since her husband’s death collided with the birth of her daughter, postpartum depression has taken hold of Veronica Shelton. She can’t sleep, can’t work, and can’t bear to touch her beautiful baby girl. Her emotional state is whispering lies in Veronica’s ear: You’re a bad mother. Your baby would be better off without you. But not everything can be reasoned away by Veronica’s despair. Can it?</em></div>
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<em>After all, the break-in at her house happened. The disturbing sketches she found in her studio are real. So is the fear for her daughter’s safety—especially when Veronica comes home to a cold, silent nursery and a missing baby.</em></div>
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<em>As she turns from victim into primary suspect, Veronica realizes that only she can find her daughter. Authorities aren’t helping. They’re only watching. Veronica’s concerned mother has suddenly vanished from her life. And a new friend seems to be keeping secrets from her too. Now, reality is waiting for Veronica in a dark place—because someone’s mind games have only just begun.</em></div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong><br />
What a good read. I was a little slow to get into at the beginning but once I started working my way though I really enjoyed it. <br />
Postpartum depression is so real and so hard to get through. I had it with my first and I was thankful I didn't with my 2nd and 3rd. <br />
I found it a little interesting/odd that someone that is so withdrawn is so willing to open up to people she randomly sees in the waiting room? <br />
I don't want to give away too much of the story but you will find tragedy, heartbreak, pain, fear, hope, and love all wrapped into one story. Will it end happily? A real page turner, I highly recommend it!<br />
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> <br />
Being that it's fall, I'm going with Spiked Apple Cider. Delish!<br />
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<strong>Rating </strong><br />
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_u-wPSjU70/W8olu5MvkXI/AAAAAAAAEg0/s58DPaae4boaB5mQQl7760sgoETgE56bQCLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-m_u-wPSjU70/W8olu5MvkXI/AAAAAAAAEg0/s58DPaae4boaB5mQQl7760sgoETgE56bQCLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/8546820.Emily_Bleeker" rel="nofollow" title="Emily Bleeker"><img alt="Emily Bleeker" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1491162708p5/8546820.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Emily</strong> </div>
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor8546820">Emily lives in suburban Chicago with her family. Between writing and being a mom, she attempts to learn guitar, sings along to the radio (loudly), and embraces her newfound addiction to running. </span><br />
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<span><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span><br />
<span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1503900886/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1503900886&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></span><br />
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<strong></strong><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-74924063677443690012018-10-12T08:12:00.002-07:002018-10-12T08:12:57.196-07:00What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGFIoFvnv64/W8Ct0bdZqjI/AAAAAAAAEgQ/Fan2PYnOZzg2jFIVOA1rlKiGhC8HJZvUgCLcBGAs/s1600/33296283.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="308" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aGFIoFvnv64/W8Ct0bdZqjI/AAAAAAAAEgQ/Fan2PYnOZzg2jFIVOA1rlKiGhC8HJZvUgCLcBGAs/s1600/33296283.jpg" /></a></div>
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<em>From noted ESPN commentator and journalist Kate Fagan, the heartbreaking and vital story of college athlete Madison Holleran, whose death by suicide rocked the University of Pennsylvania campus and whose life reveals with haunting detail and uncommon understanding the struggle of young people suffering from mental illness today.<br /><br />If you scrolled through the Instagram feed of 19-year-old Maddy Holleran, you would see a perfect life: a freshman at an Ivy League school, recruited for the track team, who was also beautiful, popular, and fiercely intelligent. This was a girl who succeeded at everything she tried, and who was only getting started.<br /><br />But when Maddy began her long-awaited college career, her parents noticed something changed. Previously indefatigable Maddy became withdrawn, and her thoughts centered on how she could change her life. In spite of thousands of hours of practice and study, she contemplated transferring from the school that had once been her dream. When Maddy's dad, Jim, dropped her off for the first day of spring semester, she held him a second longer than usual. That would be the last time Jim would see his daughter.</em></div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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Such a tragic story of a life cut short. Maddy "seemed" to have the perfect life, an Instagram story fit for a teenage princess. But the truth lies beneath the smile that she put on for everyone, for the perfect Insta life. </div>
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This story in general touched me, knowing that my daughter deals with a high level of anxiety (and takes medication) due to school, grades, dating, work, etc. I can see the pressure that she puts on herself for perfection and this book really makes me take note of her behavior, her words, her posts that much more.</div>
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I also spoke to her regarding this issue and I plan to have her read this next, being that she is college bound next fall. </div>
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The only parts that didn't really grab me per say, were the chapters that didn't really have to do with Maddy (maybe in theory) and her life. </div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I want to pair this read with a nice warm glass of apple cider. </div>
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<strong>Rating </strong></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrXAsnSV1-s/W8C5ZDj8qJI/AAAAAAAAEgc/2Fyqk5RFb6w9RewslD198mIwieHfRANngCLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NrXAsnSV1-s/W8C5ZDj8qJI/AAAAAAAAEgc/2Fyqk5RFb6w9RewslD198mIwieHfRANngCLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/738442.Kate_Fagan" rel="nofollow" title="Kate Fagan"><img alt="Kate Fagan" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493681977p5/738442.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Kate</strong> </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span id="freeTextContainerauthor738442">Kate Fagan is a columnist and feature writer for espnW, ESPN.com and ESPN The Magazine. She is also an in-studio contributor for The Word, a digital video segment that examines hot topics in sports. Previously, Fagan spent three seasons covering the 76ers for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her work was cited in the anthology of Best American Sports Writing 2013, and she has also been featured on Longreads, a site that curates the best in long-form journalism and fiction. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.</span> </div>
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong></div>
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<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316356549/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316356549&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon</a></strong></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-64423248291228772292018-10-11T08:30:00.002-07:002018-10-11T08:30:48.216-07:00One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7hvaJtf6Mjc/W79mD4PDIrI/AAAAAAAAEf0/SVnFvpuXLhMg1IGa0Obr9-767X14A39pQCLcBGAs/s1600/27189194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="306" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7hvaJtf6Mjc/W79mD4PDIrI/AAAAAAAAEf0/SVnFvpuXLhMg1IGa0Obr9-767X14A39pQCLcBGAs/s320/27189194.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText3359830088130354641"><em>In her twenties, Emma Blair marries her high school sweetheart, Jesse. They build a life for themselves, far away from the expectations of their parents and the people of their hometown in Massachusetts. They travel the world together, living life to the fullest and seizing every opportunity for adventure.<br /><br />On their first wedding anniversary, Jesse is on a helicopter over the Pacific when it goes missing. Just like that, Jesse is gone forever.<br /><br />Emma quits her job and moves home in an effort to put her life back together. Years later, now in her thirties, Emma runs into an old friend, Sam, and finds herself falling in love again. When Emma and Sam get engaged, it feels like Emma’s second chance at happiness.<br /><br />That is, until Jesse is found. He’s alive, and he’s been trying all these years to come home to her. With a husband and a fiancé, Emma has to now figure out who she is and what she wants, while trying to protect the ones she loves.<br /><br />Who is her one true love? What does it mean to love truly?<br /><br />Emma knows she has to listen to her heart. She’s just not sure what it’s saying.</em></span></div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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The first thought in mind when I really got into this book, OMG what if this happened to me? What in the world would I do? To be honest I have no idea! Such a terrifying story that ends in love but do they always? This would be my WORST and BEST nightmare all in one.</div>
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I personally feel that once a person goes through such a tragic event of "losing" someone in such a horrible way, characteristics of a person change for good and going back isn't really an option in the future. </div>
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Jesse needs to really get his feelings out there, communicate and understand that a lot happened in the 3.5 years he was gone and Emma has grown and changed. </div>
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The interesting question that lingers, would they have stayed together if the tragedy hadn't occurred? </div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I'm going to pair this read with a fall favorite, hard cider sangria. Delish :) </div>
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<strong>Rating</strong> </div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M5T3MR-pvYE/W79sJ73fX_I/AAAAAAAAEgA/xOOZhyEaSewQ0cRfYzmDs0Q3Kocyz1sXACLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-M5T3MR-pvYE/W79sJ73fX_I/AAAAAAAAEgA/xOOZhyEaSewQ0cRfYzmDs0Q3Kocyz1sXACLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/6572605.Taylor_Jenkins_Reid" rel="nofollow" title="Taylor Jenkins Reid"><img alt="Taylor Jenkins Reid" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1493925431p5/6572605.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Taylor</strong> </div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor6572605">Taylor Jenkins Reid is the author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, and two other novels. She lives in Los Angeles. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/tjenkinsreid/" rel="nofollow">@tjenkinsreid</a>.</span> </div>
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0176M3XWQ/ref=x_gr_w_glide_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0176M3XWQ&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-23531377296718693222018-10-11T06:49:00.001-07:002018-10-11T06:52:56.468-07:00The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<em>When Sabrina Nielsen arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also her favorite professor from college, her father, her ex-fiance, Tobias, and Audrey Hepburn.<br /><br />At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Sabrina contends with in Rebecca Serle’s utterly captivating novel, The Dinner List, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as Sliding Doors, and The Rosie Project.<br /><br />As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together, and as Rebecca Serle masterfully traces Sabrina’s love affair with Tobias and her coming of age in New York City, The Dinner List grapples with the definition of romance, the expectations of love, and how we navigate our way through it to happiness. Oh, and of course, wisdom from Audrey Hepburn.</em> </div>
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<strong>My Thoughts </strong></div>
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What an amazing read. It was the read that I needed on that given day. It struck a cord and I read it in less 24 hours. </div>
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There were so many parts that really tugged at me - when I was younger I was always the one to "make it work", even if it wasn't healthy I was determined. </div>
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I loved the points that spoke of knowing that things will not always be at their full potential, that you must realize that true happiness is accepting that 95% pf the time life is imperfect.</div>
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Without giving too many details away, the ending really got to me and I was on the verge of all out tears which is very rare for me. This ending (just slightly before the ending), wow. </div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I'm going to pair this delightful read with champagne, after all, we are celebrating Sabby's birthday. </div>
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<strong>Rating </strong></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QsI0fodwUdQ/W79VsERo5cI/AAAAAAAAEfo/Zv9iWtn7RGYUe9auzHsGPGZ9d2r3oi3DACLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QsI0fodwUdQ/W79VsERo5cI/AAAAAAAAEfo/Zv9iWtn7RGYUe9auzHsGPGZ9d2r3oi3DACLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/3192845.Rebecca_Serle" rel="nofollow" title="Rebecca Serle"><img alt="Rebecca Serle" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1523279407p5/3192845.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Rebecca</strong></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor3192845">Rebecca Serle is an author and television writer who lives between New York and Los Angeles. Serle most recently co-developed the hit TV adaptation of her young adult series Famous in Love, now on Freeform. She loves Nancy Meyers films, bathrobes, and giving unsolicited advice on love. She can be found on twitter: @RebeccaASerle </span></div>
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong></div>
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<a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dinner-List-Novel-Rebecca-Serle/dp/1250295181/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Amazon</a></div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-81157772227114677912018-10-05T04:00:00.000-07:002018-10-05T04:31:57.897-07:00#BloomBlogWeek Giveaway! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmB6_APtRts/W7TEGMg0J5I/AAAAAAAAEek/FZZUzvHxYwIouLb5AZHUpQhIwFRr3-PQQCLcBGAs/s1600/baw2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="400" height="300" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZmB6_APtRts/W7TEGMg0J5I/AAAAAAAAEek/FZZUzvHxYwIouLb5AZHUpQhIwFRr3-PQQCLcBGAs/s320/baw2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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I am doing a blog post today as part of <b>Blogger Appreciation Week</b> with <a href="https://tallpoppies.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0033;">Tall Poppy Writers</span></a>.<br />
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For my regular readers and for new readers, here's a little fun info about me!<br />
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uzRie21Vidc/W7TE-DEmvYI/AAAAAAAAEes/XrDTu4MbSl8eGz2B4D6U_t3rwQ_9QQFHwCLcBGAs/s1600/Canada%2Bbehind%2Bme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uzRie21Vidc/W7TE-DEmvYI/AAAAAAAAEes/XrDTu4MbSl8eGz2B4D6U_t3rwQ_9QQFHwCLcBGAs/s320/Canada%2Bbehind%2Bme.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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For those of you who are new here, thank you for stopping by Books and Wine are Lovely!
I have this blog as well as a group/page on Facebook and Instagram. <br />
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I first decided to establish my own blog with the helpful advice of my dear friend <a href="http://www.feelingbeachie.com/">Hilary Grossman</a> who's book Dangled Carat was the first book I ever reviewed and I was hooked! </div>
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I have many authors who request to be on my blog and others that I seek out do to LOVING their books! </div>
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I try to review at least 1 book a week, I participate in blog tour stops, host interviews and of course have giveaways like the one below!</div>
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I'm be giving away:</div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SR6QWGmNLVs/W7dKe2XIKrI/AAAAAAAAEfA/Teb_yR3BNNEhkI2GAzES5OYNS-2u0ZY6ACLcBGAs/s1600/51QKpa6QFDL._SX320_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="322" height="320" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SR6QWGmNLVs/W7dKe2XIKrI/AAAAAAAAEfA/Teb_yR3BNNEhkI2GAzES5OYNS-2u0ZY6ACLcBGAs/s320/51QKpa6QFDL._SX320_BO1%252C204%252C203%252C200_.jpg" width="206" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMIeGeCy6uo/W7dKelJoXSI/AAAAAAAAEe8/4ia-pDMgBPYpwROAw8ZogWfy0kOmnwn7QCLcBGAs/s1600/36504901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="310" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMIeGeCy6uo/W7dKelJoXSI/AAAAAAAAEe8/4ia-pDMgBPYpwROAw8ZogWfy0kOmnwn7QCLcBGAs/s320/36504901.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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Here are just a few of my favorites for you to win today! </div>
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Good Luck!</div>
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Bethany xoxoxo</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-57601419119663592702018-10-02T06:28:00.004-07:002018-10-02T06:28:28.968-07:00#FashionVictim by Amina Akhtar<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-na2Hjh5w1MA/W7NvLYyqJTI/AAAAAAAAEeE/ngKcWncXUqcG9pVw4EyFcGFKhLx9_n7XwCLcBGAs/s1600/39049255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="270" height="320" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-na2Hjh5w1MA/W7NvLYyqJTI/AAAAAAAAEeE/ngKcWncXUqcG9pVw4EyFcGFKhLx9_n7XwCLcBGAs/s320/39049255.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5COdI7hnIGc/W7NvPXsipNI/AAAAAAAAEeI/qMkPezYi7Hk5OvPmLZT56htKTtr5d3aHACLcBGAs/s1600/39049255.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<em><span id="freeText9793094162342666892">Fashion editor Anya St. Clair is on the verge of greatness. Her wardrobe is to die for. Her social media is killer. And her career path is littered with the bodies of anyone who got in her way. She’s worked hard to get where she is, but she doesn’t have everything.<br /><br />Not like Sarah Taft. Anya’s obsession sits one desk away. Beautiful, stylish, and rich, she was born to be a fashion world icon. From her beach-wave blonde hair to her on-trend nail art, she’s a walking editorial spread. And Anya wants to be her friend. Her best friend. Her only friend.<br /><br />But when Sarah becomes her top competition for a promotion, Anya’s plan to win her friendship goes into overdrive. In order to beat Sarah…she’ll have to become her. Friendly competition may turn fatal, but as they say in fashion: One day you’re in, and the next day you’re dead.</span> </em></div>
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What a crazy read, but I really enjoyed it. In parts, it really did remind me of The Devil Wears Prada but this version has horror mixed into it.</div>
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Fashion is cut throat, literally. </div>
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It also has a splash of mean girls as well, Sarah by far is Queen Bee and is nasty to Anya and the others and makes them bow to her every whim. Will she get what she deserves in the end? There are so many twists and turns to this book - it can be intense at times but not overboard. </div>
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There are fashion disasters, murder, cheating, torture, you name it, it's all inside!</div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I'm pairing this book with a creepy cocktail fit for this time of year - The Black Cauldron!</div>
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<strong>Rating</strong></div>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKZV7bHxZaM/W7Nx1YTNViI/AAAAAAAAEeY/4xQDieayPr44QpftdGOHzvTcpjdy1kewQCLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hKZV7bHxZaM/W7Nx1YTNViI/AAAAAAAAEeY/4xQDieayPr44QpftdGOHzvTcpjdy1kewQCLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/17785966.Amina_Akhtar" rel="nofollow" title="Amina Akhtar"><img alt="Amina Akhtar" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1530793933p5/17785966.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Amina</strong></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor17785966">Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer and editor. She’s worked at Vogue, Elle.com, Style.com, NYTimes.com, and NYMag.com where she was the founding editor of The Cut blog. She’s written for numerous publications, including Yahoo Style, Fashionista, xoJane, Refinery29, Billboard, and for brands like Bergdorf Goodman and H&M’s 10 Years of Style tome. After toiling in the fashion ranks for over fifteen years, she now writes full time in the desert mountains, where she’s detoxing from her once glam life. #FashionVictim is Amina’s first novel.</span> </div>
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<strong>Link to Purchase</strong></div>
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<strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079RM5J69/ref=x_gr_w_glide?caller=Goodreads&callerLink=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39049255-fashionvictim&tag=x_gr_w_glide-20">Amazon</a></strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-31210849549337860642018-10-02T04:00:00.000-07:002018-10-02T04:00:03.255-07:00Blog Tour Stop - Just the Two of Us by Michelle Scott <br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><em>Starla wasn’t trying
to steal her older sister’s boyfriend. In fact, she was fighting him off when
Janice caught the two of them alone in the dark. Unfortunately, love-struck
Janice didn’t see it that way and tried to end her life. Although she didn’t succeed,
her suicide attempt left her brain damaged, and it became Starla’s
responsibility to care for her. Four years later, the sisters’ peaceful lives
are interrupted when Nick, a handsome, young attorney, moves in upstairs.
Seeing that Janice is attracted to him, Starla keeps herself out of the
picture. After all, she hurt her sister before, and she’s not about to do it
again. Yet as much as Starla tries to ignore her feelings for Nick, she can’t
bury them entirely. Especially not when he seems to be choosing her over her
sister.</em></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Two Kinds of Love</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This past week, I had two conversations about the same
topic: falling in love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The first conversation was more of an on-line chat with two
other writers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were talking about a
story in which two characters meet for the first time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first character, a young woman, had all
the earmarks of a successful relationship.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Her fiancée was a decent man who had given her an <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">enormous</i> wedding ring (planets could have orbited around it, said
the author.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when she met the
young hero of the story (a fairy prince who had been banished to Earth), she
realized that she’d never been swept off her feet until that moment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure where the story is going to go
after that, but I can’t wait to find out!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other conversation was with my daughters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were talking about chemistry between men
and women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘You know,’ my younger
daughter said, ‘that moment you realize a guy is <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hot</i>.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They both asked me if
I’d felt that way about their dad when we first me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course, I said, ‘Definitely!’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, that was a long time ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I still find my husband handsome, but now our
love is different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More mellow, I guess
I’d say.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But even though we don’t have
that lusty, heart-pounding kind of love, what we have now is much stronger and
deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something I’d never change.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Just the Two of Us,
</i>Starla’s first crush was involved someone despicable who used her teenaged
infatuation to hurt her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s something
that Starla thinks she’ll never get over, so she locks herself away emotionally
from men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is, until Nick comes
along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Although it isn’t exactly insta-love, there are sparks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starla likes the fact that a playful spirit
hides underneath Nick’s buttoned-up exterior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nick, on the other hand, loves Starla’s whimsical nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sure, they argue about whether or not its
proper to have a purple bathtub full of bright-yellow marigolds at the entrance
to their businesses, but they come to an agreement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And as they spend time together, their
initial attraction becomes something deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>At long last, Starla finds a man whom she can trust.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Whether its chemistry or something slow burning, love is wonderful
in all its forms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us all be lucky in
that aspect.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><img alt="Michelle Scott" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1520238424p5/2896599.jpg" /></span></div>
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<strong>About Michelle</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #111111; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Maybe it's because of
my Halloween birthday, but I've always been attracted to scary stories. On the
other hand, I love romances as well. Once I discovered that these two genres
existed side-by-side in urban fantasy novels, I was in heaven! Urban fantasy is
like chocolate and peanut butter: a perfect, to-die-for combination that I can
never get enough of.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />
I've been writing since <span id="gmail-153" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; color: inherit; font-size: inherit;"><span>childhood,</span></span> but
earned my bachelor's degree in psychology and my master's in English literature.
When I'm not writing, I'm a straight-laced English teacher at a two-year
college in Detroit. I've been married to <span id="gmail-154" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; color: inherit; font-size: inherit;"><span>Mr.</span></span> Right
for over twenty-five years. I also have three <span id="gmail-150" style="border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: none; border-bottom-width: medium; color: inherit; font-size: inherit;"><span>teenaged</span></span> children:
a boy and two girls, all of whom have threatened to never speak to me again if
I turn them into characters and put them into my books.</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Two-Us-modern-romance-ebook/dp/B07GVSS76R/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537377463&sr=1-3&keywords=Just+the+two+of+us&linkCode=sl1&tag=lovboogroblo-21&linkId=b8f8a870dbdc044194ed9e31ddd886b2&language=en_GB">Amazon</a></span></strong><div style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-align: center;">
<strong><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Two-Us-modern-romance-ebook/dp/B07GVSS76R/ref=as_li_ss_tl?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1537377463&sr=1-3&keywords=Just+the+two+of+us&linkCode=sl1&tag=lovboogroblo-21&linkId=b8f8a870dbdc044194ed9e31ddd886b2&language=en_GB"><br /></a></span></strong></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-77617034706217245292018-10-01T04:00:00.001-07:002018-10-01T04:00:03.948-07:00Blog Tour Stop - Chasing Petalouthes by Effie Kammenou<br />
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a30zC13RA-I/W65-6zzrkMI/AAAAAAAAEdY/g-JxHr0RzQoofSshBYhl2L-_yJXaIJsoQCLcBGAs/s1600/40212536.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="398" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a30zC13RA-I/W65-6zzrkMI/AAAAAAAAEdY/g-JxHr0RzQoofSshBYhl2L-_yJXaIJsoQCLcBGAs/s320/40212536.jpg" width="255" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m_3217816162899730516_OLE_LINK6"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>The Gift Saga</em></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><em> concludes
with the next generation coming into the forefront of the story during their
tumultuous years between adolescence and adulthood.</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em>Evvie has lived through more tragedy than a young girl
should ever endure, having lost both her father and a most beloved grandmother
at a young age. Her rebellious ways are her only defense to mask the
ever-present pain in her heart. Closing herself off emotionally, Evvie vows to
never let anyone into her heart. But will her determination to keep everyone
out see her lose the only person who could heal her broken soul?</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em>Over-achieving, focused, talented, determined to succeed.
Those are the traits Stella envies in her siblings and cousins. Her
insecurities and lack of confidence stunts her ability to realize her own
worth. When an older, handsome young man claims her as his own, Stella believes
she has finally found who she has been looking for—someone to love her
enough to mold her into the best version of herself. But has she fallen in love
too quickly for a man she barely knows anything about?</em></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> </em></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="m_3217816162899730516_OLE_LINK9"><span style="font-size: small;"><em>Chasing
Petalouthes</em></span></a><span style="font-size: small;"><em> (Chasing Butterflies) is the coming of age
story of two flawed, young women who push their way out from the confines of
the cocoons they’d built around themselves and discover how to soar.</em></span></div>
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</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><em> <span style="color: #181818;">Can be read as a
standalone. For the full emotional impact on the character's live and
histories, read Evanthia's Gift & Waiting For Aegina.</span></em></span></div>
</span><br /></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Effie’s
Thoughts on Tradition</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 16pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> <span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Even as a very young girl I was not
only proud of my Greek heritage but I also enjoyed all the traditions that went
along with it. To me, everything we did was just a little different from the
others around me, and that made it unique and special. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Easter
seemed to be the holiday that stood out the most as it was almost always a week
or more later that the “other” or American Easter. And for Greek Orthodox
Christians the day didn’t simply come and go with a quick trip to church and a
meal. Our lives revolved around the entire forty days of lent with dietary
restrictions and frequent church services. During Holy Week, we would attend
church once or twice a day as each service represented a different event in the
last days of Christ’s life.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
would think a youngster would hate this. It’s not an easy week. But I loved it.
On Palm Sunday the youth group would form crosses out of palms for the priest
to hand out, and on Holy Thursday we would stay up late into the night adorning
the structure that represented the tomb of Christ with thousands of flowers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>But
as a child, a teen or even a young adult I truly didn’t appreciate what went
into keeping those traditions alive. Everything was laid out before me,
prepared and organized by someone else—my mother. She worked tirelessly to make
each holiday perfect. She cooked and baked all the traditional Greek foods and
pastries while trying to attend church, clean the house take care of three
girls and often hold down a job. Did I mention that on Easter Eve our services
start at eleven in the evening and go until about one–thirty in the morning?
After that we break our fast with a traditional Greek meal. Yes! At two in the
morning. That is another thing I love about our Greek traditions. That, and the
beautiful resurrection service that takes place outside of the church.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>My
mother passed away in 2012 and being the oldest daughter I felt it was my duty
to carry on the traditions that were so important to her. Letting go of these
customs would be like losing another part of her and no one in our family was
willing to do that. Mom was proud of where she came from, but she loved this
country too. Preparing the foods she grew up with, keeping the rituals and listening
to the music, was her way to hold onto her childhood and the beautiful memories
of her youth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Throughout
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Gift Saga</i>, holidays and
traditions hold a special importance in the story. In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Waiting For Aegina, </i>the five friends come from different
backgrounds, but the beauty of this is how they come together to celebrate and
honor each other’s customs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Tradition
is about history, memories and family. In your own family, it may not even be
related to a heritage but simply a practice your family has been doing for
generations. Never let those special moments slip away. It’s the difference
between taking an ordinary day and making it extraordinary.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 200%; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/14204724.Effie_Kammenou" rel="nofollow" title="Effie Kammenou"><img alt="Effie Kammenou" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1439335327p5/14204724.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><strong>About Effie</strong><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 200%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"></span></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Effie
Kammenou is a believer that it is never too late to chase your dreams, follow
your heart to change your career. She is proof of that. At one time, long ago,
she'd thought that, by her age, she would have had an Oscar in her hand after a
successful career as an actor. Instead, she worked in the optical field for 40
years and is the proud mother of two accomplished young women. <br />
<br />
Her debut novel, Evanthia’s Gift, is a women’s fiction multigenerational love
story and family saga, influenced by her Greek heritage, and the many real life
accounts that have been passed down. She continues to pick her father’s brain
for stories of his family’s life in Lesvos, Greece, and their journey to
America. Her interview with him was published in a nationally circulated
magazine.<br />
<br />
Evanthia’s Gift: Book One in The Gift Saga was a 2016 award finalist in the
Readers Favorite Awards in the Women’s Fiction category. Waiting for Aegina:
Book Two in The Gift Saga is Kammenou’s latest release.<br />
<br />
Effie Kammenou is a first generation Greek-American who lives on Long Island
with her husband and two daughters. When she’s not writing, or posting recipes
on her food blog, cheffieskitchen.wordpress.com, you can find her cooking for
her family and friends.<br />
<br />
As an avid cook and baker, a skill she learned from watching her Athenian
mother, she incorporated traditional Greek family recipes throughout the books.
<br />
<br />
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theater Arts from Hofstra University.<br />
<br />
Member of Women's Fiction Writer's Association & Romance Writers of America<br />
<br />
For updates on promotions and the release of Book Three in The Gift Saga <br />
<br />
Follow Effie on Twitter @EffieKammenou<br />
</span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/EffieKammenou" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">www.facebook.com/EffieKammenou</span></a><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><strong>
Link to Purchase</strong></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0692120599/ref=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb?ie=UTF8&tag=x_gr_w_glide_ku_bb-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0692120599&SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2">Amazon </a></span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial"; font-size: small;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHemdESzMyo/W657st43AfI/AAAAAAAAEdM/6t0Mbvl2BYgj4CvbJa2Q7lGL4lm8lF5YwCLcBGAs/s1600/Chasing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="746" height="640" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aHemdESzMyo/W657st43AfI/AAAAAAAAEdM/6t0Mbvl2BYgj4CvbJa2Q7lGL4lm8lF5YwCLcBGAs/s640/Chasing.jpg" width="297" /></a></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-65235707376251926822018-10-01T04:00:00.000-07:002018-10-01T04:00:02.441-07:00Blog Tour Stop - The Watcher in the Night Sky by Rachel Pudsey <div style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1DXh2Fbvb7k/W655dFrUbwI/AAAAAAAAEdA/cMOq5TSINBsYM9yLFEOvqV8BIRCwxVq8gCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BWatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU<br />WISH FOR </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Fifteen-year-old<br />Abigail Crumble was never much for talking about love and marriage and other<br />such nonsense – no matter how often her boy obsessed best friend pestered her<br />to do so. Or so she so adamantly proclaimed. </span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Yet on the eve of her<br />sixteenth birthday, Abigail makes the biggest, most contradictory mistake of<br />her life. She wishes on the stars for love, or even the smallest amount of<br />attention, without knowing the full impact of such a feat.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> Abigail soon<br />finds her simple life in chaos as princes, men and mysterious creatures come to<br />her door, each adamantly in love with her and refusing to leave her side.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Mixing fantasy,<br />humour, and romance, The Watcher of the Night Sky begins the tale of one girl’s<br />quest to rid herself of a curse that was definitely far more than she wished<br />for.</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><strong>Excerpt </strong></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Abigail paced in front of the group, pondering the reasons behind<br />the appearance of the men. It had been Roan’s use of the word spell that<br />triggered her train of thought. </span><i><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;">What if, somehow, they had<br />all been affected by some sort of spell?</span></i><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"> She had only ever heard<br />of spells from storybooks and thought her idea to be utterly absurd,<br />considering that spells and witches did not actually exist. But what if, considering<br />the situation at hand, something similar to the plotline of a fantasy story had<br />indeed occurred? She voiced her thoughts to the men and received blank stares<br />in response.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I am under no spell,” Selwyn declared. “I know exactly how I feel<br />and that is very much in love with you.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Me too!” said Eric.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The rest of the room voiced their agreement too.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Let me get this straight.” She paced before them. “Every single<br />one of you firmly believes that you are in love with me. You believe that there<br />is no chance that any sort of bewitching occurred and, in fact, truly believe<br />that you are affected by nothing other than your own feelings? That you all<br />showed up here to the home of a girl you’d never met before under your own free<br />will?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">They all agreed. Abigail was all for ranting and raving at the lot<br />of them for being utterly oblivious when another knock at the door occurred,<br />bringing a feeling of dread to her stomach.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">She opened the door to find a short man with a tuft of white<br />facial hair on his protruding chin. He stared quizzically at her through stern<br />grey eyes. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Why am I here?” he asked, his brow furrowed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“You’re probably here to declare your love to me,” Abigail said.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Well,” he said drawlingly, “that’s rather obvious, girl. The real<br />question is, why you?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Finally!” she cried excitedly. “Someone who thinks the same way<br />as I do.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Exactly what do you mean?” he asked.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I was just saying to the men inside my cottage that it is<br />illogical for them to come here and declare their love to a girl they don’t<br />know.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“And a plain one at that.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Excuse me?” It was her brow’s turn to furrow.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Well, you are a rather plain girl in appearance. Barely pretty,<br />in my honest opinion, and someone I would not glance twice at were I not in<br />love with you.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Her mouth fell open.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Before she could respond, he pushed by her and entered the<br />cottage, leaving her gawking in his wake. She closed the door and turned to<br />face the variety of men crowding her sitting room. All of them watched her,<br />except the man who had just entered. His eyes were taking in his surroundings.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Do you have a name?” She crossed her arms against her chest.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Cillian Frost. You may call me Mr Frost, Cillian if you must.<br />Your home is rather drab.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“And you are rather rude,” she said, her reserve of politeness<br />fading.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Blunt, child. I am blunt and to the point. I do not sugarcoat my<br />observations and I certainly do not refrain from speaking the truth. If that<br />offends you, then that is your own narrow-mindedness.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Do you often go around offending the girls you claim to love?”<br />asked Etva.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“It is rare for me to be in love.” He took a seat beside the<br />dwarf. “Love is a feeling that can confuse many a man into falling for even the<br />ugliest of ladies. I would rather not seek it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Are you quite finished?” Her face grew redder by the minute.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I am not suggesting that you are ugly, child. Plain, but not<br />ugly. Indeed, I am merely stating that beauty is not necessarily beheld by the<br />eye. A sound character, a portion of wit and common sense, or a reasonable<br />amount of intelligence can make even the plainest of faces more appealing.” He<br />paused before he turned to Etva. “I suppose we are all here for the same<br />reason?”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“So it would seem.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I don’t suppose you have any idea as to why that is?” Abigail<br />asked Cillian, although truth be told, she would rather not speak with him.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“I have numerous thoughts and suspicions.” He eyed the rest of the<br />men in the room. “I shall need time to assess before conveying my observation.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "garamond" , serif; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">“Oh joy,” she muttered.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/11571665.Rachel_Pudsey" rel="nofollow" title="Rachel Pudsey"><img alt="Rachel Pudsey" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1524750943p5/11571665.jpg" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1DXh2Fbvb7k/W655dFrUbwI/AAAAAAAAEdA/cMOq5TSINBsYM9yLFEOvqV8BIRCwxVq8gCLcBGAs/s1600/The%2BWatcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> <strong>About Rachel</strong> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span id="freeTextContainerauthor11571665"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rachel was born and raised in
Scotland but has a ridiculously English surname. A graduate of psychology,
she now resides in South Korea. She has dabbled in teaching children, but after
a few blessed years has succumbed to teaching business English to adults in
Seoul. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rachel has been writing stories for
as long as she can remember. An obsession with Point Horror books led to her
first novel being written at the age of ten. Truth be told, it wasn't very good.
The following years were spent reading, amateur acting in a youth group,
occasionally playing guitar, and dabbling in songwriting, all the while
continuing to write stories unworthy for print and developing her own style.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A mixture of inspiring authors had a
huge influence upon her mind: S. E. Hinton, Mario Puzo, R. L. Stine, William
Goldman, C.S Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, Neil Gaiman, J. K. Rowling ... the list
goes on. For years, Rachel has cited The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton as her
favourite book. These days, she considers The Princess Bride by William Goldman
to be at the top of the list. But the list always changes. How can one simply
pick a favourite from all the wonderful books out there? It's like trying
to pick one favourite food. Inconceivable! </span></span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><br /></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><strong><span style="font-family: "times new roman";"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Watcher-Night-Sky-Aronia-Book-ebook/dp/B00Y7M5V9W/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538161189&sr=1-1&keywords=The+Watcher+of+the+Night+Sky">Amazon</a></span></strong></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4411408017996345608.post-34364488515540122522018-09-26T07:42:00.003-07:002018-09-26T07:42:24.953-07:00Love at the Salted Caramel Cafe by Angie Ellington <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UINBzKTWeAY/W6uZOR2v0bI/AAAAAAAAEco/qJwJCx0nDUY4L3bUTnNjxI8smS1SMnw2wCLcBGAs/s1600/41885410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="304" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UINBzKTWeAY/W6uZOR2v0bI/AAAAAAAAEco/qJwJCx0nDUY4L3bUTnNjxI8smS1SMnw2wCLcBGAs/s320/41885410.jpg" width="204" /></a></div>
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<span id="freeText5080407667552199500"><em>Sierra Blake has returned home to Mill Hollows, Virginia. She's lost her job as a hotel marketing executive. She knew getting romantically involved with the son of the franchise owner was a bad idea. Turning down his marriage proposal left Sierra updating her resume and needing a change of scenery. <br /><br />Returning to the small football-loving town located in view of the Blue Ridge Parkway is definitely a change of scenery from the sultry heat and water sport enthusiast city of Tampa Bay. <br /><br />Wes Carter is new to Mill Hollows and stirring up more than sediment and rocks for geology sampling upon meeting the beautiful Sierra Blake at the Salted Caramel Cafe. <br /><br />Fall in Virginia isn't the only chill in the air. The last time Sierra saw her younger sibling, Roxie, the two didn't exactly leave each other on the best of terms. Then again, they've butted heads since they were teenagers. Sierra and Roxie need each other more than either will admit.</em> </span></div>
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<span><strong>My Thoughts </strong></span></div>
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What a great fall love story. I loved everything from the characters, to the story line and of course, the ending was breathtaking. </div>
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I would love to "meet" these characters again in another story by Angie. </div>
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There was just enough heart ache, growing and love to really make you want to read the story from beginning to end as quickly as possible. </div>
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<strong>Drink Selection</strong> </div>
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I going to pair this gem with a Hot Toddy. Delish!</div>
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<strong>Rating </strong></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GPxvMmvGa0/W6uacumPKEI/AAAAAAAAEc0/n6OM7l2qOdAmbRIzCPJrZK52qeoA2oIhACLcBGAs/s1600/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="350" height="200" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2GPxvMmvGa0/W6uacumPKEI/AAAAAAAAEc0/n6OM7l2qOdAmbRIzCPJrZK52qeoA2oIhACLcBGAs/s200/41Vs7POPJfL__SL500_AC_SS350_.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/photo/author/5783826.Angie_Ellington" rel="nofollow" title="Angie Ellington"><img alt="Angie Ellington" itemprop="image" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1513896238p5/5783826.jpg" /></a></div>
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<strong>About Angie </strong></div>
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<span id="freeTextContainerauthor5783826">Hi there! I'm Angie Ellington & I write contemporary women's fiction...a mashup of sweet romance & chick lit. Family, friendship, love...it's all in the mixed recipe of my characters & their stories.<br /><br />Moonlit Hearts Romances <br />*Christmas in Fair Bend (2017)-Available<br />*Autumn at Apple Hill (2017)-Available<br />*Spring in Lilac Glen-(2018)-Available<br /><br />*Love at the Salted Caramel Cafe' -Preorder available!<br /><br />Carlisle Bay Series <br />*Dancing by the Moonlight (Available) <br />*Sandcastles at Sunrise (2019)</span></div>
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<span><strong>Link to Purchase</strong></span></div>
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<span><strong><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Love-at-Salted-Caramel-Cafe-ebook/dp/B07GCRK1CY/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1537972917&sr=1-1&keywords=Love+at+the+Salted+Caramel+Cafe%E2%80%99">Amazon</a></strong></span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12709456503690869419noreply@blogger.com0