Archive | August 2017

Photo blogging #challenge August 2017 #summerFUN #photoblog

The theme for August photo blog and challenge hosted by http://hoohaa.com was Summer Fun. I have had a rough couple of months with the deterioration of my grandmother’s health and her ultimate demise in July. So, for August’s picture selections, the pictures are not as artistic as I have tried in the past. It was more about celebrating life while dealing with our family’s loss.

Photo 1

Hubs decided that we needed to go on a day road trip on Saturday to take our mind off things. We went down to Duluth GA and window shopped with no particular goal in mind. We ate lunch at a Korean/Chinese restaurant. I had Korean pork BBQ. My fave.

Photo 2

Since I was in the path of totality, I saw the eclipse. My picture during total eclipse was not that great because I needed a better camera lens. In any case, it was breathtaking to witness it in person. It was like nothing I have ever experienced. Well worth all the hype and more.

Photo 3

My baby Blaze got in a fight 😦 and needed to go to the vet for his injury. Thankfully, it was not that serious. He got an antibiotic shot and did not need any other meds. I should have named him Houdini because on the trip to the vet, he got out of his carrier. I do not know how since the door was closed.

Photo 4

This is my Young Living Orb diffuser in action. On my way to work, I started diffusing lemon and peppermint essential oil because it helps calm and balance my emotions. Grief can be something serious. I am glad that I have a natural options to help me to get a handle on releasing negative emotions without it consuming me.

Photo 5

One Friday evening, I went to Montague’s (local restaurant) to hear Rachel Davis sing and Kenny Price play the guitar. This duo is also part of a band called The Bonnie Situation. If you love 90s music and you live near Upstate SC, it will be worth your while to go hear them play. I particularly love to hear Rachel perform covers “You Oughta Know” (Alanis Morrisette) and “Free Your Mind” (En Vogue). She has a set of lungs on her to hit the notes like a pro. And Kenny did a good job too.

These were just a few of the pictures that show SUMMER FUN for me.

Check out the website to see the other bloggers’ submissions and interpretations of this theme.

Bounce by Kailee Reese Samuels #darkromance

Aug28

Title: Bounce

Author: Kailee Reese Samuels

Genre: Dark Romance

Release Date: September 12, 2017

She escaped into his arms.

AMBER

I have everything I could want – the man of my dreams, his baby girl, a great career, and a beautiful home. I should be happy and having the time of my life. But I just can’t…

The past I left behind haunts me, threatening to destroy everything. I worked so hard to escape, yet the hooks are piercing into my soul, pulling me to the past and forcing me into a nightmare I can’t wake up from. And I know this time, he may not be able to save me.

His heart brought her freedom.

DALE

Every day I wake up thankful my beautiful angel is back in my life. I have it all now. But something is missing—the darkness I crave. I know I can’t exist without it. I need the tears in her ache and the fears in her sobs.

The closer she is to me, the less my grip becomes. I am losing control of her, of us, and worst of all—myself. And I cannot imagine the monster I will become when I let go… all to get her back.

The hunt is on in the love affair of Mae East & Cyclone Blonde.

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Embracing diversity. Coffee addict. Mango lover. Blueberry fetishist. Sweet peach tea crazy. Red wine devout. Whiskey deviant. Tattooed & pierced. Loves shoes. Collects rosaries. Fanatical organizer/cleaner/list-maker. Never sleeps. Hermit and recluse.

Storyteller.

KAILEE REESE SAMUELS has been spinning tales since she can remember. Her books are contemporary fiction with a no-holds-barred attitude. She adores listening to her character’s ramble and putting them into situations that push the boundaries.

Creativity is the way to change.

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Witness Protection by Holly Copella @HCopella #romance

Aug27

Title: Witness Protection

Author: Holly Copella

Genre: Romantic Thriller/Action – Adventure

Published: October 8, 2015

After witnessing an execution, a resourceful young woman attempts to disappear while being pursued by a hitman and a handsome federal agent.

Helicopter pilot, Jackie Remus, reluctantly agrees to go on a date with one of her clients, but her date is unexpectedly cut short when she witnesses a man being murdered. After narrowly escaping with her life, she is placed into protective custody. When the safe house is breached, Jackie makes a daring escape from both the hired killers and the handsome FBI agent, who wants to return her to protective custody. With a little help from her sly and crafty friend, Monroe, Jackie is convinced she can disappear until the trial. While on her journey to meet with her friend, she solicits help from a few shady but lovable characters along the way. Although she manages to stay one-step ahead of the hired killers, the federal agent remains in hot pursuit. Will Jackie reach Monroe before she’s captured by the FBI and returned to protective custody? Or will the hired killers silence her first?

Witness Protection is a romantic thriller with some scenes of violence, mild gore, moderate foul language, and intense sexual situations. Holly Copella books do not contain graphic sex scenes.

Holly Copella has been writing since the age of twelve when her frustration at a book’s poor plot drove her to author her own story. Over the last decade, she’s written a number of screenplays, some of which she’s now adapting into novels. Her fascination with zombies and other darker material lends an edge to her writing, which tends to lean toward horror. As a fan of Agatha Christie, she appreciates the craft of a good plot and the importance of creating significant characters.

Hailing from Pennsylvania, Copella lives in the Endless Mountains on a farm with her rescue horses and other animals. In addition to writing and reading fiction, she enjoys riding horses and traveling to Las Vegas and Disney World.

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The Nightingale #bookclubpick #NYTbestseller

Aug25

The Nightingale

Synopsis
In France in 1939, in the village called Carriveau, Vianne’s husband is going off to war. While he is gone, the Nazis invade France and a German soldier lives in her home.
In the intervening time period, Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is searching for purpose and love in life that has been absent up until this point. Determined to do what she can, she joins the French resistance to oppose the Nazi occupation and risk her life time and time again.
The story tells the narratives of two sisters whose personalities are opposites and describes how each person deals with the challenges in front of them because of the Nazi occupation.

Opinion
I do not usually read historical novels about the effects of war. That being said, I give the author a lot of credit for the book was well written. The story was true to the time period. The story is very similar to the real story of war heroine Andree de Jongh.

The author does not gloss over any of the atrocities that were happening at the time. It demonstrated the insidious way that the Nazis manipulated people to carry out their nefarious agenda.

From the beginning, Isabelle recognized the threat and wanted to do all she could to fight the Nazis.

Vianne did not want to rock the boat. While she finally acted in a way that helped someone other than her immediate family, she seemed to me to be selfish most of the novel. There was a lot of denial based on a naive assumption of what an occupying military force would do. There was a deliberate lack of perception for fear of what she might find.

The difference in upbringing was evident. Vianne always looked for someone to take care of her. On the other hand, Isabelle knew she had to take of herself. She did not have the luxury of depending on others because she had been disappointed time and time again.

In my opinion, the most character development happens in Vianne. Isabelle has her own evolution, but I think it is more drastic in Vianne.

The author did a fantastic job writing this and I think you will enjoy. When reading, I encourage you to think about who you are and what sacrifices you can live with and what you think will break you. Be honest with yourself and confront what you truly fear. This is the type of book that I would suggest that you read with a friend so that you can discuss. Considering what is happening in the world around us, a lot of what was in the story could have been taken from the headlines today.

Trigger warnings: torture, rape

TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?
BUY especially if you like historical fiction set in WWII. Even though I do not read or recommend a lot of books from this genre, I rate this book highly because it spurred a lot of thought.

Book details
Series: N/A
Heat Level: 🔥
Print Length: 449 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (February 3, 2015)
Publication Date: February 3, 2015

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Just One Chance by CA Harms #romance #blogtour @charms0814

Aug23

Title: Just One Chance

Series: Oh Tequila #1

Author: C.A. Harms

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 15, 2017

Tequila, you failed me.

You left me in a terrible haze, and I can’t find my god damn wallet.

Or my left shoe.

How the hell does one lose their shoe?

I have no f*cking clue.

All I know is that my night started out with one thing in mind…to have a little fun.

The problem with that? I can’t remember a damn thing, except one.

Morgan’s soft and needy moans. It’s a sound I will never forget, and just thinking about it makes my heart race and my pulse quicken. And I want to hear it over and over again…I crave it.

But Morgan’s a mystery. The harder I try, the more she resists. There’s one thing she doesn’t know about me though…I’m not one to give up.

I’ll play her game. I’ll let her think she’s won. But in the end, I will have her.

Because all I need is Just One Chance to prove she’s meant for me…

I love HEA stories, as long as they come packing a little heat. I need some excitement, some angst, and moments that make me fan my face are always good too. I am an Illinois girl, born and raised. Simple and true, it honestly doesn’t take much to make me happy. I love the little things; they truly mean the most. I may have a slight addiction to my new Keurig—oh my, that thing is a godsend. And so fast too. I have two children who truly are my very best friends, and their faces never fail to put a smile on my face. I have been married to my husband for sixteen years, and even though at times I want to beat him with a stick, I would never change the years we have had. We have learned and fallen, only to pick each other up, dust off the ache, and help each other make it right.

I am one of those authors that adore my fans. I love to hear from you. After all, it is because of each one of you that I continue to write. I look forward to your feedback.

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