She’s not in it for the money

The Substitute Millionaire (Silhouette Desire) : ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Synopsis:

Julie loses rock paper scissors with her sister and has to go on a blind date with Todd Ashton III. Her previously estranged grandmother set it up and sweeten the deal by offering $1 million. Ryan agreed with his cousin Todd to go in his place to teach gold digging women a lesson because he assumed Julie was in it for the money.

Ryan did not anticipate the instant strong attraction he felt. Sparks flew and although both agreed it was a bad idea, the blind date quickly led into a one night stand. Once night turned into morning, Ryan’s conscience began to bother him because he realized Julie was not what he expected. She was honest, straightforward, and sincere. He admits to his deception and all those warm fuzzy feelings Julie had are extinguished.

Understandably, she is hurt. But after dealing with an absentee father and unfaithful ex fiancé, she would rather never see him again. Julie’s father is a jerk. Of course, you can guess this love story hasn’t happy ending because I gave it four stars. The plot thickens considerably and circumstances are created so Julie and Ryan are forced to spend time together. In which time, it gives Ryan plenty of opportunity, through trial and error, to convince Julie that she is the one for him.

My opinion

I love this story! Julie’s grandmother is a major meddler in everyone’s lives. However she is also the catalyst that brought them together. Julie and Ryan have valid reasons for their behavior, but it is good that they were empathetic enough to see and understand the other person side. Julie sisters were loving and supportive. Todd was extremely skeptical of Julie’s intentions but came around when he realized he was mistaken.

Words that come to mind when thinking of The Substitute Millionaire : Fun. Cute. Smiles and laughter. Entertaining with a really sweet, unexpected ending.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book!

To buy on Amazon click any of the links in this post

Hard Apple Cider

May6

I do not like beer ***GASP!!!***

Yea, I said it. I’m not a beer drinker and I have tried plenty trying to find one that would suit my fancy (but that’s another post for another time). That being said, when I go out with friends during Happy Hour, I was tired of sipping my high dollar wine when they had $1 beer specials. I needed to find something that was not as expensive for a social drinker as myself.

Enter hard apple cider. ~~applause, bells, and whistles~~

My first taste with hard cider was Woodchuck. Of this brand my favorite is the Pear. Woodchuck is the least expensive that I have found. I can get it on tap or in a bottle at many bars around $3. The flavor is crisp with a little bite to it. The flavor profile is simple. I can taste the fermented flavor, a hint of apple, and not much else.

The prize for my favorite hard cider is a tie between Windy Hill Rusty Gold and Somersby Hard Cider. Both have extremely different flavor profiles, but are really yummy in their own right.

Windy Hill Rusty Gold is very complex with cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and orange peel. The aroma hits the nose and the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and orange peel dance on your taste buds. This is definitely a sipping cider because you need time to reflect and savor all the different flavors. Since I am all for local owned breweries, distilleries, and the like, I am always happy to support locally owned businesses like this. They are located in Rock Hill, SC (about 3 hours from where I live). I plan to head up there and take a tour of their farm when I get some free time.

As complex as Windy Hill Rusty Gold, Somersby Hard Cider is supremely simple apple flavor. Somersby Hard Cider is as smooth as they come. I often wonder if Somersby Hard Cider is sparkling apple juice. It has the fizz and the cider flavor is so light, that it is an easy to drink beverage. I have to restrain myself from drinking too fast because of the alcohol content. Have I mentioned how smooth it is? I love it! The negative about Somersby Hard Cider is that it is hard to find in the bars around town. I would prefer Somersby Hard Cider to Woodchuck. The positive about Somersby Hard Cider is that it is a great drink for garden parties. It is light, smooth, and refreshing.

Are there any hard ciders that you suggest I try? I am open to new ones and will let you know my opinion of those as I try them.

Ramada Plaza New Yorker Hotel

Apr20

Ramada Plaza New Yorker Hotel

481 8th Avenue, 34th St. & 8th Ave, New York City, NY 10001

I booked my trip on Hotwire (of all places) and said I was looking for a 4 star hotel with double beds. I used Hotwire because I did not want to spend $300+ on a room. Every other website seemed to want to make me pay through the nose for a long weekend (but I digress).

I chose the area I wanted (midtown Manhattan) and the price I wanted with the amenities I thought best – after paying my hotel was revealed: THE NEW YORKER HOTEL

Fancy fancy! With taxes, we paid $155 per night in NYC in December! I thought it was a great deal for the hotel and the location in comparison to the other options we had.

We arrived about 1 pm and I was prepared to have to wait until check-in at 3pm. Fortunately, our room was already available. Check-in was a breeze. We headed up the elevator to the 20th floor to our room. I like that they have elevators specifically for the 20-40 floors. For us, it was as if every elevator was express. Lobby to 20th with no stops in between.

The room was cute but super small. If you have ever travelled to London, the room size was on par with what you find there for midgrade hotels. Since we did not go to NYC to stay in the room, I was fine with me. It was very difficult to get a good picture of the entire room. Plus the lighting was not conducive to taking pictures. So using the one good picture I was able to take of the one of the beds and your imagination, you can figure out what the room looked like. There were 2 double beds that completely filled most of the room (I stood in the bathroom to get the picture of the one bed). The bathroom was small as well (about as big as an office cubicle). There was a little glass shelf above the sink but below the mirror on which the lotion, soap, and shampoo was placed but there was not much room for anything else. The sink was a pedestal sink with Kohler fixtures. LOVE!

The television was a flat screen on the wall so that took up minimal space. There was a small desk in the room that we could have done without. We spent most of our time walking around it. If the closet had been bigger, we probably would have put the desk in there.

The only drawback to the hotel room was that there was not a lot of power outlets. Given the age of the hotel, I understand but it was still an inconvenience. We all had cell phones, laptops, iPads, and camera batteries that needed to be charged each night. I thought about buying one of those 99 cent power strips but decided against it since I did not want to burn down my room from a power surge. Electrical fire in a confined space on the 20th floor? Yea, I’ll pass. I ended up charging my phone in the bathroom while we used the rest of the outlets for laptops.

Overall, I was happy to be situated in the middle of everything. The A train was at the corner. Penn Station was across the street. Times Square was a few blocks away. There were plenty of restaurant options for every time of day. Duane Reed was across the street for those essential items that we forgot to bring. Even though the room was small, it was comfortable and fit what we needed for the long weekend. I would definitely stay at the Ramada Plaza New Yorker Hotel again.

Can’t buy me love

Apr10

Can’t Buy Me Love (The Eligible Billionaires) (Volume 1) ♥♥♥

Synopsis:

Meg is Cole’s executive personal assistant and the lead working on closing a deal that would be a major win for Cole’s company. Due to an unstable childhood because of a mother who was not discerning with her bed partners, Meg has a rule not to engage in a physical relationship with her boss.

Cole is CEO and his executive assistant has been getting under his skin. Although he suspects that he might be in love, he does not want to succumb because of his major trust issues. Yes, they are justified concerns, but he cannot assume every person is out to get him.

Opinion:

Both main characters are emotionally damage, but Cole’s distrust is almost the downfall of the relationship. At least in the end, he addresses those issues in the correct romantic way. Meg was a good, strong female. She was spunky enough to stand up for herself and walked away when she needed to do so. She might have been crying when she left, but she made her exit with her head held high. She was the ultimate professional and thought a lot about safeguarding her reputation.

Overall, I totally liked Meg. She had her principles and she stuck to them so that she would not be accused of ending up like her mother. Cole was okay, but even better once he realized that what a gem he had in Meg. For most of the book, he was the stereotypical alpha-male who did not know what to do when love had his life spiraling out of his control. Plus, Cole’s lack of empathy for the position he put Meg in was slightly annoying to me. While he might have lost money if she was a gold-digger, Meg would lose her professional reputation, and possibly future career opportunities, if people thought she was sleeping with her boss.

In many ways, Can’t Buy Me Love was your typical boss-secretary romance. The story was entertaining and the conflict was well played. I gave the book 3 hearts instead of 4 because it took a while for Cole to learn his lesson.

First Cari and now Jess- Valendran males are falling in love

Apr5

Finding Jess (Men of Valendra) – ♥♥♥

Synopsis

This book is the sequel to Hunting Cari (Men of Valendra).

Amun felt a connection to Jess when he found out she existed. After a year of searching, Amun is still determined to find her so that she can be his mate.

Jess is a hybrid Valendra-human who was at the mercy of the Relians (evil enemy aliens) since she was a child. For many years, she suffered unspeakable physical and emotional abuse. During it all, she helped others to safety. She cannot understand what Amun would want with her since she is damaged.

Opinion:

In Hunting Cari, Jess played a major role in making sure that Cari survived her abduction and abuse. I got a glimpse of her personality and gift. Because of Amun’s reaction to Cari’s bracelet, I had a feeling that he would be her mate. Because of those points, I wanted to read her story and experience her happy ever after ending.

With any abuse survivor, there are feelings of doubt of their own self-worth. It was evident that Jess thought herself to be unworthy of Amun. Amun’s attempts to treat her delicately had the opposite effect since she thought he did not want her. Jess has to heal physically and emotionally in order to accept Amun’s love without question. I thought the author did a decent job delving into the issues that Jess faced because of her trauma. When something like that happens to a woman, it is necessary that her love interest be very understanding in helping her come to terms with what she is up against.

Although the story was mainly focused on Amum and Jess, there was so many other things going on.

1. Traitor in their midst
2. Finding the rest of the hybrid women and children scattered around the earth
3. Dealing with Relian threats
4. Budding romances between two other couples

Overall, Finding Jess (Men of Valendra) was a very endearing book to me. It was a sweet story, and by the end of the book, I was even more interested in the Valendran people and hoping for the rescue of more hybrids in coming books. The book could be read on its own, but I think to get the full effect, Hunting Cari should be read first. I am ready for the next book!!!!