Photo blogging #challenge April 2017 #color #photoblog #fun

May1

The theme for April’s photo blogging challenge hosted by http://hoohaa.com/ was COLOR. It has been a LONNNG while since I participated in the photo challenge. I wanted to get back into doing this because it is my one time a month to share a visual insight in my world.

Without further ado, here are my pictures on the theme.

Photo 1
We went to the North Georgia mountains fir our anniversary. We stayed in a cabin at the Sylvan Valley Lodge. Outside the back was dense forest. All the shades of green looked so peaceful.


Photo 2

I went to a painting class and painted this picture. The local chamber of commerce hosted the event to promote the upcoming Festival of Flowers in June. I think my picture is so colorful and pretty. I was surprised that it turned out as well as it did.

Photo 3

I am a Young Living independent distributor. I have bottles of essential oils everywhere. I took this picture because I was staging a picture for Instagram. I love the different colors of the bottle labels.  Of the ones pictured, I think Thieves is my most used lately to boost my immune system because there are too many sick people at work.

Photo 4

I was a judge for a local chef competition. Of course, I was judging the Dessert entries because I love sweets. This lovely, colorful dessert is a lemon basil cake with strawberry cream topped with candied pecans and lemon whipped cream. I love all that is going on with this dish!!!! It was my fave.

Photo 5

I ordered sweet potato tempura sushi the other day. I like how the orange of the sweet potato pops in this. It was tasty too.

These were just a few of the pictures that show the colorful areas of my life.

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

-Letter Z– Werebear Hero’s Nurse @AprilAtoZ #atozchallenge #bearshifter #IRromance

Apr30

Alyse Zaftig – Werebear Hero’s Nurse

Z is for Zaftig

Werebear Hero’s Nurse

3heart

Synopsis
Shane is in the military and is discharged after he loses a foot. He needs a nurse to help him while he recuperates. He is also a bear shifter.

Alicia is the nurse who is helping him. She works as a home health nurse.

Opinion
First of all, the story was short.
It can be summed up as this: boy meets girl. Girl is a nurse and takes care of him. Boy fires girl so that he can date her. they live happily ever after.
There is a little bit more to the story than that summation, but that is pretty much it in a nutshell. because of that, there is not a lot to the story that is outstanding to me.
I thought the story was cute because of how Shane tried to win Alicia over. I did think that the story went too quickly. A lot was glossed over that I think could have helped develop the characters to the story.
Because Shane was a werebear, he had super fast healing. That was the only reason that him being a shifter added to the story. Other than that detail, this could have just been another interracial romance.

TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?
BORROW. The story was good but too short for me.

Book details
Print length: 256 pages (I dont think thats right though- story was short)
Series: None
Heat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥

buy_this_book

 

-Letter X– Across the Tracks @AprilAtoZ #atozchallenge #IRromance #BWWM

Apr28

X is for Xyla (Xyla Turner)

Across the Tracks

4heart

Synopsis
Lisa and Rich had a negative racial experience with each other as children. While Rich did not give it another thought, it helped to form Lisa into who she is and the career choices she decided to make as an adult.

When Lisa and Rich meet as adults, there is an intense attraction. They have to decide if they will act on it and how it will impact their lives.

Opinion
I loved this book like I have not loved another IRR (interracial romance)!!! This story was REAL and focused on how true love can conquer everything. I think a lot of IRR gloss over the negative aspects an interracial couple has to face. There are the sideways racist comments and people that will try to sabotage the relationship for no other reason than they do not want to see the mixed couple together.

Rich probably had the most development to make in the course of the book. He was a product of his environment because his father was so prejudiced. I know men like Rich that have racist families but they do not let that define who they decide to love.

Lisa might not have been overtly racists, but she had her own internal issues that she had to come to terms with and decide what was most important to her.

TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?
I say BUY especially if you are a fan of IRR. This is a story like no other.

Book details
Print Length: 167 pages
Heat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥
Series: None

buy_this_book

-Letter W – Never Kiss a Stranger @AprilAtoZ #atozchallenge #stepsiblingromance

Apr27

W is for Winter (Winter Renshaw)

Never Kiss a Stranger (Never Say Never)


Synopsis
Addison and Wilder meet using a dating app (similar to Tinder) and agree to one night. No questions asked. No last names.

The next day, Wilder decides that he has not had enough of Addison and they keep hooking up.

Then, they find out their parents are getting married and they will be step-siblings.

Opinion
When I read the book blurb, I imagined the characters differently. While I appreciated the explosive between-the-sheets chemistry, that is not enough to base an entire relationship.

I thought that Wilder seemed immature. He was too much of a dominating alpha male and super needy at the same time.

Image result for how is that possible meme
Even with that, I was planning on rating the story 3 hearts ♥♥♥.

THEN, the whole plotline where their parents were getting married emerged. Up until now, I was only slightly annoyed with Wilder’s erratic emo tendencies.

Image result for plot thickens meme

Addison and her sister freak out as if being step-siblings would make them appear to be hillbilly. Ridiculous!

By this time, she is in love with Wilder.

She is going to throw it all way FOR WHAT?

Nothing that made sense to me. Hence the story lost another heart ♥.

Step-sibling romances are not taboo if they did not live/grow up together. They met as ADULTS! It was not that serious. A good PR person could have been able to spin any possible fallout if there had been negative publicity.

TOW Final Word: Buy, Borrow, Pass?
BORROW. The story is okay, but the attempt at conflict was overly dramatic and fell short of its intended purpose in my opinion.

Book details
Print length: 274 page
Series: Never Series Book 1
Heat Level: 🔥 🔥 🔥 🔥

buy_this_book

Cover Reveal: Devastate by Marley Valentine #romance @MValentine__

Apr26
Title: Devastate 
Author: Marley Valentine
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: May 25, 2017
Cover Designer: PopKitty
They always say to expect the unexpected. Little did I know the unexpected also meant the unthinkable. 
No longer a wife or a mother, what was once a full and meaningful life was now obliterated; leaving me with nothing but darkness in its place. 
Until him. 
Blazing bright and determined to bring me back to life, Lior came knocking on darkness’ door. Gentle, yet fierce; he was armed in warmth and healing. 
He was powerful, persistent and prepared for war. 
I just don’t know if I’m willing to fight or ready to fall.

Marley Valentine comes from the future. Living in Sydney, Australia with her family, when she’s not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.
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