The Dreaming Beauty

I am very picky about fairytale stories. I find all the originals weird and full of usually weak characters. I however, love regency so when supplied with this book to read, I was intrigued. 

I'm going to tell you, it did not disappoint!! I LOVE the chemistry between Marcus and Tanzy! Tanzy is her own woman and although plagued with horrible dreams she finds a way to push through and find her own happiness. 

This book pulled me in from the very beginning and I now absolutely love the story of The Sleeping Beauty. Anneka was able to keep a lot if golden gems from the original fairytale as well as add that special flare of regency romances. 

I could not recommend this book enough. You are just going to have to read it to understand. 

"Did he really think he knew her after a few painting sessions? Marcus knew her better and was positive he shared more of a connection with her than the one his brother claimed for himself. Had Marcus only imagined it? The only way to know was to see her again and find out for himself. But did he have the patience to wait two weeks?"

I received this book to read early as an ARC reader of Anneka's A Team. All reviews and thoughts are my own. 

An Unfamiliar Duke

     This book was so good, I bought it and read it all on the day it came out!!

     First off Sabastian is so swoony. I have a new favorite "book boyfriend". The chemistry and growth between Rosalind and Sabastian kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. I even cried and startled my husband with random burst of tears sometimes throughout this book. I'm pregnant and emotional okay? Also it's just that sweet and touching! 

     Sian did an amazing job of creating relatable characters. I haven't read a book in one day in awhile. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves romance and historic fiction! 

     Now the editor in me has to say there were some editing flaws that made me get caught on some sentences but it doesn't affect the story so they are minor. Plus the story is so beautiful, you hardly recognize them. 

      "At the sound of his chuckle, a small chip of the ice around Rosalind's heart fell away. His Grace may not be whom she would have chosen to marry, but they had spent the last ten minutes very pleasantly. Perhaps there was reason for hope after all."

SummerHaven

This book captivated me so much that I started and finished it in a day! Tiffany Odekirk really knows how to weave a story that is full of romance and intrigue. I love how clear this book is in what love truly looks and feels like and what pride and false love can lead to. 

  SummerHaven is about Hannah Kent, a young woman who dreams of a simple life with one man. However it has been many years since they have seen each other and people change, as Hannah finds out quickly when she visits SummerHaven. Two Brothers vie for her attention, one she has always thought she loved and the other, she thought she hated. Nothing is ever as it seems and secrets lie deep in SummerHaven. 

  Join Hannah as she finds out what true love feels like and what true friendship looks like. As she grows as a person and becomes the young woman her mother would be proud, you will be drawn in to a story of family, friends and love.

The Imagined Attachment

An Imagined Attachment by Holli Jo Monroe was an interesting mix of ups and downs! The main character being lost in fanciful daydreams made me want to shake her out of them yet as she grows, all I wanted to do was cheer her on. 

The amount of personal growth on all sides with this book is truly amazing. I didn't just get a glimpse into two peoples lives, but many of the characters. 

Holli really knows how to draw an audience into the lives of the people she is writing about as if we are there. I felt like I made some new friends in this book as I could really relate. 

This story definitely hit a personal note for me because when I was a kid I often got lost in severe daydreams all the time! So much so that I often was chastised for them just like Elaine is in the story. Never grow out of them Elaine! 

The book itself is a mix between Pride and Prejudice and the Sabrina I grew up with. What a privilege it was to be able to read this book on the ARC team! I absolutely fell in love with Holli's books forever now!! 

"It was fortunate he had not spoken more plainly at the ball. If he had declared himself out right and been rejected, life would be unbearable. At least now his feelings were known only to himself. The shame was his alone to bear."

Charming Artemis

I loved this book by Sarah M. Eden!

Sarah has done it again. She has created a story of friendship, romance and family that just draws you in! Charlie and Artemis were born for each other. 

Charlie is a kind gentlemen who feels like he doesn't quite belong in the family of Jonquils because he doesn't have the memories of his father that they all have. 

Artemis is a tender hearted lady who has always felt outcasted in the family. She feels as if her father has never seen her and has found a father figure in a man from her past. 

When these two come together, they are tested in every way. Charlie discovers that the man from Artemis' past is someone that is deeply connected to his life and he find the closure he needs. 

What a heart moving story and a beautiful book to wrap up the Jonquil brother books as well as the Lancaster books!! 

To Kiss a Wallflower

I reviewed an ARC of To Kiss a Wallflower which is a compilation of three stories from three different authors. 

I loved this book! All stories were very well written and great at drawing one into the storyline. 

Okay can I just say, I LOVE when the Wallflowers get their stories? I am such an introvert that I would be considered a Wallflower. Reading about women who like to stay to the shadows and feel awkward talking to people, find their love story, is the best! 

These three stories with three women, one who isn't actually a Wallflower, were soooo good!!! 

Read about Lottie in The Wallflower's Dance, Ellen in Letters to a Wallflower, and Charlotte in To Marry a Wallflower. 

I highly recommend this book as well as these authors!! 

Mother's Day

     Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there!! Whether you have a jungle of kids, working on your first few or praying for that baby, we see you. 

     I'm so excited to welcome my second baby into the world this year. I know his big sister is going to love him! 

       As a book lover all I want for Mother's Day is a clean house and books! I got one of those things so I'm pretty happy!

Hold On, But Don't Hold Still

 N: Being sick has it's ups and downs. One up is that I get to catch up on reading! I am a pure fictional reader, which is why I have been stretching to the challenge of reading more non-fiction or helpful books. This was the first one I was able to read all the way through and I love it! Kristina really knows how to draw you into her life and feel validated for having normal feelings! She speaks to moms everywhere that are struggling with the life that is called of us. I was hooked instantly and felt like I had someone who understood that life as a mom is about moving forward and not getting stuck in the tasks of everyday life. If you are a mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, etc. This book is for you!

The Best-Laid Plans

Back: Newton Hughes has long dreamed of pursuing a career in law, an acceptable choice for a gentleman of status and wealth. His parents, however, disapprove of his ambition, urging him instead to take his rightful place as a gentleman of leisure—with a suitable wife of their choosing, of course. 

Ellie Napper would like nothing more than for her parents to abandon their incessant efforts to marry her off to the greatest possible advantage. Her lack of matrimonial enthusiasm drives her family mad, but she refuses to feign frivolity in order to make herself more palatable to potential suitors. 

When Ellie and Newton are introduced through their mutual acquaintance, Charlie Jonquil, they commiserate over their shared plight. In desperation, they hatch a plan: Ellie and Newton will feign an interest in each other—enough to convince their parents not to push them toward unwanted matches but not enough to cause whispers or expectations. Their plot quickly spirals out of control, but the greatest complication is the one they didn’t see coming: their plan never included falling in love.

N: Sarah M. Eden has done it again! I can not get enough of her books and this one is no exception. As a segway into the final Jonquil Brothers book coming out in October, it introduces characters in a phenomenal way. I have waited so long for Charlie's story; Charming Artemis to come out, that reading this book was a nice treat. It's a beautiful love story between two young adults who just want the freedom of choosing their own lives. As they grow closer together through the story, I could feel my anticipation and worry for them. Yes, I want them to fall in love but wouldn't that be giving their parents exactly what they wanted? Such a great read and I would highly recommend all of Sarah's books!

More Than a Wife

 

Back: She’s getting back in the game, one blog post at a time. Samantha Higgins never thought driving her husband’s car would forever change her life. But one conversation later, heard through his Bluetooth, and Samantha is changing her last name. While trying to figure out who Samantha Decker is, she writes what she thinks is one final post on her blog, announcing her divorce. When the post goes viral, she finds herself with a new title, The Sidelined Wife, and an unbelievable following. To make matters more interesting, her younger brother’s best friend, Reed Cassidy, who was a thorn in Samantha’s adolescent side, moves back to town as the new head football coach for her son’s high school team. Unbeknownst to Samantha, Reed has harbored a crush for his old babysitter all these years. But, Samantha isn’t keen on dating anyone, much less a younger man that used to booby trap her bedroom with firecrackers. While Samantha is doing her best to learn and even make up some of the rules of single life and being a semi-celebrity, Reed comes in and changes the game. Now Samantha must decide if she should get back on the field or if she prefers the sidelines.

N: I stayed up until three in the morning reading this book! I finally finished it and am ready to move on to book two! The book style is definitely mature. There are references to intimacy and lots of flirting but all in a very clean, married way! I can definitely say that being a married woman and reading this book, I have been able to relate somewhat and laugh along with the humor. I just hope I am able to handle the dating phase of my children a little easier than Samantha does!

Back in Business, Book Dragons!

Wow, the time has gone by and books have been read! Passwords, however, have also been lost and so have recovery emails. Every once in a while one of us would talk about wanting to start the blog again but unfortunately, we couldn't even remember the email to try and log into so it never happened. Well, I am glad to say, with determination and lots of failed attempts, we got in!! I, for one, am so excited to start sharing clean and entertaining books with you again!!

Where do you spend your Tuesdays?

A big apology for all our followers. Life has been pretty busy for the four of us. Family, work, graduation, and senior year. The list isn't an excuse rather extended hope for understanding. Despite what has kept us away for so long, I have read the most amazing book. (Well since it has been a long time since the last post, I have read many great books since then.) The star book today is...

Back:

Tuesdays at Castle Glower are Princess Celia's favorite days. That's because on Tuesdays the castle adds a new room, a turret, or sometimes even an entire wing to itself. No one ever knows what the castle will do next, and no one - other than Celia, that is - takes time to map out the new additions. But when King and Queen Glower are ambushed and reportedly killed, it's up to Celia with her secret knowledge of the Castle's many twists and turns, to protect their home and save their kingdom.

C: This book was very refreshing. Most books in the market have romance in them. I am as hopeless as they get with romances; however it is nice to see another type of love in Jessica Day George’s book. Family love. Tuesdays with the Castle is a story about a family trying to save their beloved Castle. They bear each other’s burdens when news of their parents reaches them. The older two respect Celia’s connection with the Castle and look to her though she is the youngest. My favorite is the idea of the Castle itself. In my opinion it is a must read for all book lovers. Merry blogging and happy reading to all!

The adventure at the castle continues with Wednesdays in the Tower and Thursdays with the Crown. Visit the amazing architecture herself at: www.jessicadaygeorge.com.

Opinion and Evidence: Books trumps movies

Sorry about the neglect. However, in that time I have read good books. Two of my favorites are Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians by Brandon Sanderson and Love's Enduring Promise by Janette Oke.

My opinion: Books are better than movies.
Evidence: My family and I sat on the couch closely listening to the 4 books of Alcatraz versus the Evil Librarians just like one would be while watching a movie. However, we weren't actively destroying our brain cells. We could, or at least I could see the story unfold just as well as if it was on a screen.
Not to discredit the Hallmark movies of Janette Oke's books but I highly recommend reading the books. It is really different than the movie. Things are changed and left out but I do give credit to the director to take and make what he did from the books to the movies. However, my opinion remains that books are better than movies. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy a good movie.

What's your opinion?

Where to begin

The first book in a series called Infinity Ring is A Mutiny in Time by James Dashner.

{Continuing from this one, books in the Infinity Ring series:

 Book 2-Divide and Conquer, Carrie Ryan; Book 3-The Trap Door, Lisa McMann; Book 4-Curse of the Ancients, Matt De La Pena; Book 5-Cave of Wonders, Matthew J. Kirby; Book 6-Behind Enemy Lines, Jennifer A. Nielsen; Book 7-The Iron Empire, James Dashner (Available January 28, 2014).}

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History is Broken

When best friends Dak Smyth and Sera Froste stumble upon the key to time travel – a handheld device known as the Infinity Ring – they’re swept up in a centuries-old war for the fate of humankind. Recruited by a secret society named the Hystorians, the kids learn that history has gone disastrously off course. Now it’s up to Dak, Sera, and young Hystorian Riq to travel back in time to fix the Great Breaks.

C: I loved the twist on history. James Dashner did a wonderful job staying true to history while at the exact same time messing everything up. I appreciated the originality to the typical time travel. A parent (or parents) lost in time and it is up the kids to  bring them back; however Dak, Sera, and Riq’s first and most important purpose is one that has affects beyond themselves. I am not one for books about time travel because either they are cheesy or they include unneeded additions like swear words. But this clean, original story has me anxious to read on and have history as I know it ;)!