From Scratch by C.E. Hilbert

July 13, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

From Scratch by C.E. Hilbert was a super sweet romance novel. This book was one that I wasn’t sure if I was going to like when I back of the book but after I was a chapter or two into the book I didn’t want to put it down. This was a super easy read for me which I always like. I liked that Maggie was a super relatable character, and I felt like I understood her and the things that she did. I am always a fan of characters like Sean as well. I always think that they are people I would get along with in the real world. The one thing that comes to mind as I think about this book is how sweet the story was. It does have a little bit of mystery to it, so I enjoyed that. It was predictable in the fact that I pretty much knew what was going to happen in the long run but even with that being said I still really enjoyed the book. If you love chick lit books than I know, you will enjoy this book just as much as I did.

About The Book

Maggie McKitrick loves everything about her new life in Gibson’s Run, Ohio—her charming bakery, her quirky customers, her distance from the past. Yes, she loves everything…except her new landlord. Police Chief Sean Taylor is like a piece of sand in an oyster—irritating, but with the promise of something beautiful. Despite Maggie’s self-imposed man-fast, she wonders what kind of treasure she and the lawman could create together.

Sean Taylor likes to keep the peace, but his new tenant is making it nearly impossible to keep anything on an even keel—including his heart. Despite her sassy attitude, Sean is drawn to the beautiful pastry chef and has an overwhelming need to serve and protect her.

As Maggie and Sean draw closer together, her long buried dreams about her life are reawakened into a hopeful prayer…until a threat from her past promises to destroy their future. Will Maggie be forced to run—again—starting fresh? Or will God answer her prayer and give her the happily-ever-after she’s started from scratch?

About The Author

I have four great passions: sharing Jesus with young people, telling happily-ever-after stories with humor, professional hockey and making cookies with real butter.

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Love of The Game by Lori Wilde

July 12, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Love of The Game by Lori Wilde was a great book. I sat down and read the entire book on the 4^th of July so it was an easy read and I loved the story. I think this is the first book I have read by this author and I enjoyed it, and I have added her to my list of authors to check out when I stop reviewing books. I couldn’t get enough of this book because I fell in love with the characters right from the start and I didn’t put it down until I was finished with the book. I am a huge fan of books that have sports stars as one of the main characters because I think they more relatable than other chick lit books. If you love chick lit books than I would tell you to check out this book because it is one of the best chick lit books I have read in a while.

About The Book

A sexy sports superstar discovers his body isn’t the only thing that needs healing in this newest Stardust, Texas novel fromNew York Times bestselling author Lori Wilde.

With major league good looks and talent, Dallas Gunslingers relief pitcher Axel Richmond was living the good life. Even if the roar of the crowd could never distract him from the loss of his young son. But now with an injured shoulder and his career on the line, Axel is stuck recuperating at a ranch in Stardust, Texas . . . striking out only with his gorgeous physical therapist.

Kasha Carlyle has one week to get Axel back in action or she can kiss her much-needed job with the Gunslingers goodbye. And any chance to seek custody of the orphaned half-sister she never knew existed. She quickly learns that Axel’s guarded heart also needs healing . . . requiring all kinds of sneaky plays and sexy moves in extra innings.

About The Author

Lori Wilde can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to write. She even went to nursing school so she could have a schedule flexible enough to allow her to write on the side. She nursed for 20 years, working in a variety of settings from the newborn nursery to the recovery room, to dialysis. But she never lost her desire to write.

She sold her first book in 1994 to Silhouette Romance but later discovered she had a flair for comedy and branched out to Harlequin Duets and now, to Blaze.

Lori is an adventuresome soul who loves to travel. She’s taken flying lessons, completed two marathons, rode in a hot-air balloon, performed with a professional jazz band, traveled Europe as a teenager, hiked volcanoes in Hawaii, trod on glaciers in Alaska, shot white-water rapids, water-skied, snow-skied, raced all-terrain vehicles, bodysurfed in the Gulf of Mexico, and photographed grizzly bears in Yellowstone.

She lives in her native Texas, with her own real-life hero, Bill.

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The Second Half by Lauraine Snelling

July 6, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Second Half by Lauraine Snelling was a book I knew I had to check out when I got the email. The book reminded me of my situation in the fact that I was raised by my grandparents from the age of about eight on so I was super interested in this book. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book and in the end, I did like this book. I have read so many books that it is rare that one sticks out in my mind after I have finished it and written the review. This is one of the ones that stuck out to me because I just really enjoyed the story and the characters. This book was well written, and I wouldn’t mind reading other books by her. I also liked that this book was an easy read. I was able to sit down and read it in a few hours which was nice. I like that it gave me a little inside to what my grandparents could have felt like when they took my brother and me in when we were younger. I think this is a book that most people would enjoy.

About The Book

Bestselling author Lauraine Snelling shares a heartfelt story of a couple who put their plans for a peaceful retirement on hold to assume guardianship of their young grandchildren.
Mona and Ken Sorenson are approaching the best years of their lives. Mona’s greatest concern is that Ken will learn of the surprise party she’s planning for his retirement from his job as Dean of Students at Stone University. They’ve already been making plans to travel, spend limitless hours in the garden, and Ken is looking forward to working on his woodworking and fishing with his grandchildren. It’s what they deserve after years of careful planning.

But things begin to unravel when Ken learns that office politics are about to destroy his department. Can he really just leave, abandoning the work he spent a lifetime achieving? Mona is eager to build her event planning business with Ken’s help, but rather than supporting her, he expresses concern that the stress of the work will send her back into the depression she struggles with. Then, just days before Ken’s last official day of work, their son, a Special Forces officer in the Army, learns he’s being immediately deployed on a six-month mission in Pakistan. Since his wife left him, the only people he trusts to care for his two young children are his parents. In an instant, everything Ken and Mona spent their lives planning changes, and they will need to find strength, both physical and mental, to become parents once more. This is not the second half they wanted, and when their son fails to contact them as planned, they struggle to trust that it is God’s plan, not theirs, that matters most.

About The Author

Lauraine Snelling is the award-winning author of over seventy books, with sales of more than 2 million copies.

She also writes for a wide range of magazines, and helps others reach their writing dreams by teaching at writers’ conferences across the country.

Lauraine and her husband, Wayne, have two grown sons, and live in the Tehachapi Mountains with a watchdog Basset named Winston.

They love to travel, most especially in their forty-foot motor coach, which they affectionately deem “a work in progress”.

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Precious in His Sight by Karen Pashley

July 5, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Precious in His Sight by Karen Pashley was a good book. I did spend most of the book hating Clay and even now that I am done with the book, I still don’t like him at all. I had a hard time reading this book because of how I felt about Clay. I love when and the author can make you hate a character so much from the first few pages. So even though I didn’t like him, I did enjoy this book. I loved reading along and seeing how Sugar changed and grew throughout the book. I did love this book in the end, and I like I said before I love when authors make their characters so life like that you hate them. I did enjoy just about everything in this book. It was slow at times, but I didn’t mind those parts as much as I usually do. I liked this book, and I would love to read more by this author in the future.

About The Book

What if your husband was cheating? What would you do?

Feisty, tenacious, and adorably flawed, Sugar Brennan is fiercely committed to her family, her traditional Christian values, and her spotless reputation in her affluent Southern community. When she discovers her husband Clay’s been unfaithful, Sugar is determined to right the wrongs in her life.
But when Clay’s former mistress returns to Westfield with devastating news, it poses a heart-wrenching dilemma that challenges Sugar to rethink all she’s believed about faith, family, and the healing power of forgiveness.

She’s been raised in a preacher’s home, taught to love her enemies.

She’s got the fish sticker on her car and a collection of good works under her belt.

But . . . reach out to the woman who nearly destroyed her marriage? Surely God wouldn’t ask her to go that far.

About The Author

I’m proud to call Nashville home. Though I grew up in New York, and lived in Florida for more than two decades, I’ve been grafted into Nashville’s eclectic southern culture. I love the people, the easy going vibe, and the lingo. I’m a southern transplant, y’all!

I’m also:

A Christian. In awe of the transforming power of the Word of God. A daily recipient of God’s abundant grace. A redeemed sinner who still messes up regularly. I have a heart for women and the pressures we are faced with in today’s complicated world.

A wife. Thirty years. I didn’t have much training on how to be a wife. Wasn’t prepared for the many ups and downs we would face as we learned by trial and error what marriage was all about. Trials and errors. There have been plenty of them. But there’s also joy, and friendship, and matchless intimacy. I’m committed to one man—my husband Jay.

A proud mom of four incredible young women. Over the past twenty-nine years, they have been my reason for waking in the morning, my motivation to be the best person I can be, and the reflection of a Father in Heaven who loves me inconceivably more than I love them.

An author. An encourager. A storyteller. I wrote my first novel PRECIOUS IN HIS SIGHT to inspire others to grasp the very personal truth of God’s amazing love for each one of us. It’s a story of hardship and heartache, and the power of forgiveness to set us free. You can read more about it and my upcoming projects in the Books menu under the Fiction tab.

A foodie. I am the founder of Girls Dine In. Part cooking class, part supper club, my monthly events bring women together for an evening of great food, fellowship and loads of fun. No kids. No hubbies. Just the girls. Check out the Food tab under the Blog menu for recipes, entertaining ideas, kitchen tips, and more.

A creator. A visionary. A bigger picture kind-of thinker. I love coming up with ideas and setting them in motion. Seems like I’ve always got a new project to tackle!

I enjoy entertaining, going for morning hikes in the woods, hanging out with my daughters, cuddling my sweet grand baby, painting old furniture, trying to grow things in my yard, planning events, wandering through museums, and lounging at the beach.

I do not enjoy mani/pedis or massages (I know, I’m weird). I’m not fond of carnivals, heights, doing paperwork of any kind, watching my plants whither and die despite my best efforts, and I’m probably the only person in America who did not like the Broadway musical Wicked. So there you have it.

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Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley

July 1, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley was a great book. This is the second book in the series, but you don’t have to read the first book to understand what is going on in this book. You can click here to check out my review of the first book “Her Sister’s Shoes by Ashley Farley.” I enjoy reading books by this author and like I said I enjoyed this book. I love the family that is in this book, and I feel like I can relate to them and the things that they have gone through in their lives. I loved everything about this book, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series because I love catching up with all of the characters in this series. I look at these characters like they are actual people because the author does a great job of making them seem like real people. I think that just about anyone would love this book, and I recommend this book to everyone.

About The Book

Family Drama, Southern Style.
There’s a stranger in town. And it’s no coincidence when she shows up uninvited at a Sweeney family wedding. All eyes are drawn to this urchin who seems to have washed in with the tide. Before the night is over, the doe-eyed waif charms young and old with her street smarts and spunky personality. For better or worse, Annie Dawn is here to stay.

The memorable Sweeney sisters from Her Sister’s Shoes have returned with more suspense and family drama to hold you spellbound until the dramatic conclusion. As she approaches the next stage of her life as an empty nester, Jackie is torn between expanding her fledgling design business and spending these last precious months with her boys before they fly the coop. Her own worst enemy, Sam is terrified of making a commitment to Eli Marshall, handsome police officer, true love of her life. Her resolve is tested when a ghost from her past shows up after nearly two decades. Faith nurtures her seven-year-old daughter who is recovering from the trauma of her abusive father. Is the threat in the past, or is there more danger on the horizon? The sisters seek guidance from their mother, Lovie, a true Southern matriarch who shows them how to respond to adversity with grace and dignity.

Things are heating up in the Lowcountry. The Sweeney sisters remind us, once again, that being a part of a family is about more than sharing the same DNA.

About The Author

Ashley Farley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions.

After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. SAVING BEN is not a memoir, but a story about the special bond between siblings.

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The Average Girl by Angelina Goode

June 29, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Pump Up Your Book in exchange for my honest review. I received no other compensation and the opinions expressed in this review are one hundred percent true and my own.

The Average Girl by Angelina Goode was a fun chick lit book. This was a great book, and I loved that the premise of the story was different from any other book that I have read lately. I usually am not a huge fan of this type of book but this author hooked me right from the start, and I didn’t want to put it down until the book was done. I enjoyed Olivia because she seems like someone that I would get along with in real life. I can say that this book was predicable but I still really enjoyed this author’s style of writing. She was able to make me feel like I was there with the characters. She also made me feel like I was a part of the story and I enjoyed that about this book. If you love chick lit or and looking for a fun book to read this summer, I would for sure recommend this book to you.

About The Book

Sometimes being average can lead to wonderful things…

Olivia Fowler, helper of the star-struck, runs a successful business helping average people meet celebrities in everyday ways. She is so good at what she does, the celebrities don’t have a clue they’re part of a pre-planned meeting. Business is booming and Olivia knows everything there is to know about Hollywood’s famous and their behavior. Her clients trust her because she is just like them, not famous.

But when Olivia accidentally meets the uber-famous Alexander Young at the grocery store, her world is flipped upside-down. She can’t possibly resist those charming eyes and sexy arms. As their romance blossoms, Olivia learns she may not know as much as she thought she did about celebrities and their ways.

Then Olivia’s most important and loyal client requests to meet Alexander. Suddenly, Olivia is forced to choose between her love and her business.

Will Olivia be able to keep her booming business a secret from her soon-to-be boyfriend? Will her clients still trust her if she is no longer the average girl?

About The Author

Angelina Goode began writing as a teenager. Though her first works were poems about love-struck teenagers, she grew her craft while earning her degree in Journalism and Creative Writing. A former grade school teacher that loved teaching children to write, she enjoys finding creative ways to present everyday events. Now she primarily writes light-hearted contemporary women’s fiction. She lives in Los Angeles where she enjoys the occasional celebrity sighting and year-round sun.

The World As I See It

Chick Lit

From Scratch by C.E. Hilbert

About The Book

About The Author

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Love of The Game by Lori Wilde

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The Second Half by Lauraine Snelling

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Precious in His Sight by Karen Pashley

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Lowcountry Stranger by Ashley Farley

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