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.

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The Silver and Gold Deception by Brenda G Bradley

June 28, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Killion Group 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 Silver and Gold Deception by Brenda G Bradley wasn’t the right book for me. From the description of the book, I thought it was going to be a book that I would like, but it just didn’t work out for me. I felt like the book was rushed and I felt like I couldn’t connect with any of the characters in the book. It was written well, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me. After I was finished with the book I saw that is a romantic comedy and I was wondering how I managed to miss that while reading the book. I know that this will be a book most people will probably like, but it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

About The Book

Dee thinks her life is finally perfect; she’s found her “Mr. Right” and she has a great job. Things are going great until four masked men rob the store where she works—then things start to go horribly wrong. Bad luck seems to follow her everywhere, and when she finds a corpse in her bed, she knows she needs help. Agent Derek Branch sees the evidence pointing to the sexy Dee Carter, but his heart doesn’t want to believe this woman capable of murder. When evil targets Dee, will Derek’s duty to the FBI keep him from following his heart? Or will Dee go down for the crimes?

About The Author

I am a former employee for the state of Maryland. I have been married for more than thirty years to the same man. We have two adult sons. Reading and writing love stories is my passion.

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Indira Gandhi-Quote Of The Week

June 27, 2016

This week’s quote is by Indira Gandhi.

When I saw this quote I knew I wanted to use it because I think more people should stop before they throw punches and hear the other person’s perspective. People are so quick to fight, and I think everyone needs to take a step back and just listen to the other person. You don’t have to agree or even like the person, but you need to at least hear the other person out and respect their opinions. Not everyone will agree or think like you do and there is nothing wrong with that.

What do you think of this week’s quote by Indira Gandhi?

Weekly Wrap-Up

June 24, 2016

It is almost July, and I have no idea where all the time has gone this year. It seems like I have been going since the first of the year and if I am honest, I need a break. I wish I had the time to take a few days off of work and relax but because of the days I take off my infusion, I don’t have the time to take a day off where I don’t have anything to do. I guess it could always be worse, and at least I have a job and health insurance. Anyway, let’s just get right into the links from this past week.

My Father’s House by Rose Chandler Johnson

Lao Tzu – Quote Of The Week

Medical Judgement by Dr. Richard Mabry

Adoption Thoughts- A Hard Year

Holding Smoke by Elle Cosimano

Top 10 Vacations I Want To Take-Writers Workshop

Those are all the posts from this past week. I hope you all had a great week, and I will see you back here next week for more reviews.

Top 10 Vacations I Want To Take-Writers Workshop

June 23, 2016

This week I wanted to write about ten vacations I want to take for the writer’s workshop. Now when I say that there are places on this list that I don’t know if I will ever make it too because the thought of flying makes me super nervous. Let’s get on to the list of places I would love to visit.

New York City, New York-The first place I would like to explore is New York City. I am sure after a few hours I would be overwhelmed by all the people, but I do think it is something that everyone to experience at least once in their life.
Ireland-Six or so years ago I got into Celtic Thunder and because of that, I have wanted to go and explore Ireland.
Yellowstone– I have been to Yellowstone so many times, and it is still one my favorite places to go on vacation. I can’t get enough of it, and I hope that in the next few years I will be able to go back. Even though I have been there so much, it changes so each time you go so even though I went a few years back I know will be totally different.
Australia- I do have family that lives in Australia, and it is a place that I hope one day I can go and explore the entire country.
England- I want to explore all of the historical sites and things like that. There is so much history in Europe, and I hope that I can explore it all one day.
Orlando, Florida-Last week I wrote that I want to go to Orlando so that I can go to all of the amusement parks that they have there.
California- I want to go here because I want to visit all the amusement parks that they have. I also would love to go to the San Diego zoo again because when we went there when I was younger it was raining so we didn’t get to see much because of the rain.
Hawaii- I have always wanted to go to some place like Hawaii because I would love to live in a tropical environment because it seems nicer than Utah’s weather and I would love to live in a place where it doesn’t snow.
Scotland- The reason I want to go here is the same reason I had for going to Ireland & England. Europe is full of history and has tons of places I want to explore.
Michigan- Back in 2003 my Grandma and I took a two-week vacation in Michigan and ever since then I have always wanted to go back and see what else I can find and see. I can’t say enough good things about Michigan. Everything about that state was amazing, and I hope I can go back one day soon.

Those are the ten places I would love to visit. I have written a post like this before, and as I was looking back at that post, I realized that the places I wanted to haven’t changed in years. If you want to check out that post, you can click here to read that post. Where is one place you could love to visit?

Here are all the prompts for this weeks writer’s workshop in case you want to join.

1. Throwback Thursday: Choose a photo from a previous June and write a poem or a blog post.
2. Create a summer playlist and share it.
3. Share a lesson you learned from your Father that still sticks with you to this day.
4. Write a blog post inspired by the word: won
5. Share a side by side of your child’s first and last days of school. What has changed?
6. List 10 vacations you wouldn’t hate taking.

Holding Smoke by Elle Cosimano

June 22, 2016

FTC: I received a free copy of this book from Netgalley 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.

Holding Smoke by Elle Cosimano was a book that I surprised by how much I liked it in the end. When I started the book, it was one that I didn’t want to put down until I was at the end of the book. This isn’t a book that I would usually pick up but once again I am glad that I did because in the end I enjoyed the story and I am for sure going to check out other books by this author in the future. I enjoyed the characters and the setting of this book. I am not usually into YA books but like I said I enjoyed this book. It is one that I am sure most people would enjoy, and it is a super easy read as well.

About The Book

John “Smoke” Conlan is serving time for two murders but he wasn’t the one who murdered his English teacher, and he never intended to kill the only other witness to the crime. A dangerous juvenile rehabilitation center in Denver, Colorado, known as the Y, is Smoke’s new home and the only one he believes he deserves.

But, unlike his fellow inmates, Smoke is not in constant imprisonment. After a near death experience leaves him with the ability to shed his physical body at will, Smoke is able to travel freely outside the concrete walls of the Y, gathering information for himself and his fellow inmates while they’re asleep in their beds. Convinced his future is only as bright as the fluorescent lights in his cell, Smoke doesn’t care that the “threads” that bind his soul to his body are wearing thin-that one day he may not make it back in time. That is, until he meets Pink, a tough, resourceful girl who is sees him for who he truly is and wants to help him clear his name.

Now Smoke is on a journey to redemption he never thought possible. With Pink’s help, Smoke may be able to reveal the true killer, but the closer they get to the truth, the more deadly their search becomes. The web of lies, deceit, and corruption that put Smoke behind bars is more tangled than they could have ever imagined. With both of their lives on the line, Smoke will have to decide how much he’s willing to risk, and if he can envision a future worth fighting for.

About The Author

Author of NEARLY GONE, NEARLY FOUND, HOLDING SMOKE, and THE SUFFERING TREE (Disney*Hyperion, 2017). Represented by Sarah Davies of The Greenhouse Literary Agency.