The Good Stuff ~ 12/30/2021

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~ Happy New Year's Eve Eve!  I love New Year's Eve and New Year's Day as much as I love Christmas :)  Christmas is wonderful but New Year's is full of fresh calendars and new beginnings.  A chance to start over...again!  A new year full of possibilities!  May YOUR New Year be filled with God's blessings :)

~Audrey Belle!  Speaking of God's blessings...Audrey Belle made her appearance on December 23rd!  My very special cousin, Brian, and his wife, Rachel, welcomed her at 3:01pm.  I haven't met her personally yet but she's beautiful :)

~Goodreads Challenge 2021!  I met my goal for the Goodreads Challenge but it was a pitifully low number.  I read just 12 books in 2021.  But, I've been reading away the past few weeks and am excited about the Kindred Readers Book Club.  I think I'll set my goal for 2022 at 52 books.  1 book per week.  I think I can.  I think I can! :)

~The Love of Reading!  Laken received the Percy Jackson book collection for Christmas.  This girl would spend ALL her time reading if we let her.  I love it!

What has you thankful/smiling/exited this week?  Tell me all the good stuff! 

Colletta

Book Review ~ What to Do With a Dastardly Duke by Ivy Hart ~ 3/2/2021

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Title:  What to Do With a Dastardly Duke by Ivy Hart

Series:  The Jardin Sisters Book #1

Pages:  64

Date Published:  January 12, 2021

Publisher:  

 Blurb:

Alison Jardin is determined. The oldest of her sisters and by far the most strident, she will keep her independence even if it means swearing off marriage forever. Yes, their small cottage on the edge of the Waltham Estate is crumbling to pieces, yes, their kitchen garden and assorted animals are growing unruly, but she won't give herself up to any gentleman. Especially someone like the pedantic, sarcastic Tarquin Black, Duke of Waltham, who seems to find any excuse possible to upbraid Alison for minor inconveniences.

One unlucky day, an escaped pig brings her once more into Tarquin Black's path. But talking to the duke at length brings more curiosity than irritation... and has she ever noticed quite how nice his eyes are?

Falling for Tarquin Black is the last thing she intends to do. But destiny may very well have other plans...

My Thoughts:

I've been in a semi-reading slump with a few DNF's lately.  I needed a fun, quick read to get back in the groove and that is what I got with this book!

I'm always a bit skeptical when I read a new-to-me author.  Is it going to be enjoyable?  Is it going to be irritating?  Is it going to be well-written?  So many factors go into making a book readable.

Alison's and Tarquin's characters were so much fun!  Their banter and sarcasm was hilarious.  Don't even get me started on the scene with Wilson, the pig :)  

I have to admit there were a few typos and grammatical errors that I caught but I was so enjoying the storyline that I didn't mind!

From the beginning to the end this book was entertaining!

I can't wait to read more about the lives of the Jardin sisters and, I hope, more of Alison and Tarquin :)  I already have the second book of the series downloaded.

I read this book through Kindle Unlimited.

Onto the next book!

Book Review ~ The Redesigned Ranch by Liz Isaacson ~ 2/8/2021

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Title:  The Redesigned Ranch by Liz Isaacson

Series:  Horseshoe Home Ranch Book #1

Pages:  231

Date Published:  January 9, 2017

Publisher:  

 Blurb:

From the Amazon #1 bestselling author of the Three Rivers Ranch Romance series comes a new ranch, with new cowboys to fall in love with... Go to Gold Valley, Montana and the Horseshoe Home Ranch to find your next happily ever after!

Can Jace find a way to forgive before it's too late?

Jace Lovell only has one thing left after his fiancé abandons him at the altar: his job at Horseshoe Home Ranch. He throws himself into becoming the best foreman the ranch has ever had—and that includes hiring an interior designer to make the ranch owner's wife happy.

Belle Edmunds is back in Gold Valley after she lost her job at a prestigious design firm in California. She's working for a conglomerate, but she's desperate to build a portfolio that she can use to start her own firm in Montana. She applies for the job at Horseshoe Home, and though Jace and Belle grew up together, they've never seen eye to eye on much more than the sky is blue.

The spark between them now that they're adults can't be denied, and as Jace and Belle attempt to work together, they also fight their growing attraction to each other. But Jace isn't anywhere near forgiving his fiancé, and he's not sure he's ready for a new relationship with someone as fiery and beautiful as Belle. Can she employ her patience while he figures out how to forgive so they can find their own brand of happily-ever-after?

My Thoughts:

I'm so excited that with this book, I've read 6 books in 2021 so far!  That is 4 books ahead of my Goodreads Challenge schedule :)  whoohoo!

This was my first read by Liz Isaacson.  I'm always a bit apprehensive about reading a new-to-me author but from what I've read with "The Redesigned Ranch" it was needless.  Apparently she has a ton of novels written for me to go back and read!

As for this book, it was a roller coaster ride of emotions!

Belle was rock solid, but Jace, the hero of the story, was a hot mess.  I enjoyed reading a book where the male lead was working through things and even getting help for his issues.  So many times it is the other way around.

This book had such an interesting storyline.  I don't know if I'd have been as forgiving and patient as Belle was but I was glad when it all worked out in the end :)

I downloaded this book for free to my Kindle from Amazon.  You should check it out!

Onto the next book!

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!

Book Review ~ Take A Chance On Me by Becky Wade ~ 2/2/2021

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Title:  Take A Chance On Me by Becky Wade

Series:  Misty River Romance Book # 0.5

Pages:  97

Date Published:  February 25, 2020

Publisher:  Kindle Edition

 Blurb:

When baker Penelope Quinn steps in to help her brother’s family through a medical crisis, she’s forced into close proximity with charming Air Force fighter pilot Eli Price.

Penelope has one iron-clad dating rule—she does not date airmen. Months ago, she relaxed her rule with Eli and immediately lived to regret it. After a long deployment, he’s now back in Misty River and, to her dismay, she finds him just as tempting as always.

Eli’s spent months thinking about funny, feisty, creative Penelope. He once leveraged his focus and drive to become a pilot, his childhood dream. Now he's set on leveraging that same focus and drive in order to convince Penelope to give him one more chance.

This romantic prequel novella introduces readers to the quaint mountain town of Misty River and a brand-new series from Christy-winning author Becky Wade! 

My Thoughts:

I've read books by Becky Wade before and loved her writing but it had been a while.  I found this prequel novella as a free download on Amazon and clicked on it right away.

I loved that Penelope had a rule about dating airmen.  It showed that she wasn't one to follow the crowd.  I also loved her addiction to VANS and that she had a pair for every day of the week :)  She was quirky and I loved her character.

Eli was rock solid as a hero.  He was everything a reader wants when reading a romance.  I really enjoyed getting to know him.

I fell a little bit in love with Misty River, the setting of the novella and the series that follows.

This novella makes me want to read more!  I especially want to know more about Penelope and Eli...  Does Eli go to Germany?  Do they get married?  etc., etc., etc.  I have a feeling their characters will be revisited somewhere in the series.

Sam, Eli's friend, was introduced and I believe his story is the first full length novel of the series.  I hope to read this one day soon!

Onto the next book!

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!

Thankful Thursday ~ 1/28/2021

 

Here are some things that made me thankful/smile/excited this week:

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~Goodreads Challenge!  I'm ahead on my Goodreads Challenge!  I set my 2021 goal for 26 books and so far I'm 2 book ahead of schedule.  Go me!

~Hannah's Birthday!  Last Friday was Laken's friend Hannah's birthday.  With school being virtual and hybrid, they hadn't seen each other since October!  (thank goodness for modern technology that these kids can keep in touch)  To celebrate Hannah's 14th, I picked Laken up at school and then we got some frozen hot chocolates for Hannah and her little sister.  We stopped by their house (pre-planned) and Laken was able to see Hannah and give her a gift along with the frozen hot chocolates.  We didn't stay long as we were standing outside talking (appropriately distanced) but I know it was good for the girls to see each other!

~Vanilla Cookie Crunch!  I mentioned in my "Hey, It's Okay" post that I started burning my new candle before finishing the last one.  That is because Vanilla Cookie Crunch is seriously one of the best smelling candles I've ever had the pleasure of owning.  The only problem is that it makes me want to bake :)

~Lilah in Socks!  Laken was playing in the snow on Monday and decided when she came in to put her fuzzy socks on Lilah.  Lilah didn't mind it at all and I must admit it was cute and made me chuckle to see her walking around the house with socks on.  Bunny socks, even :)

~Snow Day!  We had some nasty weather on Monday/Tuesday.  Kaylee and Doug were both able to take snow days and stay home safe and sound.  Laken is on virtual schooling this week so we didn't have to worry about her.  I truly don't mind winter weather as long as my loved ones aren't traveling in it!

What are you thankful for/smiling/exited about this week?  Tell me all the good stuff! 

Colletta

P.S. I love for you to stop by MY SHOP and give it some love!

Book Review ~ Panning For Love by Meg Cross Wenig ~ 1/26/2021

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Title:  Panning For Love by Meg Cross Wenig

Series:  N/A

Pages:  285

Date Published:  September 28, 2020

Publisher:  Kindle Edition

 Blurb:

Maggie Carver found herself as the third wheel in her own relationship with a guy who was really good at living a double life—until he wasn’t. Since then, trust didn’t come easily. Two years later, her best friend convinced her to go live for a week in Summit Springs, an old mining town in Utah. In a historical reenactment experience, they would get to live as people did in 1866 during the Wild West. What Maggie didn’t plan on was falling for an outlaw from a wanted poster.

For John, it was love at first sight. He and Maggie had a rare connection, and it wasn’t every day someone understood his humor. He never minded playing the part as livery owner by day and outlaw by night at Summit Springs—until now. His other job came with a nice paycheck, but people normally treated him differently when they found out about it. John didn’t want a thing to change between him and Maggie.

Will Maggie let John steal her heart or will past fears foil the heist? 

My Thoughts:

I knew I would love this book from the time I read a review written about it and of course read the blurb.  I immediately went and downloaded it from Kindle Unlimited.

I love history so the idea of spending a week back in time sounds like so much fun!  In fact, certain aspects of this book reminded me of Austenland by Shannon Hale, a favorite of mine :)

The book is written in the first person from Maggie's perspective.  I usually prefer reading both sides of a story but I think in this case it lent to the air of mystery.  I don't want to give anything away, but I figured out John's "other job" at least I had a good idea.

Maggie was such a fun character and was so witty and sharp-as-a-tack!  John fell right into step alongside her.

I loved that, even though the time-table was one week, the way the author wrote didn't make the love story feel rushed at all.

Meg Cross Wenig is a new-to-me author but I'm already excited about reading more book by her!  Again, I got this book through Kindle Unlimited but in case you'd like to purchase it, it is $3.99 to download on Amazon.

Onto the next book!

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!

Book Review ~ The Loneliest Cottage by Melissa Storm ~ 1/21/2021

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Title:  The Loneliest Cottage by Melissa Storm

Series:  Alaskan Hearts Book #1

Pages:  296

Date Published:  July 20, 2020

Publisher:  Partridge & Pear Press

 Blurb:

An imaginative Beauty and the Beast retelling set against the Alaskan wilderness…

Lauren Dalton’s world shattered the day her father died. It shattered again when she found a box of old keepsakes commemorating a life she’d never even known he lead.

Heartbroken but determined, she accepts a seasonal job in rural Alaska to look after an injured musher’s dogs while searching for the truth about her father’s hidden past. But her cantankerous new boss comes with dangerous secrets of his own.

When a fire ravages part of the property, all will be revealed—and four-thousand miles away from the only home she’s ever known, Lauren will discover just how quickly everything can change.

Don’t miss the chance to lose your heart to Lauren, Shane, and their courageous team of sled dogs in this unforgettable tale of love, loss, and finding where you belong. 

My Thoughts:

This is the first book of the "Alaskan Hearts" series and my first ever book by Melissa Storm.  I'm always a bit leery when reading a new author because I don't want to waste my precious reading time.  In this case, my time was NOT wasted :)

This book claims to be a modern retelling of "Beauty and the Beast" and, boy, was Shane ever a beast throughout most of the book.  He had fits of rage and yelling but was always ever-so sorry afterwards.  The author was great writing his apologies!

Lauren was strong-willed and full of spunk.  She was fully capable of standing up to Shane and handling the sled dogs as well as a few other twists and turns.

I really enjoyed learning about the world of sled dogs and the mystery of Lauren's father.

This book was a roller coaster ride of emotions.  I look forward to reading more book by Melissa Storm in the future.  In fact, I'm off to see what I can download now :)

I downloaded this book for free to my Kindle off Amazon.  I think it is still free if you want to check it out!

Onto the next book!

Colletta

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!

Book Review ~ Wyatt by Susan May Warren ~ 1/18/2021

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Title:  Wyatt by Susan May Warren

Series:  The Montana Marshalls Book #4

Pages:  298

Date Published:  October 2019

Publisher:  SDG Publishing

 Blurb:

He’s lost her twice…he’s not going to lose her again...

NHL Hockey Goalie Wyatt Marshall has everything--fame, money and a thriving career. But he’s hiding the two things that matter most...a career-ending injury, and his broken heart. He’s been in love with Coco Stanley since she walked into his life at age fourteen, a foster child for the Marshall family. She stole his heart years later, when, after a secret tryst, she returned to her home country of Russia. But she won’t let him back into her life—and he can’t figure out why.

She’s harboring a secret that could cost lives...

Coco Stanley is tired of living her life undercover. Or at least, with an assumed name, always pretending to be someone she’s not. And that’s not the only secret she’s harboring. If Wyatt discovers the real reason she left him, it might just destroy him. She’s resigned herself to loving him from afar...

But when he discovers she’s in danger...

Wyatt is horrified when he learns Coco has been shot and left in Russia, her fate unknown. There is nothing—nothing—that will stop him from finding her. So what if he’s not one of his super-heroic brothers, not a Ranger, not a SEAL...Wyatt is a hockey goalie, a special kind of crazy brave. Except, is he brave enough to face the secret Coco is keeping, or will it destroy everything he’s hoped for?

What will it cost them to save her?

What Wyatt and Coco don’t know is that revenge is stalking her and bringing her home just might cost them their long-awaited happy ending.

My Thoughts:

This being the 4th book of The Montana Marshalls series, I have gotten to know the Marshall family pretty well.  I do suggest reading this series in order to be in the know or it might be a bit confusing as to who is who.

Coco was really fun getting to know in "Ford", the 3rd book of the series.  Wyatt was a pretty low key character until this book, so I was just getting to know the non-cowboy/non-military brother of the Marshall family.

At times, I found the book to be a bit repetitive as "sit-reps" were given to numerous characters.  I found myself skimming over these parts unfortunately.

I really did enjoyed "Wyatt".  So many times, people think they need to be perfect to be a Christian when the total opposite is true.  None of us are perfect, at all!  We all have messed up and carry tons of baggage around with us even after we are forgiven.  This was a major theme in this book.

I look forward to finishing out the series with "Ruby Jane" which is already downloaded on my Kindle.

Onto the next book!

Colletta

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!

Book Review ~ To Catch A Suitor by Sarah Adams ~ 1/13/2021

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Title:  To Catch a Suitor by Sarah Adams

Series:  Dalton Family Book #2

Pages:  282

Date Published:  March 1, 2020

Publisher:  

 Blurb:

She needs to move on. He wants to let her go. Will they finally be able to go their separate ways even though their hearts seem to have other plans?

Elizabeth Ashburn is madly, deeply, irrefutably in love with her best friend. They know each other better than their own minds. There is only one problem: To him, she is Little Lizzie, and nothing she does seems to replace the idea in his mind. No matter. It is her first Season and she is determined to make a match with a gentleman—any gentleman—who will help her steal her heart back from Oliver Turner and his sea-blue eyes.

Oliver Turner can remember the exact day that Lizzie grew up. And now, he cannot see her as anything besides the beautiful woman stealing his breath—no matter how much he needs to. He won’t marry her. He can’t. He loves her too much for that. Now, he simply needs to help marry her off so that she will officially be out of his reach.

My Thoughts:

Sigh...

For me this was one of THOSE books!

You know, the kind that you can't wait to see the characters you love get together but at the same time, you don't want the book to end!

After reading the first book of this series, "To Con a Gentleman", I knew that I had to read the whole series by this author.  Sarah Adams is seriously one of the my favorite authors right now.

I loved getting to know Elizabeth and Oliver better and reading about what they thought was unrequited love.  So many times, their love was just within reach but then the author would put it off.  It was excruciatingly wonderful!  (if that makes sense!)

Elizabeth was such a fun character.  And Oliver...sigh...a perfect hero.

I really enjoy the friendship-to-love trope and this was definitely no exception.

I can't wait to get my hands on more books by this author.

Also, this was my first book of the year 2021!  How exciting to have one "in the books"!

Onto the next book!

Colletta

P.S.  I'd love for you to come visit my SHOP!