Review: Simmer Down by Sarah Smith

19 October, 2020 10:39 am , 2 Comments ,

Simmer Down
by Sarah Smith
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Oct. 13, 2020
Genre: Romance
Rating:

In this finger-licking good rom-com, two is the perfect number of cooks in the kitchen.

Nikki DiMarco knew life wouldn’t be all sunshine and coconuts when she quit her dream job to help her mom serve up mouthwatering Filipino dishes to hungry beach goers, but she didn’t expect the Maui food truck scene to be so eat-or-be-eaten—or the competition to be so smoking hot.

But Tiva’s Filipina Kusina has faced bigger road bumps than the arrival of Callum James. Nikki doesn’t care how delectable the British food truck owner is—he rudely set up shop next to her coveted beach parking spot. He’s stealing her customers and fanning the flames of a public feud that makes her see sparks.

The solution? Let the upcoming Maui Food Festival decide their fate. Winner keeps the spot. Loser pounds sand. But the longer their rivalry simmers, the more Nikki starts to see a different side of Callum…a sweet, protective side. Is she brave enough to call a truce? Or will trusting Callum with her heart mean jumping from the frying pan into the fire?

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Sneak Peek Wednesday: The Last Rule of Makeups by Nina Crespo

14 October, 2020 8:14 am , 1 Comment ,

The Last Rule of Makeups
(Breakup Bash #3)
by Nina Crespo
Publisher: Entangled: Brazen
Publication date: Oct. 12, 2020
Genre: Romance

Cori Ross is thanking her lucky stars. Sure, her long-time boyfriend just dumped her, but that’s a good thing. In her rush to find Mr. Right, she realizes she almost settled for Mr. Just Okay. And that’s definitely not okay. So, tonight, she’s out with her friends at the Breakup Bash—a private party for women celebrating their break-ups—and she’s actually celebrating. Still, it was too close a call. So she makes a deal with herself—no guys for six months.

Unfortunately, just as she’s leaving the club, she runs into her old boyfriend, Grey Latham—the guy she’d always wanted to be Mr. Right. Great. What a time to swear off guys. Maybe she needs to change the deal—no relationships for six months. There’s no reason why she can’t have a fling, right? Because Grey still holds the title of the best sex she’s ever had.

There’s no way this could go wrong. Grey is on his way to international DJ fame—he’s only in town for a short time, and then he’ll be gone again. No harm in burning up the sheets while it lasts.

Too bad neither expected what happened next…

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged: ,

What the heck happened? Book-to-Movie edition!

7 October, 2020 1:34 am , 6 Comments ,

 

I have already done a post about my top three favorite book-to-movie adaptations, so today I want to talk about the ones that let me down. These were ones that I was so insanely excited for, but when I sat down to watch them I was confused and angry. I mean, let’s be honest, more often than not, something goes off course when they adapt a book to film. Sometimes it’s something forgivable like an age change, or maybe they cut some scenes/dialog out. However, these are the ones that were so WTF?! that I just can’t keep quiet anymore.

 

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Posted in: Ramblings

Review: The Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston

5 October, 2020 9:20 am , Leave a Comment ,

The Princess and the Fangirl
(Once Upon a Con #2)
by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication date: April 2, 2019
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:

The Prince and the Pauper gets a modern makeover in this adorable, witty, and heartwarming young adult novel set in the Geekerella universe by national bestselling author Ashley Poston.

Imogen Lovelace is an ordinary fangirl on an impossible mission: save her favorite character, Princess Amara, from being killed off from her favorite franchise, Starfield. The problem is, Jessica Stone—the actress who plays Princess Amara—wants nothing more than to leave the intense scrutiny of the fandom behind. If this year’s ExcelsiCon isn’t her last, she’ll consider her career derailed.

When a case of mistaken identity throws look-a-likes Imogen and Jess together, they quickly become enemies. But when the script for the Starfield sequel leaks, and all signs point to Jess, she and Imogen must trade places to find the person responsible. That’s easier said than done when the girls step into each other’s shoes and discover new romantic possibilities, as well as the other side of intense fandom. As these “princesses” race to find the script-leaker, they must rescue themselves from their own expectations, and redefine what it means to live happily ever after.

 

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Posted in: YA Contemporary, YA Romance, Young Adult , Tagged:

Review: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer

28 September, 2020 1:26 am , 1 Comment ,

New Moon
(The Twilight Saga #2)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher:
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2006
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating: Little, Brown and Company

I knew we were both in mortal danger. Still, in that instant, I felt well. Whole. I could feel my heart racing in my chest, the blood pulsing hot and fast through my veins again. My lungs filled deep with the sweet scent that came off his skin. It was like there had never been any hole in my chest. I was perfect – not healed, but as if there had never been a wound in the first place.

I FELT LIKE I WAS TRAPPED IN ONE OF THOSE TERRIFYING NIGHTMARES, the one where you have to run, run till your lungs burst, but you can’t make your body move fast enough…. But this was no dream, and, unlike the nightmare, I wasn’t running for my life; I was racing to save something infinitely more precious. My own life meant little to me today.

FOR BELLA SWAN THERE IS ONE THING more important than life itself: Edward Cullen. But being in love with a vampire is even more dangerous than Bella could ever have imagined. Edward has already rescued Bella from the clutches of one evil vampire, but now, as their daring relationship threatens all that is near and dear to them, they realize their troubles may be just beginning….

 

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged:

Different Month, Same Story

27 September, 2020 5:51 pm , 10 Comments ,


I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

I hope everyone is doing well and is staying safe. I’d like to say that things have slowed down for me, but they haven’t. I’ve had a lot going on over here in my lil world, and I haven’t been getting as much blogging done. I finally fully cancelled my big family vacation for November and got all out money back from it. I was really looking forward to seeing my family and finally getting to go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, but there’s no way that’s happening. My area is still closed for the most part. So, aside from working and running out for things we need, I pretty much just stay home and go stir crazy.

 

Aside from being back at work, I’ve been crafting a lot more. During quarantine I purchased a Cricut machine and have been playing with it a lot lately. I’ve made some shirts, friend’s have been having me decorate or make them cups, I’ve decorated some egg cartons for a friend who has chickens, and I have even started experimenting with ice dying fabric. I’ve had a lot of fun pushing myself to try new techniques and learn new things. So all these random projects have also kept me a bit busy and has helped me keep my sanity for the most part.

 

 

I also recently (like a week ago) rescued a pair of hermit crabs that some guy was getting rid of in my community. He posted this photo of a disgusting set up or some brown slime on the bottom of a tank and said he was getting rid of his hermit crabs. Since I had the means to be able to take these little guys on, I decided to reach out to him and take them from him. Well, I had no clue how stressful these lil… or rather big things could be. They are huge (not the cute lil things you see in pet stores), and need an insane amount of care to make them happy. So, for the last week I have been stressing over that and trying to get everything set up perfectly for them. Thankfully there are a few really good Facebook groups that have helped me out a lot.

 

So yeah, I’ve been keeping busy over here and have just been trying to keep my sanity… while also sort of losing it at the same time. 😉

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Posted in: meme

Sneak Peek Wednesday: Resistor by C.E. Clayton (Giveaway)

23 September, 2020 1:02 am , 1 Comment ,

Resistor: An Eerden Novel (Ellinor #1)
by C.E. Clayton
Publisher: Starfish Ink
Publication date: Aug. 7, 2020
Genre: Cyberpunk, Fantasy, New Adult

Ellinor Rask has wanted one thing for the past eight years: vengeance. But when Ellinor is captured, she finds herself dragged back into the world she walked away from, entangled once more with friends she would rather forget.

As if that weren’t humiliating enough, Ellinor learns first hand that her magic can be stripped away by a piece of bio-tech—and her ex-boss is happy to leash her with the technology in order to get what he wants. If Ellinor behaves, the device will be removed. All she has to do is deliver a package. One containing a creature created from raw magical energy and discarded technology. Simple, right?

But when her goals start getting people murdered, Ellinor has to decide if the year’s planning, her honor, and even her own magic, are worth the lives it’s costing. Dodging ruthless gangsters, she finds herself on the run with a creature of immeasurable magical abilities alongside her one-time friends. Now, Ellinor must relearn to trust the people she once abandoned. She must put her faith in technology, and her life in the hands of independent contractors, all while racing to deliver the package before it gets taken by force, or worse, the creature decides to make an appearance itself.

 

 

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Posted in: Excerpt

Sneak Peek Wednesday: A Chip on Her Shoulder by R.J. Blain

9 September, 2020 2:51 pm , 2 Comments ,

A Chip on Her Shoulder
(Magical Romantic Comedies #11)
by R.J. Blain
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance

After a deal with loan sharks sours, Darlene’s brother is permanently transformed into a chipmunk. Not one to accept impossibility as a good excuse for failure, she’s determined to rescue her brother and secure revenge against those who’d poisoned him with grade-a transformatives.

If she wants to perform a miracle, she’ll need to join forces with a divine, but the man upstairs and his angels refuse to help.

None of the other so-called benevolent divines are willing to help her, either.

Running out of time and options, Darlene prepares to storm the gates of hell for her brother.

She never expected to fall in love with the Devil.

 

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Posted in: Excerpt , Tagged:

Review: Here We Go Again: My Life in Television by Betty White

7 September, 2020 7:59 am , 1 Comment ,

Here We Go Again: My Life in Television
by Betty White
Publisher: Scribner
Publication date: Oct. 12, 2010
Genre: Biography
Rating:

A memoir of Betty White’s first five decades on television—as irreverent and irresistible as the beloved actress herself.

Betty White first appeared on television in 1949 and has gone on to have one of the most amazing careers in TV history, starring in shows such as Life with Elizabeth, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and The Golden Girls, among many others. She is one of the hardest-working actresses of any era, and her sense of humor and perennial optimism have seen her through half a century of industry changes and delighted millions of fans.

Now, during Betty’s sixty-first year on screen, a year in which she has enjoyed a huge resurgence of popularity, her 1995 memoir makes a comeback too. Here We Go Again is a behind-the-scenes look at Betty’s career from her start on radio to her first show, Hollywood on Television, to several iterations of The Betty White Show and much, much more. Packed with wonderful anecdotes about famous personalities and friendships, stories of Betty’s off-screen life, and the comedienne’s trademark humor, this deliciously entertaining book will give readers an entrée into Betty’s fascinating life, confirming yet again why we can’t get enough of this funny lady.

 

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Posted in: Non Fiction , Tagged:

Review: Freeze Tag by Caroline B. Cooney

31 August, 2020 7:03 pm , 1 Comment ,

Freeze Tag
(Point Horror)
by Caroline B. Cooney
Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks
Publication date: Sept. 1, 2004
Genre: Young Adult Horror
Rating:

From best-selling author Caroline Cooney comes this suspenseful story of Meghan, whose relationship with her perfect boyfriend is destroyed by a girl who can freeze people with a touch of her finger.

When Meghan and West first played Freeze Tag with Lannie, it was no ordinary game. Because when Lannie tagged someone, they really froze. Icy blue and cold. Like death.

Now Meghan, West, and Lannie are in high school, and Meghan and West are in love. They’re the perfect couple. But Lannie is determined to have West for her very own… and if she doesn’t get her way, she’ll freeze Meghan… to death.

 

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Posted in: YA Suspense , Tagged: