Book Review:Venom by K.C, Grant

Venom by K.C. Grant was a wonderful surprise when I read it. I was instantly caught up in the crazy life of Abby Sinclair.

Here is the back of the book blurb:

"Samantha Evans is determined to make a name for herself in the cutthroat world of advertising. Newly hired by a prestigious ad agency, she volunteers to work on location in Mexico City as a personal assistant to the beautiful and driven creative director Katrina Edwards. At first the association seems promising. But Ms. Edwards seems preoccupied in a way that makes Samantha increasingly uneasy. In fact, may in the group seem like they are not being completely open about the project--including David Ayala, the mysterious and moody photographer for whose attention the two women find themselves competing. After several strange accidents and numerous appearances by an unknown man, Samantha discovers the truth: not everyone on the team is in Mexico to create a stellar advertising pitch. When her sleuthing leads to her abduction, she is brought to the pyramids of Teotihuacan and comes face to face with the venomous evil of the South American crime boss known as 'The Serpent.' Now Samantha must not only fight for her life, but she must also discover if she can trust the man she's come to love."

Venom captured my interest and I kept wondering how were we going to be going to the depths of Mexico when Abby was just pretty much a gofer. A gofer who gets her credit card hacked. But quickly that changes and things take a turn for the more intriguing. As I read questions kept popping up and I kept reading so I could find the answers. I loved Abby, and her determination to not let herself become undone in the midst of turmoil, danger and uncertainty. She fights to do what is right and leans on her beliefs to help her find the comfort she needs while she is in unfamiliar circumstances.

I felt K.C. Grant brought her characters to life and wrote a tight story line that flowed amazingly. I liked that Abby grew in the midst of her trials and found that she was smarter and more observant than those with her realized. I thought the other characters fascinating and kept trying to figure them out, where they the good guys or the bad guys? I loved the strong handsome men who were also a part of the story line, and the villainous boss you loved to hate for so many reasons.

To tell the truth it was really refreshing to read a story that was written extremely well. In addition the author wove information about Mexico City into the story line, and for the most part if felt part of the story, and it helped bring that part of the world to life, and the history that came with it. I found my heart racing at parts, my heart breaking for Abby at times and my heart thrilled when the end revealed all the intricate secrets.

Venom is definitely on my recommend list. It not only was clean and a book that could be given to my teenage kids and I wouldn't need to worry. I loved the creativity and the vibrance of the story. Not to mention the hang on for the roller coaster ride as the story quickly heats up and unexpected chances are taken.

You can get your copy of Venom here . You will be in for a wonderful ride, and don't forget to visit K. C. Grant's website here, I for one am looking forward to reading more books written by K. C.

Disclaimer: While I sometimes receive books to review, it in no way influences my opinions. They are and will always be my own.

getting over miscarrying

In December my life changed, well more than the fact that I had a birthday. I found out I was pregnant, and then just as fast found out I wasn't anymore. What remained behind was a larger aftermath than I expected.

It's been two months now, and I am still working through the waves it left in my life. To everyone else, it seems as if my life never stopped being what it always was. No interuptions, a temporary upheaval already resolved with the loss of the baby.

But in reality, my life has completely altered. I think about that little child all the time, and even though I am a lot older, 43, and have 7 living children, this one stays in my mind, haunting me with her presence.

Maybe it isn't so much a haunt as it is an echo or a whisper, but it feels like if I blow really hard she will just wisp away and never even be real. And as silly as it may sound, that is the last thing I want. I don't want to forget her, or imagine that week of discovery and loss never existed, because it did.

It changed how my body is, and it changed my spirit. My body is still dealing with the aftermath of the miscarriage. The pain that lingers from the results of hormones raging through my body doing their job releasing relaxon and whatever else, my body is still in the process of undoing the 7 weeks of preparation. So it hurts to exercise and walk, and that stinks for me since I teach 4 or more exercise classes in a week, which means I just deal.

Emotionally and spiritually, I keep wondering why when my kids are spread from 21 to 8 did this happen now, so far away from when I had everyone else, and made me reevaluate what is important, and I am still trying to work through that, because suddenly things that had immense meaning and was high on my priority list now don't seem so almighty.

So while to the rest of the world it looks like everything is status quo on the outside, inside I have reminders, echos of a memory, wonders of what I have lost and what I am now to become, and hopes that I will figure out those questions and regain a whole body once again are something I am ready to have worked through.

So while nothing but book reviews have been up on my blog lately, these things have been part of me constantly and I have been wanting to say something about it, and finally the words have demanded it in spite of my trying to ignore it all . . . and well a lot of everything else.

I am getting better, but emotions are running a bit higher than normal this week. It's been two months now, but this weekend also marks two years since my dad died, so everything is more sensitive. But I am starting to feel like reemerging again, which is a lot more than what I my desire was up until a couple weeks ago.

Book Review: Retirement Quest by John Hauserman, CFP

Retirement Quest is a well researched book that opens up the way for those who want to know what to do to be prepared for when they retire. It is well document and will help guide with financial advice and investment decisions and how to go about knowing what is going to be solid or iffy as to determining the decisions with retirement. He shows how to understand all the difficult to maneuver options that sometimes seem overwhelming and hard to decipher. With his easy to follow style, John takes a lot of the confusion out of knowing which direction to go and helps to create a sense of ease when making such important choices on what the future holds beyond retirement.
 The author, John Hauserman, CFP is the chief executive officer of Retirement Journey, LLC.  His book Retirement Quest  is all about  recreating the full planning experience for the layman who has never heard anything about financial planning.  John has many awards and tons of experience that show he definitely knows what he is writing about in regards to the  strategies outlined inside Retirement Quest. If you take the time to follow the guidelines inside the book, you will be ahead of the game and on a more sure path to financial freedom.

I liked how he helps explain the differences in an easy to follow format for stocks, bonds, and various other options out there for investing. He makes the charts that he includes in his book make sense so that you can see what it is they are trying to show you, and helps you to see for yourself how to go about reading them. He educates you on how to decide what is important and what is our responsibility in caring for ourselves financially as we grow older.

It isn't an older verses younger book either, John has sound financial advice for those just starting out that can lead to strong portfolios later in life that bring about a sense of security that allows individuals to not worry about money. He teaches independence and solid financial practices.

I for one love learning about stocks and bonds and the market. For a long time it was a hobby of mine to know about options and spreads and the risks. I enjoyed refreshing my knowledge on these topics and could see how John helps you to see why it is so important to understand our finances and what our portfolios look like, whether they are through 401 K's, insurance options, stocks, bonds or long term investments. In addition to look at how to minimize and manage the risks, how to not allow the dollar signs in our eyes cause us to make emotional faulty decisions, and how to ensure our motives are sound and not made from those emotional decisions.

I feel that for those who are trying to sort it all out, that Retirement Quest is the book for you. It is written clearly and precisely with easy to understand language that helps the investor know what the choices are. I found it a fast read that for me was a great refresher and reminder of what I need to do to ensure my financial future.

Don't let your financial future pass you by get your copy of John Hauserman's book Retirement Quest by clicking here. Then take the time to visit his website and gain more great insight here, you thank yourself in the future for the small investment you make in your financial future later.

Disclaimer: Although I sometimes receive books to review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.