Book Review: Deep Blue Secret By Christie Anderson

First of all, I am praying that Christie Anderson is writing a sequel because I am dying to know what happens next! Not that Christie leaves you hanging, just wanting more of her story to continue on.

Deep Blue Secret took you deep into the emotions and frustrations of Sadie James, as she discovers her perfect happy life isn't quite as perfect or happy as she thought it was. It is unusual for her to feel off balance, and uncertain and she tries to understand why she is in tears so often when she is always exhilarated to be alive.

Sadie learns some secrets about herself that surprise and confuse her in her struggle to understand them and the changes her body is going through that at times send her into a panic. All she really wants is to go back to being normal, and not deal with everything. To the happy perfect life she has always known.

But there is the mysterious boy with the brilliant sparkling green eyes that she can't get out of her mind. She sees him at school and feels an instant connection and searches for him everywhere, only to run out of luck. But that doesn't stop her from dreaming of him. Until she finds him again unexpectedly. Or rather he finds her. But the attraction to him only grows stronger each time she meets him, only to find that he is protecting her and watching her, keeping her safe. But why does she need a body guard? Not that she minds considering how gorgeous he is, but still she wants to know the answers as to why she needs protecting, when she is just a regular girl.

I loved reading the developing story between Sadie, and her protector Rayne. The characters were well developed and I liked the way you could feel the confusion and turmoil go through Sadie as she grows and learns more about who she is. Rayne was a dynamic character, who struggles with his own feelings as he watches over Sadie. He is sweet, caring, charismatic, and the kind of guy who makes every heart beat a little faster when he shows how tender he is with Sadie. I thought the sensual tension between the two was strong, and really really wanted more than the teasing the author gave. Christie created strong ties and bonds between Sadie and Rayne and the yearning they felt for each other was palpable.

Christie had strong secondary characters that really leap from the page in their personalities. They were fun to see interact with Sadie, and to see how she handled their antics was fun. With her friend Heather and the boys Justin and Nick and their crazy antics.

The villain in Deep Blue Secret, Voss, was dark and definitely dangerous. My heart beat faster on his parts of the story. The author was able to capture his sinister nature perfectly and I wanted to know more about him and his purposes, why he was so evil, why he so desperately needed to break out of prison and wanted more interaction with him in the story. He is one of those villains you love to hate. The kind that stays with you when the story is finished. He was a very compelling character.

I also wanted more of Ash, Rayne's best friend. I wanted to know more about him and how he and Rayne became such good friends when they were so different from each other. And what is the depth of that friendship, in the midst of strain.

I would classify Deep Blue Secret by Christie Anderson as a Y/A paranormal romance. It is a clean read appropriate for ages 10 and up. It starts a little slow, building you up to unexpected events that leave you anticipating more.

Check out the really cool trailer here.You can learn more about Christie at her website here. To get your copy click here!

disclaimer: Although at times I receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

And The Winner Is....

I just wanted to congratulate and say WHOO HOO! Yippee Yay, to Chris Jensen, who is lucky number 10! Yay!! I am so excited that you won Geralyn Dawson's contempary romance Give Him the Slip.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the October Blog Hop give away. I hope you all come back for another chance to win in the November blog hop give away, that is just a few weeks away!

I am having a great time being doing blog hops, who new you could meet so many wonderful and interstesting new people in a blog hop. Thanks again Tristi Pinkston, for sponsering this blog hop give away and the one coming in November.

Birthday Month Is Now Over

What is Birthday Month? In our house it is the time between Sept 16 and Oct 17. Why is that? Because in our family we have 4 birthdays in that time. My youngest Camilla turned 8 on the 16th of Sept. My oldest son, Michael turned 18 on the 26th of Sept. My oldest daughter Breanna, turned 21 on the 6th of Oct. And my second oldest son Christian turned 16 on the 17th of Oct. It is a crazy time that leads into the holidays, but it is fun too!

And in the middle of it all our youngest daughter decided to get baptized into our church too, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and Yes! I am a Mormon.

So that meant that we got to have my two oldest children fly home to be with us and have the entire family together, my mom even came. It was wonderful, and way to short at the same time. Only 3 days. But I will take 3 days with all 7 of my living children together every chance I get!

Even though birthday month is over, it is still time to look forward to celebrations that are coming up. There is Halloween that leads right into Nanowrimo, (for writers), then Thanksgiving and Christmas. I get the chance to sit back and see my wonderful children and know I am so happy to have such a great family. And to tie it all in and make it even more wonderful is the knowledge tath I get to share it everything my amazing hubby of 23 years, Brent.

Book Review: Sleight of Hand by Deanne M Blackhurst

Is it possible to con your way out of hell? Fifty-two year old Daniel Cabrero hinks so
and why wouldn’t he? That’s how he spent his entire life. But Jonah his spirit guide has
reasons of his own for making sure Daniel pays for all the suffering and misery he’s
caused others. Still sometimes people can change, and maybe Daniel can keep his son
from following in the same path.

In Sleight of Hand by Deanne M Blackhurst Daniel Cabrero finds himself in Wasteland after he dies trying to pull off a huge scheme. At first things in Wasteland seems great but soon it becomes his own personal Hell and his guide Jonah, tries to help him adjust to his new home. But Daniel was a pretty self absorbed guy who sought his own interests and pleasures regardless of who was left hurt.

Sleight of Hand pulled me right in and I found myself relating with the character, even rooting for him as he chose to make some very difficult decisions while in Wasteland. I felt that in spite of his extreme wickedness and the revelation of his debauchery, that I wanted him to change for the better and even found myself wishing he could go back and change the results of his actions. I liked how Deanne showed the consequences of Daniel's decisions. Often he felt his choices were inconsequential, but discovered they had lasing impact long after he was gone. Deanne Blackhurst showed me why Daniel ended up in Wasteland. For me going along for the ride as Daniel discovers things about himself long buried and forgotten that are hard for him to face was fascinating.

Daniel decides to face his own demons and in doing so he evolves. The things Daniel experiences is developed in such a way that I wanted to know what would happen next, and at times I felt my stomach drop in anticipation. Deanne was able to write a believable character. I was impressed by how well developed Daniel was and the nuances of his personality that are often left out were there. I thought it very revealing to learn how he evolved into the man who ended up in Wasteland, and felt compelled to take that journey with him, to see what he would make of the entire experience in the end. Thought Daniel's character evolved and the idea of redemption and growth while waiting for a final decision was appealing.

I really enjoyed Sleight of Hand, and found myself lost in the book. I was drawn into the plot line and how it would surface in unexpected place or experience that Daniel would re experience. I I felt like I was an active participant at times when the scene leapt to life off the page. I found myself wondering what it would be like go through some of Daniel's experiences as journey bloomed to life as I read and could feel some of the intense things Daniel experienced. It was fascinating to see how Deanne developed the workings of the after life. I liked how the story ended, and was left wanting more, hoping to see what would become of Daniel after the last page was finished.

This was a fast read, that had your eyes eating up the pages. To get your copy of Sleight of Hand By Deanne M Blackhurst click here. You don't want to miss out!

Disclaimer: At times I receive copies of books to review, but my opinions remain my own.

OCTOBER BLOG HOP

Welcome to the October Blog Hop, where you can visit new blogs, enter to win prizes, and have a great time!

At the bottom of this post, you'll see a list of participating blogs. Just click on each link, check out the prize, and follow the easy instructions to enter. You can enter on each blog, so it's possible to win multiple times. It's frighteningly easy.

On this blog, you can win ...

Geralyn Dawson's contempary romance Give Him the Slip.

Maddie Kincaid thought she'd left trouble behind when she settled into peaceful Brozos Bend. DEA Agent Luke Callahan just settled into his much needed fishing vacation, and the last thing he needs on his line is a stowaway with secrets and a killer on her trail.


To enter, all you need to do is:

1. Become a follower of my blog.

2. Leave a comment on this post and tell me why you'd like to win this prize. If your e-mail address isn't visible through your Blogger profile, please also leave it with the comment so I can notify you if you win. You can enter until midnight MST on Saturday night, October 15th.

That's it! You are now entered. Now please go visit all my friends on the list below. It's almost like trick or treating!



October Blog Hop Participants

1. Tristi Pinkston 2. I Am a Reader, Not a Writer 3. Bonnie Harris 4. Michael D. Young 5. Misty Moncur 6. Debbie Davis 7. Mandi Tucker Slack 8. Mary Ann Dennis 9. Deanna Henderson 10. Laura Bastian 11. Kristy Tate

12. Kristy Wilson 13. Jennifer Debenham 14. Jenny Moore 15. Elizabeth Hughes 16. J. Lloyd Morgan 17. Close Encounters with the Night Kind 18. Billy Boulden 19. Scott Bryan 20. Maria Hoagland 21. Shirley Bahlmann 22. Shelly Brown

23. Marcy Howes 24. Lynnea Mortensen 25. Jaclyn M. Hawkes 26. Diane Stringam Tolley 27. Gail Zuniga 28. Betsy Love 29. iWriteNetwork 30. Canda's InkBlast 31. Stacy Coles

Learn more about October Blog Hop here.
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Book Review: The Outer Edge of Heaven

I have just one thing to say about Jaclyn M. Hawkes book The Outer Edge of Heaven! I absolutely love, Love, LOVE it!


Okay, really, I actually do have more to say about it. . .


I never wanted The Outer Edge of Heaven to end, and when it did, I wanted more. I could not get enough of this story. It was so well written and the characters so well developed that they were three dimensional. The plot was laced with intrigue and anticipation, not to mention lots of humor and butterfly inducing events. And besides, who can resist a gorgeous hunky cowboy or two?

Charlie(Charlene) is tired of being bullied by her high society influential parents and makes the decision to go with her best friend, Fo to his cousin's ranch in Montana for the summer to escape them. She looks forward to the opportunity to work there and finds that she loves learning the little ins and outs of ranch life and falls in love with the Big Sky Country.

While there she finds that there is a lot to love about the Langston Family, and feels more at home and at peace than she has in a long time in spite of all the dysfunctional craziness that comes with it. It all adds up to lots of great adventures, and some unexpected surprises, especially one in the form of Fo's gorgeous cousin Luke Langston.

While at the ranch Charlie learns that she doesn't more about what it is she really wants in life and finds that it doesn't match up with the path her parents have chosen for you. But instead of running and hiding from them as she has in the past, Charlie struggles to find a way to stand up for herself, all while chasing baby pigs, a bunch of impetuous kids and discovering that she has lost her heart in more than one way to a Big Montana Ranch all while fighting to escape a lurking danger.

This story kept me turning pages as fast as I possibly could. I couldn't read it fast enough to find out what happened next. I was up all night reading, I honestly couldn't help myself. I was so wrapped up in the characters, the story line and the laugh out loud humor that it was impossible to put down. Each page lured me further on into the depth of the story. Unexpected surprises popped up as well as comical out takes that made reading The Outer Edge of Heaven a pure delight!

This is a must read! Treat yourself to a great time. You won't regret it! I highly recommend this book if I were a 5 star rating kind of girl, this book would get 6!~ I am a sucker for a romance and this one delivered and then some.

So what are you waiting for? Get your copy of The Outer Edge of Heaven by Jaclyn M Hawkes click here. And lose yourself on the Langston Ranch for a while. The smile that will soon be on your face will be worth it!


Disclaimer: While I sometimes receive books to review, my opinions are and always will be my own!

Book Review: Indelible by Lani Woodland

Indelible by Lani Woodland is the much anticipated second book in the Yara Silva Trilogy. It isa Y/A paranomal romance, with plenty of ghostly action. Yara and Brent are back again at Pendrell Academy with their friends for their senior year. Things are going to go different this year, with the the capture of Thomas the villainous ghost, and the Curse broken they have nothing to fear. But that is when all the fun begins. When Yara discovers things about herself she never understood or knew she could do as a Waker. Someone with the ability to see and talk to ghosts. She finds that after coming back from the dead she has more than just a few fears she must confront and some new enemies both living and dead she must contend with. Brent her boyfriend must also battle his own demons and it ultimately comes down toYara making a life or death decision that will alter her life forever.

I loved Indelible, it was fast paced amazing thrill ride, that had me on the seat of my pants wondering what would happen next in the unexpected twists and turns along the way. Just when you think you have it figured out, you find another convaluted layer in the plot to untangle, and wonder how in the world can they make it through. And if you read Lani's first book Intrinsical, you know impossible sacrificial decisions must be made that can't possibly be chosen will be found in Indelible as well.

I fell in love with Yara, Brent, Steve and Cheri all over again, and welcomed the added depth of Vovo, Yara's Grandma. I felt the plot was rich and intricately woven as all the subplots intermixed through out the book weaving back and forth through the over all theme. The depth of character development made them leap to life off the page, and feel as if they could walk into your room or astral project in front of you at any time. I felt that this second story is vital to the overall story that so many things happen with in the story line you cannot skip reading it.

This ghost story adds extra elements of surprise that will keep your eyes flying across the page until the wee hours of the morning, as you bite your fingernails in nervous anticipation of how it will all turn out. But be sure to keep the lights on, because this ghost story will have you pulling the covers over your head if you aren't careful. But I promise you will be glad that you stuck through until the last satisfying page, which will leave you anticipating the next installment of the Yara Silva Trilogy. But as I found with Indelible, it will definitely be worth the wait.

Lani Woodland's book Indelible is a must read! It is appropriate for all ages and is a clean read. It teaches you that everyone deserves second chances and that hope always out weights all else. That the bonds of love and friendship are strongest when put to the test. In addition Lani was also the photographer for the cover as well! Beautiful isn't it?

To learn more about Lani, visit her website here, and her blog here. Click here for your own copy of Indelible, I promise you will be glad you did and besides it's October, what better time for a ghost story, right?

Disclaimer: While at times I do recieve copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always be my own!

Book Review: The Alias by Mandi Tucker Slack

The Way I See It:The Alias by Mandy Slack was a fast paced story about a lady name Jayce Grayson who is forced to go into hiding to protect both herself and her young son from her ex-husband. As if that isn't enough, FBI agents show up at her door one day asking her about her ex-husband business dealings and her part int it. Concerned that if the FBI can find her, then her ex-husband can, she makes a desperate move to take on someone else's identity and steps into life as them in order to buy some time.

Little did Jayce realize the deep impact the loving, welcoming LDS family has on her heart and her conscience. And for the first time in her life she feels accepted and part of a real family. Guilt builds inside her as a result of her deception, but she can't help but notice that her withdrawn and sullen son is perking back to life and acting like any nine year old boy should. She finds peace and a sense of security in the open arms of the McCoy's.

And then things begin to narrow as Jacey must find a way ensure her son's safety even if it means the possibility of her own death, she will do whatever is necessary to protect him. And she must rely on others to help her, something she doesn't do well.

I found this story to be fun and filled with unexpected dips and turns. Some things caught me off guard and at times I was worried and really afraid for the outcome of the characters and wondered how things would all end. I really couldn't be 100% sure until the end of the story. I loved the build in tension as Mandi weaves all the player's parts together through a timeline of events that lead to the surprising conclusion.

I liked how Mandi handled the delicate subject of an abused spouse in hiding. The way this story reveals what happened and how Jayce learned to stand for herself in the face of someone who once held great trust in her heart was wonderfully done. I came away from this story with such hope when Jacey was able to find strength within herself to do what she needed to do no matter the cost to herself. That she was more than she ever realized and that growth is shown through Jacey's emotions and how she is able to confront demons from her past head on.

I loved the way you felt the countdown race to the climax and a sense of not knowing the outcome for sure, made the race that much more desperate.

I enjoyed watching the different journeys of side characters as they learn great things about them selves and the strength they have to over come their darkest hours. I loved seeing that magnificence inside them shine and blossom through the course of the book.

This adventurous story is a story is a clean read that I recommend to children 11 and older, because of some of the descriptions of violent events that occur with the main character.

To get your own copy of The Alias by Mandi Tucker Slack click here. Click on the e-book edition and note that the e-book option is only $3.99, which is an excellent price for an LDSe-book, of course paper copies are available as well.

You can also check out more great things about the book The Alias by Mandi Tucker Slack by clicking here to check out here website.

Disclaimer: While at times I do receive copies of the books I review; the opinions expressed are and will always remain my own.

Book Review : The Key of Kilenya By Andrea Pearson

I am excited to get the chance to review Andrea Pearson's new book THE KEY OF KILENYA. I love her amazing imagination and still wonder how she was able to come up with so many fantastic creatures and detail to scenery and location as she wove her story together. I was in awe at how well she developed them to the smallest detail.

Synopsis:
When two vicious wolves chase fourteen-year-old Jacob Clark down a path from our world into another, his life is forever changed. He has no idea they have been sent by the Lorkon—evil, immortal beings who are jealous of powers he doesn’t know he possesses—powers they desire to control.The inhabitants of the new world desperately need Jacob's help in recovering a magical key that was stolen by the Lorkonand is somehow linked to him. If he helps them, his life will be at risk. But if he chooses not to help them, both our world and theirs will be in danger. The Lorkon will stop at nothing to unleash the power of the key—and Jacob's special abilities.


My take:
This story is about a 14 year old boy named Jacob who has lived his entire life in the shadow of his older brother Matt. Matt is Jacob's hero and in Jacob's mind, Matt is everything he isn't. Popular, courageous, easy going, smart, athletic and the list goes on. It is about how Jacob comes to find out for himself that he is every thing his older brother is and more. As he discovers this, he is able to move himself out of his brother's shadow by being forced to shine in the light on his own as he learns to rely on his own wit, skills and abilities that require him to be all the things Matt is in the face of real dangers.


I love how Jacob learns to have confidence in himself and that as he learns about who he is and what he can accomplish he realizes how much he has to offer and that even though he still admires his brother, he is now more on equal footing with him by the end of the story. I love the self discovery he goes through and the feelings of doubt he overcomes as he meets each new obstacle.


This is a perfect book for all ages! It is entertaining and filled with great mystical beings from another world. Andrea takes great care to paint the picture of this new land with words and the images pop vividly in your mind, as you can see in technicolor the world and creatures she has created. It was fun to see what new things Jacob would run into along the way of finding the Key or new obstacle he would have to figure a way to overcome, and sometimes it was one and the same.


This is a great book to read as a family together, or to spend a few hours alone just immersed in another world. It is clean and fun and full of great perilous adventures that keep you wondering to the end how will certain things turn out, only to find you must wait until the next exciting installment of the series. I love Andrea's amazing imagination and how she created a unique world that was fun to explore with Jacob. I know you will enjoy the fun as well.


Hurry and get your copy of Andrea Pearson's The Key of Kilenya by clicking here. And check out Andrea's website here to learn more about her great series!

Disclaimer: while I sometimes receive copies of books to review, my opinions are and will always be my own.

And the lucky winner is....

Thank you everyone who participated it the Sept hop give away with me! It was my first give away and it was so much fun to be a part of it and now I get to announce the lucky winner of Debbie Macomber's book One Night. Are you ready??

Big Pause . . . and now the applause please!! clap clap clap

It is lucky number 27! In a random drawing this was the number chosen. Alright everyone shout out WHOO HOO!! Yippe Yay!

Brendajean! Congratulations on winning the book you were lucky number 27! I will be emailing you on how to get it to you.

I am so excited to have so many new faces and freinds on Blogger Thank you agian for joining me! Look for the next fun blog hop coming in Oct. It promises to be full of great fun too!

Fantastic Sept Blog Hop!

Welcome to the September Blog Hop! Celebrate the beginning of fall with me and my blogger friends by hopping around, visiting our sites, and entering our contests! There are no limits - you can enter the contest on every blog. With over 40 blogs participating, that's over 40 prizes you could win. Just click on the links below to move on to the next blog.

On my blog, you can win …

A copy of New York Time's best selling authro Debbie Macomber's book One Night

Would you like to win this prize? You just need to do two things.

1. Become a follower of this blog.

2. Leave me a comment in the trail and tell me why you'd like to win this prize.

That's it! You are now entered. The contest ends on Saturday night, September 24th, at midnight MST, and the winner will be contacted shortly thereafter. Please either leave your e-mail address in the comment trail or make sure it's visible through your profile so I can contact you to tell you that you're the lucky winner.

Now go visit my other friends ...

1. Tristi Pinkston, LDS Author 2. Joyce DiPastena 3. I Am A Reader, Not A Writer 4. Mandi Slack 5. Michael D. Young 6. Six Mixed Reviews 7. Pam Williams 8. Laurie Lewis 9. Kristy Tate 10. Marilyn Yarbrough 11. Stacy Coles 12. Kristie Ballard 13. Lynn Parsons 14. Pushing Past the Pounds 15. Sheila Staley 16. cindy Hogan

17. Jamie Thompson 18. Jaclyn Weist 19. Cathy Witbeck 20. Secret Sisters Mysteries 21. Tamera Westhoff 22. Tina Scott 23. Lynnea Mortensen 24. Danyelle Ferguson aka Queen of the Clan 25. Jeanette A. Fratto 26. Bonnie Harris 27. Melissa Lemon 28. Mary Ann Dennis 29. Stephanie Black 30. Jane Still 31. Janice 32. Laura Bastian

33. Tamara Bordon 34. Betsy Love 35. Maria Hoagland 36. Amber Robertson 37. Debbie Davis 38. 39. Christy Monson 40. Carolyn Frank 41. Rebecca Birkin 42. Melissa Cunningham 43. Emily L. Moir 44. Ronda Hinrichsen 45. Lisa Asanuma 46. Joan Sowards 47. Jordan McCollum 48. Diane Stringam Tolley

Learn more about September Blog Hop here.

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Book Review: Modern Sorcery By Gary Jonas

Today I get to review Modern Sorcery By Gary Jonas. I really enjoyed this book, it hooked me hard and fast and I couldn't stop reading it.

Synopsis

Magic can be deadly...

When Private Investigator Jonathan Shade's ex-lover walks into his Denver office asking him to prove her father didn't commit the murder that dozens of witnesses saw and security cameras captured, Shade finds himself in the thick of magical intrigue. In a world where evil warlocks refuse to die, magically engineered assassins deal merciless death and ancient myths aren't quite so mythical, only Shade and his sexy partner, Kelly, can stop a power-hungry sorcerer from taking over the world.

Too bad Shade doesn't have any magic.

My thoughts

I loved Modern Sorcery by Gary Jonas! I couldn't put it down once I started. I read all night long and then I borrowed my friend's kindle to finish it the next day since I didn't want to lug my lap top with me everywhere I needed to go. But I would have if necessary. I didn't want to stop reading, I had to find out what happened next!

There was a ton of great action, lots of funny banter, an amazingly evil villain, (Gotta love those) and a handsome, butt-kicking, dynamic hero. (Gotta love those even more!) But then let's not forget the unexpected twists and turns and laugh out loud moments that ease the tension at just the right time. I want more Jonathan Shade and Kelly Chan fight scenes and interaction and quick shots at each other I just couldn't get enough.

I thought the mix of magic and mythology was blended masterfully. The plot and sub plots pulled you along page by page and it was easy to be caught up in Jonathan's world. Character development was three dimensional and you felt as if you knew each one personally. I want to know what happens next for Sharon, Kelly, Ester and Jonathan, I want to know how the magical world collides with mythology and the mundane world in the next book, I just want more!

Modern Sorcery read so fast and the details were so vivid that it was as if it all played out in real life before me. I was surprised by the ending that I didn't see coming, and didn't want the story to end. I look forward with great anticipation to more Modern Sorcery adventures in this exciting new series, and can't wait for more of Jonathan Slade's action packed punches with his unique touch of sly humor.

You can get your copy of Modern Sorcery by Gary Jonas by clicking here to get the ebook, paper back copies will be available in Oct. Hurry you don't want to miss out on the adventure!

When did it happen?

I want to know when it happened that I became old enough for my youngest child to turn eight years old? Who gave her permission to grow up? I certainly didn't, she was supposed to stay my baby forever, well at least until I told her she could move beyond that stage when I was good and ready. But she didn't ask permission at all, she just did. And now she is going to be baptized and she is so excited about it. But what is even better is that she can't wait for her oldest sister to come home and share in the celebration with two of her brothers who have birthdays over the next 30 days.

Fun you say? Sure! Especially when you consider that from Sept 16th until Oct 17th it is one birthday after another, it isn't hard to imagine. Some how we managed to have 4 birthdays 10 days apart...one on Sept 16th, then Sept 18th, then Oct 6th and then to big finale on Oct 17th. Then to round all the fun off we have Halloween.

But the worst part of my baby turning 8, is that her older sister will be turning 21. I cannot allow that~! It isn't supposed to happen, especially since I refuse to believe I am old enough to have a daughter who is 21! Why you say? Because I still feel like a teenager! I still feel just like I did when I was a teenager, and don't feel like I am any older. So when did it happen?

I think instead I will take a page from my hubby's book of life, where he says, "I refuse to grow up and grow old! Age is only a state of mind, and I choose to stay young!" I am 100% on board with that ideology!

So my kids may grow up and older, but I refuse too. I will still dance around my house and sing at the top of my lungs to the top 40 songs, I will still get in tickle and wrestling fights with my husband and kids, I will still be goofy and funny, just for the sake of making some one laugh. And talk in funny accents until my kids roll their eyes. Why? Because it is way too much fun not too!

Life is too short to take too seriously! So let the party begin! The month long celebration of four of my eight kids! WHoo Hooo!!!

Check out this Contest for Fall By Jennifer Hurst

Yesterday I posted about how much I loved FALL a paranormal romance written by Jennifer Hurst. Today I want to give you the fun and exciting details of the contest itself and how you can win some pretty fun things.

Here's How It Works!

In conjunction with this blog tour, Jennifer is holding a contest. It will involve any of the blogs that Jennifer visits or where her book is featured and will close on December 31st, 2011. The entrants have to answer three questions about the book they’ve read (bought, borrowed, or stolen - shame on you) and post a link to Jennifer's website on their Twitter, Facebook, or blog (need link for verification). Then the names will be entered in a random name picker generator (http://textmechanic.com/Random-Line-Picker.html) and announced on Jennifer's website (http://www.fabulousreads.blogspot.com/www.jenniferhurst.com) on January 31st, 2012. The winner will receive a gift certificate for a night’s stay at the actual bed and breakfast where the story takes place. Other prizes include an autographed copy of FALL, and she will randomly select 3 contestants’ names to use in the sequel to FALL. Plus, they will receive a free copy of that book when it is published. Each blog that Jennifer Hurst visits will have a different set of questions people can answer, and they may enter as many times as they want - but they can enter once per blog site that they visit. So the more sites you visit, the more you can enter your name, thus increasing your chances of winning the gift certificate, a copy of the book FALL, and your name in the sequel.

Get the book, read the book, and then read over the questions below. Once you have your answers, e-mail them to Jennifer. fall.jenniferhurst@gmail.com

Your privacy is respected and your email address will NOT be used for anything but the contest. Once the contest is over - your email address will be deleted from the database.

Here are the questions for you to answer:

What kind of bird did JD eat for Thanksgiving?
What did the delivery man forget when he delivered the office trailer?
What did JD take with her to go camping with Matthew?


If you would like to visit the other sites, go here for the master list of all participating sites: http://fallbyjenniferhurst.wordpress.com/

Best of luck, and thanks for participating!

So what are you waiting for? Grab your self a copy of Fall ~details and links on my previous posting and get to it! Don't miss out on the fun! Cuz believe me when I say, I am all over this contest!

Book Review: Fall By Jennifer Hurst

Synopsis of Fall By Jennifer Hurst:
Women and construction shouldn't mix. At least, that is what the client, Mr. Blackwell, thinks when Twenty-one year old Julia Dayle Halstead is promoted to project manager to remodel a turn-of-the-century schoolhouse into a bed and breakfast. However, the schoolhouse contains a secret. And it wants out.

Construction is in Julia's blood, so when she is promoted to Project Manager to renovate a turn-of-the-century school house in a bed and breakfast, she has high hopes of proving herself in the male-dominated construction industry.But Julia discovers there is more to managing a construction project than just contracts and budgets - especially when she meets Matthew Rigo, the demolition contractor who seems bound and determined to cross the lines Julia has imposed. Vandalism and other unexplainable occurrences beset the project, leading Julia to believe there is much more to the school house than she first realizes. Something is inside the hundred year old school house, and it wants out. Is Julia the key to its release? And are Matthew and Nathan what they appear to be?

My Thoughts:
I am so excited to review FALL a clean paranormal romance By Jennifer Hurst. If you love gorgeous brooding men and amazing strong female characters who know how to use power tools, then you will love Fall! I loved this book from the moment I read the first sentence. It grabbed me by my boots and took me on a wonderful roller coaster ride, that left me begging for more. I could not put this book down. I was so drawn to it. As a matter of fact, I tried put it down half way so I could attend to other matters and it pulled me back, and before I realized it, I finished Fall! The only thing that I could say could be better about it would be that there was more to read. I was so sad to see it end. But it makes me super excited for the sequel!


Jennifer's characters are strongly developed, and three dimensional. She knows how to weave a story filled with unexpected twists and turns that are unpredictable. All the subplots bring your curiosity level high and leave you anticipating what happens next. I loved how distinct and rich the characters feel. It was as if I was watching a live action movie and dreading the closing credits.


I want more of Matthew, more of Nathan, and more of JD. I loved the pull of good verses evil in this story and felt the fight for JD'ssoul as brothers Nathan and Matthew choose sides and use JD as the pawn between them. I thought it was clever to renovate and make it a central hub for otherworldly activity. I felt that all the story arcs were fun and brought new depths to the story.


I highly encourage you to get your copy of Fall as soon as possible. I know you won't be disappointed, I am shouting it out to all my friends that they have to check this book by Jennifer Hurst. She blew my socks off and I applaud her fun, skillful, and unpredictable story tell, and anxiously look forward to more Matthew, Nathan, and JD, I am dying to know what will happen next!


Hurry, click here to get your own e-copy of Fall, or go here for other purchase options. I promise you will NOT be disappointed. Click here to see my review on Amazon.


Click here to access Jennifer's web page to learn more about all things Jennifer and put your answers in for the FABULOUS contest she is running. Check back tomorrow for the questions and rules for the contest.


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

Book Review: All Diets Work By Jen Brewer, RD

Today I get the great chance to review a wonderful book by Jen Brewer, called All Diets Work. For me, being in the health field and researching and going off and on a ton of different diets, I was wondering what this book might hold if anything important. I am a certified group exercise instructor and I have helped lots of people lose weight. And let's be honest, I have lost my fair share of weight my self, who hasn't?

But as I read through this book, I found that is was easy to understand, not like some books where the chemical process of how your body works on a macrobiotic level becomes so scientific it is beyond understanding unless you have a degree in Chemistry. There is so much good solid information in All Diets Work that I encourage everyone to be sure they have a copy to use for their families, if not for themselves.

I loved they way it was structured and how Jen takes you by the hand and helps you understand everything and the ease of it all in simple terms. I enjoyed the basics, the reasons your body does what it does, all the common sense and amazing strategies as well as the personal success stories and charts to use on your journey. There are 25 tools she gives you to help you stop dieting and start losing weight for good. She even included recipes to help along the way.

I was amazed at how fast I read this book and found that I loved it. I highly recommend that anyone who is struggling with those last few pounds or a hundred pounds to lose, to pick this book up and utilize it. It will help you to achieve your goals in a way that makes sense and can be fun. I encourage you to also to click here and visit Jen's website where there is more information and tools and recipes to use and you can get your own copy. Or click here and get your copy at amazon.com I promise you it will be one of the best purchases you will ever make, and you won't regret it!

Disclaimer: While I do at times receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

Book Review: The Latter Rain by James M Conis

The Latter Rain by James M Conis is a great book for those who want to gain a better understanding of the Book of Isaiah in the Old Testament. The full full title, The Latter Rain Using the Book of Isaiah as the Key to Unlock Bible Prophecies That are Relevant Today explores the types and symbols in Isaiah and strives to bring better understanding of what they mean for us in this day and age and how we can apply those teachings into our lives.

The word rain in the title of the book, is used to symbolize God's communication with man. Traveling through the rich rains of the Old and New Testament times when God's prophet's were prevalent on the earth. Then moves to the time of drought when there was no communication through a living prophet,up to today with the Latter rain or communication.

Through out the book, Mr. Conis invites the reader to utilize the tool of prayer as they go through the book to ask about the things taught. This way the reader has their own testimony of what is being said, and doesn't go by Mr. Conis's words alone. This helps the reader to learn to listen to the communications of the spirit and teaches them to recognize what that sounds like to them. And brings to mind one way God interacts with his his children today.

Mr. Conis walks us through many different aspects of The Old Testament beyond just Isaiah as well. Working us through the Old and New Testament teachings and bring it to relevance for us today.

I enjoy reading the scriptures and learning from them, but I will admit that Isaiah has left me stumped a time or two. I really liked the easy way that Mr. Conis presents his points about Isaiah. I felt as if he was in the room with me, kicking back on the couch conversing and explaining his take about the scriptures of Isaiah with me. The points that were made were easy to understand and I could see what he wanted me to learn, and although were a few things that his view differ from mine, I felt that the over all message was clear and would help anyone understand the difficult to understand teachings of ancient prophets. He broke down symbols and types and explained them in a way that any one could understand. And showed why they were important and what it meant for us in today's world.

I really liked that the scriptures being referenced to were included in the book itself. It made it so much easier to know what was being talked about with out having to look it up or pull my scriptures out and search for the references. They were already there, which made the flow of reading and understanding that much better.

I am grateful that Mr. Conis would share his insights and knowledge which makes the sometimes difficult task of understanding ancient scripture that much easier to grasp. If you would like to get your own copy of The Latter Rain click here to visit the website and type in the promo code Tour when you check out and receive 20% off. Pretty sweet deal!

You can also purchase your copy here at Amazon.

Disclaimer: While I do at times receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

Book Review: Double Deceit By Stephanie Humphreys

Today I get to review Double Deceit by Stephanie Humphreys. It is a LDS suspense novel with plenty of twists and turns that keep you wondering if what you think is going to happen actually will.

Back Blurb:
Someone is watching . . .
As a young widow, all Elaina Bryant wants is a fresh start. Determined to put ten painful years behind her, she returns to her hometown and moves in with her sister, Natalie. Elaina soon accepts a job working at a small bookstore owned by the handsome Ryan Hill and his mother. Despite her reluctance to become romantically involved with anyone, she is drawn to Ryan and finds herself falling in love.

But someone isn’t happy with Elaina’s new life and is watching her every move. Her tormentor seems determined to destroy her sanity and her future, but Elaina can’t convince anyone the threat is real. Natalie is preoccupied with her own blossoming romance, and their friend Peter, a police officer, seems to believe the threat has been manufactured in Elaina’s own mind as a result of her guilt and grief.

Now Elaina’s plans for a new start are crashing down around her. She knows she will have to find the answers before she can overcome the past and enjoy love and happiness again. But how can she protect those she loves when she doesn’t know whom to trust?



My thoughts:
Double Deceit is one of those books that when you pick it up you know that you are going to want to know the end right away. The challenge of course is not to peak to see if all your guesses and deductions are correct. For me I will admit that I succumbed to the temptation. And wanted to see what happened, but it didn't ruin the story for me. I still had to find out how things got to the final conclusions.

Stephanie does a great job of building suspense and leave you guessing, and wondering if what you think is the truth is actually the truth after all. I was surprised along the way to find how certain characters reacted in certain situations. And at times I wanted a different outcome, but still it was fun to see how all the little plot twists and turns culminated in the end.

I like watching Elaina's growth through the story as she found that she could be stronger than she realized and take her life back and control the outcome. I liked that she realized how important it is to rely on others and that she learned how to reach out to others when she needed them. I liked that the other characters in the story had their flaws they had to overcome as well, and weren't just there to support the main character.

I also enjoyed how well Stephanie could make the images jump from the page. I had a clear picture of what was going on in my mind the entire time, from the forests to the city and even the details of the little book store was vivid in my mind.

I felt for Elaina and the difficult experiences she faced to the point that she even began to doubt herself. I wanted to comfort her and tell her she would make it through her trials.

Double Deceit is a book I would have not issues with my children reading. It is appropriate for ages 12 on up. And it is a clean read. There is plenty of mystery and a bit of fun romance along the way. To get your copy of Double Deceit click here.

Stephanie is running a really fun contest on her blog to go along with her book tour. Please click here to see what all the excitement is about and to learn more about Stephanie and her other accomplishments and books.

Disclaimer: While I do at times receive copies of the books I review, my opinions are and will always remain my own.

My 23rd Anniversary and Goal Results

Here is a super quick flash on how I did this month with my goals! It is my Anniversary after all and so I need to be about celebrating it with my honey!! But first a brief check in on how my goal results turned out.

So I got in 3 posts a week for a month, counting this one~ since I started on the 4th of July, I think that's fair. It was fun to post so much!

I got my writing goals accomplished. I even slightly modified I achieved what I set out to do! Yahoo!

And as for adding followers, I got 25 plus new followers this month but fell short of my goal of 100 by 16. But that is ok, I plan to get them soon enough. If any one has any cool ideas on how to do this, please I am all for hearing them.

I ran out of time to work on my blog that way when I spent a week visiting my family. They wanted a lot of my time and were jealous of my computer and on line time either on my blog or on my WIP or on email. OH well!! No biggie.

So I need to devise some new goals for the month of Aug and when I do, I will let you know what they are! If you have any goals that you are looking to achieve, let me hear about them and we can spend the month of Aug working on them together!

Road Trip!!

So I am off, in my huge Van...no not mini van, my 15 passenger with 3 kids, to drive across country for 8 plus hours today. And no it's not as laid back as the car's van. Wish me luck, that there will be no arguing kids, and no crazy drivers ( oh, wait, that's me) and that I make it back in one solid piece with my sanity still intact.

It's a beautiful day, and I'm hoping to not get too tired since I have a tendency to lull to sleep in a car. I have ever since I was little. And with no relief driver, I will have to hop my self up on unearthly amounts of caffeine and sugar to keep awake... but then the screaming kids should help out too, right?

So time for great adventures across the continental divide! Colorado here I come, see ya in a while Utah! But either way I look at it, I still have the mountains!