Review of "Recipes for a Beautiful Life"

Recipes for a Beautiful Life  by Julie Keye and Madaline Hall has inspirational scripture passages accompanied by beautiful photographs.  I found the combination of scripture mingled with illustrations soothing.   Each passage was chosen to inspire.

This book would be perfect to have on your coffee table, you do not need to read straight through.  Pick it up and peruse the book.  This would also be a great gift for someone who is hard to find a present for. 

I was impressed with the spa recipes in the back.  All are made from natural ingredients.  I am looking forward to taking a  bath using one of the recipes.  I could use to get rid of a little stress and tension.  ( I have four children, things get a bit crazy at my home.) I have oily skin and there are many recommendations for me.

I like that opposite the recipes there are reminders on the importance of strengthening ourselves, both physically and mentally.

I received a copy from the author through Bostick Communications.

I gave this book 5 stars.

Review of "Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed"

Lord Wraybourne's Bethrothed by Jo Beverly

HE WON HER HAND
Though she hailed from one of England's oldest, richest families, the Honorable Jane Sandiford had been brought up in a frugal fashion, far from the lavish London set she was about to join. For Jane was to wed the dashing Lord Wraybourne, a ranking member of the ton, and a vexingly handsome one at that. She'd been raised to expect a staid and passionless betrothal, and so the odd rush of emotion she felt each time Wraybourne came near seemed most irrational. The always sensible Jane knew that Wraybourne's only desire was for the Sandiford fortune, and she would do best to keep her distance rather than fall prey to the nobleman's considerable charms...

SHE WON HIS HEART
The Tenth Earl of Wraybourne laughed as the local gossipmongers spread word of his surprise engagement to the staggeringly wealthy Sandiford heiress-as if he needed to marry for money! Certainly the simple but spirited Jane was most different from the frivolous and fashionable London females of Wraybourne's circle-but that was precisely what he wanted in a wife. Not some chit with ideas of wealth and position, but an honest, strong, country-bred lass who would provide him with heirs and never stray. But then Wraybourne introduced his fiancee to the ton, and discovered that beneath her outmoded gowns and frumpy bonnets was a woman of warmth, wit, and passion. Suddenly the dull affair of marriage seemed rather more alluring, and Wraybourne wondered if it would be possible to fall in love with one's own wife.

I was recently browsing through e-books on my i-phone and came across The Stolen Bride by Jo Beverly.  It appealed to me, and I downloaded it.  A bit of time passed before I got around to looking at it.  I realized that it followed after Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed.  I knew that I would have a better of understanding of events and characters if I read it first.  It was then time to spend more money and download the first book.  Once again, The Stolen Bride is bumped back to my too read list.

I am glad that I did.  I enjoyed the story of Jane.  She is the daughter of wealthy and  self-righteous parents.  They decide to seek a groom for their daughter.  He needs to be an upstanding gentlemen.  They pick Lord Wraybourne.  He is willing to make the match and offers for Jane. 

Jane has never been exposed to society.  She has been sheltered and made to adhere to very strict rules.  It is decided that she may spend a season under the guardianship of Lord Wraybourne's aunt before her marriage.  Jane's first season is different from most girls, she is betrothed.

Jane learns more about Lord Wraybourne and his family.  She has adventures and learns about society from her soon to be sister-in-law, who happens to have a bit of a wild streak.

At the time he is trying to romance his fiancee, Lord Wraybourne is also trying to find the man who has raped many young women. One of them happens to be his friend.

I enjoyed this book.  It is clean and fun.  I am giving it four stars.

Review of "The Adventures of Isaiah James: Beach Boy"

The Adventures of Isaiah James : Beach Boy by Sabrina K. Carpenter

I am excited to review "The Adventures of Isaiah James : Beach Boy".  I received a copy of this book from the author through Bostick Communications.

Isaiah is a boy who loves to go on adventures with his parents.  Today, he is going to the beach.  He begins to think of the fun things he can do.  The first on his list is to build a sand castle.  It is in building the sand castle that his adventures begin.  He uses is imagination to have adventures.

I liked this children's picture book.  Our children today are too plugged in and do not use their imaginations. Another thing that impressed me is the use of colored pencils in the illustrations.  The illustrator is Doreen Freeman, she does a fantastic job of bringing to life Isaiah and his adventures.  One thing that it made me think of is this is the kind of artistic medium that children use.  I believe that this helps the child relate to the story a bit better.

I read this story to my son last night.  He told me it was "good".  I couldn't pin him down to anything other than "good."  He did pay attention to the story.  Often he closes his eyes, and just listens.  His eyes were open, this is another plus for the book.

I am giving it four stars.  I recommed it to all parents with small children.

The Spooktacular Hop Winners are:

Thanks to all who entered my giveaway.  There were a total of 115 people who entered. Unfortunately, not everyone can win. DARN.  One of my favorite sayings when my son was in pre-school was "Oh shucks, maybe next time."  I will be participating in another blog hop, the Gratitute Giveaways,  from November 17 thru 27th.  Please stop by and enter.

DRUMROLL PLEASE!!

"The Thirteenth Chime" goes to Lori L.

"Rome & Juliet & Vampires" goes to Ashley

and finally

"Big Pumpkin" goes to The Pavlik Family

The winners have been sent an email with the address provided to me.

Getting into the spirit of Halloween.

Romeo and Juliet and Vampires  by Claudia Galbel

Adapted from William Shakespeare

You are deluded, Romeo. Vampires do not have the capability to love. They are heartless."

The Capulets and the Montagues have some deep and essential differences. Blood differences. Of course, the Capulets can escape their vampire fate, and the Montagues can try not to kill their undead enemies. But at the end of the day, their blood feud is unstoppable. So it's really quite a problem when Juliet, a vampire-to-be, and Romeo, the human who should be hunting her, fall desperately in love. What they don't realize is how deadly their love will turn out to be—or what it will mean for their afterlives. . . .

This riotous twist on the ultimate tale of forbidden romance is simply to die for.

I was browsing the book section at Walmart and found this book.  I laughed. My wondered, what will they make into vampires next? Nothing was sacred.  I picked it up, remembered that I was participating in the Spooktacular blog hop and thought it would make an interesting giveaway. Now, I will turn to read "Little Vampire Women".  Another one that made me laugh, I'm interested to see how it turns out.

Of course, I couldn't resist the temptation of reading it.  I made another trip to Walmart and bought another copy.  Sheesh! I advertised that I was giving away a new copy, and so my  conscience wouldn't let me give away a copy that I read.

Despite my cynical nature, this worked.  The Capulets are Vampires and the Montagues are vampire hunters.  The prose is contemporary, I missed "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo." The balcony scene is there, but kids will understand the dialogue a little easier. I am not opposed to the trend to make classic works into works with a paranormal theme.  My hope is that if young adults (or older people like me who like YA lit.) read the knock-offs, they will become interested in the original work.

Claudia Gable does change the ending a little. It works.  Not so much of a tragedy.  I'm giving this work 3 stars.  Good, not close to being a favorite.

family traditions

My family has a tradition that the Monday night before Halloween we carve pumpkins that we have grown in our garden in the backyard.  Then we have treats and look at the artwork we have created with a pumpkin.

I've tried everything I know how, even had my 15 year old son help me, and I cannot turn these pictures around.  My kids carving the pumpkins.  In case you are wondering what is on the back door?  I collect magnets from the family trips that we go on. 

Little Vampire Women

By Louisa May Alcott and Lynn Messina

"Christmas won't be Christmas without any corpses."

The dear, sweet March sisters are back, and Marmee has told them to be good little women. Good little vampire women, that is. That's right: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy have grown up since you last read their tale, and now they have (much) longer lives and (much) more ravenous appetites

For me, this is a book that is hard to review.  The reason?  I didn't particularly like it.

Shifting this classic into a paranormal knock-off just didn't  work.  I found the references to their state of vampirism very tedious.  There were umpteen references to the differences between them and their human counterparts.  Their desire for "corpses for Christmas" was gross.   They would bring cute little critters into their home and suck them dry.

The funny thing is, that as a general rule, I like vampire books.  I read them all of the time and many are on my to-read list.  I practically drool when a new one comes out.

The positive spin:  it does closely follow the events of the original, just with the vampire twist.  Lynn Messina is not a bad author, this book just didn't work for me.  2 stars

Four Summers Waiting

I just finished reading Four Summers Waiting by Mary Schoenecker.  I found this book in the clean romance group on Goodreads.  Mary Schoenecker was recommending her book to another blogger who was looking for clean romance books to review.

Four Summers Waiting is set during the Civil War period of the United States of America.  The main character, Maria, accompanies her friend Carolyn to an Underground Railroad meeting.  Carolyn is to take a young black boy to a safe place.  Maria is unaware of  Carolyn's true intentions .  However, at the meeting she meets a handsome young man, who is attending school to become a Doctor.  He has beautiful green eyes that immediately catch her attention.  His name is Henry Simms.

Henry and Maria begin a romance that is conducted mainly through letters and a few meetings.  They are separated by the war.  Henry feels that it is his duty to enlist his services as a Dr. the North. Maria feels helpless and useless at her home, until she is able to visit Washington DC with and spend time with Henry's sisters.  She begins to help in the teaching of young black children to read and write.

The reason this book is called four summers waiting, is that it takes four years for Henry and Maria to be able to marry.  I don't think that it is spoiling the story to say that they come together in the end.  It is a love story and there is plenty of material to get there.

I gave this work 3 stars.  I found it confusing and slow in some places.  Mary does a fantastic job in describing the time period and the conflict between neighbors and family.  She did research for this book and it shows in her writing.

On a personal note, I am happy to say that steroid shots for carpel tunnel work.  Yesterday I went to a Hand Surgeon to discuss my options.  I would like to be able to get through the holidays without surgery, six weeks recovery will not work for me at this time.  I went with the shots, it is a temporary fix and I may need surgery at a later time.  I hated the feeling of the shots, the numbness in my hands and the loss of strength.  Today I am pain free and have full use of my hands.

The Spooktacular Book Blog Hop is ON!!

What to give away?  Hmmmm.... My first giveaway as a blogger.  Lots of wonderful books came to mind, but then it is Halloween!  Of course, I needed to choose books have a theme consistent with Halloween.

  I am giving away three books.  The first two are Young Adult and the third is my favorite Halloween picture book.

  So, I was walking through Walmart and saw the first book in my giveaway.  I haven't read it, so I can't review it, but the title made me laugh.  I couldn't resist. (if you win, let me know if it's good :-) )

Romeo & Juliet & Vampires

"You are deluded, Romeo. Vampires do not have the capability to love. They are heartless."

The Capulets and the Montagues have some deep and essential differences. Blood differences. Of course, the Capulets can escape their vampire fate, and the Montagues can try not to kill their undead enemies. But at the end of the day, their blood feud is unstoppable. So it's really quite a problem when Juliet, a vampire-to-be, and Romeo, the human who should be hunting her, fall desperately in love. What they don't realize is how deadly their love will turn out to be—or what it will mean for their afterlives. . . .
This riotous twist on the ultimate tale of forbidden romance is simply to die for.
Picture and Product description taken from Amazon.

My second choice is from a fellow blogger, it is her first publication and the editing leaves a bit to be desired.  I did enjoy the story.  It is worth reading.

The Thirteenth Chime by Emma Michaels

  In a beautiful house that overlooks the sea, an antique clock has the power to change the course of their lives.

The power the clock resonates will not only force Destiny and ex-boyfriend David on a journey into the depths of one man's mind long dead, but into the mind of a man filled with hatred and bent on revenge.

With the only clues to the nature of the clock having disappeared into the sea, Destiny and David must retrace the steps the man had taken into the darkness, before they fall prey to the trap he had set in motion over half a century ago.

Hatred never dies.

Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman

Once there was a witch who longed for pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, the pumpkin she had grown from a seed became so big she simply couldn't get it off the vine. Although 'she pulled and she tugged and she pulled...that pumpkin just sat.' Along came a ghost. 'I am bigger than you and stronger, too, ' said he. 'Let me try.' Well, the witch wanted that whole pumpkin for herself. But she needed help-Halloween was just hours away.... 

I loved reading this book to my kids.  We would do different voices for the characters.  It is a fun book!  I purchased this copy fromAmazon, and thought I was getting a new copy.  This copy is used, it has a name that has been scribbled out in the cover and the ends are a little worn.  Sorry!  ( I will now hide my head in shame.)

A BIG thanks to kathy at  I am a Reader, Not a Writer for putting this together.

To Enter:

1. Leave me a comment with a name & with your email address:  Use a format that makes it hard for spammers, such as: ke7ycaATgmailDOTcom.

2. Let me know which book you would prefer to win, or all three.  There will be one winner for each book.

3.If you want  extra points, let me know if you signed up to follow my blog.  It will be 2 extra entries if you do. (Hint: there is a tab on the top left that you can click on to follow.)

4. Become my friend on Goodreads.  There is a link on the upper left side of this blog. 1 extra entry.  If you are already my friend, you get a point .

Once you are done, please look at the links posted at the bottom of my posts.  Click on your next location. . Good luck, hope you win something good!

Pieces of Paris

Annalisse and Dennis seem to be living the American dream until Annalisse's secret past threatens to destroy their family.
This skillfully crafted novel from Whitney Award winner G. G. Vandagriff explores the long-term effects of personal tragedy in haunting flashbacks of Annalisse's former life--flashbacks that are interwoven with a passionate romance to reveal a person entirely different from the woman Dennis thought he had married.
But as Annalisse struggles with long-buried memories, Dennis's investigation of a toxic waste incident ignites the wrath of a former political ally and an industrial firm that will go to any lengths to cover up a shocking crime.
Can Annalisse reconcile her turbulent past with her present life before it's too late? And can Dennis find a way to save his family and the town they've called home?
Annotation taken from Goodreads description of the book.

Annalisse and Dennis have been married for four years. They have a son and are expecting a daughter. Annalisse begins to have flashbacks of her life with Jules in Vienna and Paris. She has never told Dennis about Jules and fears that it is too late, that he will never forgive her for her deception.

Dennis has his own issues. When things get tough he runs away. He is running for political office and discovers that a local company has been dumping dioxide illegally.

Both Dennis and Annalisse must overcome their person demons, regain their faith in themselves and each other, and come together in understanding and forgiveness.

I found this book very interesting. It explores the effects of someone suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Annalisse has blocked out the emotions associated with Jules, and is now, several years later working through them. It is a reminder that all bad things have to be dealt with at one time or another. Also another reminder that it is better to be open and honest with your significant other, because you never know when the past will come back to "haunt" you. (I coudn't resist adding some reference to the upcoming holiday.) 4 stars from me.

I will not post another review on this page for the upcoming week, due to the Spooktacular Blog Hop. I am not savvy enought yet to know how to do it any differently and still keep the giveaway on top of the page. I will not however, stop reading. There will be a few books to review after the 31st. Until then, happy reading and Happy Halloween.