On Thin Icing by Ellie Alexander (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"It's the dead of winter in the sleepy town of Ashland, which means no tourists-and fewer customers-for Jules Capshaw and her bakery. But when she's asked to cater an off-season retreat for the directors of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, business starts heating up...until Jules finds a dead body in the freezer.

 Someone at the retreat has apparently iced the bartender, a well-known flirt with a legendary temper-that is, before a killer beat him to the punch. Then, from out of nowhere, Jules's own ex-husband shows up at the shop-and soon becomes a suspect. With accusations piling up higher than the snow-and thicker than a chocolate mousse cake-Jules has to think outside the (recipe) box to find the real culprit...and make sure he gets his just desserts."

My Thoughts:

This series is fast becoming one of my favorite cozy mystery series to follow!  Last year I read all three of the books in this series and each one was such a fun reading experience.  What I love about this series is how focused they are on baking and food in general.  It makes me SO hungry while I'm reading at times because the descriptions of food are just amazing!  If I could bake and cook like Jules does, well that would be just amazing.  Sometimes I truly feel like I am reading more for the food and descriptions of Jules' cooking rather than the mystery itself.  I also really appreciate in this series that Jules doesn't have her life figured out.  She isn't perfect and is kind of at a turning point in her life.  Actually all of the characters in this series are pretty great which is one of the reasons why I love this series so much!  Great characters, yummy food descriptions, and suspenseful mysteries are why these books are clear winners for me.  I just can't seem to get enough!

One of the things that I really loved about this book was the setting.  I loved how the author used a winter snow storm and a mountain lodge to give this book such an isolated and creepy feel to it.  I read this book during a snow/ice storm of our own and it just fit in so perfectly with this time of year.  This book felt darker and more suspenseful than the previous two books thanks to the setting.  I just loved it!  The mystery portion of this book was well done and I wasn't able to figure out what was going on until the very end.  I also liked that in this book we finally got to meet Jule's estranged husband Carlos.  We have been hearing so much about him since the very beginning and now it was interesting finally getting to see him and Jules interact with one another.  I can't honestly say how I feel about him at this point.  I actually am more a fan of Thomas (Jules' ex-boyfriend) so I am very, very curious to see what happens in the next book!  The ending of this book tied up everything quite nicely and left me eager for book four.  I especially love how the author includes recipes at the end with some of the different recipes that Jule's has made throughout the book.  I just need to get some confidence and try one of them!!! 

Overall, this was another great addition to one of my favorite cozy mystery series!!  I'm super excited that another book will be releasing in 2016....I just need to get my hands on it as soon as possible.  I'm hoping that we will get more resolution to Jules and Carlos' relationship in the next book.  And many more delicious recipes of course!  These books are just so much fun and are such great reads.  I cannot recommend them enough!  I feel like you should start with book one Meet Your Baker just so that you get the full reading experience but really these books could be read on their own.  Cozy mystery fans and mystery readers in general should really give this series a try!  Highly recommended!

Bottom Line:  Another standout read from one of my favorite cozy mystery series!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley as part of a CBB Book Tour. 

 

The Sunday Salon #21 (Read-a-thon Edition)

"The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme"
 
This week has been a busy one but that was to be expected.  Life has gotten back into the normal routine.  Kids are back to school, work is work, and daily homework help each night has begun again.  I'm not complaining though as I enjoy the fact that everything is settling back down.  The weather has gotten colder and there is nothing better than curling up with a good book whenever I can find the time.

This week was the Bout-of-Books read-a-thon which is always a fun experience.  I did really great with it and managed to read two books for the read-a-thon.  This means I've read three books already in 2016.  Who is this girl?  LOL!  I attribute all of this reading to really great books and the need not to move from under a warm blanket.  I've also jumped back into the fitness/exercise thing with two feet.  I was mostly successful so I'm happy but I'm hoping to work even harder this week at it.  My biggest struggle is finding the time to workout before dinner because I'm useless afterwards (and it just won't happen).  I'm going to work this week on working out directly after getting off of work- no excuses!  Enough rambles out of me though, here are the books that I have finished so far in 2016:

Snow Angels by James Thompson - A thrilling read that was just meant to be read on a cold winter evening.  This book was darker than I expected but really it was a book that I just couldn't set down.  A really great start to my reading year! 

City of Light by Keri Arthur - Gah!  This book was so, so good and left me pining for the second book (which doesn't release until late this year).  A really great start to this new series and one that I will be immediately continuing on with...as soon as I get my hands on book two that is.  Loved it!

Beside Myself by Ann Morgan - This book- I don't even know what to say about it.  It was dark, haunting, and one of those books that just took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions.  I read this book for a TLC book tour (my stop is early next month) and I cannot wait to see other readers' thoughts on it.  It is one of those books that I really want to discuss.

Whew!  My reading year really has started off with a bang thanks to these three books.  I'm now currently reading the following book:

I haven't gotten very far into this one but I have high hopes for it.  It sounds really great and I just love a good romantic suspense!  I'm doing really great so far with reading the books that I picked out for January.  It has also helped narrow down my options a bit making it easier to decide on my next book.  I'm not going to lie- I still struggle a bit but that is because I can just be so indecisive.  LOL!

#Fit Readers Update- I'm on day eight of the 30 Day Shred video.  I've skipped two days which I wasn't happy about but obviously I was lacking the motivation.  I will be moving on to workout two this week which is going to make me work even harder.  I've also managed to get two runs in - both a little over a mile long.  Not great but if you understood how much I hate running on the treadmill then it would make more sense why I view this as an accomplishment.  I need to start working on two mile runs though if I want to hit my goal of 30 miles in January.  I've got lots of plans for this upcoming week apparently :)

New Books:

I've failed.  I couldn't stay off of NetGalley and have downloaded some new books this week.  In my defense I had ALREADY requested them before my ban (but then I may or may not have requested a few more).  It is a sickness I tell you.  LOL!  Here are the books that I added to my e-reader this week:

There were actually a couple of more but I will save them for next week's post.  Plans for today include a workout and laundry.  A little bit of cleaning and prepping for the upcoming week.  My normal Sunday plans.  We will be watching football and I will be working on getting some reviews written up.  I'm also hoping on visiting and catching up on all of the comments that have been left here lately.  I've been awful when it comes to responding- this is something that I would like to work on in 2016.  And a little bit of reading of course.  The read-a-thon might be officially over but I can still read like it isn't!  I'm off to get this day started.

Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Red Ribbons by Louise Phillips (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"A SERIAL KILLER

When the body of a missing schoolgirl is found buried in the Dublin Mountains, her hands clasped together in prayer, two red ribbons in her hair, the hunt for her killer reaches epic proportion with the discovery of a second girl's body 24 hours later.


THE CRIMINAL PSYCHOLOGIST

Desperate to find the murderer, police call in criminal psychologist Kate Pearson, to get inside the mind of the serial killer before he strikes again. But the more Kate discovers about the killings, the more it all begins to feel terrifyingly familiar as her own past threatens to cloud her investigations.


AN ACCUSED WOMAN

Ellie Brady has been institutionalised for 15 years, for the killing of her twelve-year-old daughter, Amy. After all this time, does Ellie hold the key to finding the killer of the Dublin schoolgirls?

What would you do if you were accused of killing your own daughter? What if those closest to you turned their back on you? And when everyone stopped listening, what next, when even you believe you're guilty?"

My Thoughts:

I feel like this year was such a great year in terms of finding great new authors to follow and Louise Phillips is definitely one of them!  I read the above summary for this book and just knew that I wanted to read it.  It wasn't available in my local library system so I couldn't help but add it to my Amazon shopping cart when I went on a book buying binge.  This book was so completely worth it and I'm glad that followed my instincts on this one.  I'm a sucker for any thriller with a hint of a mental institution being involved....something about that type of setting seems so entirely creepy to me that I just cannot resist.  Add to that a storyline that involves a mother accused of killing her own daughter and I was completely sold by that point.  This book didn't disappoint in the slightest and was just as dark and twisted as the summary portrays it to be.  I admit to being fully hooked by this book from beginning to end.  It was one of those books that just sweeps you up and doesn't let you go which was exactly what I needed.  Really a great thriller and mystery all wrapped in one!

One of the things that I enjoyed most about this book was that this book was told from multiple viewpoints.  This allowed for the reader to experience the different parts of this book in a way that ratcheted up the suspense level several notches.  For instance parts of the book were told from the viewpoint of the killer and then other parts were told from the viewpoint of Ellie Brady who was the mother accused of killing her own daughter.  I was a bit partial to Ellie's story as I could tell from the beginning that she was a bit of an unreliable narrator which I am a complete sucker for.  I loved how we were given bits and pieces here and there of what happened to her daughter but it wasn't until the very end that everything began to tie together.  The author did a really amazing job of fitting all of the pieces of the puzzles together in a way that really worked for me as the reader.  I found the ending to be a heart pounding reading experience!  I flew through those last pages reading as fast as I possibly could.  Wow!  I was left instantly wishing for more books like this one which means that I couldn't help but see what else this author has written.  Thank goodness that I have more books in this series to look forward to (even if my wallet will be hurting because of it)!

All in all, I found this to be a really great read that left me so excited about this mystery series!  I loved how easily I fell into this book and how hard I found it to set down.  It was tense and filled with suspense which was exactly what I was hoping for.  I cannot wait to see what kind of case Kate will find herself wrapped up in next.  Easily recommended but especially to those mystery and thriller fans!  I've already handed my copy off to my Mom for her to enjoy next.  

Bottom Line:  A thrilling read that I didn't want to stop reading!  I need more!

Disclosure:  I bought this book for myself as a bookish treat- now I need to buy the rest of the series.


 

Impatiently Waiting (2016 Releases That I NEED!)

I've been writing this type of post for three years now at the beginning of the new year.  There is just something about the new year and ALL of the books that will be releasing soon that gets me pumped up!  2016 is already starting off with a bang as Mira Grant has a new book being released in the Newsflesh series this year!!!!  I am SO excited that I cannot even stand it!!!  I LOVE these books!  I cannot even contain my excitement here.  Last year I didn't manage to read as many of the books on this list as I had hoped to so this year I'm going to have to change that.  There are just so many books and so little time!  Here are the books that I am already making grabby hands for:

Daisy in Chains by Sharon Bolton - A NEW books by Sharon Bolton!?!  I didn't even have to read the description before I was adding this one to my list.  I add a books of hers to my list every year- she is hands down of my favorite authors.  Want! Want! Want!

River Road by Carol Goodman - I have enjoyed EVERY book that I have read by this author so I couldn't help but be excited about her newest book.  And I actually was approved for a copy of this one (before my NetGalley ban) so you can bet I will be reading it very soon.  Can't wait!

City of the Lost by Kelley Armstrong - A new series by Armstrong?  I NEED it!!  And it is a mystery series which makes me want to read it even more!  I cannot even right now.  Sigh.  I will be reading this one ASAP!

Butterfly in the Dark by Gilly Macmillan - This author's debut novel made my top reads list of 2015 so of course I'm adding this one to my wishlist!  And it sounds so good which makes me even more excited to read it!!

Ink and Bone by Lisa Under - There are SO many thrillers that I want to read in 2016 but this cover has me seriously lusting after this book!  It looks so creepy and I just cannot wait to read it!!

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard - This books seems to be all over the blogsphere lately but for good reason if this book is as good as it sounds.  I cannot wait to find out for myself!  Plus it doesn't hurt that it has such a gorgeous cover either!!

Unhinge by Calia Read - I basically read that this one was set in a mental institution and added it to my TBR wishlist that fast!  It seems to be part of a series though so I will need to get my hands on the first book as well.  I'm excited to read them both!!

Little Boy Blue by M.J. Arlidge - Basically I have a goal to read all of the books in this series in 2016!  This will be the fifth book in this mystery series and I'm already chomping at the bit to get my hands on it!  So excited for this series!

Forevermore by Kristen Callihan - I just started reading this series in 2015 but I can't help but pine for this newest one.  I am hoping to read all of the books in this series as well in 2016.  I have big plans for my reading this year!

Bitter Bite by Jennifer Estep - I actually have a copy of this one for my kindle and I just adore the cover for it!  Yes another series that I am planning on catching up with in 2016.  (Are you sensing a trend yet? LOL!)

I could keep going and going but I'm forcing myself to stop at this point.  Rest assured that I will continue posting about other books that I am excited to read in my on the radar/wishlist posts.  There are just so many!  I can't even begin...seriously...I am pumped for 2016!  I will include really quickly a few books that would be listed above but they don't have covers quite yet:

• Rewind by Mira Grant (this is THE book that I want to read MOST in 2016)!
• The Ghost Rebellion by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris (love this series so much!)
• Grilled For Murder by Maddie Day (cozy series that I want to continue on with)
• Nine of Stars by Laura Bickle (another series I adore)

And so many more!  Tell me, what books are you looking forward to reading in 2016?  I would love to know!

Reading and Exercise (Or Winter Plans/Goals)

"The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team"
  
What better way to kick off the new year than with a week long read-a-thon?  I've participated in the Bout of Books read-a-thon quite a few times now and it is always a fun experience.  It also usually really helps me to prioritize getting some extra reading time in.  I'm hoping this will get my 2016 reading year off to a really great start.  I'm going to need the boost as the kids go back to school this week AND it is my first full week back to work after the holidays.  Blah!  I'm also going to use this read-a-thon to help me boost up my numbers for #COYER.  A win/win scenario if I do say so myself.  

I don't have any set goals other than I would like to finish at least two books.  I will be choosing from the books in my January reading pile.  If one of those isn't calling my name then I will just switch it out with something different from my kindle.  It isn't like I don't have plenty of books just waiting to be read.

#FitReaders hosted by Geeky Bloggers Book Blog  and That’s What I’m Talking About.

I'm also planning on participating this year with #FitReaders.  I thought that I would share my goals for January with all of you (even though I find this quite scary....what if I don't meet them?)  I haven't always been the most motivated person but I have taken running back up since last year.  It was a year of running and then not running with huge gaps in between.  This year I would like to really focus and run more consistently throughout the entire year.  Besides my running partner and I have a personal goals to run a half marathon this year so I need to get more serious about it!

For the month of January my exercise goals are the following:

• Do Jillian Michael's 30 day shred video every day.

• Run minimum 30 miles over the entire month of January.

These both seem pretty doable to me but I always have great intentions and then things fall to the wayside.  I don't run on the treadmill very well (I despise it to be honest) so it will be a challenge to motivate myself to run distances on it.  Hopefully the weather will allow me to get outside and run once in awhile.  I have made it past the 2nd workout on the shred video but the 3rd workout really kicked my butt.  I really, really want to finish and do all thirty days of it.  Only time will tell though. 

I've got lots of plans for the new year so I need to get my butt in gear!  Are any of you also participating in either of these events?  Let me know so we can cheer each other on!!  Trust me when I say that I can ALWAYS use the extra motivation when it comes to working out :)

January Reading Plans (2016 Edition)

A couple of years back I used to make a pile of books that I wanted to read for each month but then as usual these posts fell to the wayside.  This seems to happen often with me in regards to blogging.  I'm not always good with a strict reading schedule (in fact I'm awful with that type of thing) but I do like having a pile of books to choose from to help narrow it down.  Because let's face it, choosing the next book that you want to read can be HARD sometimes when there are so many great books staring back at you.  The above picture are the print books that I have in my pile but as I'm currently participating in #COYER I also have some e-books in my pile too.  Here are the books that I'm hoping to read in January:

• In The Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming - 1st book in a mystery series that has been on my radar for some time.  The title of this one makes me think that it will be a perfect read for this time of year with snow and ice on the ground!
• Between a Vamp and a Hard Place by Jessica Sims - Review copy and a book that I know virtually nothing about other than it sounded good enough that I wanted to say yes to reading it.  This happens way too often if I'm being honest but I'm still excited to read it!
• Homicide in Hardcover by Kate Carlisle - 1st in a new to me cozy mystery series.  This book has been on my shelves for a ridiculously long time and I'm excited to finally take it off.  
• Enraptured by Candace Camp - Review copy that showed up unexpectedly but sounds good so I'm adding it to my reading plans.  At least I think it was unexpected...I'm not really for sure about this.  It does also fit my goal of reading more historical romance this year though.
• Snow Angels by James Thompson - A thriller set in winter time?  Heck yeah!  I couldn't resist adding this book to my reading plans when I was browsing my own shelves.  And the description on the back of the book makes me want to read this one right now!
• Beside Myself by Ann Morgan - Review copy for a TLC book tour.  The tour isn't until February but I thought I would get ahead of the game.  Plus this one sounds excellent so why wait?
• Swerve by Vicki Pettersson - Review copy and carry over from 2015.  I actually had just barely begun this one and then had to set it aside as I had a book tour book that I needed to get finished first.  I never ended up going back to this one but I am going to now.  This one started off great so I can't wait to finally finish it.

Here are the e-books that are being included in my reading plans:

• Kill Without Mercy by Alexandra Ivy - Review copy from NetGalley and a book that I've wanted to read every since I first heard about it.  I won't be waiting any longer to read this one and I'm so excited for it!
• Steal Me by Lauren Layne -  I blame Lisa for this one entirely.  Also a review copy from NetGalley that I just had to request after reading her thoughts on this one....I just couldn't resist.  I get a lot of my romance recommendations for her so I can't wait to give this one a try!
• City of Light by Keri Arthur - 1st in a new series by Arthur and also NetGalley review copy.  I've enjoyed everything that I've read by Arthur so far so I can't wait to give this series a try!
• The Shut Eye by Belinda Bauer - Review copy from NetGalley.  Does anyone else sense a trend here?  This is why I have banned myself from requesting any more books during #COYER.  I have too many already that I need to get through first before I request more.  This sounds super good and comes out this month so I added it to the reading pool.
• The Girls She Left Behind by Sarah Graves - Last year I read and LOVED the first book in this series so of course I requested this one from NetGalley when I saw it.  I absolutely cannot wait to see what happens next in this series!

Twelve books is a bit of a ridiculous number if I'm being honest but I wanted to make sure and give myself plenty of books to choose from.  If I don't get them all read then I can always add them to another pile in a different month.  Just looking at these books gets me pumped to start reading.  Maybe I will have one of those stellar reading months and will start the year off with a bang!  That would be amazing!

Tell me what your reading plans are for this month!  Have you read any of these?  Is there one that absolutely cannot be missed?  

Top Ten Reads of 2015

Whew!  For the first time ever (and just under the deadline) I met my Goodread's goal of reading eighty books!  I had held out until the very end to create my top reads post with the hope that I would sneak one more read in.  It is a good thing that I did as that last read was really great and is going on this list.  I'm not going to lie, I'm feeling pretty accomplished if only for today.  Bring on my new goal of reading 85 books in 2016!   2015 was a pretty strong year of reading for me in terms of both numbers and quality.  It felt like a good reading year and thankfully I also spent lots of quality time with the family.  I'm going to hope for the same in the new year!  Now on to the best books that I read last year:

 
Fear the Darkness by Becky Masterman was one of those books that I knew instantly after finishing that it would end up on my top reads list for the year.  It was also the first book that I read in 2015 and it started what would be a year long streak of reading mysteries and thrillers.  This book was such a page turner and so intense!  I still find myself unable to fully put into words how much I loved this book!

Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge was my final read for 2015 and also quite a doozy!  Both dark and twisted, this was a book that I couldn't set down (and I didn't).  I managed to finish this one yesterday and I'm still reeling from it.  It was SO good and this author has instantly jumped on to my must read list!

Depraved Heart by Patricia Cornwell was one of those books that left me breathless when I finished.  It almost feels like cheating to just include this book in my top reads when I loved ALL of the books in this series that I read this year which would have taken three of the spots on this list so I'm cheating and including them all here.  This one though was the best of the three and now I just NEED the next book as soon as possible!

Lion in the Valley by Elizabeth Peters marks the second year in a row that this series and her books have made it on my top reads list.  This wasn't even my favorite book in the series and it was STILL by far better then the majority of the books that I read in 2015.  That just goes to show you how much I love and enjoy this series!  They always make me laugh and are just a joy to read!

Silent Scream by Angela Marsons was a book that I just could not read fast enough!  As soon as I finished I added this author to my auto-read list and all of her books to my TBR list. It was heart pounding, intense, and basically all of the things that I am looking for in a good mystery/thriller.  Goal for the new year is to read the other two books in this series because I simply must (and because I need more Kim Stone in my life)!

The Daughter by Jane Shemilt was a book left me with a bookish hangover for days afterwards.  I used words like haunting and engrossing in my review so how could I not love it?  It really struck a chord with me and is one of those books that I won't be forgetting any time soon.  Another author that I want to read more of in the future!

A Dark and Twisted Tide by Sharon Bolton was yet another amazing book by this author!  She is STILL one of my very favorite authors and this is at least the 3rd (or maybe 4th) year in a row where one of her books has made in on my top reads list.  It wouldn't feel like a top reads list if I didn't have one of her books on it at this point.  I cannot recommend this series or this author enough!!

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan was such an intense and emotionally wrenching read!  I swear this book made me feel all of the emotions and left me thinking about it long after finishing.  I cannot get over the fact that this is the author's debut novel...what will she come up with next??  I can tell you that I will certainly be reading her next book because this book was just that good!

The Janus Stone by Elly Griffiths is the second book in yet another series that I have come to love.  The characters in this series are one of the main things that makes this series so great for me.  There is just something about Ruth that I can't help but relate to and it made this book such a great reading experience.  The mystery itself was also very well done and I just overall loved this book!  I can't wait to continue on with this series as well in 2016!

Charlotte's Story by Laura Benedict was a book that just sucked me into and didn't let go.  I'm a sucker for a good gothic novel and this book had all of the elements that I love about those type of novels.  It was another reading experience that I won't be forgetting about any time soon!  Luckily for me I have another novel by this author to look forward to in the new year. 

Wow!  I really had a hard time making up my list for this year as there were just so many good books that I read and loved.  Honorable mentions to the following:

• Winter at the Door by Sarah Graves (another new mystery series that I adored!)
• Firelight by Kristen Callihan (PNR that was so completely original and fun to read!)
• Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander (I loved this cozy mystery series- all three of the books that I read this year for it were really great!)

And so many more but if I don't cut myself off I will end up listing the majority of the books that I read last year!  It really was a great year of reading and I can only hope that 2016 is just as amazing!  I wanted to take a second to thank all of you who take the time to read and comment on this blog of mine.  It is a joy to share my love of reading with all of you.  Even when life gets crazy this is just one of those things that helps relieve the stress.  I value those friendships that I have created with all of you!  I wish you all a Happy New Year and as always:

Happy Reading!!

Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Single mother Abbey Fuller loves her family more than anything, and doesn’t regret for a moment having had to put her dreams of being an interior designer on hold. But with her son, Max, growing up, when a friend recommends her for a small design job she jumps at the chance. How hard can it be?

Nick Sinclair needs his house decorated in time for his family’s festive visit – and money is no object. What he doesn’t need is to be distracted from his multi-million dollar business – even if it is Christmas.

When Abbey pulls up to the huge Sinclair mansion, she has a feeling she might be out of her depth. And when she meets the gorgeous, brooding Nicholas Sinclair, she knows that she’s in real trouble…

With the snow falling all around, can Abbey take the chance to make her dreams of being a designer come true? And can she help Nick to finally enjoy the magic of Christmas?"

My Thoughts:

I requested this one earlier this month as I was just in the mood for a holiday romance and thought this one sounded like a fun read.  This book was exactly what I expected it to be:  filled with feel good moments, cute, and light-hearted are all perfect but different ways that I would describe this book.  It was a great way to spend a few enjoyable evenings leading up until the craziness of the holidays.  I also fully admit to choosing this book over the thriller that I had been planning on reading in print.  Sometimes a girl just has to go with her reading moods, you know?  It was a good choice on my part and I easily found myself wrapped up in this Christmas romance hoping for a happy ever after. 

Abbey is a nurse who has always dreamed of being an interior decorator.  She finds herself with this huge chance to live her dream when it comes to being hired to decorate Nick Sinclair's mansion.  Nick is focused entirely on growing his business and is only having his house decorated to please his family.  He has very little interest in anything that has to do with the decorating of his house but that doesn't stop the sparks from flying between Abbey and him.  I really enjoyed how Abbey was able to pull Nick outside of himself for a little bit and get him to loosen up.  I loved her character and felt like I (as the reader) really got to know her throughout this book.  It was a bit opposite for me when it came to Nick.  I never really felt like I fully connected to his character as the story is only told from Abbey's viewpoint.  Nick was so determined and focused on his business for the majority of the book....he just felt almost inaccessible and I never really understood his character fully.  I loved the parts of the book where Abbey would show him how much more there is to life than just work.  Those parts were so fun to read about and provided some of the feel good moments that I had talked about earlier.  I just would have liked to get to know Nick more outside of his work, work, work mantra that he always seemed to have going on.  

All in all, this was a fun holiday read that I couldn't help but enjoy.  It sure did make me wish for snow on the ground though!  I was a bit jealous of the snowstorms they were getting as we ended up with a rainy but definitely not white Christmas where I live.  I couldn't help but love the way the author wrapped up this book- it lived up to my expectations perfectly!  I would easily recommend this to other readers who are looking for a good holiday romance.  It wasn't a perfect read for me but I did really enjoy it and would love to read more of this author's books.  Recommended!

Bottom Line:  A great read for a snowy evening!  (I just pretended there was snow on the ground where I live when I read it. LOL!)

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this books thanks to the publisher and NetGalley.
 

What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"In a heartbeat, everything changes…

Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes. 

Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question, from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion.

As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most."

My Thoughts:

I don't even think that I can explain coherently how good this book was or how emotionally wrenching I found it to be while reading.  The premise of this book is every mother's nightmare and I felt emotionally drained when I finished reading it.  I had to stop reading at one point because I just couldn't take it any more and was going to give in to the urge to peek at the ending because the suspense level was sky high.  I managed to resist though and have to admit that I was glad I held strong as it made the ending of the book that much better for me.  After finishing this book I had to move on to a cozy mystery because I needed something on the lighter side since this was such a dark read.  It was so good though and I managed to read this chunky book in a matter of days.  Dark, atmospheric thrillers like this are like my reading catnip (if there was such a thing) so I have to admit that helped boost my enjoyment to an even higher level.  This was just one of those books that I could not set down!

One of the most disturbing things about this book was how real it all felt.  How easy it is for a person to make a choice and have their entire life change because of it.  It scraped my emotions raw seeing everything that Rachel was going through.  I cannot even begin to explain how horrifying I found this book to be when I considered how easily this situation could happen.  This was most especially true when it came to the media coverage of the disappearance and how easily they placed the blame on Rachel herself.  It is too easy to think of other real life examples of the media skewing public opinion a certain way just by the way they present coverage of the news.  It is a scary world we live in sometimes and this book felt terrifyingly real with the way the public and media both seemed to turn on Rachel.  What else to say without giving too much away?  The author was able to create such a dark almost sinister atmosphere in this novel where Rachel didn't know who she could trust.  I loved how the author had me suspecting just about everyone's motivations as I tried to figure it all out.  The ending felt real to me which I really appreciated as I had no clue how the author was going to tie this all up.  I won't say more than that as I feel like it might spoil things but the author did a really great job in my opinion.  This is a book that will almost certainly be on my top ten reads list for this year and an author that I cannot wait to read more of!

Overall I really don't know what else to say about this book besides READ IT!  It was dark and gut-wrenching but it was so completely worth it!  I cannot get over the fact that this is Gilly Macmillan's debut novel, and I also can't wait to see what she comes up with next!   Recommended, recommended, recommended.  And when you finish with this one come back and discuss it with me, won't you?  I have so many other things that I would like to say but I don't want to spoil the book for others.

Bottom Line:  A book that will be on my top ten list for this year.  Enough said!

Disclosure:  I received a copy of this book thanks to the publisher as part of a PICT book tour.

 



   

Season for Desire by Theresa Romain (thoughts)

Summary from Goodreads:

"Like her four sisters, Lady Audrina Bradleigh is expected to marry a duke, lead fashion, and behave with propriety. Consequently, Audrina pursues mischief with gusto, attending scandalous parties and indulging in illicit affairs. But when an erstwhile lover threatens to ruin her reputation, Audrina has no choice but to find a respectable husband at once.

Who would guess that her search would lead her to Giles Rutherford, a blunt-spoken American on a treasure hunt of his own? When a Christmas snowstorm strands the pair at a country inn, more secrets are traded than gifts—along with kisses that require no mistletoe—and Audrina discovers even proper gentlemen have their wicked side…"

My Thoughts:

I was in the mood for a great holiday read and found this book sitting on my kindle unread.  It had sat there way too long because this was honestly a delight to read.  I haven't read a ton of historical romances this year but each one that I've read was enjoyable with this being an easy favorite.  Set near Christmas time, Lady Audrina and Giles Rutherford are thrown together unexpectedly when Giles comes to Audrina's aid at the request of her parents.  They find themselves in a situation that neither truly wants afterwards where Audrina is forced to accompany Giles and his father on their hunt for a secret box that possibly contains their inheritance from Gile's deceased mother.  If that isn't excitement enough for you, Audrina is also caught up in her own scandal thanks to previous choices she has made and now needs to find a suitable husband or risk not being able to attend her own sister's wedding.  All of this combined into such a great read where I was never sure how everything was going to work out.  I had to just sit back and enjoy the ride that the author was taking me on which was completely worth it!

One of the things I loved about this book was all of the different characters.  Lady Audrina comes across as a bit haughty and spoiled at the beginning of this book but it isn't long before the reader begins to see a different side of her.  We also begin to learn the reasons behind this facade and I liked her character all the more for it.  The chemistry between Audrina and Giles was almost instantaneous and I found myself eager to see how it would all play out.  Really I managed to read this entire book in a matter of days because I just didn't want to set my kindle down.  The snowy setting of this book had me wishing for snow (and yes I am bummed as there still is no snow on the ground) on a constant basis.  Add to all of this the adventure that the characters found themselves on and you can basically figure out why I loved this book so much.  The author took a scenario that seemed completely improbably and made it work with such ease that I just fell into the story.  And the ending was just icing on the cake for me!  I loved it!  I loved the little surprises here and there which meant a better happy ever after for the main characters.  I loved how strong Audrina was and how much more confidence she had in her self worth by the end of this book.  I just loved it all and now want to read all of this author's books.  Does that tell you enough?

Overall, I found this to be a wonderful read for this time of the year and a really great romantic read!  I'm lucky that I have more of this author's books to look forward to which I've already added to my TBR list.  I loved that this author was able to wrap me up so completely in this story and make me wish that it wouldn't end.  I'm glad that I finally took the time to read this one- shame on me for waiting so long to read it!  Easily recommended!

Bottom Line:  A delightful read that is just meant to be devoured in a day or two!

Disclosure:  I received my copy of this book thanks to the publisher and NetGalley (an embarrassingly long time ago).