Book Review: The Paris Wedding

I didn't expect this one to be as fast of a read as this was and was pleasantly surprised!

The Paris Wedding - Charlotte Nash

Ten years ago, Rachael West chose not to move to Sydney with high-school sweetheart Matthew. Instead she stayed on the family wheat farm, caring for her seriously ill mother and letting go of her dreams. Now, Matthew is marrying someone else. And Rachael is invited to the wedding, a lavish affair in Paris, courtesy of the flamboyant family of Matthew's fiancée - a once-in-a-lifetime celebration at someone else's expense in Europe's most romantic city.

She is utterly unprepared for what the week brings. Friendships will be upended, secrets will be revealed - and on the eve of the wedding, Rachael is faced with an impossible dilemma: should she give up on the promise of love, or destroy another woman's life for a chance at happiness?

Alright, so in this book we have Rachael, fresh from her mother's passing and at odds with her future. She isn't sure what she wants to do but she feels like the ten years she spent caring for her mother were the best years of her life just gone. She feels like she missed opportunities and she won't get them back. In the middle of her grief, because life loves to kick you when you're down, she receives a wedding invitation for an all expense paid trip to Paris to see the love of her life get married to a socialite. She's gutted and doesn't know what to do but is convinced in order to get over him she needs to see him get married, the door will shut, and she will be able to move on. She decides to take her best friend, who is hiding problems of her own, and off they go.

It turns out the groom isn't as excited to get married as he's portraying and when he sees Rachael again, the doubt creeps in.

I don't want to write any more than that because it'll give it away. This was SUCH a good book and I had no idea how this was going to end. Everything falls apart for poor Rachael and she's forced with the consequences of her bad decisions, her best friend is angry, and her future is up in the air. I really enjoyed this one, I enjoyed watching Rachael blossom into an entirely new person while in Paris and taking in all that Paris has to offer. There are so many things I want to squeal about but it will ruin everything for you but just know there is a love triangle, one guy turns out to be a giant douche, and the ending is sweet. I'm giving this one a solid 4.5 stars, it's not quite a 5 star but it's pretty darn close. Find it on the HarperCollins website HERE and do a little shopping while you're at it!

   

14 years

So today Matt and I have been married for 14 years. We have been together for 16 years total but we only celebrate our wedding anniversary. If anyone had told me ten years ago that we'd still be married, and happy, I would have laughed in your face. There were times where things weren't so great and I think we both thought about leaving and chalking it up to being too young to get married. We weren't mature, we hadn't lived life yet, we hadn't done enough as a couple before we got married to really know if this was our partner.

But through it all, Matt has proven to be my ride or die. Literally. He's there anytime I need him. He drops everything and comes. Whether it's me in labor, cat puke, dead bunny in the yard, or a poop explosion, he doesn't blink an eye. He does all of the worst jobs of parenting and home ownership and never complains.

He might not be emotionally supportive the way I need but he does his best in his own way. And I've come to appreciate that. You're never going to find someone who checks off every box but you can find someone who checks off a lot of them and you can be happy. 

We fight. We argue. We still have bad days but not once do I ever worry that this is it for us. I know that tomorrow is another day and we'll be just fine. 

He's always up for adventure. If I throw out an idea he's totally game for it. He does his absolute best to get me things I want, always provides what I need, and provides for our family better than anyone else could. He works his ass off every day and never complains. 

It's funny because now we've been together for so long I can't remember a time without him. I don't want to face anything without him by my side. I think about our future and I can't imagine what it would be like if he died before me, I would be heartbroken. I don't know what I would do, to be honest. 

He's the best guy I could have ever picked. He has his flaws, but so do I. I'm not a perfect wife or mom, I have serious flaws that I work on but he's makes sure I know I'm loved anyways, that he wouldn't want anyone else. That no matter what happens he is going to hold my hand and help me.

I can finally say we are at that stage where we feel secure in our marriage, that it feels like this was meant to be. It hasn't been an easy journey and we are sometimes dragging the other behind us, but we've landed here together. Here's to so many more years. Love you, babe.

Book Review: A Blaze of Sun

Two left, friends. I have two books in this section of the series that I want to finish and then I'm done! Thankfully this one was a really fast read!

A Blaze of Sun - Bella Forrest

Welcome back to The Shade... 

"Of course you know who I am. I'm a daughter of the darkness just as surely as you are his son..." 

Ever since his brief encounter with Emilia at The Shade, Derek's thoughts and dreams have been haunted with images of the mysterious, beautiful brunette. Plagued with guilt, he struggles to understand why he is so drawn to this dark stranger from his past. 

When Emilia suddenly appears again on the island, Derek is both terrified and intrigued. But this time, he is determined to involve Sofia and discover who this woman is. 

If only Derek and Sofia knew, Emilia is a mystery that should be left undiscovered...

I feel like this book had a lot of momentum in the plot which honestly made me fly through this one faster than the others. This book brings us Emilia, a threat to Derek and Sofia surely, but a greater threat to The Shade as well. Once you find out who she is you fully understand why she's here and why she's so focused on Derek and being the part that fulfills the prophecy. It kind of worried me because she's basically everything perfect and amazing that Derek could want so really, what would stop him from choosing her over Sofia?

Sofia, for her part, is less whiny in this book and puts more trust in Derek and his love for her and that was refreshing. This book finds Sofia trying to reconcile with her parents while at the same time trying to run The Shade while Derek is gone with Emilia to fulfill his one week obligation. That ends up being a colossal mistake and thank god Aiden was there when he was. Aiden kind of redeems himself, I think, and it seems the more he's around the vampires the more his attitude is changing.

We also learn of the elder who is basically king of all vampires, we meet Arron (leader of the hunters), and we find out that Kiev (Emilia's brother) wants Sofia for his own for his own shot at redemption but he's put to the test by the Elder to bring Derek and Sofia's future children. A lot of foreboding for the next couple of books which means I want to dig in as quick as possible. (That might take a hiatus because I have one review book and a bunch of shorter back list titles I want to get to first so we'll see. )

Overall I'm giving this book a solid four. I liked that the plot was quick and didn't linger too long on one aspect, we have some lose ends tied up, some characters finally meet their end, new ones are introduced and I feel like Bella Forrest is really shaping a complex but really great larger story.

   

Book Review: A Shadow of Light

I'm trying SO HARD to get through the series books I have started on my shelves and I'm working on back list titles. Does this stop me from ordering new books? No but I legitimately cannot stop myself. Matt might have to close down my Amazon account soon.

A Shadow of Light - Bella Forrest

Since the implosion at The Oasis and Derek's stay at Hawk Headquarters, The Shade has fallen into a state of utter chaos. To make matters worse, the citizens of Derek's kingdom have become suspicious of his loyalties and accuse him of siding with the enemy... At a time when Derek desperately needs full cooperation from his subjects, they wish to put their own King on trial.

Meanwhile, Sofia is being held hostage by the hunters. They are determined to rid her of her infatuation with the vampire. She submits to the strict routine and training they impose on her, but the only fuel that keeps her going is the thought of reuniting with Derek - something Reuben is fighting with every fiber of his being to ensure will never happen. 

...Until one day, out of the blue, Reuben appears to have a change of heart and comes to Sofia with a proposal; a solution that she never dreamed possible. A solution that would fulfil her heart's deepest desires and secure her and Derek's future together, forever.

But can she really trust this man who is so renowned for his hatred of vampires? Does she even have a choice?

To be clear, these are not stand alone titles, you absolutely have to read them starting from book one to understand anything that is going on and why some things are significant to the greater story. 

So in this book we have Sofia trapped at hunters' headquarters and Derek is going back to The Shade. Sofia learns who her mother is, learns she's crazy as a loon, and learns her dad is the same way just differently. Derek arrives to what is basically a civil war and his father has challenged him. A few key people die in this book so I'm kind of glad to see movement in that regards but it makes me wonder who else is going to go in future books because this author gives zero craps about your feelings, she will kill anyone she wants to on a whim. In a way that's really refreshing because if you can imagine yourself in this world you can imagine some deaths would happen on a whim so it feels more true to the story.

Sofia and Derek continue to struggle to be together. I don't know why they are letting mortality to get in the way. They are worrying about a greater problem that can be worked on later on instead of focusing on the fact they are supposed to be together and then worry about that stuff. Instead they are doing it all backwards and I'll be honest, I'm getting kind of tired of it. You know what else I'm tired of? Sofia's blind... love? Maybe it's not that but she continues to love her parents despite the fact they continue to be absolutely worthless in meeting her needs and considering what's actually best for her. She saves herself in this book though so I have to give credit where it's due.

We also see a return of Vivienne, which is great because even though she's kind of odd, she continues to be reliable and there when you need her and I've really missed her.

I only have three more books in this series that I'm going to read because I refuse to get stuck in teh series that never ends, and this one is exactly that. The fact that this series is like eight books long (the Derek and Sofia part) is ridiculous but I'm going to keep going because now I'm all invested. These are currently free on KindleUnlimited and worth the read, they are really quick to get through so you can probably pass me up since I can only read these between review books.

   

Book Review: I Am Justice

I read this quickly over the weekend just to get this review to you this week!

I Am Justice - Diana Munoz Stewart

This bad-ass band of sisters plays for keeps.

She's ready to start a war

Justice Parish takes down bad guys. Rescued from the streets by the world-renowned Parish family, she joined their covert sisterhood of vigilante assassins. Her next target: a sex-trafficking ring in the war-torn Middle East. She just needs to get close enough to take them down...

He just wants peace

Sandesh Ross left Special Forces to found a humanitarian group to aid war-torn countries. But saving the world isn't cheap. Enter Parish Industries and limitless funding, with one catch— their hot, prickly PR specialist', Justice Parish. Their chemistry is instant and off-the-charts. But when Justice is injured and her cover blown, Sandesh has to figure out if he can reconcile their missions. With danger dogging their every move, their white-hot passion can change the world— if it doesn't destroy them first.

If you are in the market for a romance with a definitely strong, bad ass, take no crap lead woman, THIS IS YOUR BOOK. If there was ever a fictional character I wouldn't want to piss off it would be Justice. She takes down sex-trafficking rings and rescues women (and girls) from a fate her sister couldn't avoid. She's rough around the edges, sexy, and independent to the max.

Then we have Sandesh, who is not at all as I pictured and in the best way possible. He's former Special Forces, built to the max, sensitive, sexy as hell, and out to save refugees in war torn countries.

Sandesh and Justice end up being paired up on a mission that isn't the same for the both of them. Justice is there to take down a sex-trafficking ring that had been operating in South America which has moved to the Middle East, where it's easy to pick up orphans and nobody would miss them, and Sandesh is there to promote his organization and he thinks Justice is there to provide PR.

Here's what I liked: it was definitely fast paced, nobody can say this author (new to me) tip toes around the romance. The action was good, it happened almost right away, and the romance (which was very good) happened quickly. If you like your romance to take awhile, this might not be in your wheelhouse but I would encourage you to try it anyways because this is the start of what I think is going to be an exciting series. What I didn't like: I didn't like Justice! I know! It's crazy to say that but she is almost too alpha for my liking and she's bullheaded, she makes rash decisions without thinking through things and basically hopes for the best. Things always work out for her but man, that would be irritating in a person in real life. I will warn you that if you steer away from topics like rape and torture, this probably isn't going to be the book for you since that is the prevalent theme throughout the book.

The story is told in revolving points of view between Sandesh, Justice and the villain's (the sex trafficking brothers). Though it comes in at around 400 pages the fact that the action starts right away really helps make this a fast read. I'd be interested to see how book two fares.

   

Guts and Medication Roulette

I haven't done a medical recap in awhile and there's a few new things because OF COURSE.

So a few weeks ago I had seen a gastroenterologist to evaluate my stomach pains. They come randomly, it hurts on both sides evenly, it's worse than labor pains. I'm not kidding, I would rather be in full labor than deal with these. I've got constipation on top of it so I wanted to know if the pains were just because of constipation or something else. I go, the doctor is pretty nice, pushes on my stomach and it hurts, orders a ton of tests. An endoscopy, which is coming up later this month, which I'm terrified for. It's not the actual procedure itself, that's fine. It's the anesthesia. People who have not died on an operating table truly do not understand the fear of being put under to any degree. You just can't. That should have been routine and fine and it wasn't. This should be routine and fine and it probably will be but the idea of being put under is scaring the living daylights out of me.

Anyways.

So he orders an ultrasound too, and that seemed pretty uneventful. Fast forward the next day and I get a frantic call telling me I need to go in for an ultrasound immediately, like that week, it was imperative.

OBVIOUSLY when you tell a person with an anxiety disorder this they will start Googling their ailments and clearly decide that they are probably dying and dammit they knew it all along!

I go to the MRI and they tell me they can't say anything in regards to what they saw, someone will contact me. OK, not a problem.

I went TWO WEEKS thinking I was dying and then I finally called and was asking WHAT THE HELL.

Turns out, I have gallstones but no obstruction or something else, so that seems alright. I have a liver lesion, which is why I had to go in for an MRI. It's either cancer or it's not. Mine is NOT but I will have to have a repeat scan in six months because I have symptoms and issues related to a liver lesion. It could be the start of something, or it might not be. They are pretty sure it's benign and I get to wait six months.

Which, again, for an anxious person this is the worst thing ever. I'm going to give myself a damn ulcer worrying. But we still don't know what the issues with my gut are and I'm telling you, sometimes it hurts so bad I have to lay down and wait for it to pass. Sometimes it's gone within a few minutes, sometimes it lasts longer than an hour. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to it, not with certain foods, or medications.

Oh, that's the other thing. I have slow motility constipation (TMI, sorry) which is kind of a given considering all of my ailments. This is kind of par for the course with them so he isn't surprised by that at all and I can take laxatives daily forever or just deal. <== that's what he actually said. I'm not kidding. So I'm just always going to be constipated. If you've ever been it's NOT FUN and I'm just frustrated. So frustrated.

Next up is mental health, because WHY NOT. I was taken off of the Rexulti because it gave me tremors within the first three days and put on Vraylar. Brand new and super expensive, it was a low dose, normally used for Bipolar 1, also works as a mood stabilizer. I gained 14 pounds in two weeks despite eating less and exercising more, and guess what else I got?

TREMORS.

Seriously. It was sporadic and super mild at first and only at night so I figured if this was the worst it got then I would be fine, I could handle that if it meant I didn't want to fly off the handle and break everything like Hulk. Except last week they got so bad I could barely do anything and it was during the day and I was getting nauseous from basically being a bobblehead all day. I couldn't open things, make the girls' lunch, couldn't operate a damn Swiffer, it was ridiculous. So I'm off of that and in a few weeks I'll try something else in a different class of drugs. But at this point I'm pretty frustrated and it feels like I'm playing roulette with side effects, it's kind of ridiculous.

Book Review: Locke

I have some fun posts and pictures of the kids to share but this week it's just been easier to do book reviews so I can catch up on them but also, I just haven't had time. I am working on end of the year teacher gift, some baby thank you's for someone, getting rid of books, and trying to clean my house up. Plus this past weekend we were in the yard almost all day every day so I feel like I'm living in an actual dump right now. Anyways, let's talk books. This is the last in the Corps Security series by Harper Sloan and I feel such a sense of accomplishment finishing a series you can't even believe it. I'm reading another by her that I got in a book box recently and then my Harper Sloan area on my bookshelf has all been read. I'm slowly but surely getting through my back list!

Locke - Harper Sloan

Darkness is the only thing I see. Ever since the day my life changed. The day that everything and everyone I held close to me ceased to exist. The day I lost it all and the demons of my past consumed my every waking moment. I tried to keep others at arm's length. Tried not to let my darkness taint them. Ruin them. Harm them. And whether I want to admit it or not, as much as I wish I could keep them locked out, they refuse to leave. Refuse to let me suffer alone. If I hadn't been so focused on keeping those demons from flying free, I wouldn't have missed how one perfect angel was able to sneak her way under my skin-refusing to let go. Making me want things I don't deserve. She consumes me. Her beauty knows no end. The love she promises tempts me every time she's near. But that pure heart that makes her MY Emmy is the one thing I'm convinced I'll destroy if I ever let her close. I'm a broken man. A broken man with too much darkness in his soul to ever let her light shine upon me. But even that doesn't stop me from craving her with every single breath in my body. **This is the final book in the Corps Security series. This book is not suitable for younger readers. There is strong language, adult situations, and some violence.

Out of all of the books I knew Locke's book would be really good because he was the most complex, screwed up guy of the bunch from Corps Security. He was a Marine hiding some real tragic secrets and when his Emmy takes off after watching Cooper die in front of her (literally), he's determined to bring her back. He's not sure he can be with her like he wants to because of his demons but once he gets Emmy she makes it damn clear that he needs to let her go or grow the hell up. 

We see Emmy's tragic past which isn't at all what I would have pegged for her so that was almost... disappointing? It felt easy and I wasn't in love with it.

I got frustrated with Locke because it was like he wasn't even trying to help himself and I hated how Emmy comes off as nice, innocent, naive in every other book and in this one she's a bitch and trash talking, and it's just a 180 from what we thought she was actually like. It almost feels like the author forgot the personality she gave Emmy from early on or something.

But Locke battles his demons, with Emmy by his side, and the best part? The best part of this book is that we get a glimpse into the future of Corps Security, which ties into another series she has which I'm starting. Part of me is thrilled we get more and another part of me is like, ugh... can we just let it go already? Start fresh? So we'll see how I feel about those when I'm done.

So for this one I'm going to give it a 3 star. It's not as great as I was hoping it would be but it wasn't awful, it had some decent sex scenes in it and Locke is the ultimate troubled guy we all want to save.