Christmas was grand(ish).

I know a lot of people were disappointed that Christmas was going to look a little different but I was pretty OK with it. I feel like I was pretty burned out by the time we got to Christmas that I didn't really have it in me to be "on" for others, you know? Despite that, we did have a nice little holiday.  

I did try to bake this year. I was only mildly successful. I would say at least half of the batches of cookie dough I made were totally wrong. I don't know if you know this but egg is kind of a big deal in cookies. Go figure. 

I even let Penelope and Lucy help me with some. If you know me at all, and know what a complete control freak I am, you know that is a pretty big deal. 

My friend Lauren sent the kids the cutest things and I cannot even tell you how many times I have read these books to the kids! Penelope got What Will It Be, Penelope and Lucy got Lucy & Company. If you are looking for some cute stories, definitely check this out. 

On Christmas Eve we were going to go to Matt's parents' house, which was nice, it was a little bit of tradition. On our way there, Penelope decided to pull out two of her teeth out. You know, like you do. Sigh. So not only did Santa come, the Tooth Fairy did as well. 

I got one nice photo of the kids in front of our tree with their nicer clothes on. I made Pep and Lu put their "fancy clothes" on because I spent $10 each on the dress/cardigan that we were going to use for the Christmas concert at their school that never ended up happening. 

The Christmas Eve tradition here is that we get the kids new pajamas and then I do the cute photo in front of the tree. Penelope clearly was over it, but this is a photo for the scrapbook, for sure. 

I only managed to get one photo of Matt and I over the course of two days, but at least it is a really good one. This was right before we going to get presents out and play Santa. 

I barely slept at all that night and I literally sat on the couch from 2:30 a.m. until people started getting up around 6:30 a.m. It was so nice to see everyone's face first thing. (Also, see the little kitty? His name is George, he's one of our two new kitties and I'll do a post on them soon, but isn't he ADORABLE?!)

The house was a disaster. I ended up wrapping up every single thing so it seemed like everyone had a whole ton of presents, and that was really fun but you know, it was a huge mess. Also, I am so paranoid that I am going to rip these handmade stockings so every year I end up laying them on the ottoman or in front of the tree so it always seems more cluttered to me and it makes my eye twitch. 

Lucy was SO HAPPY that she finally got this doll! She would look at it at Target every time we would go, she circled it a bunch of times in some catalog that came in the mail, and she know wants the matching outfit so they can be twins. 

Me trying play Santa and clean up at the same time because my anxiety was starting to get a little out of control at this point.

I also got a few things, a couple of books and gardening things mostly. I will say Lauren got me a personalized embosser for my books! I am so excited and I already started embossing my books!

A couple of stinking cuties. Of course, Penelope was super proud of missing two teeth and really wanted me to get a photo of it. 

I ended up having to take a nap because I was tired but I was also just overstimulated from everything. Five hours later and I got it together to finish making dinner. 

It was a nice little dinner, nothing fancy. Of course, Penelope was being Penelope so.. she's a nut. I have yet to learn how to do a timer on my phone so I can also get into photos but you know... maybe that can be a goal for 2021. 

We took all of our Christmas stuff down the next day and I feel so much better having things put away and cleaned up. It was nice. It wasn't nearly as bad as people lamented it would be. I felt like it was a really good end to the year, we got to celebrate together and really enjoy each other. I wouldn't have it any other way. 

How was your Christmas? What did Santa bring you?

Book Review: Darling

It is time for our third review of the day! This is the last one for today unless I finish another book and decide to come back and post it but don't hold your breath. I haven't been feeling super great and I have my physical later this afternoon so I need to try to stay awake for that. I've been napping a lot lately and I just feel blah. 

Darling - Rachel Edwards

A white teenage girl clashes with her new black stepmother in this debut reading group thriller.

Lola doesn’t particularly want a new stepmother. Especially not one who has come out of nowhere and only been with her dad for three months. And – she’s not racist or anything – but since when did her dad fancy black women anyway?

Darling didn’t particularly want a new stepdaughter. Especially not one as spiteful and spoilt as Lola. She does want Lola’s dad though. And he wants her, so that’s that: Darling and Lola will just have to get used to each other.

Unless Lola can find a way to get rid of Darling. 

As soon as I read the synopsis for this one, I knew that I HAD to read it. I love the white daughter vs. black stepmother storyline but also, I love a good debut and that is exactly what this one was. I really enjoyed it and I am definitely looking for the next book by Rachel Edwards because this was twisty and interesting throughout. I will tell you that I did not see that ending coming at all. Frankly, the ending was straight bananas and I found myself going back to re-read a few key sections just so I knew I read it correctly the first time. 

I have to be real, though, you know how I roll. The writing isn't amazing, there is definitely room for growth here. The story is interesting and weird and enough to keep you wondering what the heck could possibly happen next, but the writing itself isn't great. Secondly, the book alternates between Darling and Lola, which is fine, but Lola's chapters are just.. probably written the worst. I am raising a teenager and I can tell you right now that no teenager speaks this way. Never, ever. 

You do need to know that the book does have racism, abuse, and mental health issues throughout so if those are triggers for you, maybe avoid this one. You know right from the get go either Darling or Lola would be killed because the tension between the two is at an all-time high, but the race to that is what keeps you turning these pages. If it is a bizarre and outrageous plot twist, it is probably in here. I'm not kidding. The story is bananas and that kept me reading this. 

Thank you to Harper 360 for having me on this tour and sending me a copy for review! I am all about these thrillers lately and I think I have a few more lined up in the next month or two, so stay tuned for that. Head over to my Instagram because I have a giveaway happening today, make sure you enter. 

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Book Review: My Darling

We are onto book number two for today, and I hope you're having a great day. Most of us are staying home and so are we. My plan is to read and get a jump on my 2021 reading. My goal for 2021 is to stick with 125 books, which is what I did last year and this year, but I don't think I can commit to raising that quite yet... maybe for 2022? 

My Darling - Amanda Robson

A new couple moves in next door.

And nothing will ever be the same again…

I watched you move in and thought we might be friends.

I saw you watching from the window – and knew I’d have to keep you away from my husband.

I started to trust you. Confide in you.

I started to mistrust you. Suspect you.

I was confused when I blacked out after an evening at your place. Was I really that drunk?

I came up with a plan. A plan to make you both pay . . .

I have been on a thriller streak this year but one of my favorite tropes are a crazy woman causing hell. I can't help it, I don't know what it is but I really like a crazy woman. I have to also tell you that I FLEW through this book! I started it right before bed and it was a bad idea because I had to put it down to go to sleep but I picked it up right away in the morning and finished it by lunch time. It was so twisty and I just really loved it. 

Honestly, it is almost best to not read the blurb, read no reviews, just jump into it because it was so bizarre, super dark, murder, all over the place, and I had no idea what the hell was going on and by the time I got to the end my pulse was faster and I wanted to talk to someone about it immediately. Of course I had nobody so I'm trying to tell Matt and he doesn't care, but this was SO GOOD. 

Honestly, all of the characters are hot messes, all of them are kind of despicable in their own ways but it doesn't bring the book down, it actually elevates it. We have Tomas, a seemingly nice guy who loves his wife, Jade even though she is legit bat shit crazy and paranoid. She is convinced he is cheating on her and she's angry about it even though he isn't. Soon though they have new neighbors, Alastair and Emma, who are just as nuts, but Jade is SURE that Emma will start sleeping with Tomas so it is this weird... war but only Jade is really playing? Kind of? Anyways, soon we have a murder and all hell breaks loose. Honestly by the time you get to the end it feels like they are all going to end up dead because it is WILD. The book is wild. You have to read this because it is bananas. It is BANANAS. 

I have to thank Avon Books and Harper 360 for sending me an ARC because this is one of those books that I have to add to a top of 2020 list because it was just so crazy, so many twists, I couldn't stop. It almost reminded me of that show Revenge because you remember how every episode was so insane you couldn't believe any of it? That is exactly what this book was for me. 

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Book Review: All About Us

Happy New Year's Eve! Tomorrow I'll talk about some plans/goals for 2021 but today? Today I am going to bombard you with books! I have book reviews all day for you and I hope you love them all as much as I did! So keep checking back here and I'll have goodies for you. 

Oh, and keep an eye on my Instagram tomorrow because I will have another giveaway happening! 

All About Us - Tom Ellen

If you could turn back the clock, would you choose a different life?

Ben’s always loved the month of December, but this year, with his relationship with Daphne on the rocks, it’s missing its usual magic. And then his old friend Alice gets back in touch. Ben’s always thought of Alice as the one that got away, and he can’t help but wonder: what if he’d done things differently all those years ago?

He never imagines he might get to find out… but when a stranger sells Ben a mysterious watch one freezing winter’s night, he’s astonished to wake up the next morning on 5th December 2005: the day he first kissed Daphne, leaving Alice behind.

Now Ben must make the biggest decision of his life, all over again. But this time around, will he finally find the courage to follow his heart?

Now here me out, I know this is a Christmasy novel, but please don't write it off! This is honestly my favorite Christmas novel I read this year and it was just so, so good. 

Also interesting? I have read very few books involving a love story with our main character is a man. Not going to lie, I love it. It makes the book feel less predictable for me and that is exactly what I needed this month while I sat in my reading slump. I am also a huge fan of self patronizing comedy because I do that with myself without even thinking about it. The best thing about this book for me is that it wrecked me. I'm not saying it is gut wrenching and sad, I'm saying that the character really reflects on his life and his choices in such a way that we can all relate. It was a beautifully sad reflection and it makes you really think, if you could go back and make different choices, what would you do? I know a lot of us would say the cliché, "Nothing because then I wouldn't be where I am now" which is kind of the point, the point IS to think of how your life would be different. Sure, maybe you wouldn't have your kids, job, house, life, but what if it could have been better? Did you make the wrong choice? What if you could do it all over again? But also, have you made choices about your life because you weren't brave enough to do what your heart wanted? 

I loved this book so much and I admittedly squealed when I finished it. I loved it so much and it is easily one of my absolute favorites of 2020. Hands down. I have to give this one 5 stars because I couldn't put this one down and it was the feel good hug of a book that I absolutely needed. 

Thank you to Harper360 for sending me an ARC for review! If you had been following me on Instagram you would have been able to enter my giveaway for this but you missed it. Don't let that happen again, follow me and watch for a different giveaway tomorrow. Stay tuned the rest of today for MORE books!

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Book Review: Dead Man Walking

Are you looking for a romance to um.... make it hard to put down and make you love a guy you know that you absolutely should not love because you know... he kills people? 

Here you go. 

Dead Man Walking - Giana Darling

A killer. A criminal.

A psychopath.

The Irish enforcer for The Fallen Men MC is everything good girls are taught to stay away from.

Only, I found myself inexorably drawn into his dark gravitational pull. I wanted to know what it would be like to walk beside the human personification of Death and hold his hand, feel his kiss, and maybe even earn his undying love.

But Priest McKenna is older, cold as ice, and notoriously unfeeling.

So what are the odds that a dead man walking would come to life for little, insignificant me?

When a serial killer begins to target the women of Entrance, BC, and The Fallen suffers another terrible blow, Priest resolves to hunt down the killer himself.

And when the murderer sets his eyes on me?

My very own psychopath steps between me and certain death, thrusting us into an intimacy I prayed we would never recover from.

Listen, I knew when I read Inked in Lies this summer that Priest was going to be the next book. We got enough of a teaser in that to know that Priest wasn't going to be the regular hero and I kind of had a fear I would hate him. 

I didn't, I actually kind of liked this tortured self. I really struggled though, I'm not even going to lie to you. I love that he is paired with Bea because she is the direct opposite of Priest. He is dark and death, she is literally sunshine and rainbows. Priest is fairly guarded about his past but he will tell you straight up he is a psychopath. 

In this book we are centered around a serial killer with a focus on the motorcycle club. We have a gut wrenching blow (I'm not spoiling it for you but if you've read this entire series this one will hurt), but suddenly it is obvious that Bea becomes the next target. Of course, the club's resident killer, Priest, is attracted to her but knows that his life is not the one she deserves. He can't give her the white picket fence but he doesn't know she's longing for him. So while they are dealing with that, we've now got a serial killer on the loose and Priest is now charged with guarding her and catching the person responsible and you know... handling it. 

Without triggering anyone or giving it away (because honestly, I feel like you need to be semi-surprised by this in the story because that will kind of give you the same feeling that maybe Bea was having), he has an unconventional way of showing affection. Honestly, I can read a lot but I had to skip over a lot of that because it made me uncomfortable. I know many didn't have an issue with it but if I had to knock points off, I'd say that was a little too much for me. This is the epitome of a dark romance, just know that going in. Also, Bea is kind of obsessed with serial killers (which is why I kind of loved her, shout out to my Crime Junkie buddies!) 

At the end of the day- I freaking LOVED THIS BOOK. This is only the second book from Giana Darling I have read but I'm all in. Her writing is good, her stories pack a punch, this had me on the edge of my seat, I was squirmish but I couldn't stop. The way this story played out was great and she hit all of the personality points of both characters perfectly. Even with taking some points off for some icky parts, this is still a 5 star book. It was phenomenal, highly recommend. 

Thank you to Social Butterfly PR and Giana Darling for having me on this tour. I would drop everything to pick up one of her books, she is fantastic. 

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Book Review: Dark Hollows

Just hang in there with me because I am going to have a few posts this week and I am going to hit my 125 goal for my Goodreads Challenge but it only counts if I get my reviews up (my stupid rule, just go with it) so I am going to bomb you with books this week and it's going to be OK. You'll make it. You might be broke by the end of the week but it's 2020 still and we have no rules. 

Dark Hollows - Steve Frech

Jacob Reese enjoys the quiet life, running a coffee shop and renting out his cottage in The Hollows, Vermont.

But the calm is shattered when a woman who looks eerily similar to his ex-girlfriend Laura turns up to stay in the cottage, and leaves a mysterious note in the guest book.

Now Jacob’s seeing Laura everywhere—a glimpse of her face across the street, her music box left outside his house, a gift he gave her years before hanging from the trees.

But it can’t be Laura. Because Laura’s dead.

Someone knows Jacob’s secret—what really happened the night Laura died—and they’re out for revenge…

I was so excited to read this book and it turned out to be for good reason because this was exciting with some interesting twists. I know I have some animal lovers in her and I just want you to know this book features a great dog named Murphy and I can't tell you what happens per say, but I will tell you it is OK and to not quit the book. Murphy ends up being a huge piece of this book and I'm here for it. If you are a dog lover, this is a book where the dog is a star without it being a giant soap opera. 

Seriously, don't ask me otherwise I'm going to spill my guts about this book because it was just so damn good and once I started figuring things out it was like a rollercoaster making that last turn before a big drop, that's the exact feeling I had during the last third-ish of the book! With that though, I will say the ending wasn't amazing. I felt like it could have been stronger but I can't say I hated it. 

The book is written kind of strangely, and once you figure out what voice we're reading, it makes the book a little more bizarre, but I liked it. Normally I have a hard time with alternating voices, especially when we're flip flopping between past and present but I didn't struggle with this one. 

We have Jacob, he is running a local coffee shop in a little Hallmark town, and a cottage as an AirBnB. Super normal, chill life. Enter a guest who looks astonishing similar to his ex, Laura. He knows it can't be Laura because she's very dead and he knows it, but she is everywhere. Literally everywhere. The more that he sees her the more paranoid and crazy he seems to be getting. This becomes a really creepy thriller and keep in mind, I'm reading this in between listening to paranormal podcast episodes so between all of that, I was freaked out. 

Overall? I liked this one, definitely a 4 star for me. It really was as good as I thought it was going to be and that's perfect for me. I can see how some readers might not be fulfilled but I kind of felt like it was spot on. If you are a fan of Gilmore Girls you will like this because it really had all of the vibes of that... just spooky? Like Gilmore Girls meets Scooby Doo. How's that for a description? 

I am super grateful to Harper 360 for sending me a copy of this for review. I wish I had read this around Halloween because this book gives me October vibes. 

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Book Review: The House of Secrets

How was your Christmas?! We had a lovely one but, no lie, it is kind of nice to be all done. I am looking forward to finishing out 2020 at home, reading, and watching the kids play together with some new things. I am really not hating life being low key right now. I can tell my depression is ramping up, I'm going to start increasing my vitamin D, as I do normally in the winter, I'm getting outside and standing in the sunshine a few times a day, trying to eat well, and hoping for the best. 

But mostly this week I'm going to be posting book reviews because guess what? I am DRAGGING to the finish line of my 2020 Goodreads Challenge! My goal was to read 125 and this one is book 121. 

The House of Secrets - Sophie Draper

Claire lives with her family in a beautiful house overlooking the water. But she feels as if she’s married to a stranger – one who is leading a double life. As soon as she can get their son Joe away from him, she’s determined to leave Duncan.

But finding out the truth about Duncan’s secret life leads to consequences Claire never planned for. Now Joe is missing, and she’s struggling to piece together the events of the night that tore them all apart.

Alone in an isolated cottage, hiding from Duncan, Claire tries to unravel the lies they’ve told each other, and themselves. Something happened to her family … But can she face the truth?

Alright, if you like a psychological thriller that will have you all over the place, this is FOR YOU. I hadn't read any of the reviews before I got into this one and that was maybe for the best because I think it would have been more confusing for me, which is saying something because I was so thoroughly confused throughout this book. I found myself wishing I took notes because I was forgetting what was going on, and when, and there are parts where characters seemed to not be with it? I can't explain it to you without giving information away, but I was having to re-read several sections because I was so confused. 

All of the characters were pretty deplorable so I had a really hard time giving a damn for any of them and I had no idea what to even hope for as I got to the end of the book. The great thing is that while I wanted to give up at several points in the book, it was a fast read for me because I was so frustrated and wanted to know what the heck was going on. Even better is the ending of the book because there are a few twists at the end that make you reconsider what you just read and I did find myself reading things way earlier in the book to see if I missed something and sure enough, I did. The last few chapters are the best one, easily. 

If I had to commit to a rating, I would have to give it a 3, and that's pushing it. If Goodreads would let me, I'd go with a 2.5 because it was OK and I kind of liked it. I think if the whole book was as strong as the last few chapters, this would have been a 4 or higher. The author IS a great writer and you can tell that throughout this book, it just doesn't get there all the way for me. If you are a fan of strange books that is more suspense than thriller, and one that messes with your head a lot throughout, this is one you'll enjoy. 

Thank you to Harper360 for sending me a copy for review, they have been cranking out great books this year and I'm so excited to see what is to come in 2021! 

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