Hard-Hearted Highlander (review)

*I received an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. This post also contains affiliate links that I may make commissions from; however, all thoughts are my own*

I've got quite a few book reviews for you this week but I'm also going to have some fun posts including Penelope's second birthday, Lucy on the move, mama dilemmas, and (what I hope) is a thoughtful piece on my current head space. Which, coincidentally, I keep editing because I don't know if I'm really getting across what I really want to. Anyways. It should be a busy week around these parts, but let's get started with a book review!

Hard-Hearted Highlander by Julia London

An indomitable governess...a brooding Highlander...a forbidden affair... 

An ill-fated elopement cost English-born governess Bernadette Holly her reputation, her unsuitable lover and any chance of a future match. She has nothing left to fear--not even the bitter, dangerously handsome Scot due to marry her young charge. Naive wallflower Avaline is terrified to wed Rabbie Mackenzie, but if he sends her home, she will be ruined. Bernadette's solution: convince Rabbie to get Avaline to cry off...while ignoring her own traitorous attraction to him. 

A forced engagement to an Englishwoman is a hard pill for any Scot to swallow. It's even worse when the fiancee in question is a delicate, foolish young miss--unlike her spirited, quick-witted governess. Sparring with Bernadette brings passion and light back to Rabbie's life after the failed Jacobite uprising. His clan's future depends upon his match to another, but how can any Highlander forsake a love that stirs his heart and soul?

The third in the Highland Grooms series, this is a stand alone and it's OK as a stand alone because I haven't read the two before this and I didn't feel lost at all. The flip side to this is that I read this awhile ago and normally I type my reviews right away and then come back and skim them to add anything after I had a few days to brew about the book. Yeah, I didn't brew about the book at all, I literally just moved on. The book itself was fairly forgettable and that kind of stinks because I think that if I had started with the first book I would have been invested in this as a series. Harlequin Romance authors are usually pretty dependable and there's almost this Harlequin standard and this one kind of fell short for me. 

We have Rabbie, who has a not so great past with the ladies, considering his first fiancee is dead. He's now in a forced engagement to Avaline, who is clearly not interested in marrying him, either. Avaline, for her part, is naive and clueless as can be. Bernadette, her governess, is tasked with making sure Avaline makes it to the altar. Which, easier said than done because she is attracted to Rabbie and he is just as attracted to her. Nothing about that situation is good so it become precarious at best. Just when you think things might work out, Bernadette has some secrets of her own because of her sketch past, women end up shamed and it's just kind of strange. Rabbie's solution for Bernadette's "problem" at the end was ODD (at best) and I kind of felt like the author was literally just tying up loose ends, like the story got away from her and she's like, "Man alive, the wheels are falling completely off this wagon, let's just walk!" and that's what we did. It was just a very lackluster story. Another blogger I follow said book two was amazing and had a really tremendous love story so that makes me want to bite the bullet and read it because you know I'm a sucker for it. But this one was just kind of blah for me. It's not one I'm going to remember, that's for sure. 

Are you a fan of Julia London? Connect with her! You can find her on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and her website! 

Signs and Seasons: An Astrology Cookbook (review)

*This post contains affiliate links that I may make commission from; however, all thoughts are my own. I also received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I've kind of been on a cooking kick lately, mostly because I'm trying to incorporate healthy, new-to-me foods to my diet but also introducing them to my toddler and baby to hopefully promote a good diet for their futures so when the opportunity presented itself to review this, I jumped right on it!

Signs and Seasons: Feed Your Sign The Food It Craves

Food connects us to our families, history, culture, and to the natural world itself—to the seasons and the cycle of life. Just as our path around the sun—and through the Zodiac—dictates the seasons, the seasons dictate what will flourish, from the tender greens of early spring to late summer’s lush and impossible perfect tomatoes.

In Signs and Seasons, Farber and Zerner—along with chef John Okas—take home cooks through the four seasons and each of their astrological signs in over 95 tantalizing seasonal recipes that include starters; meat, seafood, and vegetarian mains; sides; and desserts for each sign.

Because this book is based around your astrological sign, it's probably best I start my review by telling you I am a Pisces. I am a Pisces through and through and if I could be a fish I probably would be. I love all things astrology, I totally believe in all of it, I actually have a psychic I go to and she is totally legit, real deal, not-messing-around.  I should also tell you that I really love reading cookbooks, the stories in them, the concepts behind them, the notes between recipes, everything in between, so this book was right up my alley.

Unfortunately, I kind of didn't love it.

To be fair, I need to mention I am not a foodie. Anyone who knows me knows I am a chicken nugget, french fry, nacho lovin' gal. I cannot help it, I am a child of the 80's and Pizza Rolls are my jam. I went into this book totally opened minded though thinking that maybe this is what I needed to enlighten me. Maybe I'm trying to eat the wrong dang foods this whole time. According to this book my foods as a Pisces are: pears, flounder, spinach, honey, almonds, eggplant, sweet potatoes, melon.

I'll eat almonds on my ice cream and I'll eat spinach if it's raw and thoroughly coated in French dressing. But that's it.

A lot of the general descriptions of a Pisces person were pretty accurate. And as we get into the actual cookbook, which is divided into seasons, I went right to the winter section which is where Pisces is sorted. (Oddly, I always assumed I was a spring sign being born in March, but no, I guess I'm a winter sign, WEIRD.) In each section we get some starters, salads, pastas, seafood, vegetarian, meat, pasta, sides, and dessert options, which is perfect if you're putting together a dinner party, you could easily pull something from each category and be all fancy.

But here's a hot tip: if I can't pronounce it? I will not eat it. What in the mother is "choucroute garni"? It's some kind of weird meat dish I'm not eating, that's what. Basically the only thing in the entire section of recipes that I would eat would be the cheesecake and cherry sauce, but I would pick the cherries off. As it turns out, I am, and will always be, an absolute child when it comes to eating food. I firmly believe now that there is absolutely zero hope for me to ever be a grown up. Don't take me anywhere nice, don't try to cook me real food, I just can't.

I do have to mention a little piece of nostalgia though- the food photography? The photos throughout the book are taken in such a way that it reminded me instantly of my Grandma's original Betty Crocker cookbook. Almost vintage looking, almost grainy? I don't know if that was the aim of the photos but looking at them brought back memories of sitting on her kitchen floor paging through her cookbooks and it made me smile.

So while I didn't totally love the book, I do have some friends who have been borrowing it and love it. These are my hippie loving life friends who are all about growing vegetables in their yard and having little bits of dirt in their food and being totally OK with it. They, of course, think there is something genetically wrong with me and how I eat, but that's OK. Because I've managed to not die of malnutrition yet so I can't be all that wrong, right? HA! But if you consider yourself a foodie and you are looking for new ways to pair foods and interesting combinations, I highly recommend this book. The reasoning why they paired certain things together is kind of fascinating so it was a neat read either way.

Slow Burn Cowboy (review)

*This post contains affiliate links that I may make commission from; however, all thoughts are my own*

You guys, why am I late to the Maisey Yates train? Why have none of you told me how great she is? You are failing me, lambs.

Slow Burn Cowboy (Copper Ridge #7) - Maisey Yates

In Copper Ridge, Oregon, a cowboy's best friend might turn out to be the woman of his dreams… 

If Finn Donnelly makes a plan, he sticks to it. After his brothers left Copper Ridge, Finn stayed behind, determined to keep their ranch going by himself. And when he realized his feelings for Lane Jensen were more than platonic, he shoved that inconvenient desire away. It was easy…until it wasn't. Suddenly his brothers are coming home to claim their share of the property. And Lane is no longer just in his fantasies. She's in his arms, and their friendship is on the line… 

He's been her buddy, her handyman, her rock. But until that one breathtaking kiss, Lane somehow overlooked the most important thing about Finn Donnelly—he's all man. They're right together, no matter how much his volatile past has bruised him. Finn wants to hold Lane's body, but he doesn't want to hold her heart. But Lane is falling fast and now she's got a plan of her own…to show Finn there's nothing hotter than friendship turned to slow-burning love.

Let us all cue the John Mayer song, Friends, Lovers, or Nothing At All, and pick this book up, shall we? We have Finn, who is as stubborn as they come. He comes off as kind of a jerk with a chip on his shoulder to everyone except for his best friend Lane. Lane has a slew of her own issues with commitment and you know, HONESTY, but you knew from the very beginning of this book that if there was ever a match made in heaven, it was these two. They have their own brand of banter and sarcasm, and an easy way about being together that is what couples strive for. Those of us who actively try to find that can't find it yet they just kind of have it.

And are in total denial about it.

Well, except for Finn. Finn knows he wants Lane badly and he's basically had a case of blue balls for ten years but after his grandfather's death and subsequent willing of the ranch to Finn AND his kind of estranged half brothers? Finn is pretty much done with it all. He's going to make life a living hell for his brothers in the hopes they pack up and leave the ranch to him and he will, by god, have Lane in bed. But nothing more because commitment issues of his own.

Oh, but Lane has some serious secrets and I have to be honest, this is where my annoyance of the book came in. It's really too much for me to believe her story and her being THAT HUNG UP on it. I can't tell you what her deal is (obviously) but once it was out I'm like, ok.... so that sucks. Admittedly it's a tough road and I don't envy her and I know she would have some issues. But to basically sign off on a relationship because of it? It feels false. And once she decided to come clean to Finn, and then her friends, she has some kind of miracle revelation and all of a sudden decides she's totally capable of marriage, and maybe kids, and the whole nine yards. So... ok.... seems legit? Or NOT. It just fell flat for me.

But who cares because the story as a whole was enjoyable and I really felt invested in these characters and their story. I'll have to give this is 4 out of 5 stars for sure. It's a great stand alone in this contemporary romance series and it makes me VERY excited to read the rest... and catch up on what I've missed. Clearly Finn's brothers are going to get their books and they totally should. I'm going to be honest and say I'm most interested in Alex's story because he's fresh out of the military and you know that's my favorite. *swoon*

In the meantime, you can check out Maisey's Twitter, Facebook, and her website.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for inviting me on this tour! I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Last Chance Matinee (review)

*This post contains affiliate links that I may earn a commission from; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

The Last Chance Matinee - Mariah Stewart

From New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart comes the first novel in her all-new series, The Hudson Sisters, following a trio of reluctant sisters as they set out to fulfill their father’s dying wish. In the process, they find not only themselves, but the father they only thought they knew.

When celebrated and respected agent Fritz Hudson passes away, he leaves a trail of Hollywood glory in his wake—and two separate families who never knew the other existed. Allie and Des Hudson are products of Fritz’s first marriage to Honora, a beautiful but troubled starlet whose life ended in a tragic overdose. Meanwhile, Fritz was falling in love on the Delaware Bay with New Age hippie Susa Pratt—they had a daughter together, Cara, and while Fritz loved Susa with everything he had, he never quite managed to tell her or Cara about his West Coast family.

Now Fritz is gone, and the three sisters are brought together under strange circumstances: there’s a large inheritance to be had that could save Allie from her ever-deepening debt following a disastrous divorce, allow Des to open a rescue shelter for abused and wounded animals, and give Cara a fresh start after her husband left her for her best friend—but only if the sisters upend their lives and work together to restore an old, decrepit theater that was Fritz’s obsession growing up in his small hometown in Pennsylvania’s Pocono Mountains. Guided by Fritz’s closest friend and longtime attorney, Pete Wheeler, the sisters come together—whether they like it or not—to turn their father’s dream into a reality, and might just come away with far more than they bargained for.

I'm going to tell you I am likely biased right from the start because I am such a Mariah Stewart fan and I have been reviewing her books for quite some time. As soon as I had the opportunity to review her newest, which is the start of a new series, I got right on board! I'm so glad I did because while this book is longer than ones I choose to read for fun (right around 450 pages), it really sets up the beginning of what I hope to be a really fun chick lit summer series.

So the book starts off with the death of Fritz, who we find out was a bit of a hound dog. He leaves behind two separate families, who didn't know each other at all. They soon find out all about each other because of course a large inheritance is at stake, bringing all three of his daughters together to hash it out. In some really bizarre, "please forgive me" move, Fritz leaves a stipulation that if they can work together to revamp and restore this old theater, they'll get the inheritance. All three of them, for varying reasons, really need this and it would catapult their lives into a different direction and seemingly solve a lot of their problems. Can they do it? Can they get along despite not knowing each other at all? Time will tell. This book is basically Cara's story, narrated by her, which is a good place to start because she's the East Coast daughter. The other two daughters are sisters who share the same parents, but they didn't know about Cara, and they don't totally get along. Mariah Stewart sets up the entire series SO well that I am certain we're in for a treat, if it only results in a trilogy. Love interests are introduced, the setting is adorable, and once again, Mariah gives us an excellent summer read. I just hope the next ones aren't quite as long because even though I'm a fan, I'm a bigger fan of quick reads. I like being able to finish more than one book on a weekend or a trip and this one isn't a quick read!

Alex & Eliza (review)

*This post contains affiliate links that I may make commission from; however, all opinions are my own*

Raise your hand if you love a good Young Adult story? Raise the other hand if you are obsessed with all things Hamilton? Now that you have both hands up you should do the hokey pokey and whip out your credit card.

Alex & Eliza - Melissa De La Cruz

Their romance shaped a nation. The rest was history.

1777. Albany, New York. 

As battle cries of the American Revolution echo in the distance, servants flutter about preparing for one of New York society’s biggest events: the Schuylers’ grand ball. Descended from two of the oldest and most distinguished bloodlines in New York, the Schuylers are proud to be one of their fledgling country’s founding families, and even prouder still of their three daughters—Angelica, with her razor-sharp wit; Peggy, with her dazzling looks; and Eliza, whose beauty and charm rival that of both her sisters, though she’d rather be aiding the colonists’ cause than dressing up for some silly ball. 

Still, she can barely contain her excitement when she hears of the arrival of one Alexander Hamilton, a mysterious, rakish young colonel and General George Washington’s right-hand man. Though Alex has arrived as the bearer of bad news for the Schuylers, he can’t believe his luck—as an orphan, and a bastard one at that—to be in such esteemed company. And when Alex and Eliza meet that fateful night, so begins an epic love story that would forever change the course of American history.

I will be the first to tell you that I have not gotten on the Hamilton train because I'm not a theater lover like most of my friends and I never totally got into American history when I was in high school and only vaguely find it interesting now. Which probably makes me one of the worst people to review this book because I'm coming into this not with all of that excitement but more of a, "this better not suck" perspective. 

Which is really what makes me a GREAT person to review this because guess what? This didn't suck! It was actually really great and it makes me want to be on the Hamilton train but I'm super poor so that probably won't happen. But this was such an endearing love story and so appropriate because we're living in a time where boys and young men are almost encouraged to be absolute jerks in the pursuit of a girlfriend and young women are discouraged from telling the boy where to go and how to get there. Enter Eliza, she's no shrinking violet and she isn't going to be married off to just whoever because her parents are in a tough spot financially. She knows her worth, she isn't willing to settle for anything less than a love story and if that leaves her a spinster aunt, so be it. But she wants to be more, do more, and she knows she deserves it. Even if society doesn't get that yet. She's a gal born into the wrong time period. 

Enter Alex, a boy who has nothing to offer a woman like Eliza, he has no tremendous wealth or family name, but he has earned himself quite the reputation working under George Washington. Men look up to him and he has bright visions for the future of America, but he adores Eliza. He doesn't know what he has to do to win her over but he's going to give it everything he has. 

I have to tell you that if you want to get a kid interested in American history, you have to present it to them in a way that is exciting and fun. That is what the musical is doing and that's what this book is going to do. Get this into the hands of some high school kids who are struggling and ask them to draw comparisons of gender roles from the 1770's and now. And having not seen the musical myself, and only reading quick descriptions of that story line, the book and musical are very different. While the musical explores Hamilton's role in American history, the book focuses more on the love story of Alex and Eliza. We see more of Eliza before she met Alex, her ambitions, and how they came together. And while there isn't a lot of information in history books about their courtship and life before their marriage, the author does a really good job taking those liberties and giving us a story that feels like it would have been pretty darn accurate and I think, pairs well with an audience's expectations after being in love with the musical. 

Overall? I'm giving this 4 out of 5 stars. I can't totally give it 5 only because I started and stopped this book so many times and I had a hard time getting into it because historical romance (even the YA version) is just not my thing. But I had to give it some extra points because it actually makes me wish I could see the musical while on Broadway so bravo to the author! 

Every Wild Heart (review)

*This post contains affiliate links that I may make commission from; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.*

Every Wild Heart - Meg Donohue

From USA Today bestselling author Meg Donohue comes a mystery, a love story, and a mother-daughter tale about two women on a precarious journey to uncover their true selves.

Passionate and funny, radio personality Gail Gideon is a true original. Nine years ago when Gail’s husband announced that he wanted a divorce, her ensuing on-air rant propelled her local radio show into the national spotlight. Now, “The Gail Gideon Show” is beloved by millions of single women who tune-in for her advice on the power of self-reinvention. But fame comes at a price. After all, what does a woman who has staked her career on being single do when she finds herself falling in love? And is the person who is harassing her in increasingly troubling ways a misguided fan or a true danger to Gail and her daughter, Nic? 

Fourteen-year-old Nic has always felt that she pales in comparison to her vibrant, outgoing mother. Plagued by a fear of social situations, she is most comfortable at the stable where she spends her afternoons. But when a riding accident lands Nic in the hospital, she awakens from her coma changed. Suddenly, she has no fear at all and her disconcerting behavior lands her in one risky situation after another. And no one, least of all her mother, can guess what she will do next…

Ah... who doesn't need a good chick lit in their life? We all do from time to time, and Meg Donohue just writes so beautifully you find yourself immersed in the story in no time. I immediately identified with Gail because I have three daughters (and one son) and my oldest is going to be in middle school next year and already I sometimes feel that chasm of teenage angst and the struggle of her wanting to just be a little kid but older than she is. I struggle with making sure I'm guiding her enough but also letting her make her own mistakes and learn who she is. 

It's a tough road, this parenting gig. 

So not only does Gail try to find the balance between being a good mom (a single one, at that) but she's also balancing out a red hot career with her own radio show which is ready for the big time. She finds herself with a crazy "fan" but also with a budding romance. Just as things start to heat up for her, her daughter has a scary accident which lands her in a coma. Her once overly cautious and timid daughter has seemingly turned into the polar opposite overnight and Gail has to juggle it all and decide where her loyalties lie. Can a woman have it all? Can she excel at every part of her life, even when they all demand the attention simultaneously? 

I'm giving this one a solid 4 stars. It's your standard chick lit, but it's not fluff. It has meat to it and you'll find yourself nodding along, chuckling at all the right parts, and you feel how torn Gail always is. I wasn't a huge fan of her other book How to Eat a Cupcake, but this one has won me over as a Meg Donohue fan. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Primal Key (review)

*This post contains affiliate links which I may earn a commission from; however, all opinions are my own.*

I have SO many review books sitting on my shelf right now that I need to just buckle down and read like a maniac. The good news for you is that your summer reading list should have no problem coming together if you stay tuned for my reviews.

The Primal Key - C.A. Hartley

Alex Clarke trains for one thing -- finding the broken bits of Grandmother's Carnelian Tablet. The relic, if mended, could reveal the location of The Primal Key -- the key to unlocking parallel dimensions. His family duty and his path are preordained, foretold centuries ago until . . .

Anne Clarke's curiosity gets the best of her. She opens a storage box, the one thing Mom insists she leave alone, and prematurely unleashes suppressed talents -- dangerous skills that can't be curbed once released. Worse, she accidentally leads Seth Barthony, Grandmother's murderous adversary, to the family's safe house. Seth's agents destroy their home and abduct Mom. As ransom, Seth insists Grandmother hand over the Primal Key.

As Alex scrambles to uncover clues to the Key's last resting place, Anne learns her new talents could help rescue Mom. But Anne's shaky and untested skills could, if forced, kill her and those she loves. 

Full disclosure, this book is the first in a series and I'm telling you right now that if you have any interest at all in the series, you're going to need to start with this book. Though the others aren't released yet, these are not going to be stand alone novels. There's no way they could be given the sheer amount of back story and information given throughout this book. This book is also geared towards middle grade but to be honest, I think a fourth or fifth grade student would find it interesting and be able to follow along and that perhaps sixth grade and up might not find it as interesting.

As for me, I can really only give it 3 out of 5 stars. I really struggled with just the sheer amount of information in the book, a lot of which is just overwhelming and almost not needed at all. For all of the time and energy that went into planning this story, coming up with an interesting back story to keep you going, the author really dropped the ball on naming the magical set of keys the book centers on. Of every clever name you could think of, she settles on "Crazy Keys" and I'll be honest, I had to re-read the section a few times to make sure that was the actual name of the item. And it was, which felt so half-assed I don't know what to think about it.

But the story progresses quickly, it starts with a bang, with Anne creating an unsafe portal passage before being captured and it sets the Clarke family on an adventure none of them are prepared for. Mom is hiding secrets, Anne has no idea how powerful she is, and her brother Alex (who has grown up thinking that HE is the twin with all the power) soon learns it was all a ruse to really protect Anne. The book itself has a few editorial mistakes that I'm sure young readers won't notice but parents and teachers most likely would. It's also a fun read as it does introduce kids to sci-fi/fantasy but also museums, history, and art as well.