Book Review: Only a Millionaire

All good things must come to an end, and sadly, this is the last book in J.S. Scott's The Sinclair series. It isn't the end of her books and I think my next series is likely going to be her Accidental Billionaire series. I received a few gift cards for Christmas I can use to get books so I think that's what I'm going to go for, so you'll see more reviews of those eventually.

Only a Millionaire - J.S. Scott

It has been a year since Brooke escaped to the lovely coastal community of Amesport, Maine, where no one knows her real name or what she’s been through. Now she’s finally heading back home to California. That means saying goodbye to Liam Sullivan, her millionaire blond god of a boss who’s fulfilled every one of Brooke’s fantasies. If only in her dreams…

Liam has his fantasies, too—and he’s not letting Brooke go. When he confesses his feelings, it opens the door to an incendiary romance that’s been a long time coming. So has Brooke’s own confession: that the woman Liam is falling for has been living a lie.

But there’s a secret about Brooke that even she doesn’t know. When it’s revealed, it’ll put a whole new spin on her past, her future with Liam, the true meaning of family, and the rewards of following her heart. 

Easily my least favorite in the series and I think it's because Liam isn't nice. He has been an asshole in every book and for a guy who says he's "secure in his masculinity" the fact he isn't a billionaire and "only a millionaire" really bothers him. He is judgmental and assumes any/all of the Sinclairs are total jerks before he meets them and then reluctantly agrees that they really aren't and he was wrong (without ever saying that). By the time we got to this story I didn't really give a dang if he found love or not.

Buuuuuuut.... Brooke's story really wraps this series up because there were some things even from book one that weren't mentioned in some of the later books, so I forgot about them, and she wraps them up. We meet her siblings (who the Accidental Billionaires series is about), and this book kicks start that series while also closing this one down. That reason alone is giving this one 2 stars for me because I like how the author expertly wove this loose end through an entire series to use as the start of another one. That is a crafty author right there.

Brooke herself in this book was alright, definitely nothing to write home about and while she had a fairly awful story, she's kind of a moron? I mean, her fear was that she "lied" to Liam; therefore, he wouldn't want anything to do with her so she's willing to just go home. It's an absurd story line and I was glad this was only 144 pages. The scene where he just happens to be near her home and they have fantastic sex is maybe my only favorite scene of the book and that bummed me out.

⭐⭐

   

It's weird to finish a series that I purchased a long time ago and they had been sitting on my shelf this time, but here we are. This post contains affiliate links. Happy shopping and happy reading! 

Book Review: St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets

I could not be more excited about how my year in books is right now. I know we're only three-ish weeks in but everything I have read has been so good and I am loving it!

St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets - Annie England Noblin

Laid off, cheated on, mugged: what else can go wrong in Maeve Stephens’ life? So when she learns her birth mother has left her a house, a vintage VW Beetle, and a marauding cat, in the small town of Timber Creek, Washington, she packs up to discover the truth about her past.

She arrives to the sight of a cheerful bulldog abandoned on her front porch, a reclusive but tempting author living next door, and a set of ready-made friends at the St. Francis Society for Wayward Pets, where women knit colorful sweaters for the dogs and cats in their care. But there’s also an undercurrent of something that doesn’t sit right with Maeve. What’s the secret (besides her!) that her mother had hidden?

If Maeve is going to make Timber Creek her home, she must figure out where she fits in and unravel the truth about her past. But is she ready to be adopted again—this time, by an entire town…? 

To be honest, I'm really bummed out that people on Goodreads aren't loving this as much as I did because there weren't tons of animals in the book. Listen, there is a jerky cat and the sweetest dog ever and animals who wear sweaters and women who put sweaters on stray animals. It's adorable and this book is so cute.

The book alternates present day Mae and the past with Annabelle. Annabelle had given Mae to a couple for adoption because she was really in an impossible situation (which we learn of), but when she dies, she leaves her home and all of her worldly possessions to Mae. Mae, currently in a slump in her life, feels like she should go to her birth mother's funeral even though she never knew her. Once she arrives in Timber Creek it's like walking into a whole new world. People recognize her immediately since she looks very much like her mother, and the townspeople take her in as one of their own and she decides to stay awhile and evaluate her life.

The cast of characters in this book are so fun and if there was ever a time that I wished I lived in a community like this or wanted to move to a fictional little town, it was now. I loved all of them, even the crank across the street. It has a sweet romance in it and I even really loved that though there aren't really any "steamy" scenes in it.

If you are looking for a fun, but light, read that will make you smile and maybe even laugh, this is a really great choice. A book that could have been bogged down by the past and Mae learning it all was lightened up with the characters.

Overall, I'm actually giving this one five stars because I know I'm going to read it again, and honestly, I was sad for this to end and I really loved all of the characters. I also enjoyed this enough that I want to read more from this author because she has a great way of giving you a heavy topic but distracting you with fun stuff. I think you're going to enjoy this.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

I have to say thank you to William Morrow and TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour and sending me a copy to review! This post does contain affiliate links, and all opinions and thoughts are my own. Happy reading!

Weight Loss Update- Clinic Visit #2

It feels like forever since I've updated you but I am going to do it periodically now because my momentum is seemingly slow. Which, I guess is good and bad. I wish it were faster but I'm glad I'm not losing dramatic amounts of weight quickly because that's not good either.

So if you remember, right before Christmas I went to my first appointment with a weight loss doctor. He's the step you take before you consider weight loss surgery. I am firmly in the "I refuse to do any kind of weight loss surgery" camp and I'm OK with that, but I also want to lose weight. He put me on a diet and it's not strict as in what foods I can eat, but I do need to keep my calories in the 1700 range per day, and my serving sizes of things need to be the palm of my hand. My goal of protein intake is 75 grams of protein a day spread out (so like 25 grams per meal, basically), and ideally I would be losing 1-3 pounds per week. Which... that didn't totally happen.

My starting weight was 206 pounds, and my goal weight is set for 160, so I obviously have a long ways to go.

Today I had my first check in appointment and I am down to 204 pounds, and I lost half an inch from my waist. While it's not some spectacular progress, he said he's impressed considering I started my diet right before Christmas and its the worst possible time to start so I guess that's something.

I don't see him again until the end of March so I should have lost 10-30 pounds by my next visit. Which.... that sounds fucking DAUNTING. I mean, obviously I'm shooting for the 10 pounds because I just don't think 30 sounds reasonable given how my first month has gone. All of that means I have to make a few more changes, so....

• No more soda. I'm going to struggle here because though I drink 8 ounces every other day... it's too much sugar and I just can't do it. 
• Exercise. I know I could have lost more this month if I had actually exercised, so I'm going to do that again. I moved my recumbent bike to the living room so I really will have no excuse not to. I have time in the morning once I drop the girls off at school that I can do it. I also want to have Matt pull my treadmill out again (it is currently folded up and I can't get it unfolded) so I can walk on that because I am definitely not steady enough to walk in snow and on ice right now. 
• No  more fast food. Not that we eat it a lot now, but I have to cut it out completely because this will also help with curbing our spending, too. 

My portions right now are good, I'm consistently under my calorie range each day and I feel OK about it. The protein thing is an issue, I really cannot get up to 75 grams, but he told me if I'm in the 50-60 range that I'm "in the zone" and he's OK with it, so at least I am not a complete failure there. 

Are you trying to lose weight this year? What's your goal for that? Do you have any amazing low calorie recipes that are super easy (or crock pot)? Of course I'm cruising Pinterest but I'm encountering far more fails than successes with those so if you have a tried and true one, I'm open to them! 

Book Review: Getting Off Easy

I am having the best reading streak that I have had in awhile and I'm all for it. I don't know if it's just blind luck that I'm getting so many good ones or if this is just what I'm in the mood for, but it's been really great.

Getting Off Easy - Erin Nicholas

New Orleans firefighter, James Reynaud’s true love is hanging out in the jazz clubs on Frenchmen Street and playing piano with some of the best musicians in the city. But driving his cute, bookworm neighbor Harper Broussard crazy is right up there on his list of favorite things.

The buttoned-up linguistics professor across the hall is a little older, a lot smarter, and way too good for him. And she knows it. But wow is she beautiful when she blushes.

She’s equally gorgeous when she’s saving his butt. Because now things just got serious. A baby has been, literally, dropped off on his doorstep and to say he’s in over his head is an understatement. Not that Harper knows anything about babies either. But at least they now have something in common. 

I haven't read anything from this author before and I absolutely have to fix that because I really enjoyed this one and found myself laughing while trying to take in their situation.

OK, so in this book we have James, who is probably the most stand up guy I've read in a book in forever. He takes things in stride, nothing makes him panic, he's a gentleman, and he genuinely wants to win Harper over. He's also incredibly hot and a firefighter, and that doesn't hurt the cause either. He has the hots for his across the hall neighbor, Harper, and he has a series of bizarre things come to him and he asks her help with. Think borrowing a cup of sugar, but this is stuff from a tree to a baby. Harper plays along though she's convinced he's just a playboy and while she's attracted to him, she's not sure that's really what she wants to sign up for.

The baby on the doorstep is kind of a big thing though, and while Harper helps James with it, she starts to fall for James and the baby. James is already set on being there for the baby but he really wants Harper to be in it with him. They decide to look for the mother of this baby and James has it narrowed do to three or four women and during this search Harper comes to grips with her feelings for James and isn't sure how she feels about the whole thing.

I really loved this one. I flew through it in one night curled up in my chair, and I was laughing at her Miss Priss attitude and his guy-next-door schtick. Even though I figured out the twist at the end, I didn't have it completely right and I really liked that it still had a surprise for me. It was fun, it was sexy, and it makes having baby poop and puke on you sexy. Seriously! I think you're going to really enjoy this one and if you're in the mood to make your ovaries scream, this is your book.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

A huge thank you to Social Butterfly PR and Erin Nicholas for providing me a copy for review, all thoughts are my own. I definitely have to get more from this author, this was a great read. This post contains affiliate links, happy reading! 

Book Review: The Billionaire's Secrets

I have so much to tell you about, which will come later this week. I'll have a weight loss update, my first follow up with that doctor is tomorrow! I'll have Jackson's first band concert this week, and I have some really good books to talk about.

If you aren't following me on Instagram, you need to be! I am going to be regularly showing you great new releases, letting you know about deals and freebies on books, and my goal is to get to 1000 followers this year so you should just be helping out because you're a doll like that. OK, back to the review.

The Billionaire's Secrets - J.S. Scott

Former rock star Xander Sinclair may be out of rehab, but he’s not out of the woods. Still haunted by his parents’ murders, he has secluded himself in his Amesport mansion and dodges any attempted contact from his two brothers. Struggling not to fall into relapse, he believes he’s battling his demons alone.

That is, until Samantha arrives to work as his live-in housekeeper. Effortlessly charming and cheerful and wickedly sexy, she challenges Xander to abandon his isolation. The two embark on a fiery relationship—one that could change them both forever.

Just when Xander is on the verge of reclaiming his life, he discovers that Samantha has been hiding things from him…things that could shatter the fragile future they’ve begun to build together. For Xander, escaping the past is no longer an option. It’s time to face it—even when some secrets seem too heavy for the heart to bear. 

Full disclosure, even though this is book six in the series and technically it's a stand alone, this is the only one I feel like you had to read the previous five. ONLY because Xander's story was kind of set up since book one and you learn small bits about him in each one and you really know what a hot mess he is by the time you get to this book. All of that set up made me VERY excited to read his story and it paid off because I really, really liked this one a lot. Is it my favorite? I don't think so, but it's a really great ending to these brothers.

In it we have Xander, new to Amesport, Maine on the heels of his completion of rehab for the umpteenth time. Still struggling with the death of his parents and the brutal attack of himself, Xander's brothers think a live in person to take care of the house but also be a friend to him is just what he needs. Samantha arrives with secrets of her own and with a secret motivation to see Xander work through his trauma, and she takes on the impossible task of taming the beast, so to speak.

Their tentative friendship begins to turn into more with each of them in denial and assuming the other surely doesn't feel the same (you know this trope), and when secrets start coming out they threaten the relationship and each of their recoveries from their personal traumas.

OK, I really liked this one. I know I said it wasn't my favorite of the books but still, I have kind of a soft spot for Xander because what girl doesn't want to try to save the bad boy? I think all of us at some point have tried or at least read about it. I liked Xander and I really liked Sam even though in the beginning she almost came off as TOO innocent and I was a little worried this was going to be lame, but it turned out to be the opposite. The last big "drama" in the book was a little eye roll worthy with her reaction but I'll ignore it because the overall book was good.

I'm going to give this one 4 stars.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

   

I've only got one left in this series, but don't worry! I found another series by J.S. Scott that I'm eyeing up so this isn't the last of her! This post contains affiliate links. 

Book Review: Seven Days

You might recognize this author because I reviewed The Last Lie last January I gave that one 4 stars and absolutely loved it. It's safe to say I wasn't disappointed this time either.

Seven Days - Alex Lake

A race against time to save her child…

In seven days, Maggie’s son, Max, turns three. But she’s not planning a party or buying presents or updating his baby book. She’s dreading it. Because in her world, third birthdays are the days on which the unthinkable happens… she loses her child.

For the last twelve years Maggie has been imprisoned in a basement. Abducted aged fifteen, she gave birth to two sons before Max, and on their third birthdays her captor came and took them from her.

She cannot let it happen again. But she has no idea how to stop it. And the clock is ticking…

Alright, I have to tell you that not only did I fly through this book over the course of two days, but this felt like the longest seven days of my life. The story takes place over the last seven days before Maggie's son, Max, turns three. The third birthday is significant because her other two boys were taken from her when they turned three and she knows the same will happen to Max unless she can figure out a way to save them both. She has no idea where she even is and she doesn't know what is just beyond the door she hasn't been allowed to go through in 12 years, but she's determined to save Max even if she can't save herself.

I had so many questions throughout this book and I was initially fairly frustrated because even though Maggie was abducted as a teen, she was kind of stupid. I mean, the manner in which she was abducted is startling and terrifying but also not super creative and we all tell kids to not talk to strangers in cars. Ever. I mean, come on. Her life inside this.... box (because that's basically what this is) is so isolating and it's clear from the get go that she wasn't dealing without someone without mental illness.

The book alternates between present day and flashbacks to when she was abducted, snapshots of past things from the last 12 years, we get the point of view of other characters, and it sets the book up to go quickly. Once you start reading this it is hard to put down because you just want to know- is she going to get out? Can she save Max? I can't tell you what happens but honest to god I thought I was going to have a panic attack the last 50 pages or so because I had to know what was going on.

It was stressful.

I have to tell you this is absolutely a 5 star read for me because even some of the things that made me roll my eyes or things that made me question something, the fact that I couldn't put it down sold me on this. I absolutely loved this one in all of its creepy glory.

   

A big thank you to HarperCollins and TLC Book Tours for having me on this tour and sending me an ARC of Seven Days! This post contains affiliate links. 

Organization Brainstorm

I am struggling hard with clutter and things that aren't neat and orderly. Unfortunately it's not like I can just put things away and suddenly problem solved. My office/library/craft room is rather small; therefore my solutions for optimizing space are limited. My other issue is this is an everything room. I store all of my books here, my desk with our bills/filing is in here, and then all of my craft stuff is in here.

It's really hard to come up with a plan that lets me do all of this plus enjoy being in here.

So here's where I'm at as of this week:

You can see my desk and my shelf of some books. I typically keep book box books (lower right side) and my review books (lower left side) here. The top shelf is all of my Linda Howard books, and the middle shelf are books from authors I have a few books from.

To the left is my scrapbook desk. It was here when we moved here and this room actually used to be a bedroom for the wife because her knees were bad and she couldn't get up the stairs to where the bedrooms were. So she did her crafting/resting in here. The area I'm using as a scrapbook desk used to be where she had a TV and other equipment (there are outlets in the cabinet and holes drilled to hide cords). Honestly, it's a cool little space. I once asked if I could just make that entire wall deep like that but Matt said a chimney or something runs behind where I have my shelves.

💡 Matt's idea is to get rid of one of the doors and make that an open area to put my legs and put the printer in the remaining cabinet since I don't use it a ton and put my laminator in there. Lower the table top down so it's on top of the cabinet and move my computer/desk stuff there. We can move the shelving as needed (or add another one) and I can keep review books there and then other desk things. 

The books on this shelf are mostly romance/things the kids really can't read. I'd like to get ride of the white storage cubes I have under there since the cabinet is broken, and the large drawers are heavy. It's not really working for me anymore.

On the one large wall I have that doesn't go the whole length because on the ride side (where the picture cuts off) is a closet that is space under the stairs, so it isn't huge but it does hold a few things I need not a lot, but enough that running to the basement would be a pain. The paper storage isn't working for me because I have a lot more categories of paper than shelves, so I have to figure out a new way.

While I love my shelves, not having sides is kind of becoming an issue for me. That and I'm basically out of room. So... obviously that's an issue.

I've been trolling Pinterest for craft room/library ideas but, as it turns out, there aren't a whole bunch of ideas out there. My dream would be to have a big table area for the middle of my room so that the kids could do stuff there too, or I could spread out to do things. Or if I had a large project going, I wouldn't have to clean it up to have dinner because I'm working on the dining room table.

Source: jennifermaker.com

I saw this table on Pinterest and she made her own large table using some shelving and drawers from IKEA and that was really pretty cool. I asked Matt and he says he would be willing to put something like this together for me. Which led me to the IKEA website this weekend. The nearest one to me is a little over two hours away so I could make a trip there, and we probably will because I need to see things in person to really understand their size.

This is listed as 78 3/4 inches by 93 1/4 inches and that would take up my entire big wall... but would it fit all of my books?? I don't know. If it did then I could get another shelf for that wall next to my would be desk and store more books there.

These drawers look like they would fit larger/wider things and Matt says I wouldn't have to use the wheels, or I could put legs on it if I wanted it taller.

I thought a couple of these would be cool. So maybe two of these and one of the Kallax shelves turned side ways?

I don't know. My goal this month is to get rid of what I truly don't use or need in my craft stuff and then look at what I'm keeping and decide what it would fit best in. But by the end of the year this room is going to be far more functional. That's the plan.

Do you have a crafty space with great storage ideas? SHARE THEM WITH ME. I'm kind of desperate and I'm not as creative as I used to be. I need help. Ha!