BOOKS AND BLOGGING PHILOSOPHY

Philosophy is defined as a theory underlying or regarding a sphere of activity or thought. Well, my theory is if I can add at least 10 new books to my Wishlist and move at least 5 older Wishlist selections to my TBR list every month, then life is a ice cream sundae. And if I can find those 10 books from at least 5 new blogs each month then that's the cherry on top.

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!

NEW VISITORS AND OLD- WELCOME!
Well, I've made it almost 5 years now, so for better or worse, I continue on. I tend to blog in spurts as the urge to be creative erupts. As I don't have an artistic bone in my body, you will see very few changes in the layouts. Hey, I'm a reader not an artist like so many of the awesome bloggers I follow. I know you don't always have the time but if you stopped and looked, take a half a minute and say your piece. Recommend a book that you have enjoyed or hated for that matter. Thank you to all who visit.
Oh, and I moved my Google Friend Connect info and share this buttons to the top, as without our friends, who are we?


Saturday, December 22, 2018

Review of Mary Poppins Returns- 4*


Directed and produced by Rob Marshall, "Mary Poppins Returns" also stars Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw, Emily Mortimer and Julie Walters with Colin Firth and Meryl Streep. The film, which introduces three new Banks children, played by Pixie Davies, Nathanael Saleh and newcomer Joel Dawson, also features Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury. The film is set in 1930s depression-era London (the time period of the original novels) and is drawn from the wealth of material in PL Travers' additional seven books. In the story, Michael (Whishaw) and Jane (Mortimer) are now grown up, with Michael, his three children and their housekeeper, Ellen (Walters), living on Cherry Tree Lane. After Michael suffers a personal loss, the enigmatic nanny Mary Poppins (Blunt) re-enters the lives of the Banks family, and, along with the optimistic street lamplighter Jack (Miranda), uses her unique magical skills to help the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives. Mary Poppins also introduces the children to a new assortment of colorful and whimsical characters, including her eccentric cousin, Topsy (Streep). The film is produced by Marshall, John DeLuca and Marc Platt. The screenplay is by David Magee based on The Mary Poppins Stories by PL Travers with Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman writing all new songs and Shaiman composing an original score.


Rating: PG (for some mild thematic elements and brief action)
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical & Performing Arts, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Directed By: Rob Marshall
Written By: David Magee
In Theaters: Dec 19, 2018  Wide
Runtime: 130 minutes
Studio: Walt Disney Pictures



While I loved Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins, Joel Dawson as Georgie Banks stole the show. He was so adorable. 
I probably have not seen the orginal Mary Poppins in 30 years so I'd probably forgotten more than I remembered. This wasn't a bad thing as I wasn't constantly comparing the two movies. I was able to just sit back and enjoy Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins and the fabulous musical numbers. So grap a big bag of popcorn, a cold drink, and sit back and enjoy.

Thursday, December 20, 2018

Review of The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware-3*

Title: The Woman in Cabin 10
Author: Ruth Ware 
Genre:  Psychological Thrillers

Rating: * * * 
Publishers: Gallery/Scout Press
(July 19, 2016)
Hardback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-1501132933
FTC Disclosure: My copy

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. The sky is clear, the waters calm, and the veneered, select guests jovial as the exclusive cruise ship, the Aurora, begins her voyage in the picturesque North Sea. At first, Lo's stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo's desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong. 

First of all, loved this cover. There's something about rubbing your hand over a book cover and actually feeling it that always pleases me. But as "they" say, "You can't judge a book by it's cover." That said, I didn't love the book. It wasn't bad just not very thrilling more blah than anything else. It wasn't a quick read, I had to push myself to finish it. Not sure I would have if it hadn't been a book club book. I liked the premise of the book and the murder mystery was twisty enough to keep me reading but I didn't connect with any of the characters at all. I found Lo particularly unsympathetic and found her final act to be totally out of character with how she was throughout the entire book. There were too many moments in the book where I really didn't care what happened next to outweigh the twisty moments. 
While I figured out part of the who dun it, gotta admit I wondered for a very long time if the initial break in had anything to do with the murder.
All in all, not the best psychological thriller I've read but definitely not the worst.

Ruth Ware grew up in Lewes, in East Sussex. After graduating from Manchester University she moved to Paris, before settling in north London. She has worked as a waitress, a bookseller, a teacher of English as a foreign language and a press officer. Married, with two small children, In a Dark, Dark Wood is her debut thriller.

Monday, December 17, 2018

Review For NOT THE DUKE'S DARLING By Elizabeth Hoyt- 4*

Title: NOT THE DUKE'S DARLING

Series: Greycourt #1
Author: Elizabeth Hoyt
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: * * * * 
Publishers: Forever
(Dec 18, 2018)
Paperback: 496 pages
FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

Freya de Moray is many things: a member of the secret order of Wise Women, the daughter of disgraced nobility, and a chaperone living under an assumed name. What she is not is forgiving. So when the Duke of Harlowe--the man who destroyed her brother and led to the downfall of her family--appears at the country house party she's attending, she does what any Wise Woman would do: she starts planning her revenge.

Christopher Renshaw, the Duke of Harlowe, is being blackmailed. Intent on keeping his secrets safe, he agrees to attend a house party where he will put an end to this coercion once and for all. Until he recognizes Freya, masquerading amongst the party revelers, and realizes his troubles have just begun. Freya knows all about his sins. Sins he'd much rather forget. But she's also fiery, bold, and sensuous-a temptation he can't resist. When it becomes clear Freya is in grave danger, he'll risk everything to keep her safe. But first, Harlowe will have to earn Freya's trust-by whatever means necessary.

Features a bonus novella from New York Times bestselling author Grace Burrowes!
 


While this isn't Maiden Lane (which I loved, loved, loved), I still enormously enjoyed the start of Hoyt's new series. Hoyt manages again to create some simply awesome heroines and heroes. Freya is definitely not the typical female from 1760 London nor is Christopher the typical Duke. 
It's always a treat to get to read a new book by Hoyt and it blew me away to realize that it was almost 500 pages long.(One of the things I love and hate about the Kindle is not getting a true feel of the length of a book. I  always feel kind of shocked and sad when I realize the story has ended.) It was a weekend read for me that seemed to speed by much, much to fast. Presumably, I slept and ate this weekend (I don't recall) but obviously I must have had the Kindle attached to my hand most of the time as I did finish it so quickly. I love Hoyt's details of life from both the upper class point of view and the staff's. It's rather like getting a Downton Abbey moment with Hoyt's particular recipe for suspense and romance blended to produce a meal that is totally satisfying and filling.
One additional note that I just must add, if you haven't read the Maiden Lane series, it is now complete. Picking up this series for a binge read would be so awesome and I almost hate (nah, not really) I've already read it all cause I never reread a series. Just not enough time to indulge in rereading no matter how great it was.

Greycourt
1. Not the Duke's Darling (2018)


Elizabeth Hoyt is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weeklybestselling author of historical romance, including reader favorite, The Raven Prince.
Elizabeth was born in New Orleans but grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota. She was fortunate to be able to travel extensively as a child, visiting St. Andrews, Scotland; Germany; France; and Belgium. She spent a year in Oxford, England and was a summer exchange student to Kawasaki, Japan.
Elizabeth has a BA in anthropology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and, as a result of having no clue what to do with her life thereafter, a career history as a barista, a (terrible) sales clerk, a Wisconsin Revenue Service data entry slave, and an archeological field work grunt. Fortunately, Elizabeth married relatively young and produced two children who kept her busy until her mid-thirties. At about this time, when her youngest was entering Kindergarten, Elizabeth’s mother hinted that perhaps Elizabeth should get a Real Job.

Sadly, Elizabeth was so delusional she thought writing a romance novel might qualify as a Real Job.
But! Five years later, to everyone’s surprise, she actually sold that romance novel (The Raven Prince) and began a rather successful career as a Romance Novelist. This was most fortunate since Elizabeth is singularly unqualified to do anything else but Make Up Stories. Since then Elizabeth has written over twenty books to critical acclaim including three contemporaries under the pen name Julia Harper.
Elizabeth lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with three dogs, a garden in constant need of weeding, and the ever faithful Mr. Hoyt.



Thursday, December 6, 2018

Review For THE KISS QUOTIENT By Helen Hoang-4*

Title: The Kiss Quotient
Series: The Kiss Quotient#1
Author: Helen Hoang
Genre: Romance, Graphic Sex
Rating: * * * *
Publishers:  Berkley
(June 5, 2018)
Paperback: 336 pages
ISBN:  978-0451490803
FTC Disclosure: Library Book
A heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that proves one thing: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick.

Stella Lane thinks math is the only thing that unites the universe. She comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases — a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old.
It doesn't help that Stella has Asperger's and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice — with a professional. Which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. The Vietnamese and Swedish stunner can't afford to turn down Stella's offer, and agrees to help her check off all the boxes on her lesson plan — from foreplay to more-than-missionary position...
Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all the other things he's making her feel. Soon, their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic...
 


Wow! After seeing how many reviews this book had I almost didn't bother. 
First, as a courtesy to those that don't enjoy reading about graphic sex acts, while this is not erotica, it's close enough that it may make you uncomfortable. You can just skip these sections and you really won't lose much of the storyline. 
I thoroughly enjoyed this story and though it wasn't bust out loud laughingly funny, it did have me smiling through a great deal of it. I don't think I've read a story where the main character has Aspergers and it was pretty fascinating seeing how the mind of someone who has Aspergers works. (Author was diagnosed with this disorder.) I also loved how the author wove Michael's Vietnamese heritage  into the story. A definite plus to the storyline.
Most of all though, I loved the meshing of Michael and Stella. I loved how brave Stella was with putting herself out there and trying to understand how a relationship "should" work. I loved how gentle Michael was with her and understanding of her syndrome, though she did not know that he knew.
It feels kind of weird to use the term "sweet" when speaking of the romance in this book after the graphic sex scenes but this really was a sweet romantic read.
If there was one flaw, it was (I felt) that Michael acted out of character by not being outraged that Stella had basically paid his mother's medical bills. I thought it would have been more in character for there to have been at least a mini spat over this. One other minor flaw, this book so deserved a better cover. Generally, I pay little attention to covers as I read mostly  on my Kindle but this sweet story deserved more. This was a great read that had me up most of the night and I didn't miss those couple of extra hours of sleep at all.

Kiss Quotient
1. The Kiss Quotient (2018)

2. The Bride Test (2019)



     Website

Twitter

Genre

Member Since
August 2017

URL


Helen Hoang is that shy person who never talks. Until she does. And the worst things fly out of her mouth. She read her first romance novel in eighth grade and has been addicted ever since. In 2016, she was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in line with what was previously known as Asperger’s Syndrome. Her journey inspired THE KISS QUOTIENT. She currently lives in San Diego, California with her husband, two kids, and pet fish.

Tuesday, December 4, 2018

Review For THE PERFECT NANNY by Leila Slimani-3 *

Title: The Perfect Nanny
Author:  Leila Slimani
Genre:  Psychological Thriller

Rating: ***
Publishers: Penguin Books 
(January 9, 2018)
Paperback: 240 pages
ISBN: 978-0143132172
FTC Disclosure: Library book

She has the keys to their apartment. She knows everything. She has embedded herself so deeply in their lives that it now seems impossible to remove her.
When Myriam decides to return to work as a lawyer after having children, she and her husband look for the perfect nanny for their son and daughter. They never dreamed they would find Louise: a quiet, polite, devoted woman who sings to the children, cleans the family’s chic Paris apartment, stays late without complaint, and hosts enviable kiddie parties. But as the couple and the nanny become more dependent on one another, jealousy, resentment, and suspicions mount, shattering the idyllic tableau. Building tension with every page, The Perfect Nanny is a compulsive, riveting, bravely observed exploration of power, class, race, domesticity, motherhood, and madness—and the American debut of an immensely talented writer.

The #1 international bestseller and winner of France’s most prestigious literary prize, the Goncourt, by the author of Adèle


Anyone who is a parent should never, ever read this, cause you will never be comfortable with leaving your little ones with anyone ever again, not a nanny, a baby sitter, heck probably not even a grandparent. Let's face it, the title alone- "THE PERFECT NANNY" scares the crap out of you! Unfortunately, that's about the thrillingest (is that even a word?) part of the whole book.
That said, I don't see the French "GONE GIRL" you are promised or even the gripping thriller part. Yes, there is  a psychological downspin but that's about it. I love psychological thrillers and this one doesn't even come close. It was an okay story but that's about it. It definitely won't blow you away but it will make you think.
The book starts off pretty good. I got to admit the first three pages for me were a great hook and the best part.  I was fully convinced that we would learn that the Mom, not the Nanny was the killer. ( I just wanted that great psychological twist that I've come to expect.) However, after the great beginning, I thought it went flat pretty fast. I kept reading till the end, not cause I felt like I must, to see what happened next but because it was a short book. We were doing it for book club and I really hate not to finish a book. Overall, I think the book suffered from too much hype but that is the way of things today. I really didn't like the ending. Maybe we are being set up for a sequel but if so, not one I'll be reading.
I did feel like the author did a great job of nailing the guilt that a working parent, especially a Mom feels and yes as a Mom who worked long hours when my kids were growing up, I speak from experience. I can remember days when I wished I was anywhere else other than in the midst of motherhood. The days of homework not done, toys not picked up, endless laundry, and never feeling like you had a minute alone or got a good nights sleep.  Just wanting to go to the bathroom and sit on the toilet undisturbed for 5 minutes took on a nirvana type fantasy. But I also remember a great husband who saw this and made sure I got a mini vacation with my girlfriends (also Moms). Once a year we went to the beach,  recharged our batteries and totally didn't give a damn if there were clean towels or toilet paper on the roll. We went to bed when we wanted, got up when we wanted, ate what we wanted and had adult beverages all day long if we wanted for 3 or 4 days. It allowed us to return to the fold and pull on that mantle of working Mom  and do an excellent job for another year and hold our heads up cause we could have it all! And despite all of it, once they leave for college and get married, you will miss a lot of the little things you did with them. That's one of the truly great things  about being a grandparent, getting to do these things again----and then sending them home to their Mom.



Leïla Slimani is a French writer and journalist of Moroccan ancestry. In 2016 she was awarded the Prix Goncourt for her novel Chanson douce.


Slimani was born in Rabat, Morocco and studied later political science and media studies in Paris. After that she temporarily considered a career as an actress and began to work as a journalist for the magazine Jeune Afrique. In 2014 she published her first novel Dans le jardin de l’ogre, which two years later was followed by the psychological thriller Chanson douce. The latter quickly turned into a bestseller with over 450,000 copies printed within a year even before the book was awarded the Prix Goncourt.

Review For THE RANCHER'S HOMECOMING by Anna J. Stewart-4*

Title: THE RANCHER'S HOMECOMING 
Series: Return of the Blackwell Brothers #5
Author: Anna J. Stewart

Genre: Smalltown Romance

Rating: * * * *
Publishers: Harlequin Heartwarming Large Print
(Dec 4, 2018)
Paperback: 384 pages
FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley
Copy provided for the purpose of providing an honest review.
 This does not affect my opinion of this book.

Chance Blackwell’s return—
Could cost her everything!

Ten years after he eloped with Katie Montgomery’s sister, Chance Blackwell is back in Montana to sell his family ranch. Katie could lose her job and the only home she’s known. But the loyal cowgirl is keeping a secret that could shatter trust and jeopardize her future with the widowed musician and her toddler niece. Unless Chance’s growing affection for her and all things Blackwell can earn Katie his forgiveness—and his love.


I just realized when doing this review that each of the books in this series was by a different author. I think this is the last book in this series, but not sure. I've throughly enjoyed this series and the sometimes quirky characters. There's romance, suspense, and that small town vibe that I so enjoy. One of the most awesome things about this series is that the books were all published in 2018 so it's a breeze to binge read.


Return of the Blackwell Brothers by multiple authors
1. The Rancher's Twins (2018) 
2. The Rancher's Rescue (2018) 
3. The Rancher's Redemption (2018) 
4. The Rancher's Fake Fiancee (2018) 

5. The Rancher's Homecoming (2018) 

A geek at heart, national bestselling author Anna J Stewart writes refreshingly unique, quietly humorous, and profoundly moving romance (RT Book Reviews) for Harlequin Heartwarming (The Butterfly Harbor series), Berkley InterMix (The Tremayne Family Romances), and the upcoming BONDED trilogy for Harlequin Romantic Suspense. Shes also the author of the Lantano Valley novella (sweet romance) series and a regular contributor to USA Todays HEA Blog (The Writers Box). Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Sherlock addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps its Snickers who tolerates her).

Genres: Romance, Romantic Suspense



Saturday, December 1, 2018

Review For THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DUKE by Janna MacGregor -4*

Title: THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE DUKE
Series: Cavensham Heiresses #4
Author: Janna MacGregor 
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: * * * * 
Publishers: St. Martin's 
(November 27, 2018)
Paperback: 368 pages
FTC Disclosure: ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley

Lady Daphne Hallworth is ready to celebrate the holidays with her family. But when they accidentally leave her home alone, Daphne uses the time to work on her dream—opening a home for unwed mothers. But her quest isn’t problem-free: She’s in a battle to win the property for the home against her brother’s best friend-turned-enemy, Paul Barstowe, Duke of Southart. And that’s not all: someone has stolen her personal diary, which holds secrets that could devastate her family. Daphne has always harbored private feelings for the man her family scorns…though perhaps striking a bargain with the handsome Duke will solve both their problems?

Paul, long considered good for nothing, aims to open a hospital to honor his brother and restore his reputation. So when a conflict over the land brings him straight into Daphne’s life, they make a deal: He will help her find her diary if Daphne can change her family’s opinion of him. But before he can win her family’s affection, he has to win hers first. Maybe love was the answer to their family feud all along?

First, what I loved about the book-- mostly, the heroine, Daphne. She was headstrong and pretty modern thinking for a woman of this era (although I'm not sure what the time period was). I also adored the history that she had with our hero, Paul. I so love getting a peek at the  childhood of characters and watching them morph into the  adults they become  for us in these books. 
What I didn't love -- that Daphne was so headstrong.  Let's face it, she was pretty impetuous and was lucky that her escapades did not land her in more trouble than they did. All in all though, this was a pretty enjoyable book. I read it in only 1 day and when I discovered that there were actually three earlier books in this series, kind of glad that I read it out of order (and if you've read any reviews I write, you know I'm a stickler for NOT reading a series out of order). So now, I can binge the earlier books without having to wait a year to visit the Cavensham heiresses again!
It is not a problem at all reading this book out of order. It does an excellent job of standing on it's own though I'm sure once I get the first three read, I'll probably reread this just to get the full enjoyment of an excellent series.

Cavensham Heiresses
1. The Bad Luck Bride (2017)
2. The Bride Who Got Lucky (2017)
3. The Luck of the Bride (2018)
4. The Good the Bad and the Duke (2018)

5. Rogue Most Wanted (2019)

Following the doctors cheerful announcement of triplets, the first thing Janna MacGregor did was pick her darling husband off the floor. The second thing she did was make a decision about what to do with all her newfound free time. Take her word for it, mandatory bed rest can skew ones perceptions. During her sojourn in bed, Janna remembered her attorney-husbands sage advice that successful attorneys always have the last word in an argument. Taking these wise words to heart, she became an attorney and soon was managing partner of his law firm. She is certain he and their triplets rue the day he ever made that comment.
After living in a variety of Midwestern cities, she settled in Kansas City Missouri, the crown jewel of the Midwest and home of her favorite team, the Kansas City Royals. Through all her wanderings, she has always found time to read passionate, sweeping romances. It didnt take long for her to decide to add Author on her resume. Practicing law by day, she writes sexy historicals set in the Regency period whenever she is not in court arguing those last words.

Join her and escape in stories about compelling and powerful heroines meeting and falling in love with their equally matched heroes. Rememberevery romance should be messy, carnal and forever.