Lindsay Detwiler's Blog, page 20

S. Valentine: The Black Door Trilogy

S.Valentine – THE BLACK DOOR TRILOGY – available in a box-set!

Amz US: http://amzn.to/2tRK3m3 Amz UK: http://amzn.to/2styPTC Author page: http://www.facebook.com/SophiaValentineAuthor

HIS CONFESSION – BOOK #1 When Gabriella Woods finds matches from a gentlemen’s club in her fiancé’s pocket, her suspicions require a search for answers… At the club, she realizes it’s not her fiancé’s fidelity that can’t be trusted. It’s her own. Darion Milano is daring, intriguing, and unpredictable… Unable to get him out of her head—and against Darion’s explicit warning— Gabi begins a torrid affair. No longer fighting the urge to enter the depth of his dark and mysterious lifestyle, she indulges in his most intimate desires. They become the most exciting, wild, infatuated couple everybody knows. Until his confession changes everything… Her heart is telling her to stay. Her instinct is telling her to run. She can never match his outrageous ex-wife and become the fun, fearless woman he craves…

HER CONFESSION – BOOK #2 Gabriella Woods is adapting to Darion Milano’s daring world… As Gabi tries to break down Darion’s defenses and help him move on from his damaged past, she hopes he can offer her the love and security she desperately requires. Darion likes that Gabi is pushing her boundaries, but he has his own dilemmas… With his outrageous ex-wife in the picture, a constant threat, Gabi finds herself agreeing to Darion’s open-minded adventurous fantasies. The bond they share appears stronger than ever. Until her confession changes everything. Is Darion pushing Gabi to her limits—and further away from him? Or is Gabi in too deep to give Darion up, regardless of her identity that he’s slowly stripping away?

THEIR CONFESSION – BOOK #3 Gabriella Woods eventually wants it all—love, passion, marriage, a family. With the sale of the club, she feels closer to Darion Milano, and believes his dark sexual desires are behind him. A reunion at The Black Door to celebrate the opening awakens the past. Gabi and Darion remember where and how they fell in love. Gabi is pleased to see Darion in touch with his old friends, in particular Gina. Until their confession changes everything. The news shatters Gabi’s world. Can she and Darion get through it? Will the link to his past sway him from a life he now leads, to a life he once led? #Romance #Erotica #EroticaRomance #KU #KindleUnlimited

Amz US: http://amzn.to/2tRK3m3 Amz UK: http://amzn.to/2styPTC Author page: http://www.facebook.com/SophiaValentineAuthor

Website: www.s-valentine.wix.com/books

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SophiaVAuthor

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/SophiaVWrites

Instagram: www.instagram.com/sophiavalentineauthor

The Sad Book Review Story

Why Book Reviews Truly Matter

Stephens Explores Marriage and Mental Disorders in A Flash of Red

A Flash of Red by Sarah K. Stephens
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"Not having noticed the warning signs, Anna now saw that she had become embalmed in her carefully constructed life."

A Flash of Red is a thriller about the perils that some marriages face, the difficulty of letting go of the past, and the harsh reality of mental illnesses. As a professor of Psychology, Anna Kline has devoted her life to teaching about mental illnesses and disorders. To her students, her life seems picture-perfect. However, behind the scenes she's harboring some difficult secrets--about her past, about her family, and, most of all, about her marriage.

When one of her students, Bard, learns about some of the realities she's harboring, their lives become intertwined. As the plot progresses, Anna and Bard must come to terms with their realities and with the notion that life isn't always what it seems.

I thought the psychological aspects of this novel were really well-written. I found myself constantly questioning whether or not I could trust each character. The depth of the relationships was also noteworthy. I liked that Stephens focused on the idea that marriage isn't always perfect. The behind-the-scenes look at a marriage in the midst of destruction was deep and thought-provoking. I liked the internal glimpse at both parties in a relationship about to detonate.

The tension was slowly built in the novel, which simmered over the course of the beginning of the story. At first, I was anxious for the pace to pick up; however, once it did, I realized how the slow simmer actually enhanced the events of the story and made the payoff greater.

The only thing I disliked was the ending simply because I could not agree with how it all turned out. However, everyone has their own opinion, and I can relish the fact that the ending did make me think and feel. This is the true mark of a well-crafted novel, regardless of whether or not you morally agree with what happened.

This is an excellent debut novel, and I look forward to reading more works by the very talented Sarah K. Stephens.

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Tuesday Beauty Break: Juara Mask

I'm a bookworm, but I'm also a beauty addict. I've spent tons of cash over the years at Ulta, Sephora, Target, and all sorts of places looking for the best beauty products for the average woman. I believe in cruelty-free cosmetics as well. Every Tuesday, I bring you quick information about a beauty product I've tried and loved. Feel free to comment below with products you think I should try out. I'm always on the hunt for the next best product :)
​​Juara Face Mask ReviewThis mask came in my Petit Vour box, which I'm obsessed with. For $15 total (shipped) a month, I get the Petit Vour beauty box. It's like Birchbox or Ipsy, but all products are vegan and cruelty-free. You get four products per box, and the sizes are usually really great. Sometimes, you even get a full-size product.

This face mask came in my last box, and I'm loving it. It's a deep, nourishing mask. It smells amazing. My favorite part, though, is that it is a leave-on mask. You don't have to rinse it off, peel it off, or anything like that. I put this on once a week at night before bed and let it work it's magic.

I wake up with super soft skin without the heavy, greasy feeling. This mask is pricey to buy, but I like the ease of application. It's $38 at Petit Vour. 

I recommend getting the beauty box subscription because it's super fun, a great price, and you get to try new fun products like this.

​How about you? Any mask recommendations? 

A Sweet Young Adult Romance Perfect For Summer Reading: Anna and the French Kiss

Book Review: Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"The whole school is as intimidating as it is impressive. It should be reserved for students with personal bodyguards and Shetland ponies, not someone who buys the majority of her wardrobe at Target."

Sent to a boarding school in Paris by her father, Anna is not happy about spending her senior year away from her home in Atlanta and her best friend. Adjusting to life in Paris isn't easy, especially since she doesn't speak French. Over the course of her senior year, though, Anna learns a lot more than just a new language...she learns about friendship, growing up, and most of all, love.

I really loved the character of Anna in this book because she is so easy to relate to and so funny. Perkins does an amazing job at incorporating elements girls and women can relate to. I liked the realistic feel of the novel which came from the well-developed characters. I also really liked the character of St. Clair, who is Anna's love interest in the book. He was fun and romantic, but still had enough flaws to make him feel real.

The setting was a perfect backdrop for this novel and helped create conflict. I liked how Perkins seamlessly created the story around the backdrop but didn't let it take over the entire novel. I felt like the characters carried enough of the story on their own to make it a perfect balance.

The only thing I would have changed is to have more tension as Anna deals with the major problem in the novel. I thought the problems she faces are well-planned, but they were solved fairly quickly. I would have liked to have seen more struggle in Anna so she could have shown more change and growth. I wish the conflict hadn't been resolved so neatly.

Overall, this is a sweet, light-hearted read perfect for the summer months. It will make you want to travel to Paris and redo your senior year. Most of all, it reminds you that life and love are sometimes foreign entities to us...but eventually, we figure out how to translate them both.

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The Behind-The-Scenes Reasons I Wrote Then Comes Love

The Behind-the-Scenes Reasons I Wrote Then Comes LoveNo matter how old you get, every stage of life comes with anxiety about change.

This is something I learned while watching my mom care for my ninety-something grandfather as we packed up his home near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and moved him to an apartment complex in our hometown. As I watched my mom help him navigate the change that comes with moving from a house to a complex for those 55 and over, I started to notice something: a sense of community.

Visiting my grandfather and hearing my mom's stories, I saw a rich setting full of emotion. There were humorous moments and misunderstandings as my mom took on the role of caregiver, which certainly jostles the parent-child relationship. There was fear and difficulty as my grandfather adjusted to a new home, town, and life. There was friendship with the elderly living in the apartment complex, but also with their families. The community, as I came to learn, in this apartment building wasn't just about the people living there--it was also about their families. 

And, above everything else, I saw something surprising: Love.

I would see men and women holding hands on the bench outside, talking about their date nights and talking about finding love in a later stage of life. It made me realize two things:

1. Love doesn't have an age limit.
2. Even though each stage of life is different, each stage is filled with the same complex emotions of the human journey.

It was from these facts that Then Comes Love was born.

I drew on the humor from the community my grandfather lives in. I drew on the complex emotions and interactions between the people living their and the interactions between their families. I saw an opportunity for a rich setting with complex characters and emotions.

I also drew on my own family and the relationship between the women in it. I thought about how women in the family from different generations could still really help each other because in their own ways, their feelings and fears would be the same.

Charlotte, Annie, and Amelia came to be from these facts.

Charlotte, 80, is dealing with change in her life. She's moving from her home she lived in for decades with her late husband to an assisted-living facility, Wildflower Meadows. Wildflower Meadows becomes the backdrop and community for all of the interactions in the book. As she navigates the change in her life, she has to try to adjust to the new community and new rules...but she also has to adjust to the fact that her heart isn't done with love just yet.

Charlotte's daughter, Annie, is in her fifties and dealing with a mid-life crisis. She's gone through a terrible divorce while also trying to be a caregiver to her mother. Caught in the middle of several lives, she, too, finds that Wildflower Meadows will lead her to a new set of possibilities.

Finally, Charlotte's granddaughter, Amelia, is in her thirties and quite the wild child. Not ready to settle down, she's lost in a stage of life where she doesn't know what she wants to be.

The three women come together through the Wildflower community in different ways, but all three learn that family sometimes helps us navigate the most difficult moments in life. Furthermore, all three find that love can come along at any time, even when we least expect it.

For an exclusive excerpt of Then Comes Love, sign up for my newsletter! It's coming July 28th, so be sure to check your inbox!

A Brutally Honest Look at Family: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jeannette Walls' memoir is an eye-opening look at how the past often threatens to dictate our future... and how our roots can shape us but don't have to define us.

Jeannette's childhood was marked by two free-spirited parents, hunger, and a lack of directions. Jeannette reflects on her childhood in a manner that feels objective, allowing the reader to read between the lines and form their own opinion. Her observations of her family and a childhood marked by hardship and sacrifice really forces the reader to examine themes of loyalty, motivation, change, and happiness.

This book made me re-evaluate my definitions of family and success while also considering how many people I've made wrong assumptions about. From the very beginning of the memoir, Walls makes it clear that shame and guilt are a part of her equation when it comes to her family. As the memoir unfolds, the reader gets a glimpse into the complex emotional relationship she had with her family growing up and how she has had to figure out how to make these emotions a part of who she is.

This book also made me appreciate my roots and family. I have never known hunger like this author, and I've never really gone without. Jeannette makes our society with a penchant for consumerism realize that food on the table isn't a guarantee in every household. As a teacher, it has opened up the compassion in my heart for others and has made me really stop and think about the plight of others. It has made me realize that no one's life is perfect, but some are struggling with bigger demons that we can imagine.

I certainly felt bad for Walls throughout the memoir. However, her memoir is not marked with a need for pity. She is objective in her narration and doesn't paint on the emotional baggage or cry out to be painted as a martyr or hero. She simply paints her childhood as it was and emphasizes that even in the midst of suffering and treatment that was verging on abusive, there were elements of love in her life--which often seemed one-sided. I admired her strength as a child and as an adult to not only overcome her obstacles but also learn how to make peace with them. I applaud her ability to see the good in her parents, even though they arguably don't seem to deserve this kindness at points in the memoir.

Walls shows us that no one is perfect and that parents are certainly flawed. She shows us that the past certainly plays a role in who we become, but it doesn't have to dictate our entire life. Most of all, she makes us realize that we don't know everyone's story. She shows us, as her father pointed out, that demons lurk in all sorts of places.

Walls' story is one of sacrifice, suffering, and triumph. Most of all, it is a memoir that redefines what it means to overcome, to achieve, and to love.

I applaud the author for writing a brutally honest, open, and relevant memoir and for opening herself up to the world so we can all get a better idea of what others are enduring.

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Cover Reveal: Inked Hearts

Scroll down for your chance to WIN!
​'Inked Hearts' by Lindsay Detwiler releases October 21st. Treat yourself now while it's #halfprice

“Six years, a complex about my freckles, a love for pastrami, and a fear of failure. That’s what he gave me before slaughtering my heart and my faith in men.”

Suffering from the sting of betrayal, twenty-eight-year-old Avery Johannas quits her job and moves hundreds of miles away to Ocean City, the beach town of her dreams. With the help of her zany roommate, Jodie, Avery finds a new career, home, and freedom. Throughout her self-exploration, she makes only one rule: She won’t give her heart to a man again. She’s living for herself this time.
But then she meets Jesse.

A tattoo shop owner, the green-eyed Jesse Pearce is wild with a touch of mystery. As Jesse and Avery explore Ocean City and their friendship, they’ll have a hard time drawing a line in the sand between their hearts.
When summer nights get a little more heated than either expected, they’ll have to ask themselves: Can they let go of their notions of love, or will their hearts be permanently inked by past pain?

#InkedHearts_Reveal #LindsayDetwiler #HTPubs
​
Buy links: http://books2read.com/inkedhearts
Available on Amazon soon.
TBR: www.goodreads.com/book/show/34808535-inked-hearts

Head to my Facebook page and share the cover reveal post for your chance to win a $10 Amazon Card! Add to your Goodreads

Tuesday Beauty Break: Lipsense

I'm a bookworm, but I'm also a beauty addict. I've spent tons of cash over the years at Ulta, Sephora, Target, and all sorts of places looking for the best beauty products for the average woman. I believe in cruelty-free cosmetics as well. Every Tuesday, I bring you quick information about a beauty product I've tried and loved. Feel free to comment below with products you think I should try out. I'm always on the hunt for the next best product :) Lipsense ReviewOkay, I know what you're thinking...
So 1st, no, I am in no way sponsored by Lipsense or have any financial benefits from sales. At all.

And 2, it is not a gimmick. Seriously.

When I first saw Lipsense, I thought, "Here we go. Another FB group sales nightmare. There's no WAY that stuff can work."

And then I bought some...and guess what?

It freaking works. Seriously!!!!

Lipsense is made to last between 4-18 hours. You layer on three thin layers of the lip color, put on some gloss, and voila! Done.  

I get closer to 18 hours out of my Lipsense. Seriously. And at the end of the day...it hasn't budged. I will drink three cups of coffee, eat lunch and dinner and a million snacks...and it's still there. You are supposed to reapply the gloss throughout the day, but I'm way too lazy for that. But it still stays on!

This product works better over time. There is an exfoliating process ( I know, it sounds weird and you're skeptical, but trust me on this one). For the first week or so, your lips will sort of peel, the product won't really stay on that long, and you'll think you got ripped off.

And then, week two, once all the junk you've been putting on your lips is gone, it happens. You'll start getting all-day wear.

I have two colors right now with a third on the way. My favorite color is coral. It looks freaking scary in the tube, but actually it's perfect on. Below is a pic of me wearing the coral color.

It is a little pricey to get started. The starter kit is around $55. That comes with a color, gloss, and color remover in case you make a mistake. However, I've dropped $20-30 on a regular lipstick that I have to reapply constantly. Once you get started, you can just buy colors for around $29 with shipping.

Seriously give this stuff a whirl. I've tried probably a hundred lipsticks looking for color that I love. I finally found it. Oh, and it's cruelty-free, which is super important to me.

You can find sellers online, but I go through Deborah Biter. She's super helpful with color choices and is not pushy at all. Like at all, seriously. Here is her group link if you want to check it out.

Have you tried Lipsense? Do you have a different favorite lipstick? Let me know below!

Publishing Announcement: New Contemporary Romance

Hot Tree Publishing is kicking off a brand-new Rescue Me Collection with Lindsay Detwiler's brilliant "All of You," a sweet and sassy contemporary romance.
TBR: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35527988-all-of-you
A sexy doctor who’s restricted by expectations.
A quirky poet who’s defined by her dark past.
All it takes is Alex Evans saving Marley Jade one fateful night for their futures to be realigned. And when a passion sparks between them, they must decide if they can piece each other back together and make love work.