Lindsay Detwiler's Blog, page 24

Must Read Romantic Comedy: Being Brooke

Must Read Romantic Comedy: Being Brooke by Emma Hart Being Brooke by Emma Hart
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"This is why you should never fall in love with your best friend. This moment right here."

Being Brooke is a sassy romance full of hilarious moments we can all relate to. Brooke Barker is a twenty-four-year-old college drop-out who is still trying to figure out the adult world. She doesn't quite know what she wants out of life. Her job isn't what she had in mind. Most of all, her love life is a bit of a disaster because she's fallen for her best friend Cain.

But Cain doesn't know this yet. And he has a girlfriend.

Through the book, Brooke starts to explore what she really wants out of life. The book is filled with moments we can all connect to because being an adult isn't always easy. Brooke is very open as a narrator about her weaknesses, making her very likable from the beginning. She has a hilarious family, including a very inappropriate grandfather who just makes the book even funnier. I love how each chapter has a life lesson with it. I also really like Brooke and Cain's interactions.

I think humor can sometimes be difficult to pull of in a romance, but Emma Hart definitely does. Brooke is a character I would love to have coffee with and be friends with. She is equal parts strong, sassy woman and struggling, imperfect adult. I could connect with so many of her struggles to figure out her life and who she wants to be.

I also thought the ending was adorable and satisfying. Emma Hart wrapped up the story in a way that did't feel rushed or out of place; it felt just right.

The only thing I will say is that it took me a little bit of time to get into the book. I wasn't initially sold on the story line. Emma Hart, however, writes in a way that makes this romance its own, unique version of the friends to lovers story. Thus, by the end, I was able to overlook the things I didn't quite love in the book and really root for Brooke.

This is a fun, sassy read full of light-hearted moments and characters. I would recommend this book for a weekend read.

View all my reviews

January Petit Vour Box

Best day of the month…the Petit Vour Box came today. Check out the items below, and be sure to sign up for your own Petit Vour box! $15 a month includes shipping and cruelty free products delivered in a cute box each month! It’s perfect for the #cosmeticsjunkie in your life…or yourself!

Beating the Blahs: Mood Boosting Tips to Survive the Winter Doldrums

Henry’s absolutely fine with the couch potato lifestyle….he hates summer. 

I’m a January baby, a bookworm, and a teacher, so I have my reasons to love winter: my birthday, snow days, and excuses to sit for hours on the couch with a book are all winter blessings.

This year, though, I’m finding myself in a predicament: I’m feeling the winter blahs.

Typically, the winter months suit me just fine. I’m not an outdoor type of girl anyway, so in summer, the most I make of nature is to sit on my deck sipping iced tea. I’m not a runner, a camper, a hiker, or a swimmer. Thus, freezing cold days that give me an excuse to stay indoors usually make my heart glow.

This year, though, I’m getting a bit sick of the couch potato life.

Couch Potato Life

Perhaps it’s a result of my introversion over holiday break. Usually, my days over break are filled with lunch dates, activities, and shopping. This year, I opted for a couch potato sort of break, unlocking achievements on the Xbox for Netflix shows watched in a row.

It was nice, relaxing, and recharging.

And then came this weekend. The blizzard of 2016 left me trapped indoors all weekend. More Netflix. More napping. More couch sitting with Henry

So perhaps this is why I’m a bit over the couch potato life.

Overcoming the Winter Blahs

But what can one do when it’s the end of January and summer feels like a million miles away? We’re stuck in the sweater weather for quite some time, and my flip flops won’t be grazing the fresh grass for quite a few months.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found a few ways to pump up the motivation, to refresh my mood, and to dump the frumpy couch sitter within.

1. Try a new exercise

Okay, so as much as I hate nature…I also hate exercising. Lately, I’ve found myself in a rut that usually involves me skipping the exercise. This week, I’ve vowed to try some new exercise classes. Am I nervous about looking like a fool in front of people I don’t know? You bet. But Zumba, here I come :)

2. Feng Shui Your Way to Happy

These past few weeks, my husband and I have been on a “love it or leave it” purge of the house. If we don’t love it or haven’t used it, it’s gone. Other than giving the garbage man a serious case of anger from our twelve bags of trash a week, it’s been refreshing.

I can’t tell you how lighter your mood feels when you lighten the amount of stuff you have. Honestly, the experts are right: less is more. I find I can now appreciate what I have because I can find it. Chad even found pizza shaped plates that were lost in the pantry. What could be better than that for a mood boost? Purge away and you’ll find it takes less effort to do basically everything in your house. Plus, maybe you’ll find your own pizza plate treasures. Check out this article at HGTV about How to Feng Shui Your Bedroom if you want to get started!

3. Pandora

Music can truly do wonders on a tired soul. Lately, whether I’m cooking, watching it snow, or just sitting around, I’ve got Pandora on. It’s amazing how much your favorite song can make you feel like dancing a little bit more and encourage you to get off the couch.

4. Play a Game

My husband and I are guilty of phone addiction. We are the couple at the restaurant who can’t go five seconds without checking our phones. We are always plugged in. Lately, we’ve been taking a few hours a week to put the phones aside and ignore the siren call of the notification. We’ve been busting out the old board games and card games and playing a few time a week. It sounds stupid, but we’ve honestly been having so much fun reconnecting over Phase 10 and Yahtzee.

5. Do a Mini-Makeover

Sometimes a style rut can play into a mood rut. Mix something up this month. Whether it’s trying an outfit you’d never try in a million years or getting a new brand of makeup and playing it up, try something new. Ulta and Sephora are great because you can try makeup out before you buy it, and the workers are really nice at helping you find what will work for you. I’ve been on a huge Urban Decay kick lately. If you’re like me and already swimming in products, try out some tutorials on Youtube for new ideas and uses for your palettes. An excuse to buy make-up? Yes, please! Mood boosted already!

6. Eat Healthier Now

I usually let myself go over winter and figure I’ll work it out over the summer. Perhaps this can lead to the winter blahs just as much as anything else. Pick one think to work on with your eating habits so that when summer rolls around, you can bust out the shorts and tanks without any hesitation.

This is probably the hardest for me. I love chocolate, junk food, and eating out. Chad and I have been trying to cut back. We’ve been eating at home more, swapping white carbs for whole grains, and eating turkey instead of beef. We’ve also been ditching the soda for water. We’re not doing a perfect job, but I’m hoping that by starting how, we’ll be pros by the time the weather breaks.

 

Have any winter blah breaking tips? Share below!

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.”

This book has been on my TBR pile for a while, and I’m so glad I picked it up today! It follows the story of Melinda, a ninth grader who has been shunned by everyone in the high school. You find out that she is struggling with a major incident that happened over the summer. The book follows her observations of high school life, of her recovery, and of her finding her voice again.

The descriptions in this book are stunning. Anderson has a poetic way with words. Even during the emotional scenes and the humorous scenes, she manages to describe things in a beautiful way.

I also liked how easy it was to relate to the book. The structure and format of the story made it an easy yet powerful read. There were plenty of humorous observations mixed in. As a high school teacher, I definitely think Anderson was spot on about some of her descriptions of high school life.

This book is a perfect balance of heavy and humorous. Anderson brings light to a very difficult topic with a perfect equation of seriousness and lightheartedness. I felt deeply for Melinda and respected her ability to resurrect herself. I do feel like the ending was a bit rushed; I wish Anderson would have taken her time wrapping things up.

I will definitely be looking for more works by Anderson in the future.

View all my reviews

Sweet on You by Marianne Rice

Sweet on You by Marianne Rice
Series: The Wilde Sisters #1
Release Date: January 26, 2016
Publisher: Limitless Publishing
|| SYNOPSIS || 
An extravagant cake design brings small town baker Trent Kipson to fame…

After gaining social media exposure of his culinary art, Trent’s cake design goes viral. Soon he’s contacted by the Cooking Network to host a new show in California. It’s the opportunity of a lifetime for the owner of a modest shop in Portland, Maine, and the financial freedom the network offers could be the answer to all of his monetary problems.

Fitness instructor Rayne Wilde wants the life every small-town girl dreams of…

Rayne wishes for a future full of romance and the pitter-patter of little feet. She wants it all, including a white picket fence and a dog named Spot—which is exactly why she refuses to sleep with Trent, the sexy man who attends her Zumba classes. After a series of dead-end relationships, this time she really is in love. Trent is special, and the fear of letting him slip through her fingers keeps her advances at bay.

Life is waiting—all it takes is a leap of faith…

As their friendship grows and skeletons creep out of their closets, their relationship is put to the test. Stakes get higher, and the spark between them burns hotter than ever before.

Can they handle the heat when life-changing secrets are exposed, or will the fear of being burned send them on two different paths?

||| PURCHASE |||
Available on Kindle Unlimited!
Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1WnPCxT
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1WnR6bA




|| ABOUT THE AUTHOR ||



Marianne Rice writes contemporary romances set in small New England towns. Her heroes are big and strong, yet value family and humor, while her heroines are smart, sexy, sometimes a little bit sassy, and are often battling a strong internal conflict. Together, they deal with real life issues and always, always, find everlasting love. When she’s not writing, Marianne spends her time buying shoes, eating chocolate, chauffeuring her herd of children to their varying sporting events, and when there’s time, cuddling with her husband, a drink in one hand, a romance book in the other.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/marianne-rice/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MarianneRiceaut
Twitter: https://twitter.com/mariannericeaut
Website: http://www.mariannerice.com/

The Book I’ve Always Wanted to Write: Then Comes Love Releases in Two Months

Apparently, our shower has writing power.

I had signed the contract for my first novel Voice of Innocence and was standing in the shower one summer day. Between the shampooing and the rinsing process, the idea for Without You came to me.

Fast forward to the next summer. Again, I found myself in the shower, perhaps conditioning this time. As the steam filled my lungs, the character of Charlotte came to me. I imagined her to be a mixture between my own late grandmother—who was obsessed with bingo and cats—and a spunky Betty White. She loved yellow and, despite her age, was super outgoing.

From there, the idea to write about Charlotte as well as her daughter and granddaughter came to me. I always write in multiple perspectives, but usually only two. Why not three?

Then Comes Love was born.

From the beginning, I knew this book would be different. I wanted it to have the same realism I pride myself on, but I also wanted there to be a touch of humor. If you’ve ever spent time with the elderly or in some sort of community for the elderly, you know humor is definitely a part of the life. My grandfather is currently ninety-three…and we have had many humorous moments with him. Life in an assisted living center, a retirement community, or even a nursing home can be a crazy experience. I wanted to focus on that.

I also wanted to focus on the idea of identity and loss. My characters in this book are thirty-two, fifty, and eighty, but all three are struggling with figuring out who they are at their respective life stage. So often, we believe that by a certain age, our lives become solidified. We expect a smooth sailing, routine path. This is often not the case. No matter how old you are, you will face doubts, changes, and struggles to figure out what you want. My three characters experience all of these feelings.

Finally, I’ve written a lot about first loves. This is probably because I married my first love. I have absolutely no experience with second loves.

So that was why I wanted to write about second loves.

I have friends and loved ones who have had second loves. I’ve heard about the conflicting emotions, the complications in opening your heart again. Whether you lost your first love by choice, by death, or by other circumstances, moving on to a second love brings its own set of complications. I wanted to highlight that second love is sometimes more difficult than first loves…but also sometimes more beautiful.

Voice of Innocence was my pipe dream, the book I thought would never get published.

Without You was my confidence booster. It allowed me to see that I could really do it again.

Then Comes Love is the book I’ve always wanted to write. Thanks to Hot Tree Publishing, I will now get to share it with you. I cannot wait to share these characters with you. Don’t tell my other books, but this one is truly my absolute favorite.

Check out my Facebook page to stay up to date on cover reveals, contests, and release information.

Undercover in Six Inch Stilettos by Carolyn LaRoche

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The Secret Lives Series

✦✦UNDERCOVER in Six Inch Stilettos✦✦

by CAROLYN LAROCHE

Limitless Publishing

✦✦ SYNOPSIS ✦✦
Every woman has secrets, and Cyndi Mills is no exception…

Cyndi has a beautiful daughter, and her husband Jason is totally hot for her, but something is missing. As a cop, Jason is extremely vigilant about safety and security, and Cyndi longs for some time to herself, so she takes a Friday night job.

Jason thinks she’s cleaning offices, when she’s actually dancing in a red bustier and six-inch stilettos at a club called Sugar Shakers, something only her three best friends, also police wives, know.

When club employees start disappearing, the truth comes out…

A young runaway, Jade, and a military widow, Lola, vanish, and Lola’s body is later found in the ocean. Cyndi begins investigating—with some help from her friends—but when anonymous threats put her daughter in jeopardy, she has no choice but to confess her lie to Jason, rocking their previously solid marriage.

Jason is furious, but Cyndi has to ask for even more if she hopes to solve the mystery…

Cyndi convinces Jason to sign her up as a confidential informant, and she officially goes undercover at the club, while Jason struggles to control his jealousy. As the evidence mounts and the danger becomes all too real, Jason fights to keep Cyndi safe.

But no amount of security can protect someone when lies are more common
than the truth and no one is who they appear to be.

 

✦✦ PURCHASE NOW✦✦

AMAZON:  http://amzn.com/B017AWC2HO

MEET THE AUTHOR

✦✦ ✦✦ CAROLYN LAROCHE ✦✦ ✦✦ 



Carolyn LaRoche grew up in snow country but fled the cold and ice several years ago. She now lives near the beach with her husband, their two boys, two finicky cats and one old dog. When she is not at the baseball field cheering on big hits and home runs, she is busy teaching science to unwilling teenagers.

Limitless Publishing: http://www.limitlesspublishing.net/authors/carolyn-laroche/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorCarolynLaRoche
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CarolynLaRoche
Website: http://carolynlarocheauthor.blogspot.com/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7734909.Carolyn_LaRoche

 

An Imperfect Wedding, An Imperfect Marriage: Real Love Isn’t Easy

The vision:

My perfectly white dress cascades behind me as I walk, flower bouquet bulging in my arms, down the lace-enshrouded aisle. After some elegant words and lofty I dos, we head to the reception, a perfect balance of elegance and fun. The cake is illustrious, the food delicious, and the DJ gets everyone on the floor. We party the night away, walking out under the stars, floating on a cloud.

The reality:

While the dress is truly beautiful, the straps start to come  off, and my mother-in-law has to quickly stitch them after the ceremony to prevent a crazy malfunction. The bustle is incorrect, so we have to hastily do a makeshift, curtainy bustle. I almost put the ring on Chad’s right hand instead of the left, and we are confused when it is time for us to kiss since there is no “you may kiss the bride.” The sandcastle cake I requested looks more like sea slime and sort of tastes like it. We have no clue how to cut the cake and end up awkwardly making a disastrous mess of it. The DJ blows a fuse, leaving us standing for ten minutes in uncomfortable silence, and he picks the longest version of every song, leaving the traditional dances lasting way longer than expected. The photographer is awful…there are actually no pictures of just us that are clear.

Our wedding in October of 2011 was far from the perfect vision we had in mind. There were plenty of things that went wrong and that were disappointing.

It’s the same for our marriage. This October will mark five years since our wedding day, and I’d like to say life is like a bouquet of roses. But it’s not. The wedding flowers wilt quickly, and sometimes the gold band you bought starts to tarnish. Marriage is hard work.

The romantic dinners and roses and strolls in the park hand in hand are sometimes just a thing of the movies. Real life–grocery shopping, work, cleaning, house disasters–can be exhausting. Spending almost every moment with someone can be agitating.

Do we have beautiful romantic moments? Absolutely. We go to nice dinners. Chad surprises me with chocolate instead of roses (which is exactly what I would prefer). We laugh at life’s crazy moments, and we often have a perfect night getting takeout and watching Netflix. We have a good life.

But are things perfect?

Hell no.

We have screaming fights about his snoring or spilled soda on the floor or whose turn it is to let Henry out. We argue about where our furniture should go or when I last did laundry or who left food out on the counter to spoil. We scream about where the stamps are or where the savings account book is or where my favorite shoes got to. We accuse each other of eating the last Kit-Kat or misplacing the Xbox controller or Henry’s vet papers.

Like our wedding day, things aren’t always the dreamy vision we had in mind. There are plenty of disappointments. But over the years, I’ve learned one big thing.

Love is never perfect.

It’s frustrating and messy, just like a wedding. Sometimes the cake you bought tastes awful. Sometimes your gorgeous dress almost loses its straps. Sometimes the man you married snores way too much or refuses to put his laundry away or puts empty boxes back in the pantry. Sometimes the woman you married stuffs the trashcan full so she doesn’t have to take it out or leaves coffee cups everywhere or leaves cereal in the sink (hypothetically speaking, of course. This is CLEARLY not about me :) ).

But real love, the kind worth hanging onto for a lifetime, doesn’t have to be perfect. In fact, if you can choose to stand beside someone who sometimes drives you crazy, if you can look past the ugly moments and focus on the beautiful ones, then you know you actually found love.

 

The Newly Obsessive Reviewer: How Five Minutes Could Help an Author

I’ve always been a huge bookworm. Ever since I could read, I’ve had my nose in a book. As an English teacher, the amount I read has only increased.

However, I have a shameful secret.

I never, ever reviewed books.

Until I became an author, that is.

Like many, I never realized what a difference a review could make. What did it matter? I told myself it didn’t.

And then I became an author and realized reviews are EVERYTHING.

Reviews on Amazon help determine if a book is recommended to other buyers on Amazon and how noticeable a book will be. Without reviews, it is almost impossible for an author to build a following, get their name out there, and get noticed.

Since entering the publishing world, I’ve gained a new appreciation for reviews. Thus, I now review EVERY book I read.

Five minutes of your time can truly save an author’s career. Seriously.

So please consider reviewing any book you read, whether it’s a big author or not.

Worried about people noticing your bad grammar? Don’t worry. Your semi-colon struggles or comma mishaps can remain your secret…you can remain anonymous in your review.

Have no clue what to write?

A few lines about what you thought will suffice.

If you want to go more in-depth, here’s the formula I use.

Start with a favorite quote from the book.
Give a basic summary of the book from your perspective (no spoilers)
Talk about things you liked (style, characters, plot, setting, theme, etc).
Talk about things you didn’t like (even if I give a book a 5 star rating, I list one thing I would change. It shows you are genuine, and no book is absolutely perfect)
Summarize your overall thoughts of the book, the author, and who you would recommend it for.

Happy reading, and happy reviewing!

 

 

 

We Will Always Have the Closet by Natalina Reis

Petra Galatas sees the world through rose-colored glasses…
 
Petra has always chosen to see the best in people. Even her ex-husband’s extramarital affairs couldn’t destroy her faith in humanity. However, as much as she craves love, she’s not ready to trust another man with her heart.
 
The last place Petra thought she’d meet a guy was a closet in her ex-husband’s house…
 
While investigating Jonas Linden for millions of dollars in art fraud, Sam Corra’s clues lead him into the most unlikely of places—Jonas’ closet. Even less likely was meeting a woman there…a beautiful woman with honey skin and big brown eyes. Though neither of them divulge the reason they’re there, there’s an instant mutual attraction. And when Sam pursues her, he discovers the beautiful woman is none other than Jonas Linden’s ex-wife.
 
He’s on a mission to prove Jonas’ guilt. She’s determined to prove his innocence…
 
Unwilling to believe she had been stupid enough to marry a criminal, Petra attempts an investigation of her own, and unwittingly puts herself—and Sam—in danger. First comes an “accident” that lands Petra in the hospital. Second is a kidnapping that puts Sam’s life in grave danger.

 

When they both become pawns in a deadly game, money, art, and love are all at stake.

Amazon US ~ FREE on Kindle Unlimited

“Hmph.” She felt herself bump into someone. Her first instinct was to run out, but her common sense dictated she stay put. If she left the closet, Jonas would catch her red-handed, and she was not going to give him the satisfaction. It was pitch dark in the oddly small closet and she couldn’t see who was behind her, but she could feel his hard body crushed against hers, his muscle tight against her softness.
Unsettled, she wiggled in vain, trying to put some space between them. The empty hangers swung by her head and she reached up to stop the ensuing rattle. Who made such a tiny closet?
Strong hands spun her around until she was facing the stranger.
“Don’t say anything,” the male voice whispered in her ear. His warm breath on the side of her face sent an irrational shiver of pleasure through her. Her forever curious hands, caught between their bodies, moved of their own accord to explore the stranger’s sculptural hard muscles in unabashed awe.

 

“Get a grip, you idiot,” she chided herself in a soft, but audible voice. 



Natalina wrote her first romance in collaboration with her best friend at the age of 13. Since then she has ventured into other genres, but romance is first and foremost in almost everything she writes.

 

After earning a degree in tourism and foreign languages, she worked as a tourist guide in her native Portugal for a short time before moving to the United States. She lived in three continents and a few islands, and her knack for languages and linguistics led her to a master’s degree in education. She lives in Virginia where she has taught English as a Second Language to elementary school children for more years than she cares to admit.
Natalina doesn’t believe you can have too many books or too much coffee. Art and dance make her happy and she is pretty sure she could survive on lobster and bananas alone. When she is not writing or stressing over lesson plans, she shares her life with her husband and two sons.
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