Rachelle Ayala's Blog, page 47

#BookReview SIX YEARS by Harlan Coben #thriller

Six Years by Harlan Coben
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a romantic suspense as told from the male point of view, which makes it interesting, i.e. the things a man thinks about when he is suddenly jilted by his lady who turns around and marries someone else.

The book starts with Jake attending Natalie's wedding with another man. She spots him and asks him to leave her alone and never try to contact her. He surprisingly keeps the promise. He never ever tried to google her or look for her on Face...

#BookReview UNTIL THERE WAS YOU by Kristan Higgins #family #drama #chicklit

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked the other Kristan Higgins book, but this one was a little flat. Maybe it's because I don't like doormats. I mean, I can tolerate doormatting up to a point. But the heroine in this book does all the giving, bending over, and even the begging near the end.

Okay. What did I like? The writing, as usual, is very good and the minor characters and subplots are entertaining. This book is more of a family drama than a straight...

Kiss Me Organic - Matcha Powder - Recipes, Health Drinks & More

I love the taste of Matcha and can drink it plain every day. Kiss Me Organic's Matcha Powder is organic and comes from China. The bag is so well-sealed I almost ripped it to open it. It has a resealable strip to keep the powder fresh.

The first thing I did was brew myself a cup of plain tea, since I'm the type who likes to investigate the taste without other flavorings. The tea was exactly what I expected, flavorful and grassy, reminding me of roasted nori.


Next, I made myself a bowl of oatmeal...

#GuestPost Boots on the Ground in Australia for KNOWING VERA #writing #research #travel

My first two contemporary novels, Broken Build (Book 1) and HiddenUnder Her Heart (Book 2) , were set in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since I live here, it was easy for me to take field trips to research scenery and location. However,  Knowing Vera presented a challenge. Even though it starts and ends on the Golden Gate Bridge, the main action takes place half-way around the world in Australia.
Australia has always been an land of enchantment for me. The romance began with Crocodile Dundeeand...

b00kr3vi3ws #FirstRead Challenge - 2014

Once again, awesome book blogger Debdatta Dasgupta Sahay has opened up a Reading Challenge for 2014. This time it is to read as many books from authors I have NOT read before. I already have hordes of unread authors on my kindle thanks to impulse buys and freebies so I'll have no problem knocking down my TBR list with "unknown-to-me" authors.

I will be going for the "Lover" level: 26-50 new reads. Here are a few books to start the challenge.

1. The Sleeping Doll, Jeffrey Deaver
2. Encrypted, Car...

#AuthorInterview Agay Llanera VINTAGE LOVE #filipiniana #chicklit #ebook #giveaway @agayskey

Lately, I've been enjoying stories about young women dealing with family, careers, and finding love, written in a light-hearted humorous manner. Vintage Love was one of the best. It was a fun and delightful story about Chrissy Lopez, whose life is in dire need of a makeover. Who would have known that inheriting a roomful of vintage clothes would change her life?
Naturally, after giving the book a 5-star review, I contacted the author to see if she had plans for more books. Agay Llanera was gra...

#BookReview BEING KALLI by Rebecca Berto #womensfiction #psychthriller @rebeccaberto

Being Kalli by Rebecca Berto
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Kalli suffers from horrifying traumatic experiences from her childhood. In an effort to cover up her dysfunctional emotions, she specializes in sexual acts with one condition: it has to take place in public and never alone with a man in a room with closed doors and windows.

She makes a bet with a childhood friend involving a blow job and gets sucked in deeper than she anticipated. Unable to deal with her fear, she determines to ruin herself fu...

#BookReview ON THE INSIDE by Kim Cano #womensfiction @KimCano2 #family

On the Inside by Kim Cano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book will hook you from the very first paragraph, as you meet Lakeisha, a mail scanner for a women's prison. She reads the prisoners' correspondence, checks them for drugs and dangerous devices, and delivers the mail.

Lakeisha is drawn into the correspondence Kristen has with her husband. And in this way, the reader is also drawn into the story about life inside a correctional facility for women.

Kristen is the main character. She's in jail f...

#BookChat RESOLUTIONS by Teri Riggs #thriller #romanticsuspense

RESOLUTIONS SynopsisDEA agent Eve Taylor has had her fill of alpha males. When Resolutions’ operative and former lover, Dillon “Mac” McKenna, threatened her hard-earned independence, she ran. On a mission to gather evidence against a Colombian drug-lord, Eve discovers the drug-lord is helping terrorists plan an attack on American soil. Before she can escape with the vital information, she’s captured and comes face to face with her mortality…

As a teen, Mac watched his family fall apart after h...

#BookReview VINTAGE LOVE by Agay Llanera #chicklit #filipina

Vintage Love by Agay Llanera
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a delightful book. I was sucked in from the very first line, "Life is full of expiration dates."

When Chrissy's favorite aunt, Mama Maring, dies and leaves behind a house full of vintage clothes, collectibles and furniture, Chrissy and her BFF, Bea, decide to hold a rummage sale to raise money for a well deserved vacation.

Chrissy had been working way too hard at her job as a TV producer and she hadn't had much of a social life, having bee...