Sage Nestler's Blog, page 27
January 26, 2018
Book Review: Forever My Girl by Heidi McLaughlin
Title: Forever My Girl
Author: Heidi McLaughlin
Rating: 1/5
Genre: Romance
Synopsis:
I was never supposed to be a rock star. I had my life all planned out for me. Play football in college. Go to the NFL. Marry my high school sweetheart and live happily ever after.
I broke both our hearts that day when I told her I was leaving. I was young. I made the right decision for me, but the wrong decision for us. I’ve poured my soul into my music, but I’ve never forgotten her. Her smell, her smile.
And now I’m going back.
After ten years.
I hope I can explain that after all this time.
I still want her to be my forever girl.
Short Review
Forever My Girl is a cliche love story between a cheerleader and football player turned musician years after they graduate high school. Despite the small twists presented in the novel, I couldn’t get past the cliche romance of two stereotypically “hot” people, and the degradation of women throughout.
Full Review (Contains Spoilers)
Forever My Girl was turned into a movie that released on January 19,2018, and due to recent hype surrounding this novel, I just had to read it. However, it did not live up to my expectations.
Our “heroes” of the novel are Liam and Josie, an all American couple consisting of a cheerleader and football player. However, the novel takes place many years into the future after Liam dumps Josie and cuts all ties with her to pursue his music career. Well, surprise, surprise, Liam ends up becoming famous, but still holds onto his passion for Josie. He also manages to criticize every girl he meets along the way due to the way she dresses, the makeup she wears, or what her body type is. Following the death of his former high school buddy, Liam returns to his small town in the hopes of seeing Josie again only to find that she has a son – of whom he is the father of. However, Josie is now engaged to another guy who they went to high school and whom Liam accuses of always trying to steal his girl. Yet, Liam doesn’t take into account the fact that Liam left Josie in the dust without a good reason or sense of closure. The rest of the novel is followed by a defamation of Josie’s current fiance (Nick), and Liam swooping in to finally take care of a son who he just met by throwing money around.
Okay, I am not necessarily against the cheerleader/football player love story, but this novel didn’t work more me. Heidi McLaughlin tried to take this cliche couple and age progress them, but she ended up just making them older, with the same teenage attitudes that they had before. Even though I knew that I should have been rooting for Liam and Josie to get back together, I couldn’t help but be on Nick’s side. Nick helped Josie raise her son for 6 years before Liam returned, and as soon as Liam returned, Nick was made the villain for “stealing” Liam’s girl. All the readers are offered in this context were small angry outbursts from Nick before he is written out of the plot completely by suddenly leaving Josie. Also, Liam mentions that his and Josie’s son, Noah, never asks about Nick once he leaves, despite Nick having raised Noah for 6 years. This was completely unbelievable to me, and it seemed to be a cheap trick that McLaughlin used to create a setting that was perfect for Liam and Josie to get back together. McLaughlin also didn’t write Noah properly since she gave him the dialogue of a 20-year-old and makes him unbelievably passive throughout the complete change he experiences in his home life. After Nick leaves, Josie moves in with Liam in the house he was just able to buy out of nowhere in their small town. Even though this was a “happily ever after” novel, it was unrealistic and filled with multiple bouts of weeping and plot holes that did nothing to progress the novel forward.
I also need to address the issue from Liam’s perspective. The fact that Forever My Girl was written by a woman disturbs me, considering throughout the novel Liam tells the reader how a woman should and shouldn’t look or act. McLaughlin goes on to describe in detail how a woman shouldn’t “try too hard”, but how she needs to be skinny and well kept at all times. I honestly felt like Liam’s character was judging me throughout the novel with his multiple criticisms of women. Liam was also a self-pitying character, and I didn’t find him attractive at all. He was manipulative of Josie, yet McLaughlin tried to make the reader feel bad for him. Nevermind the fact that he dumped Josie without warning and cut all ties with her, yet he is angry when he finds out that she had his son without telling him. To be honest, if this book was not being turned into a movie, I would not have finished it.
While Forever My Girl tries to capture the all American romance in a new light, I found it to be cliched and outdated. The shaming of women throughout each chapter sat wrong with me, and I do not recommend this novel due to the derogatory language used when speaking of women. I am saddened that this is the first review where I have not been able to recommend the book to anyone. I just cannot support a book that belittles females across the board. The editing was also poor, and numerous spelling and grammar errors were spotted throughout. Forever My Girl is officially my lowest rated novel receiving 1 out of 5 stars.
January 21, 2018
Pre-Order: Call of the Wolf by Rebecca Murray
Do you like paranormal fantasy? I happen to ADORE this genre, and I am so excited to share with you a new novel available for pre-order! The novel is called Call of the Wolf by Rebecca Murray, and it is the first in a trilogy.
Much love,
Ashley
*´¨)
¸.•´¸.•*´¨) ¸.•*¨)…
(¸.•´ (¸.•` PREORDER ONLY 0.99 CENTS
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TITLE : Call Of The Wolf
SERIES : Dark Blood Trilogy Book One
GENRE : Paranormal Fantasy
RELEASE DATE : January 30th 2018
BLURB : Emilie and Melaina are the only two immortal witches that have been chosen by the Lamia to take the gift of eternal life. Two sisters, but two very different souls. One wields magic so dark and evil that even the devil himself fears her. The other holds the purest of magic with a darkness buried deep within.
When Emilie is set amongst the wolves to find out the latest game they play she finds herself swept away by the magic of the youngest wolf Maccon.
But Emilie holds her own dark secret, one so enormous, it threatens to destroy all that the Lamia have protected for centuries. A secret that could bring a new rule over all of the Forsaken. A secret that if discovered would bring forth the ultimate war between nature’s monsters.
Will Emilie answer the call of the wolf or will the White Witch be consumed by the darkness threatening her world?
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AUTHOR LINKS :
Website: www.rmurrayauthor.com
Email: contact.rmurrayauthor@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmurrayauthor
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rmurrayauthor/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaMurrayAuthor/
Facebook readers group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rebeccasforsaken/
January 15, 2018
Book Trailer: Blood, Ink &Fire by Ashley Monsour
In our December Literary Vacation Club box, we featured Blood, Ink & Fire by Ashley Monsour. This novel is a sweeping epic that focuses on what life would be like if we didn’t have any books. I fell in love with Monsour’s immense imagination and artistry in her novel, and I was so happy to be able to feature her gorgeous work!
Below is an exclusive book trailer for Blood, Ink & Fire created by Alex Pettyfer, owner of Upturn Publishing.
Enjoy!
Ashley
Would you like to read Blood, Ink & Fire?
I have 2 BOOK BUNDLES LEFT in our shop!
January 10, 2018
Book Review: Kiss My Boots by Harper Sloan
Author: Harper Sloan
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
In this second of the sultry, Western-set Coming Home series from New York Times bestselling author Harper Sloan, Quinn Davis might finally have a shot at her own happily-ever-after—but will she let love in, or will she tell it to go ahead and kiss her boots?
Quinn Davis prefers to live her life quietly. She’s the stereotypical tomboy with two overprotective big brothers who have always been there to protect her, especially from devilishly handsome cowboys with silver tongues. That is, until Tate Montgomery comes riding into town. Their first meeting, however, is far from something out of a fairy tale and only further convinces Quinn that men aren’t worth her time.
The only place Tate Montgomery ever truly felt at home growing up was during the long, sweltering summer months he spent at his Gram and Paw’s farm in Pine Oak, Texas. Now, Tate has returned to his childhood sanctuary seeking a fresh start—but if he’s being entirely honest, he’s not just back for the wranglers and Stetsons. During those summers, Quinn was a friend-turned-young-love who Tate lost when life threw him a curveball and he cut all ties to his past; but all it takes is one glance at the raven-haired beauty he did his best to forget for him to realize just how much he’s been missing….
Short Review
Kiss My Boots is a gorgeous portrayal of long lost love and reconciliation. Harper Sloan creates vivid characters that find their way to your heart, and I will think of them long after my reading of Kiss My Boots.
Full Review
Harper Sloan is a master of erotic romance, but I continue to read her work due to her realistic and admirable characters. I started The Coming Home Series with Lost Rider, and I knew that I had to continue the series.
Kiss My Boots is the second novel in The Coming Home Series and it follows Quinn, the youngest Davis sibling. Quinn hasn’t found a serious relationship since her first love, Tate Montgomery, due to the heartbreak that his leaving caused. However, nine years later Tate resurfaces in the small town of Pine Oak, Texas and changes Quinn’s life forever.
Quinn is not your stereotypical romance heroine – a gorgeous, girly woman who melts at the touch of her man’s hands – and I really appreciated that. Instead, Quinn is a tomboy who loves working on cars and trucks more than anything, while also having a feisty attitude that relates her well to rebel girls. When Tate came back to town looking to have his Pa’s truck rebuilt by Quinn, Quinn did not immediately fall into his arms. Instead, she held onto the heartache that he caused years earlier, and she made him work for her trust again.
Like many of Sloan’s books, the erotic scenes in Kiss My Boots were classy and gorgeous, while also being few and far between. The romance plot took up most of the novel, and that made it clear to me that Sloan did not rely on erotic scenes to entrance readers. The chemistry she created between Tate and Quinn was inspiring and I rooted for them to work out.
However, the best part of Kiss My Boots is how well Sloan connected Maverick and Leighton (from Lost Rider) into the storyline. Even though Kiss My Boots mainly focuses on Quinn, Sloan kept Leighton and Quinn’s friendship strong. The change in perspective was seamless, and I enjoyed watching both couples grow. The support of the eldest Davis sibling, Clayton, was also admirable and added an extra spark to the story.
Overall, Kiss My Boots is a rich addition to The Coming Home Series. I liked it even more than Lost Rider! Apart from a few spelling and grammar errors, the editing of the novel was satisfactory, and I can’t wait to dive into the third installment of the series – Cowboy Up!
January 7, 2018
Book Review: The Gazebo by Emily McGlashan
Author: Emily McGlashan
Rating: 4/5
Synopsis:
Growing up and trying to be accepted as part of a crowd when you are already in a minority, is never easy but for teenager, Lola Tarapachii, life is far more complicated than just the usual adolescent angsts. With an alcoholic mother and a severely depressed older brother, Lola has to face responsibilities far beyond her years. An unexpected fire in the school dining hall, leads to Lola making life-changing relationships with an eclectic family of youths who accept her for who she is, share her troubles and help her tackle the hardest decision she has ever had to make…
Short Review
The Gazebo is an excellent take on the tumultuous teenage years. The characters jump off of the page and are extremely relatable, no matter your age.
Full Review
Author Emily McGlashan is a young writer, but her work is well beyond her years. The Gazebo presents the experience of Lola Tarapachii, a minority teenager, and her experience with prejudice at school. Lola’s story is also presented through her home life – having to take care of an alcoholic mother and a brother with severe depression – and the novel illustrates how Lola’s life is deeply impacted by the adult responsibilities that have been thrown at her.
I found The Gazebo to be a gorgeous novel that relates to anyone who has ever felt like an outcast, and I was impressed by McGlashan’s unabashed way of confronting the dark side of the teenage years. One of the best things about The Gazebo is that since McGlashan is young, she represented the teenage years in a realistic way that many adult authors don’t grasp quite as well. I could tell that McGlashan used her own experiences to guide her writing and bring out the truth in oppression, and I couldn’t help but fly through this novel. As someone who has dealt with severe depression for a large part of my life, I appreciated the character of Lola’s brother and the realistic nature of his condition. Lola’s struggle with wanting to care for her brother, but feeling helpless herself, illustrated the struggle of those who care for loved ones with mental illness, and this is not a position that I see often in literature. The Gazebo is a beautiful take on the minority experience, and how the teenage years deeply affect us into adulthood.
I adore authors who don’t sugarcoat life, and the heartbreaking moments in The Gazebo will stay with me for years to come. Even though this novel is less than 100 pages it packs an emotional punch, and it changes the reader’s perspective. The only reason I didn’t rate The Gazebo 5/5 is due to some inconsistent language, run on sentences, and punctuation, but the weight of the story heavily overpowers the flaws. If you are looking for a gorgeous novel that will profoundly affect you, then The Gazebo is a novel that you must read.
New Release: Revenge by Elizabeth Knox
I hope you are having a lovely weekend. 
January 2, 2018
Blood, Ink & Fire Discussion
In our December Literary Vacation Club box, we were happy to work with Upturn Publishing to bring subscribers a gorgeous novel titled “Blood, Ink & Fire”! Alex Pettyfer (Magic Mike, Beastly, Etc.) is the owner of Upturn Publishing, and we were so excited to support his company and the author of “Blood, Ink & Fire”, Ashley Monsour, through our box!
That being said, I am excited to share with you a YouTube show that was completed with Alex Pettyfer and Ashley Monsour. Ashley is an amazing author, and I am in love with her book! We have 2 swag packs available with signed copies of “Blood, Ink & Fire” in our shop, so make sure to grab one if you are interested. Enjoy!
Much love,
Ashley
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Imagine a world without books…
In the future, books are a distant memory. The written word has been replaced by an ever-present stream of images known as Verity. In the controlling dominion of the United Vales of Fell, reading is obsolete and forbidden, and readers themselves do not—cannot—exist.
But where others see images in the stream, teenager Noelle Hartley sees words. She’s obsessed with what they mean, where they came from, and why they found her.
Noelle’s been keeping her dangerous fixation with words a secret, but on the night before her seventeenth birthday, a rare interruption in the stream leads her to a mysterious volume linked to an underworld of rebel book lovers known as the Nine of the Rising. With the help of the Risers and the beguiling boy Ledger, Noelle discovers that the words within her are precious clues to the books of the earlier time—and as a child of their bookless age, she might be the world’s last hope of bringing them back.
Blood, Ink & Fire is a gripping, evocative tale that asks, who would we be without books?
January 1, 2018
Literary Vacation Club: January 2018 Theme Reveal
I am happy to share with you our January 2018 theme for my book subscription, Literary Vacation Club!
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For our January box, we will be traveling to the future! This box will be sci-fi centered and feature a gorgeous sci-fi novel with a strong heroine. Each item included will be one of a kind, and made personally for each subscriber!
As always, our box will be a reading vacation shipped to you, including:
A Lesser Known Novel
Items to Smell
Items to See
Items to Hear
Items to Taste
Items to Touch
What better way to start the new year than with a book vacation that will take you to the future?
Use code “WELCOME10” for 10% off of your first box!
Much love,
Ashley
December 31, 2017
Cover Reveal: Crimson Illusion by Rae B. Lake
I hope that you all have a wonderful end of the year.
December 22, 2017
Box Review: Boba Life
I’m super excited to show you this new box! The box is called Boba Life and it brings you items to help you make different Boba drinks. I am a huge Boba fanatic, so this box was a huge win for me. I hope that you love it as much as I do!
Much love,
Ashley
BUBBLE TEA IN THE MAKING
Here at Bobalife we are passionate about Bubble Tea and have many years of experience in creating amazing recipes, sourcing high-quality ingredients and coming up with the most creative ideas. In the same way, as coffee lovers have their Barrista’s we hope to recruit you all to become our Bubblista’s, skilled in the arts of Bubble Tea making and spreading the word to all you know!
We propose to share our knowledge with our Bubblista community so that you can always source quality ingredients to indulge in your passion for all things bubble shaped. If you, a close friend or family member share our passion for Bubble Tea you’ll understand our mission to ensure that everybody has access to the ingredients and tools necessary to create shop bought quality drinks in the comfort of your own home.
Subscription Options (Prices in Pounds):
Month to Month: 24. 50 + shipping*
3 Month PrePay: 57.00 + shipping*
6 Month PrePay: 99.00 + shipping*
12 Month PrePay: 190.00 + shipping*
*FREE SHIPPING IN THE UK – Worldwide is calculated
I was so excited to receive Boba Life because I am a huge Boba fan! Having a box that caters to making your own Boba drinks is great because we don’t have a lot of Boba shops where I live.
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Boba Life comes in an adorable shipping box! The logo is on the top, and the box is of high quality. I appreciate the sturdiness of the box since I live in the US and my package came from the UK!
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The contents of the box are concealed in custom tissue paper and green shreds! I love the professionalism of the packaging.
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The box also comes with a booklet with directions on how to make different Boba drinks! This is helpful for those who haven’t made Boba before. The directions are very easy to understand, and they outline everything included in the box!
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The first item included in the box is this adorable light bulb drink holder! The cup also comes with straws big enough for the Boba drinks.
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The next item, of course, is a bag of traditional tapioca pearls! These pearls are what make the Boba in the Boba drinks, and they are packaged in exclusive Boba Life packaging.
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The next item is a bag of Taro Milk Powder! Taro is one of my favorite flavors for Boba drinks, so I am so happy to receive this. The powder can be used to make the drink, and additional sugar can be added if needed.
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Also included is this bag of 3in1 Milk Tea Powder! Milk teas are my favorite form of Boba, so I will be putting this to great use. This powder can be used with the next items included in the box.
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The first tea bags included in the box are Jasmine Green Tea bags, which are my all-time favorite teas! These bags can be combined with the milk tea powder to make a creamy tea Boba.
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Next are these Oolong Tea Bags! I am excited to try these since I don’t have the opportunity to have oolong tea a lot of the time.
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The last set of tea bags is a set of Ceylon Black Tea! I love the taste of Ceylon tea, so I will be using these up. I am blown away by how many teas are included in Boba Life!
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The next item is a pouch of Peach Syrup! Peach flavored Bobas are delicious, so I am so happy that I received this flavor as well. I am so happy with the different flavors that have come in this box.
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Last are these different forms of popping fruity Boba! These are great if you don’t like traditional tapioca Boba and you would like to try a fruitier sensation. Included flavors are passion fruit, blueberry, strawberry, and green apple! I am in love with all of these flavors and I can’t wait to try them. I haven’t tried a lot of fruity Boba since I usually just get traditional tapioca pearls, so these will be fun to test out!
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Final Thought: I am blown away by Boba Life! When I received this box I was expected to receive just a few items to test out a couple of Boba drinks, but this box came with enough ingredients to create many. The variety is great for trying out new flavors and Boba types, so I can’t wait to test them with my partner! If you are a Boba fanatic like I am, then this box is perfect. It would also make a great gift for someone who has everything! Boba Life is one of the best subscription boxes I have tested out.
