Summer on Firefly Lake by Jen Gilroy

Mia Gibbs spent her marriage putting her husband's needs before her own. And now, after a painful divorce, she's building a new life for herself and her two daughters back home at Firefly Lake. The last thing she needs is a man to complicate things. But former bad boy turned friend Nick McGuire-and the one kiss they've shared-has turned everything upside down . . .

 Attorney Nick McGuire wasn't meant to be a family man. His career has always been his focus and after taking time out to help his mother, he's ready to get back to the city . . . until Mia and her daughters arrive at Firefly Lake. Mia is beautiful and intriguing, and it doesn't take long to realize being "just friends" will never be enough. As the summer nights turn colder, Nick will have to choose between the life he's always wanted . . . and the woman he can't live without.

Series: Firefly Lake #2 | Publisher: Forever |  Genre: Contemporary Romance | Source: Publisher| Rating: 1.5 Cups

Here’s what’s going on. When Nick hires Mia to help his mother clear out her house, he has no intentions of getting into a relationship with Mia. For one thing, he’s not interested in getting into a relationship and for another, he’s definitely not father material. Although there’s something about Mia he can’t seem to resist and when she’s willing to jump into a friends-with-benefits type of relationship, he’s not about to turn it down. While they’re both falling head over heels for each other, they’re both determined to fight it.

 

I really struggled with this book and it took me forever to finish it, honestly, I thought it was going to end up as a DNF, but I charged on and managed to finish it.

 

The pace of the book was really hard for me to get into. It started off slow, then went uneven, then picked up a bit, before going back to being uneven. I was sort of bored throughout most of it.

 

I couldn’t really get behind Nick or Mia. They spent most of the book being whiney and complaining about their lot in life and rather than going after what they wanted, which was each other, they fought it in the most annoying way then spent the book grumbling about it. Mia spent so much time doing this I’m an independent woman now that I’m divorced thing so it was a little annoying when her husband came back into her life and she sort of allowed him to walk all over her the first few times. Another thing that sort of irked me was how she let her youngest daughter be a rude brat and then made excuses for her. And Nick was all about his daddy issues and they got old really quickly.

 

Nick and Mia’s relationship was believable but I wanted to see more of it. Rather than just focusing on Nick and Mia, there’s the story of Kylie, the little girl in foster care, and Nick’s mom and the stranger she falls in love with. It almost felt as though there was too much going on.

 

Overall, this was one just wasn’t my cuppa tea.

 

 

Firefly Lake Series 

The Cottage at Firefly Lake

Summer at Firefly Lake

Back Home at Firefly Lake (coming December 2017)

 

 

   

Waiting on Wednesday #62 Sleep Like a Baby: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery by Charlaine Harris

Release Date: September 26, 2017
Why it’s my WoW: I have been addicted to the Aurora Teagarden mysteries for eons and I was over the moon when Harris decided to write more of this series.

In Sleep Like a Baby, the latest installment of the #1 New York Times Bestselling Charlaine Harris’s Aurora Teagarden series, Robin and Aurora have finally begun their adventure in parenting. With newborn Sophie proving to be quite a handful, Roe’s mother pays for a partially trained nurse, Virginia Mitchell, to come help the new parents for a few weeks. Virginia proves to be especially helpful when Robin has to leave town for work and Roe is struck with a bad case of the flu.

One particularly stormy night, Roe wakes to hear her daughter crying and Virginia nowhere to be found. Roe's brother Philip helps her search the house and they happen upon a body outside… but it isn’t Virginia’s. Now, not only does she have a newborn to care for and a vulnerable new marriage to nurture, Roe also has to contend with a new puzzle -- who is this mystery woman dead in their backyard, and what happened to Virginia? This heart-pounding and exciting next installment of the Aurora Teagarden series will leave fans happy and hungry for more.

 

What are you waiting on?

 

 

 

   

Drakon's Plunder by N.J. Walters

Life is not going well for archaeologist Sam Bellamy. She’s stuck in the middle of the ocean on a salvage boat with people who want her dead. It wasn’t her gift for being able to sense objects of power that got her here, rather her need to make a secret society called the Knights of the Dragon pay for killing her mentor. Sam doesn’t believe in dragons, but the Knights do, and if she can get one of the sacred artifacts they’re searching for away from them, she’ll consider it payback.

Ezra Easton is content to run his marine salvage company and live alone on his private island. He may be a four-thousand-year-old water drakon, but he’s civilized enough to know just because he pulls an injured woman from the ocean, doesn’t mean he gets to keep her...

When she wakes up, she has a few tall tales to share, and it seems the Knights are after her. But this drakon won’t give up his treasure.

Series: Blood of the Drakon #3 | Publisher: Entangled Select Otherworld | Genre: Paranormal | Source: Publisher | Rating: 2.5 Cups

When this one was offered for review, I was intrigued but I wasn’t really sure I wanted to start in the middle of a series but the fact the heroine was named after my favorite pirate had me saying yes.

 

Here’s what’s going on. Sam’s an archaeologist with a special power, she’s able to sense powerful artifacts, which is why the Knights of the Dragon hired her. Although the Knights haven’t a clue that she’s onboard to steal the object they’re looking for in hopes of avenging her mentor that the Knights murdered. When her escape plan doesn’t go as planned and she finds herself injured, Sam’s rescued by the sexy yet mysterious Ezra Easton. Ezra’s a water drakon and he has an agenda of his own. He wants to stop the Knights before they can get their hands on the artifacts that can destroy his kind. He was expecting to rescue Sam but now that he has, his drakon sees her as it’s treasure and the man agrees. Although figuring out if Sam is friend or foe is going to be a bit tricky.

 

This one was a super quick and occasionally fun little read yet it left me slightly disappointed.

 

Sam and Ezra are cute together but that was about it. While they were attracted to each other and intrigued by each other, it never really went beyond that. I didn’t feel that chemistry between them. He was like ooh, you’re my treasure and I’m not letting you go and she was like okay, but it’s dangerous for me to stay so I’m going to mention this fact a million times while you’re taking me to bed. He spent most of the book waiting for her to react to him being a water drakon and she verged on the border of being TSTL.

 

It was definitely an instalove romance and normally they don’t bother me with paranormal romances but this one just didn’t work for me. Rather giving off the feeling of being fated mates, this one was more like I’m going to claim you as another treasure for my vast collection. Of course, dragons and treasures go hand-in-hand, but the way it was used in this one made Sam feel like his possession rather than his mate. I never felt that there was anything different about Sam that attracted him to her other than the fact he found her.

 

The suspense aspect was a major letdown. It arcs over the entire series and, while I don’t mind when this happens, I didn’t feel like the arc of this book went anywhere or accomplished anything. There were so many questions brought up and no answers given and it left me feeling frustrated. And it wasn’t because I started with the third book, there was enough backstory given to follow along. It’s because nothing was accomplished.

 

Because this was a paranormal romance, I was expecting some world/lore building and I didn’t really get any. I wanted more believability with Ezra being a drakon rather than him just going through the motions. There were also a few paranormal things brought up such as the tattoo Ezra was born with was trying to leap onto Sam’s skin then never fleshed out or mentioned again.

 

Overall, this one lacked a bit of everything. The paranormal elements, the suspense, the mystery, and the relationship seemed like it only scratched the surface of what it could have been.

 

 

The Blood of the Drakon Series

#1: Drakon’s Promise

#2: Drakon’s Prey

#3: Drakon's Plunder

 

 

   

Something to Stitch About: Tudor Cross Stitch Pattern from The Pointy End

Item: The Tudors Cross Stitch PDF Pattern
From: ThePointyEnd
Source: Purchased
Price: $5.38
Item Details: The Tudors are the most famous English monarchs, which is an achievement considering there are only five of them, over three generations.
This pattern has been created using the pictures on the English Heritage Playing cards as inspiration for the costumes.
I habitually use evenweave for my patterns, Aida would be fine although for the numbers you would have to pierce the fabric which might not look as good.
I would suggest using a darker colour fabric otherwise the white on Henry and Edwards legs won't show as well - my favourite is undyed evenweave which is dark cream/light brown but whatever you prefer.
Would I Buy From This Shop Again? Yes

So, this pattern was a total impulse buy. I was actually searching for a King Henry VIII scarf when I stumbled upon this digital cross-stitch pattern and thought I would give it go. Needless to say, my inner Tudor-addict rejoiced!

 

This was the first digital pattern that I’ve purchased (I normally just buy the kits) so I had to do a bit of hunting and gathering. I had the floss on hand so all I had to buy was the fabric. I went to several stores and couldn’t find evenweave, so I ended up buying Charles Craft Carolina Linen in sand (Aida 14 count). It was the darkest I could find and it worked well.

 

The pattern is in color-coded symbols and it was a first for me, normally the patterns I work only have symbols, so it was a nice change. It also made the pattern a bit easier to follow. There is one color (the one used for Mary’s dress) that’s blended/combined, the rest are just standard. Besides the basic cross-stitches, the only other stitch is a backstitch so it’s such a simple pattern this would be great for beginners. Another plus for me is that the floss used was DMC, it’s easier for me to find than Anchor.

 

I did make a few small changes. Because I couldn’t find  evenweave, I enlarged the numbers on the dates. I also added the Tudor time period at the top directly under ‘The Tudors’. Having worked the pattern, there is one change I wished I would have made and that’s swapping out the white floss for bright white. I think it would have stood out a bit more on the fabric I used.

 

Overall, this was an amazing pattern to work and the piece turned out so lovely. I’m really glad that I discovered this shop and I will definitely be buying more patterns from The Pointy End.

 

I wanted something a bit different for the frame, something that looked old but not primitive and not so manufactured looking. I searched through Pat Catan’s (craft store) and stumbled upon a read-to-decorate wood photo frame from Darice that was under five bucks. I also purchased two sets of decorative wood dingbats.

 

Putting the frame together was quick. I used an industrial wood glue to glue the dingbats on, clipped them in place, then let it dry overnight. I then mixed together royal gold and black acrylic paint to make an antique gold and painted on a few coats and let it dry overnight. Lastly, I painted on a black walnut ceramic antiquing allowed it to set for ten minutes then rubbed it off. I let the antiquing to dry for two days then sprayed it with a glossy sealer.

 

 

 

I mounted my cross-stitch on a Needle Art peel and stick mounting board from Savage.

 

 

 

 

What’s in your sewing box?

 

 

   

Accidental Sire by Molly Harper

In Molly Harper's newest paranormal romantic comedy, Ben, Gigi's old boyfriend, must find a way to save his new love after a freak Ultimate Frisbee accident. But will she want to live after she finds out how Ben had to save her?

In this exciting addition to Molly Harper’s beloved Half-Moon Hollow series, the focus is on Gigi’s ex-boyfriend Ben. When his new girlfriend is killed in a freak Ultimate Frisbee accident, he’s determined to save her, no matter the cost, even if it means bringing her into the darkness of vampire life!

Series: Half-Moon Hollow #6 | Publisher: Pocket Books | Genre: Paranormal Romance | Source:  Publisher| Rating: 4 Cups

 

Sass, snark, and yummy undead goodness, Molly Harper does it again!

 

Here’s what’s going on: Ben Overby’s used to the eclectic residents of Half-Moon Hollow and the shenanigans they get up to. But when Meagan, his girlfriend, is changed into vampire after a freak Ultimate Frisbee accident and rises quicker than normal and changes him into a member of the undead with a single bite, there’s a whole new level of weird he has to figure out. And Meagan, well let’s just say she’s out of her depth. She’s figuring out how to allow herself to be accepted into the strange but loving Half-Moon Hollow family, she’s also dealing with being a new breed of vampire, accidentally siring her first childe (which happens to be her boyfriend) and figuring out how to deal with her feelings towards said boyfriend who is a little cranky at being turned.

 

I always enjoy being back in the weird and wonderful world of Half-Moon Hollow. I’m never really sure what the residents will be up to but I know it’s going to be entertaining and The Accidental Sire did not disappoint.

 

Meagan first made an appearance in Big Vamp on Campus and I was curious to learn more about her. I really liked Meagan. After the death of her mother, she was bounced around from foster home to foster home and she doesn’t really know where she fits in and if she can trust those who claim to care for her so when she becomes a foster-vampire in the Jameson-Nightengale household, she’s not sure if she can really trust Jane and her brood. She’s also trying to work through her feelings towards Ben.

 

I’ve always liked Ben. If you’ve read this series, you’ll know that Ben is Gigi’s ex, so he’s been around for a bit. He’s always been one of the humans in Jane’s crazy paranormal world and now that’s he a vampire, he’s trying to figure out how to navigate this world.

 

The romance was a bit slow and it worked. They had things that had to work out and Meagan had some trust issues she needed to deal with but I was really pleased with how sweet and realistic it was.

 

There’s also a slight suspense element thrown in.

 

What I really enjoyed was seeing the Half-Moon Hollow gang again. It was so nice to see more of Jane and Gabriel now that they are sort of raising Georgie. Although I do have to say, it’s a little weird seeing Ophelia acting all nice and normal.

 

On a sidenote, I would really like to see a short story about Jane and Gabriel raising Georgie.

 

So, while this is part of an on-going series, you don’t have to read the entire series. I would, however, recommend reading Big Vamp on Campus, the prequel to this book to get a better understanding of the characters.

 

Overall, this was another great installment in the series and I devoured this book in one sitting.

Also, apologies to my Mum for not answering my phone when she rang—I was reading this book and couldn't put it down—and causing her to come over and pound on my front door at ten o’clock at night.

   

 I know some of you have been wondering about the reading order of the Jane Jameson and Half-Moon Hollow books so I thought I would help you out with this reading guide.

 

The Jane Jameson Series (also referred to as the ‘Nice Girls’ series) started it all. It contains four books—and a short—and this is a complete series. These books work best if you read them in order.

 

1-Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs

2-Nice Girls Don’t Date Dead Men

3-Nice Girls Don’t Live Forever

3.5-Nice Girls Don’t Sign a Lease Without a Wedding Ring (on Molly’s website)

4-Nice Girls Don’t Bite Their Neighbors

 

Then we have the spinoff series, Half-Moon Hollow. These can be read without reading the Jane Jameson/Nice Girls series—although characters from the Jane Jameson series and Jane herself often pops up. Most of these can be read out of order.

 

 0 Fangs for the Memories (novella) This one actually happens in the middle of Nice Girls Don’t Dead Men—Jane Jameson #2.

1- The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires

1.5-Driving Mr. Dead (novella)

2-A Witches Handbook of Kisses and Curses

2.5-Undead Sublet (short story found in the Undead In My Bed anthology)

2.6-Special Valentine's Day Half-Moon Hollow Story (on Molly’s website)

2.7-I’m Dreaming of an Undead Christmas (novella) This needs to be read before  The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

3-The Dangers of Dating a Rebound Vampire

4-The Single Undead Moms Club

5-Where the Wild Things Bite

5.5-Big Vamp of Campus (novella) This needs to be read before The Accidental Sire

6-The Accidental Sire

         

Product Review: Janlynn Peejay Sock Monkey Kit

Easy to make, the completed soft toy will be an adorable addition to your kid's toy collection. Simply follow the easy-to-understand instructions included in this sewing kit to bring your very own creation to life. It's a great gift for Christmas or other occasions, and you also have the option to adopt the cute toy!

Brand: Janlynn

Source: Janlynn review program

Price: Depending on the store, it ranges from $12.99-$19.99

Here’s what the kit includes: two socks, buttons, cotton floss & felt, flannel, pom-pom, embroidery needle, fabric, and pattern/ instructions.

Here’s what you need to add: thread and fiberfill.

Time to complete: about 1-2 hours (depending on if you use a sewing machine)

I was a little surprised when this sock monkey kit showed up in my mailbox for review. It’s a bit out of the norm of what I normally review but I thought why not give it a go.

 

So, I’ve never made a sock monkey before and I had no idea how to go about making one, but the instructions were clear and very easy to follow, Basically, you cut out the patterns then trace them onto the socks, cut them out, sew them together, stuff, and assemble. The kit provides the pattern for the monkey, the clothing (the clothing for this kit was a night hat and slippers), and a little bear.

 

Since the patterns were relatively small, I sewed them together by hand using a straight stitch and it took a little over an hour. I used a whipstitch to put the parts together and that took about thirty minutes. I could have cut the time in half by using my sewing machine, I was just too lazy to get it out of the closet.

 

Unfortunately, this is not a complete kit. You will need to buy thread and fiberfill to go along with it—so, if you don’t have the items on hand, you’ll be spending an extra $5-$10 depending on what type of fiberfill you use. I used a standard fiberfill stuffing that I had in my craft closet.

 

Rather than making the dress items from the pattern that was included, I used a piece of black felt and some cotton fabric that I found in my fabric scraps and turned him into a pirate to jazz him up a bit. I didn’t have a pattern for the pants or the vest, I just sort of winged it. For the hat, I just sketched out a pattern on light cardstock, then covered the brim with felt and stitch the pieces together.

 

Overall, this was an easy project. Probably not something I would have bought for myself because I’ve never really had the urge to make a sock monkey before this kit arrived although it would make a good gift, just remember to buy the thread and the fiberfill to go along with it.

 

 

What’s your craft of choice?

 

 

   

Feed Your Reader Monday. Free E-books and 99cent Sale

It’s Monday Monday! So, that’s a bit too cheery for a Monday. Me, I’m more of the Manic Monday sort. lol To make Monday more bearable, I thought I’d put together a list of free e-books. (all books were free at the time of posting) 

 

Healed by Love by Melissa Foster Amazon

Nate Braden has loved his best friend's younger sister Jewel for as long as he can remember, but between their age difference and his respect for Rick, he's always kept his feelings at bay. Now he's back in Peaceful Harbor, and Jewel is no longer sixteen years old--but there's an even bigger obstacle standing in his way. Nate and Rick joined the military together eight years earlier. Nate came home a hero, but Rick didn't make it out alive.

From Jennifer Ashley, With Love Amazon

 

In HARD MATED, jaguar shifter and fight-club champion Spike discovers he has a cub, which changes his entire life, as does the sassy horse trainer who’s there to make sure he’s the best dad he can be.

 

In NIGHTWALKER, Janet Begay, a Stormwalker who runs an inn that’s a refuge for paranormals everywhere, must protect her shy-by-day, rampaging-at-night vampire guest from being hunted by slayers. Mick, Janet’s dragon boyfriend, is on hand to supply fire, humor, hot nights, and to battle alongside Janet against forces that want to unmake the world. 

 

THE CALLING beings the bestselling and award-winning Immortals series with the story of immortal warrior Adrian who is searching for his brother Tain, and needs the assistance of the beautiful witch Amber to help him. He and his Immortal warrior brothers begin a battle against death magic to keep the world from sliding into absolute darkness.

 

 

Royally Raised: A Royally Series Short Story by Emma Chase Amazon

 

“He’s a joy to us. They all are. When they’re not busy giving us migraines.” ~King Henry

 

No one ever said raising children was easy...but raising a future monarch? That's another story all-together. Get a glimpse into the happily-ever-after of Wessco's irresistible royals in Royally Raised - a sweet, sexy, heartwarming short story set twenty years after Royally Matched.

 

 

Ain't He Precious? by Juliette Poe Amazon

 

Welcome to Whynot, North Carolina, population 3,872. It has one stoplight, one bar, and the one-and-only Trixie Mancinkus.

 

Eleven years ago, Trixie graduated Harvard Law, turned down a job offer from one of the most prestigious law firms in Boston, and headed home to Whynot to open her own firm. Not only did she leave behind the big city, but she also left her boyfriend of three years. And just so we’re clear… that would be me.

 

So what am I doing in Whynot at this very moment? It seems Trixie needs help with a legal case and for some insane reason, she called on me for assistance. I’ve been in town for five minutes, and I’m every bit as out of place as I feel. Trixie is all sweet, southern curves to my tailored suits and high-priced haircuts. It’s a culture clash of north versus south and about the only thing we have in common is our physical attraction to each other.

 

But I have a new motto since coming to Whynot: When life hands you lemons, all you need is a little sex and sweet tea to make things better.

 

 

Entangled is having a  99cent sale on their paranormal romances.