Audiobook Review: A Husband's Regret by Natasha Anders Narrated by Justine Eyre

Tall and thin, twenty-eight-year-old Bronwyn Palmer has become positively gaunt, a ghost of her former self. That self was - and still is - the wife of a rich, handsome executive with an ocean-view house and his own security staff.

 

It was in that house, two years ago, that Bryce Palmer learned Bronwyn was pregnant with their first child. But Bryce’s rage over his impending fatherhood touched off a chain reaction of emotional and physical traumas that wounded them both. For Bronwyn, it meant fleeing the perfect marriage to start over with nothing but a precocious daughter named Kayla to care for. For Bryce, it meant a tortuous two years spent blaming his wife for deserting him, and living with the pain of not knowing his child. Now a chance encounter has brought Bronwyn back into Bryce’s life, both bearing scars...and neither knowing the whole truth of that fateful night that drove them apart.

 

Series: Unwanted, Book 2 |Publisher: Brilliance Audio | Narrator: Justine Eyre | Length: 9 hours and 14 minutes | Source: Publisher | Ratings: Story-3.5 Cups, Performance-4.5 Cup

This book was such an emotional roller coaster and while I loved this book, parts of it were emotionally taxing as I watched two people get torn apart then slowly put back together. And Justine Eyre truly put her heart and soul into the narration allowing the listener to feel what the characters were going through.

 

So, here’s what’s going on. Bronwyn thought she had the perfect marriage until she told her husband she was pregnant. Fleeing the house and Bryce’s anger, she never thought she would see her husband or the life she lived again. Now, two years later she finds herself and her daughter living with Bryce. Neither can trust the other but their love for Kayla helps mend the gap. Now they need to learn if they can love, and trust each other once more.

 

I had mixed emotions throughout the entire book and, at times, I struggled to like both Bronwyn and Bryce. Some of their decisions seemed rash and spiteful as though they only wanted to hurt the other person. And they both seemed selfish yet I was never really sure if their selfishness was a just their way of handling things or if they were, at times, just selfish people.

 

Even though both Bronwyn and Bryce irritated me, I still found myself rooting for them. They had their flaws and they were realistic flaws. Although I found myself wondering how someone could be married to someone and not know, or at least have an inkling, of why a person would react a certain why. I also had to wonder if Bronwyn, who had been a waitress before marrying Bryce, was content to believe that she had a perfect marriage because she had married someone who was both successful and wealthy.

 

Bryce needed to open up a bit more and let go of some of the anger he felt. I understand, given what he thought happened, the way he reacted but it wasn’t really healthy for anyone involved to hold on to so much anger.  

 

The plot was very conflict-driven. It started from the very first chapter and picked up speed from that point on. My problem with the conflict was that while the catalyst of it was Bryce’s inner conflict and fears, the majority of the external conflict came from the way he reacted and then a series of misunderstandings. I really wanted to lock them in a room together and tell them to just talk it out.

 

So, I’m slowly working my way through the Unwanted series in audio format. I could read them, but Justine Eyre just breathes life into these complex characters and I love how she narrates these books. She truly embodies each character and it’s such a joy to listen to her narrate this book.

 

Overall, I liked this book. It’s a bit heavier in certain places and deals briefly with some heavy issues so I found myself having to listen to this in bits and pieces. It wasn’t as strong as the first book in the series but I still found myself investing in the characters.

 

If you’re a fan of women’s fiction with romance thrown in I think you’d enjoy this book.

 

Unwanted Series

 

TheUnwanted Wife

A Husband’s Regret

His Unlikely Lover

Outlander Product Reviews {Acrylic Travel Cup}{Ceramic Mug}{Magnetic Bookmark Set}

A day of fun awaits you today, get out and play! Stay quenched along the way with Vandor's Outlander 18 Ounce Acrylic Travel Cup. This double wall travel cup features a screw-on lid with reusable straw and resists condensation. It is perfect for hydrating on the go, and the double wall keeps drinks cold!

 

Price (on Amazon) $9.54

Would I buy it again? Yes. I’ve actually purchased one for my mum. And a replacement cup.

 

My Thoughts: As you all know, I’m Outlander-obsessed! So when this popped up on Amazon, I knew I had to have it, plus I’m a massive fan of acrylic travel cups.

 

So, this is a nice 18 ounce cup. One side features Jaime and Claire and the opposite side features the golden crest. I love that the lid actually fits the cup. I’ve noticed that some of the acrylic travel cups have problems with the lids fitting correctly so it’s nice I’ve not had to worry about these. They are durable but they don’t appreciate being dropped on the kitchen floor. I only dropped it about a foot or two but I have hardwood floors so the inside wall cracked. My only problem with it was the fact that it doesn’t resist condensation.

Make a statement with your morning cup of joe. The Vandor Outlander 12 Ounce Ceramic Mug is made from high quality stoneware and features a bold and bright character design. Both microwave and dishwasher safe, it ships in a full color gift box and makes the ideal gift for any occasion.

 

Price (on Amazon) $14.

Would I buy it again? Yes

 

My Thoughts: I love this mug. Seriously. LOVE IT! I use it all the time. I was a bit worried when I ordered it because standard fandom cups like these are often thin, but this one was very well-made and solid. One side features a picture of Jamie and Claire and the other side says 'Just Call Me Sassenach'. And I love the colors, teal on the outside and tan inside. And it keeps my hot tea warm. The only problem I have with this was the gift box it comes in. It just sits inside the box with nothing to hold it in.   

Dark Horse has acquired the license to create a program of Outlander collectibles, just in time for the season 2 debut in February. Fans following the Outlander series often refer back to their books. A great way to keep current is by using the different tartans and mottoes of the clans.

 

Price $6.99

Would I buy it again? No

 

My Thoughts: So not what I was expecting, especially for an officially licensed product. First, the Gaelic is completely wrong on one of the bookmarks. Second, the images on the product are nice and crisp and the bookmarks are longer than most magnetic bookmarks but they just don’t seem very durable or well-made. I used one for a few days, it started to crack at the top, and some of the lamination is starting to curl up on the edges.

 

I really wish I would have passed on these.

Do you purchase fandom merchandise?

Waiting on Wednesday {45}: A Gift for Guile by Alissa Johnson

“Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

This series is just darling and I cannot wait to get my hands on this book.

 

Title: A Gift for Guile

Author: Alissa Johnson

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Casablanca

Release Date: July 5, 2016

 

Once a famous officer of Scotland Yard and now a renowned private detective, Sir Samuel Brass has better things to do than shadow a reckless hellion in her misguided quest for atonement. But when the daughter of a notorious criminal—and a former thief herself—returns to London to right an old wrong, Samuel is drawn back into the dangerously exciting world of Esther Walker-Bales.

 

Beautiful and conniving, maddening and brilliant, Esther is everything he shouldn’t want. She’s a liar. She’s a con. She’s a thief. And God help him, but he’d do anything to keep her safe. Esther knows she’s put herself in terrible danger, but nothing will stop her from making amends that are long past due—not her family’s enemies, not old fears, and certainly not the domineering, interfering and undeniably handsome Sir Samuel Brass. Yet whenever he’s near, Samuel makes her long for a life that can never be hers…and wish she were worthy of being saved.

 

“From the first page, Johnson seizes readers’ attention… Losing none of her witty dialogue or clever plotting, she pulls readers this way and that as the story swiftly turns from suspense to romance and back again.”—RT Book Reviews on A Talent for Trickery

What are you lovelies waiting for?

DIY: Teacup Succulents

A few months ago, a dear friend suggested I use a few of my orphan teacups and saucers as planters for succulents. I loved the idea. I thought it was a cute way to bring in a few small plants and incorporate my love of all things tea.

 

These were super simple and so fun to make. The designs are endless and these would make brilliant party favors and place card holders. Just remember not to overwater your succulents. A spray bottle comes in handy, although I use the cap from a water bottle and water them twice a week with just a little sip of water.

 

Here’s what you need

 

Supplies:

Succulents

Teacups and saucers

Indoor Potting Mix

Small Pebbles (I used river rocks)

 

 

1-fill the bottom of the teacup with an inch of dirt.

2-remove your succulent from the container it came in, gently loosen the dirt around the roots, and add to your teacup.

3-fill the teacup with dirt leaving about ¼ an inch from the top of the cup.

4-wipe the dirt from the teacup using a dry paper towel.

5-place pebbles around the top of the plant.

6-set the teacup on the saucer and find a spot to display your little lovely.

 

About the succulents I chose: I wasn’t really sure what I wanted and my local garden center had a vast selection to choose from. I ended up selecting two aloe plants (an aloe vera and an aloe aristata) and an agave plant.  

 

Aloe plants purify the air, although they are poisonous to cats and dogs.

I could have ran to the store and purchased a new teacup and saucer for this project. Although I collect antique and vintage blue and white English dinnerware. So, that means I check out my local antique stores and flea markets every so often to see what I can find. Normally, I piece the sets together and that often means that I buy sets that include 5 teacups with no saucers just to get a platter or plate that I needed, so I often have orphan cups and saucers left over that I just stash in a box in my closet. Also, sometimes the pieces that I buy are crazed or cracked and no longer usable. And I have to admit, I’ve broken my fair share of cups or saucers.

 

Now, I’ve finally found a use for my orphan cups and saucers. The cup is from the Royal Ports of England collection and the saucer is from the Salem Village collection—both were made in England.

 

Do you have succulents?

Or houseplants?

Death of a Liar by M.C. Beaton

Sergeant Hamish Macbeth is alarmed to receive a report from a woman in the small village of Cronish in the Scottish Highlands. She has been brutally attacked and the criminal is on the loose. But upon further investigation, Hamish discovers that she was lying about the crime. So when the same woman calls him back about an intruder, he simply marvels at her compulsion to lie. This time, though, she is telling the truth. Her body is found in her home and Hamish must sort through all of her lies to solve the crime.

Series: Hamish Macbeth Mystery #30 | Publisher: Grand Central | Release Date: February 2016 | Genre: Contemporary Cozy Mystery | Source: Publisher | Rating: 3.5 Cups

Challenges Read For: Pick Your Own Genre: Contemporary

It’s always a pleasure to rejoin Hamish Macbeth as he solves crime in the Scottish Highlands.

 

So, there’s quite a bit happening in this one. Hamish is sent to the neighboring village to investigate after a woman claims she’s been attacked. It turns out the woman’s crying wolf for attention. When she calls the next time, Hamish ignores her only to discover she’s been tortured and murdered. As Hamish investigates the crime, it seems to be connected to the murder of the Leighs. As more clues are uncovered, it seemed there’s more going on than meets the eye.

 

So, I’ve skipped around in this series and it’s doable, but I’m not sure that this one would be the place for a Hamish Macbeth newbie to start because of the stream of Lochdubh residents that pop in and out of the book. There’s really no explanation to go along with the eccentric residents and I think readers, not having met them in the previous books, will probably be annoyed by these crazy characters.  

 

I’ve always been a massive fan of Hamish Macbeth. He’s a bit quirky yet he’s such a fun character to get to know. Although you don’t really get a full sense of who Hamish is in Death of a Liar. Instead, he seems a bit girl-crazy. I mean, he’s always had a healthy love of the lassies but it’s almost as though he’s a teenage boy lusting for this one then that one and avoiding the one that’s actually interested in him. And, of course, his two main love interests—Priscilla and Elspeth—are still in and out of his life.

 

The mystery wasn’t one of my favorites in the series but it was okay. A few things I figured out early on and a few things kept me guessing. At times, it felt as though the body count was rising just to fill in the word count, so I could have done without some of the stuff that sort of felt like filler.

 

If you’ve read Hamish Macbeth before you’ll be able to recognize some of the characters and their traits, like Chief Inspector Blair who is always searching for a way to get Hamish fired. Although there’s a few new one’s thrown in as well.

 

I was slightly disappointed that so little of this novel took place in Lochdubh, the village where Hamish lives.

 

Overall, this was one enjoyable with a bit of humor thrown in. Not a top ten favorite Hamish Macbeth read, but still decent. Like always it provides readers with a look at the remote Scottish Highlands and the crazy residents as well as providing a nice little mystery.

Death of a Gossip

Death of a Cad

Death of an Outsider

Death of a Perfect Wife

Death of a Hussy

Death of a Snob

Death of a Prankster

Death of a Glutton

Death of a Travelling Man

Death of a Charming Man

Death of a Nag

Death of a Macho Man

Death of a Dentist

Death of a Scriptwriter

Death of an Addict

A Highland Christmas

Death of a Dustman

Death of a Celebrity

Death of a Village

Death of a Poison Pen

Death of a Bore

Death of a Dreamer

Death of a Maid

Death of a Gentle Lady

Death of a Witch

Death of a Valentine

Death of a Chimney Sweep  

Death of a Kingfisher

Death of Yesterday

Death of a Policeman

Death of a Liar

Knock, Knock, You're Dead (novella)

Death of a Nurse

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Coloring Book & Audiobook Review

This beautiful coloring book, based on the original drawings by John Tenniel for Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, invites you to draw and bring color to Wonderland as you read along with some of your favorite characters!

 

The pairing of iconic illustrations and quotations from Lewis Carroll’s original text offers a fun way to explore scenes from Wonderland and bring your own playful imagination to this classic story.

 

Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books | Release Date: 3/29/2016| Source: Publisher

I’m a massive Alice in Wonderland fan, so there was definitely a happy Snoopy dance going on when this arrived in the post.

 

This is a nice sized coloring book, which allows the images to be a bit larger than your standard adult coloring books so kids may enjoy this one as well as adults. Yet there are also some wallpaper type additions that will be a bit more time consuming and tedious.

 

I really enjoyed that some of the images were the original drawings by John Tenniel but at the same time, because they are the original drawings that appeared in the book, some are heavily shaded. It would have been nice if they had lightened some of the shading up a bit.

 The paper is a medium thickness. It’s not thin like printer paper but it’s not a heavy cardstock either. Most images appear on a white background but some are on a black background, which allows the colors to pop.

 

The problem I had with this book was the pages have an almost satin feel to them, which made finding a medium a bit hard. Colored pencils do work, but not all brands. I tried standard Crayola Colored Pencils and while they did lay color down on the page, it was very streaky and failed to blend. I ended up switching over to Staedtler’s and the pencils still streaked, just not as bad. It was actually fine-liner pens that worked the best on this.

 

I also tried watercolor pencils and wasn’t too pleased with the results. Because the paper had a satin feel, the pigment of the watercolors didn’t have anything to grab on to.

 

Another problem that I had was that some of the pictures get lost within the spine of the book. They really should have left a border around the pictures. Also, the images are printed on both sides of the paper making it impossible to use markers on.

 

Overall, the images are nice and I loved the quotations, it was just finding medium I was happy coloring with.

 Golden Globe nominee Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation, Girl with a Pearl Earring) brings a palpable sense of joy and exuberance to her performance of Lewis Carroll's enduring classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. From the White Rabbit and Mad Hatter to the Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts, she imbues each madcap character with a distinct voice and personality that will leave a lasting impression long after the adventure is over.

 

One hundred and fifty years after its original publication, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland remains one of the most widely read, deconstructed, referenced, and reinterpreted works of Western fiction. It tells the story of the young and imaginative Alice, who grows weary of her storybook, one "without pictures or conversations", and follows a hasty hare underground - to come face to face with a host of strange and fantastic characters.

This actually came as a free download with the Alice's Adventures in Wonderland coloring book that I received for review. I’ve always loved Alice in Wonderland and Scarlett Johansson truly brought this audiobook alive. Yet I was slightly disappointed she opted against using a British accent, but it was still a lovely listen that children and adults will enjoy.

Fleischmann’s Simply Homemade Baking Mix: Multi-Grain Bread

Fleischmann's Simply Homemade No Knead Bread Mix is a quick and easy staple for your daily meals. In less than an hour, you can prepare this tasty mix. Just add water, stir, let it rise and put it in the oven. This multi-grain bread provides 3g of fiber per serving.

 

Fleischmann's Simply Homemade Multi-Grain No Knead Bread Mix:

•Just add water

•Less than 1 hour

•6 to 8 servings

•Baked bread, 14 oz: Easy as stir, rise, bake

 

I love having fresh bread to serve with meals, sadly, however, I don’t always have time to put throw things in the bread machine or make a few loaves in the oven. Then something brilliant happened. I received a ‘try one on us’ coupon from Fleischmann’s in my Pinch Me box.

 

 

So, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve never been overly fond of bread mixes that come from a box. They either taste like baking powder or fail to rise. So, I was a bit skeptical. Although, I have to say, this bread mix surprised me.

 

This was super simple. Basically, you add in the yeast packet and water wait until yeast is active, add in bread mix, stir, kneed a few times, allow to rise, then bake. And it was so tasty and no one knew that it was a bread mix.
 

 

 

The only problem, and it wasn’t technically a problem, was that it actually takes a bit longer than an hour. It took about 30 minutes for the yeast to activate, and waiting until the yeast to froth up is actually an important step. If it’s not activated, the bread will not rise. You’re also supposed to allow the bread itself to rise and this took a bit longer. All in all, it took about two hours to finish this bread.

 

The loaf is rather small but it’s perfect for a single meal and will easily serve up to 8 people. For the price, which ranges from $2.99-$3.99 in my local grocery stores, this is actually a rather brilliant bread and I would highly recommend giving it a go.

 

I’ve now tried several different varieties of  Fleischmann's Simply Homemade No Knead Bread Mix and have loved each one of them.

Looking for something quick to serve with your bread?

Checkout my recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.

Waiting on Wednesday {44}: Color Me Jane by Jacqui Oakley

“Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

 

Fellow Jane Austen Lovers rejoice! Finally, a Jane Austen coloring book! –insert happy dance—

 

I’ve been waiting for a Jane Austen coloring book! I’m so excited about this one and I’m counting the days until it’s released.

Title: Doctor Color Me Jane

Illustrator: Jacqui Oakley

Publisher:  Random House

Release Date:  July 19, 2016

 

Take hold of your happiness, relish the wit and whimsy of Jane Austen, and color your cares away!

 

 

Enter the rich and beautiful world of Jane Austen’s beloved novels replete with detail of period dress and decor. Color in famous scenes from each of Austen’s novels in this adult coloring book—beautifully hand drawn with exquisite, sensuous detail, and explore all the visual delights and romance of Regency era rooms, fashions, and figures come to vivid life.

 

“It is well to have as many holds upon happiness as possible” – Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

What are you lovelies waiting for?