Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Saying Goodye is so Hard

 


My husband peacefully and painlessly passed away yesterday

My heart is broken



Bill Obit
William W. Haupt

William “Bill” Walter Haupt, 80, of Portage Des Sioux, MO passed away on April 16, 2024. Bill was born on June 8, 1943, to William and Stella Haupt in Tucson Arizona.

Bill was a beloved husband of 44 years to Debbie (née Koenn) and a cherished father to Bill (Teresa), Jeff (Shannon), Erin (Dan), and the Late Vicky (Dave) Meyer. He was a proud grandfather to Austin, Greg, Katherine, Jacqueline, Keats, Flannery, Beckett, Soren, and Twain, plus 4 Great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Richard (Kathleen) Haupt, as well as his mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews.

Bill found joy in gardening, working in the yard, boating, and spending quality time with his loved ones.

May his memory be a blessing to all who knew and loved him.

Please consider making a donation to The Mercy Foundation at https://www.mercy.net/service/mercy-health-foundation/ in memory of Bill Haupt.

 

There will be a celebration of life on Sunday June 2 from 2pm until 4pm at
The Boat House
601 North Shore Dr, St. Charles, MO, United States, Missouri
1 636-250-3300
boathouseontheriver@gmail.com


Tuesday, April 16, 2024

#MacmillanAudio review of Lone Wolf by Gregg Hurwitz

Today I'm sharing my review of, Lone Wolf, book 9 in Gregg Hurwitz's Orphan X series. This is a series that I would have never picked for my self so here's a big shout out for Drew from #MacmillanAudio for introducing me to Evan Smoak and the rest of the Orphan X gang.
If you're looking for a non-stop action packed series look no farther than the Orphan X series.
Enjoy!


ASIN: B0C3P7LBJ7
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 2-13-2024
Length: 13 hours & 13 minutes
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Audible/ Chirpbooks

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

This program is read by multi-award-winning narrator Scott Brick.

"Brick employs perfect timing and emphasis to portray Evan and plays him with heart...Brick shines in long passages of exposition, setting up the stakes with deft talent, and quickly shifts into periodic high action."—AudioFile

Once a black ops government assassin known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak left the Program, went deep underground, and reinvented himself as someone who will go anywhere and risk everything to help the truly desperate who have nowhere else to turn. Since then, Evan has fought international crime syndicates and drug cartels, faced down the most powerful people in the world and even brought down a President. Now struggling with an unexpected personal crisis, Evan goes back to the very basics of his mission—and this time, the truly desperate is a little girl who wants him to find her missing dog.

Not his usual mission, and not one Evan embraces with enthusiasm, but this unlikely, tiny job quickly explodes into his biggest mission yet, one that finds him battered between twisted AI technocrat billionaires, a mysterious female assassin who seems a mirror of himself, and personal stakes so gut-wrenching he can scarcely make sense of them.

Evan's mission pushes him to his limit—he must find and take down the assassin known only as the Wolf, before she succeeds in completing her mission and killing the people who can identify her—a teenaged daughter of her last target, and Evan himself. Matched skill for skill, instinct for instinct, Evan must outwit an opponent who will literally stop at nothing if he is to survive.

A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Books.



Monday, April 15, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews: Courting the Amish Bishop by Mindy Steele

Today Sophia Rose reviews an inspirational novel, Courting the Amish Bishop, by Mindy Steele #4 in her Heart in the Amish series.
Enjoy!



Courting the Amish Bishop by Mindy Steele

#4 Heart of the Amish

Inspirational Fiction

Publisher:  Barbour Fiction

Published: 4.1.24

Pages:  288

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

No One Is Ever Too Old to Love Again Full of faith, hope, and romance, this new series takes you into the Heart of Amish country. Simon Graber became a widower and a bishop early in life. His focus is solely on his very close-knit Old Order Amish community—not entertaining the idea of marriage, despite what many of the elders think. When sickness comes to Cherry Grove, Kentucky, Simon reaches out into the next community for help. But help is beginning to look a lot like a second chance when Stella Schmucker agrees to offer her vast herbal knowledge to the sick. Can it be that these two, who have been too busy serving others to entertain the idea of love, have met at just the perfect time for an unlikely courtship?

 

Thursday, April 11, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews: The Lisbon Affair by Cat Gardiner

 

Today Sophia Rose reviews, The Lisbon Affair,  a WWII novel, #1 in Cat Gardiner's Flying With the Swallows duology
Enjoy!

The Lisbon Affair – A WWII Novel: Flying With Swallows Volume One by Cat Gardiner

Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Unionport Hill Books

Published: 4.2.24

Pages:  335

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source: author

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads


 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Volume One in the Flying with the Swallows duology

New York City, 1943: War widow and Best Society’s darling Mrs. Evelyn (Evie) Rousseau Somerset is five months into mourning her husband’s death when her family insists on an untenable plan for her future. Desolate and disenchanted with life, she’s determined to remake herself and prove she’s something more than a useless socialite—regardless of what her senator brother and domineering mother demand of her.

A previous clandestine job at a newspaper provides the escape she’s looking for: a trip to Lisbon, the spy capital of the world, to rescue a family of German Jews stranded in neutral Portugal. While crossing the Atlantic to Lisbon, she meets handsome and enigmatic Carl Wilson, the cocksure, ill-mannered American musician with an agenda and secrets of his own.

Armed only with sophistication and moxie, Evelyn reluctantly welcomes Carl’s invitation to a new world—one that ultimately lands her as a secret agent for His Majesty’s government.

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Review: Back to You + Exclusive author interview with Richard Plourde

Today I have a double feature, my thoughts on a wonderful novel, Back to You and a Q&A with author Richard Plourde
Enjoy!


ISBN-13: 978-2924099865
Publisher: Editions des Merisiers
Release Date: 01-24-2024
Length: 256pp
Source: Author for review
Buy It: Amazon

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

John Fisher will risk everything to find the anonymous bone marrow donor who gave him another chance at life.

After thirteen years of unhappiness, self-absorbed millionaire John Fisher becomes convinced that the anonymous female bone marrow donor who saved his life could be the answer to all his woes - his true love, his soulmate.

There is a problem… Donor information is kept confidential under lock and key in a secured building thousands of miles away. John believes he has found a way to get to his file, but a slight mishap will certainly land him in jail and ruin his career.

Risking everything, John embarks on an epic journey in search of this mysterious woman.

What he uncovers along the way challenges everything he thought he knew about fate, love, and the true meaning of second chances.



ABOUT BACK TO YOU…

« You just have to read this book. » Rayo Reads

« A real gem! » Christine Michaud, Le Lundi

« I was captivated by this cleverly woven tale. The storytelling was brilliant. » DJ Sakata, Books & Bindings

« Wow, what a great discovery. I had difficulty putting my tablet down. » Books With Natasa

Monday, April 8, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews Risky Attraction by Kendall Talbot Wolf Security #1

 


Today Sophia Rose is here sharing her thoughts on Risky Attraction by Kendall Talbot
Enjoy!



Risky Attraction by Kendall Talbot

#1 Wolf Security

Romantic Suspense

Publisher:  Kendall Talbot

Published:  3.15.24

Pages:  410

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  author

Sellers:  Amazon


ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Blurb:

Two grieving strangers are thrust into a deadly chase, now both their hearts and lives at risk.

Ryder Westwood is still reeling from the revelation that the love of his life had lied to him before her shocking death. Now all he craves is solitude. But when the grumpy Border Force Captain rushes to rescue a yacht that's sinking after colliding with a mysterious object, his pain and anger are tested by Piper Harrison, the yacht's feisty skipper.

Piper, a single mom and grieving widow, was sailing around Australia with her rebellious teenager. But as their yacht vanishes beneath the waves, a gruesome discovery catapults them into the crosshairs of a sinister underworld.

When Piper's daughter is kidnapped, Piper and Ryder are drawn into a whirlwind of desire and danger. Bullets fly, and with the body count rising, they enlist the help of the Alpha Tactical Ops heroes to rescue Piper's daughter from ruthless enemies.

Will they save all that Piper has left?
Or will their shattered hearts remain broken forever?

RISKY ATTRACTION is a standalone, grumpy/sunshine, fight for justice, romantic thriller featuring a tortured alpha hero who doesn’t believe in love, and a feisty single mom who doesn’t think she needs saving. This race against time, romantic thriller is book one in the Wolf Security Series, which is a series of standalone books featuring interconnecting characters and appearances from characters in the Alpha Tactical Ops series.


 Sophia Rose's Review:

Risky Attraction takes to the high seas, a labyrinth of an old wharf, and an enemy not unlike a hydra who grows with each deadly strike against them.  Kendall Talbot has a gift for writing adrenaline rush romantic suspense with fully developed characters and solid romance usually in an exotic locale or unusual situation. 

 

While I’ve read the original Alpha Tactical Ops series in order before diving into Risky Attraction, I could see how a new reader might pick it up and do just fine. 

 

Captain Ryder Westwood of the Border Force is on routine patrol off the Australian coast when he and his crew encounter a hostile craft firing on them.  A storm comes up and he has to break off contact without much fire power of his own plus there is a distress call nearby.  He was in a mood before all this due to the death of his wife and her lies and actions before her death, but now, he is distracted.  His grief and bitterness feel a little lighter to bear thanks to the quietly, strong woman he rescues from the sea and the mystery she has discovered when her sailboat went down.

 

Piper is was barely keeping her head above water while grieving her husband’s death and at a loss for handling her teenage daughter and that was before their sailboat struck something in the water during a storm.  Scout, her daughter, is prone to blame Piper for everything and lashes out at Piper, but they both get a jolt from their grief and anger when they are pulled into a dangerous investigation alongside Ryder.  Someone wants the investigation dead in the water and will come after them all to keep them from discovering who is behind it all and the connection to the past.

 

Risky Attraction was a sizzling hot opener to the series for both the high-octane suspense side and for the simmering of attraction for two grief-stricken widowed leads.  Kendall Talbot didn’t hesitate to explore their different situations and how that affected them both including a hurting and lost teenager who broke my heart the way she lashed her mother and couldn’t get her footing. 

I liked the hints of a connection of this current case to what came before, but also the revelation of a new shadowy, formidable baddie.  Ryder isn’t sure he can trust locally after the corruption was uncovered and is still coming out, but it was great seeing him tap into Aria and his other friends with Wolf Security to back him up. 

 

I can’t wait to see where it all goes next with a new romance pair introduced as new side characters in this one.  A no-risk recommendation to romantic suspense fans in Risky Attraction.

 


Author Bio:

Kendall Talbot is a thrill seeker, hopeless romantic, virtual killer, and award-winning author of stories that’ll have your heart thumping from the action-packed suspense in exotic locations and the swoon-worthy romance.

Kendall has sought thrills in all 46 countries she’s visited. She’s abseiled down freezing waterfalls, catapulted out of a white-water raft, jumped off a mountain with a man who spoke little English, and got way too close to a sixteen-foot shark. When she isn’t writing, she’s enjoying wine and cheese with her crazy friends, and planning her next thrilling international escape.

She lives in Brisbane, Australia with her very own hero and a fluffy little dog who specializes in hijacking her writing time. Meanwhile, Kendall’s two sons are off making their own adventures – look out world.

Kendall’s book, Lost in Kakadu won the acclaimed title of Romantic Book of the Year 2014, and her books have also been finalists for Best Romantic Suspense, Best Crime Novel, Best Continuing Series, and Best New Author.

I love to hear from my readers!
Find my books and chat with me via any of the contacts below:
Website: http://www.kendalltalbot.com.au/
Email: kendall@universe.com.au
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KendallTalbo...



Sophia’s Bio:

Sophia is a quiet though curious gal who dabbles in cooking, book reviewing, piano-playing, and gardening. Road trips and campouts, museums and monuments, restaurants and theaters are her jam. Encouraged and supported by an incredible man and loving family. A Northern Californian transplant to the Great Lakes Region of the US. Lover of Jane Austen, Baseball, Cats, Scooby Doo, and Chocolate.

As a lifelong reader, it was inevitable that Sophia would discover book blogs and the joy of blog reviewing. Sophia is a prolific reader and audiobook listener which allows her to experience so many wonderful books, authors, and narrators. Few genres are outside her reading tastes, but her true love is fiction particularly history, mystery, sci-fi, and romance. Though, sorry, no horror or she will run like Shaggy and Scooby.

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/sophia.rose.7587

Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiarose1816

GoodReads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13418187.Sophia_Rose

 

Thursday, April 4, 2024

A New Road

 


It's been a challenging winter for my family and I. Ever since developing Shingles in early February my husband's health has been declining. He was admitted to the hospital on March 17th and was put through a barrage of tests and studies, long story short after a 10 day stay it was determined that he had advanced Parkinson's dementia and he was sent home on Hospice care.

So now it's all about him

My Hospice team is wonderful and I get support from nurses, aides, social workers and even a Chaplain to help me understand and accept this new road I'm on. Letting go of my insistences of making him eat every meal, take every vitamin that may help symptoms etc...

But mostly it's been hard letting go, knowing that soon I'll be on my own without my partner in crime of 46 years.

My blogging took a hit because I just didn't have the energy and I spent all those days in the hospital at his side 24/7. But I'm ready to come back to me a bit and do the things that make me happy too.

I know some of you who are my friends on social media already know this but I also just wanted to touch those of you who aren't to let you know that no I did not drop off the face of the earth.

Prayers and thoughts for the kids and I are absolutely welcome.

I'll start blogging again come Monday

Love you all!

Monday, March 11, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews: Murder Road by Simone St. James

 

Today Sophia Rose returns with her thoughts on Murder Road a supernatural thriller by Simone St. James.
Enjoy!

Murder Road by Simone St. James

Supernatural Thriller

Publisher:  Berkley

Published:  3.5.24

Pages:  350

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads


 

GoodReads Blurb:

A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.

July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.

When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.

 

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews- A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

 

Today Sophia Rose gives us her thoughts on Deanna Raybourn's latest Veronica Speedwell historical mystery.
Enjoy!

A Grave Robbery by Deanna Raybourn

#8 Veronica Speedwell

Historical Mystery

Publisher:  Berkley

Published:  3.12.24

Pages:  336

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Net Galley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Veronica and Stoker discover that not all fairy tales have happy endings, and some end in murder, in this latest historical mystery from New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–nominated author Deanna Raybourn.

Lord Rosemorran has purchased a wax figure of a beautiful reclining woman and asks Stoker to incorporate a clockwork mechanism to give the Rosemorran Collection its own Sleeping Beauty in the style of Madame Tussaud’s. But when Stoker goes to cut the mannequin open to insert the mechanism, he makes a gruesome discovery: this is no wax figure. The mannequin is the beautifully preserved body of a young woman who was once very much alive. But who would do such a dreadful thing, and why?

Sleuthing out the answer to this question sets Veronica and Stoker on their wildest adventure yet. From the underground laboratories of scientists experimenting with electricity to resurrect the dead in the vein of Frankenstein to the traveling show where Stoker once toured as an attraction, the gaslit atmosphere of London in October is the perfect setting for this investigation into the unknown. Through it all, the intrepid pair is always one step behind the latest villain—a man who has killed once and will stop at nothing to recover the body of the woman he loved. Will they unmask him in time to save his next victim? Or will they become the latest figures to be immortalized in his collection of horrors?

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Review - Not Your Crush's Cauldron by April Asher #3 Supernatural Singles

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on April Asher's latest, Not Your Crush's Cauldron.
Enjoy!


ISBN-13: 978-1250808035
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 2-13-2024
Length: 336 pp
Source: Publisher for review
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

INSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLER

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Crush's Cauldron, a buttoned-up witch takes a stroll on the wildish side, sparking an alert that lands her a familiar Guardian Angel.

Olive Maxwell much prefers teaching about the Supernatural world to taking part in it and leaves the magical shenanigans to her two sisters. After assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive realizes she’s never once stepped a toe out of her own . . . and it’s about time that changed. Her first trip into the unknown? Moving in with her longtime crush and friend . . . tattooed, motorcycle-riding, and pleasantly pierced Baxter Donovan.

Bax Donovan, Guardian Angel not-so-extraordinaire, has acquired so many black marks on his record it looks like a Scantron test. He’s been given one last chance to keep his Guardian wings―a high-profile Assignment he knows all too well. Olive is usually as low-risk as it gets. Hell, she wrote the safety manual. But something landed her on the Guardian Angel Affairs radar, and he guesses it has something to do with the heart-pounding stunts she’s determined to check off her Dare I Docket list.

Keeping Olive out of trouble is about to be his toughest Assignment. He’s at real risk of shattering the only Guardian Angel code of conduct rule he’s yet to break: Don’t fall in love with your Assignment. And he isn’t so sure that’s a bad thing.

If love doesn’t play by the rules, why should they?

Monday, March 4, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews: Spellbound at Pemberley by Abigail Reynolds

 

Today Sophia Rose shares her thoughts on a fantasy Austen retelling.
Enjoy!

Spellbound at Pemberley by Abigail Reynolds

Gaslamp Fantasy Romance

Publisher:  White Soup Press

Published:  12.5.23

Pages:  299

Rating: 4.5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  Author

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

Fitzwilliam Darcy is a powerful mage and master of illusions. His abilities make him the perfect man for a dangerous mission to end the devastating war with Napoleon – a mission that would leave him little chance of returning alive. When he meets the enchanting Elizabeth Bennet, whose magical Talents are as deep as they are inexplicable, he knows he needs her help. And there’s only one way to get that – marriage. Immediately.

Elizabeth wants nothing to do with his plan. Marrying Darcy would mean breaking her strong and beloved magical bond to Longbourn and giving up the use of her Talent forever. Then dragons enter the war in Europe, and England's survival hangs in the balance. And Elizabeth must make the ultimate sacrifice.

In this first book of the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Mage trilogy, dragons are already watching their newlywed journey to Pemberley, and a shocking discovery will force them to question everything they believe. Can they learn to trust each other and work together to save their country--and their lives?

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews- Chasing the Horizon by Mary Connealy an AustenProse blog tour

For AustenProse PR

Today Sophia Rose returns with her review of Chasing the Horizon, by Mary Connealy as part of an AustenProse blog tour. Read on to see what she thought.
Enjoy!

Chasing the Horizon by Mary Connealy

#1 Western Light

Inspirational Historical Romance

Publisher:  Bethany House

Published:  2.13.24

Pages:  304

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Sellers:  Amazon

ADD TO: GoodReads


GoodReads Synopsis:

Upon uncovering her tyrannical father's plot to commit her to an asylum, Beth Rutledge fabricates a plan of her own--she will rescue her mother, who had already been sent to the asylum by her father, and escape together on a wagon train heading west. Posing as sisters, Beth and her mother join forces with other travelers and hope they can make it to Idaho before the others start asking too many questions.

Wagon train scout Jake Holt senses that the mysterious women in his caravan are running from something. When rumors begin to spread of Pinkerton agents searching relentlessly for wanted criminals who match the description of those on his wagon train, including Beth, she begins to open up to him and he learns something much more sinister is at hand. Can they risk trusting each other with their lives--and their hearts--with danger threatening their every step?

From bestselling author Mary Connealy comes a gripping and adventurous historical novel of survival, sacrifice, and romance on the Oregon Trail.


Friday, February 23, 2024

Review - The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck by Kylie Scott

Today I'm reviewing, The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, the delightful latest rom-com from brilliant storyteller Kylie Scott. I obviously loved it read on to see how much.
Enjoy!


ISBN-13: 978-1525804809
Publisher: Graydon House/ Imprint of Harlequin the publisher that makes the world go round
Release Date: 2-06-2024
Length: 304pp
Source: Publisher for Review

Buy It: PublisherAmazon/ B&N /IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:
An Amazon Best Romance of the Month!

“Be quiet and listen: He is cheating on you. The name of your soulmate is Alistair George Arthur Lennox. You will be passed over for the promotion. The winning numbers are 5-8-12-24-39-43. And I’m very sorry to tell you this, but you will die next Sunday.”

When Lilah Goodluck saves the life of Good Witch Willow as they’re crossing a busy L.A. street, the last thing she expects is five unwanted predictions as a reward. Who gives someone the winning lotto numbers then tells them they’ve only got a week to live? And who believes in that nonsense anyway?

But when the first three predictions come true within twenty-four hours, Lilah’s disbelief turns to mild panic. She’s further horrified when she nearly runs a car off the road that belongs to Alistair Lennox, who just happens to be the illegitimate son of the British king.

While Alistair is intrigued by her preposterous story, Lilah is adamant about resisting the heat between her and the playboy prince. If she denies he’s her soulmate, then the last prediction can’t come true, right? As the days count down, they become maybe friends…and then maybe more. But between the relentless paparazzi and some disapproving royals, finding time for love isn’t easy, especially when her days may be numbered.

Red White and Royal Blue meets The Last Holiday in this delightfully quirky novel from the New York Times bestselling author of End of Story, about a woman who unexpectedly finds "fall in love with a prince" at the top of her bucket list.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

#Macmillan Audio Review - If You Would Have Told Me by John Stamos narrated by John Stamos

Today I'm sharing my thoughts on John Stamos's memoir, If You Would Have Told Me, continue on to see what I thought.
Enjoy! 


ASIN: B0BX4S15RD
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Release Date: 10-24-2023
Length: 8 hours & 44 minutes
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Audible/Chirpbooks

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

An Audible Best of the Year 2023 Celebrity Memoir Selection

This program is read by the author.

“...I love him, and I respect him, and I need him. We all do.” —from the foreword, written and read by Jamie Lee Curtis

If you would have told a young John Stamos flipping burgers at his dad’s fast-food joint that one day he’d be a household name and that, at the height of his success, he’d be living alone, divorced, with no kids, high on a cocktail of forgetting, he might’ve asked, “You want fries with that?”

John burst onto the scene in General Hospital, propelling him into the teen idol stratosphere, a place that’s often a point of no return. But Stamos beat the odds and over the past four decades has proved himself to be one of his generation’s most successful and beloved actors. Whether showing off his comedic chops on Full House or his dramatic skills on ER, pushing the boundaries on Broadway or living out his youthful dreams as an honorary Beach Boy, John has surprised everyone, most of all himself.

A universal story about friendship, love, loss, and the courage to embrace love once more, John Stamos’s memoir is filled with some of the most memorable names in Hollywood, both old and new. Funny, deeply poignant, and brutally honest, If You Would Have Told Me is a portrait of a boy who went from believing in Disney magic to a man who learns that we have to create our own magical moments in life.

A Macmillan Audio production from Henry Holt & Company.


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Showcase- Not Your Crush's Cauldron by April Asher

Today I'm showcasing April Asher's next installment in her Supernatural Singles series, Not Your Crush's Cauldron which is Olive Maxwell's story. And check back because this is high on my tbr shelf.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 9781250808035
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: 02-13-2024
Length: 336pp
Supernatural Singles #3
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:


In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Crush's Cauldron, a buttoned-up witch takes a stroll on the wildish side, sparking an alert that lands her a familiar Guardian Angel.

Olive Maxwell much prefers teaching about the Supernatural world to taking part in it and leaves the magical shenanigans to her two sisters. After assigning her college students a project designed to nudge them outside their comfort zones, Olive realizes she’s never once stepped a toe out of her own . . . and it’s about time that changed. Her first trip into the unknown? Moving in with her longtime crush and friend . . . tattooed, motorcycle-riding, and pleasantly pierced Baxter Donovan.

Bax Donovan, Guardian Angel not-so-extraordinaire, has acquired so many black marks on his record it looks like a Scantron test. He’s been given one last chance to keep his Guardian wings—a high-profile Assignment he knows all too well. Olive is usually as low-risk as it gets. Hell, she wrote the safety manual. But something landed her on the Guardian Angel Affairs radar, and he guesses it has something to do with the heart-pounding stunts she’s determined to check off her Dare I Docket list.

Keeping Olive out of trouble is about to be his toughest Assignment. He’s at real risk of shattering the only Guardian Angel code of conduct rule he’s yet to break: Don’t fall in love with your Assignment. And he isn’t so sure that’s a bad thing.


Friday, February 16, 2024

Sophia Rose Reviews: The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelly Armstrong


Today Sophia Rose returns with her review of, The Boy Who Cried Bear, Book two of Kelly Armstrong's Haven's Rock series a spin off of her Rockton Series.
Enjoy!


The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong

#2 Haven’s Rock

Thriller

Publisher:  Minotaur Books

Published:  2.20.24

Pages:  343

Rating: 5 stars

Format: eARC

Source:  NetGalley

Pre Order from:  Amazon Available 2-20-24

ADD TO: GoodReads

 

GoodReads Synopsis:

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . . Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren't allowed to wander off alone.When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Review: The Friendship Club by Robyn Carr

Today I'm reviewing The Friendship Club Robyn Carr's brand new stand alone novel. It checked all my boxes read on to see why.
Enjoy!

ISBN-13: 978-0778311881
Publisher: Mira
Release Date: 01-23-2024
Length: 336pp
Source: Publisher for Review
Buy It: Publisher/Amazon/B&N/IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

A brand-new novel from the #1 bestselling author of VIRGIN RIVER

Four women come together at a tumultuous time in their lives, forging an unbreakable bond that will leave them all forever changed.


Celebrity cooking show host Marni McGuire has seen it all. She’s been married—twice—and widowed and divorced. Now in her mid-fifties, she’s single. Happily so. She just needs to convince her pregnant daughter, Bella, of this fact. And maybe convince herself, too. Especially after Marni’s efforts to humor her determined daughter result in a series of disastrous dates that somehow prompt Marni to wonder if maybe the right man for her is still out there after all.

Similarly single, Marni’s best friend and colleague is confident she’s content without a man, but both older women soon find themselves leading by example as the young intern on their show appears caught in a toxic relationship—and Bella reveals her own marriage maybe isn’t built to withstand the stresses of the baby on the way.

Suddenly, all four women find themselves at a crossroads, each navigating the challenges of dating, marriage, loneliness and love. Thankfully, they have each other to lean on. The realities of modern love are far from easy, but there’s no better group to have in your corner than friends who will lift you up, no matter what, and hold fast in the face of any storm.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Harlequin Publishing's Valentine's Read recommendations

 


Today I'm showcasing Harlequin Publishing's Valentine's recommendations. There are some well known authors some relatively new and a couple of debuts for readers to try and two of these I'll be reviewing so be sure to check in often.
Enjoy!



Sunday, February 11, 2024

Just Checking in

It's been a rather whirlwind winter here, as some of you know my husband is disabled, he suffers from Parkinson's Disease, is a stroke survivor and has several other neurological medical issues. Mid December he came down with a virus and as his Parkinson's advances so do his symptoms and he becomes a handful when he's sick. Then last week he got sick again but this time I couldn't handle him myself and had to take him to the ER, they admitted him and he spent three days in the hospital with a UTI, slight dehydration and some mystery virus that the hospital couldn't name. The day after he came home the mystery virus showed itself as a bad rash on his torso, yes Shingles. Now we're both vaccinated but since he's immuno compromised he's only 50-60% protected.

He's getting better but with each illness he gets harder to handle and I just pray that I can keep him home as long as I can.

Unfortunately when the home fires are blazing out of control it's my reading and blogging that suffers.

So I just wanted to let you all know that I'm still here, stick with me and I'll be back up to speed  as soon as I can.


Take care

and you all stay well

Thursday, February 8, 2024

Review - The Prophecy of the Wind by Joss Walker

Today I'm sharing my thought on The Prophecy of the Wind book three in Joss Walker's Jayne Thorne CIA Librarian series.
Enjoy!

ASIN: B0C5G2NJ1G
Publisher: Two Tales Press
Release Date: 11-28-2023
Length: 370pp
Source: Author/Publisher for Review
Jayne Thorne CIA Librarian #4
Buy It: Amazon/ B&N/ IndieBound

ADD TO: GOODREADS

Overview:

Magic has broken free, and the world is in grave danger.

Jayne Thorne, CIA Librarian and secret operative, thought finding her father would solve everything. She couldn’t have been more mistaken. Henry Thorne is a prime target for all her enemies, and everyone around him is in danger.

Though Jayne’s powers are reaching new heights, she must contend with her reluctant new Rogue, Vivienne, her inconvenient and growing attraction to her partner, Tristan, and a prophecy from an unnamed warrior goddess that warns her of the impending danger from the Torrent's powerful hidden mage who is controlling her mother, Ruth. Not to mention face down an ancient secret society tasked with protecting a grimoire vital to their cause.

Meanwhile, Jayne's sister Sofia and her Rogue Cillian, along with other members of the TCO (the magical branch of the CIA), are searching for the newly magical children who are making news all over the country. But they are not the only ones with this mission. Sofia and Cillian must find, protect, and educate as many new Adepts as possible before dark forces steal their powers.

With the help of her friends, family, and new allies, Jayne must decipher the prophecy, acquire the grimoire, and stop the powerful mage hidden in the Torrent. But even with their help, Jayne is not sure if she will be able to succeed. The enemies of the Torrent grow more powerful by the day, and they are relentless...

A story of power, courage, and the fight against evil, this thrilling and suspenseful entry in the award-winning Jayne Thorne series will keep readers on the edge of their seats.