Shelter Me by Catherine Mann

Shelter Me is the story of a special pooch, Trooper, and his journey to bring together a family. Staff Sergeant Mike Kowalski brings back his fallen commander's dog Trooper from overseas for the MacDaniel Family. Little do they know but the MacDaniel family are getting Trooper just in time to mend themselves. Sierra MacDaniel is doing her best to help out with her mother's Second Change Ranch, her brother and their grandfather all while going to school. Sierra's life is a little crazy right now so the last thing she thinks she needs is another dog and Mike walking back into her life.

I really adored ALL of these characters and didn't want it to be over when the book ended. I liked the chapters narrated by Trooper and his perspective on what was going on with the family and his mission. This book did a pretty good job of explaining some of the stresses a military family goes through while supporting their service member. I was very drawn to that aspect and appreciated the way Ms. Mann handled it. The epilogue just made me want to run out for the next book. I will certainly be reading more from Catherine Mann!

I was provided this book by my local Library :)

50 Shades of Pink by KT Grant

50 Shades of Pink is a lesbian version of the best selling 50 Shades of Grey. In this book we have Lindsay Pinke who is working at a women's magazine as a researcher while hoping to move up within the company. Lindsay finally gets an opportunity to advance by doing an article for Colette who is the editor of the magazine. Lindsay is set to interview Victoria Nox, CEO of Nox Holdings, but finds more than she bargained for. Victoria and Colette have a past shrouded in mystery that will effect Lindsay more than she can ever know.

This book definitely tried to follow along the path of 50 SoG minus the red room of pain. I very much enjoyed 50 SoG so I was excited to read this book to see a different take on it. I also really liked the cover. There seemed like a bunch of drama here that happened in this book and was implied for the future books. The one thing I would have liked to change about SoG I would have also liked to change here. The fact that Lindsay is just so naive and awe shucks is utterly annoying. Clear signs that stuff is all likes of messed up are blatantly ignored and turned into a good thing because she wants Victoria. Even when Lindsay acknowledges that there is something wrong happening she brushes it aside. I'm hoping that Lindsay grows more of a backbone in the next book. The book really should be called 50 Shades of Nox because that girl has some serious baggage - like going on a world tour type of baggage. I'm interested to see how this story plays out.

This is my first F/F book, I've read plenty of M/M books so I wanted to see how this compared. I plan to check out some more options in this category before I determine if these are for me or not. 

This book was kindly provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Outside the Ropes by Ashley Claudy

Outside the Ropes is about Reagan Sommers and her journey that brings her to the world of boxing. Reagan has spent most of her life getting out of tough situations until one night while getting jumped she gets discovered. Reagan finds that she not only enjoys boxing but really craves that way to let some aggression out. Reagan finds herself caught between two of the men that helped her the night she got jumped. Anthony was the responding officer that night and seems determined to be with Reagan in whatever way she will allow. Gage is a fellow boxer and held some of the punks who jumped her but he is trouble with a capital T. Reagan thinks that boxing can help her get her life in order but really she finds herself in a situation that may not be easy to get out of.

It was very easy to want to be in Reagan's corner from the very beginning of the book. It's obvious that Reagan came from a very hard life but has managed to pull herself up and is working toward a different life. Getting jumped in the street changes Reagan's life in many different ways some of which are good and some look to be bad. ** The rest of this review contains minor spoilers. **

Reagan finds herself with Anthony and they pretty much use each for different reasons. I wanted to like Anthony but didn't because he just seemed to clingy and there wasn't any way Reagan cared more for him than Gage. In that fight Anthony was never going to win. Gage was an ass but maybe that's something that Reagan is in to. No one likes to be kept in the dark especially if it's stuff that is important. I was a huge fan of Dexter, even when he got himself into trouble, but I was glad that Reagan didn't let him off the hook easily.

I very much liked this book even though it left you hanging in the end - which I hate - but it certainly made you want to check out what happens next! Personally I hope that Reagan beats the tar out of Gage but that's just me lol.

I was provided this book by NetGalley for my honest review!

Slim to None by Jenny Gardiner

Slim to None by Jenny Gardiner is a book about Abbie Jennings who happens to love her job as a top Food Critic. Abbie ends up losing her position at the paper because she gets recognized and finds it hard to hide herself due to her size. Abbie decides to do something about her weight in order to get her job back and this is her journey.

When I read what this book was about I thought I would really enjoy it but honestly I had to force myself to keep reading. I didn't really find a problem with the writing and the recipes shared were a very cute touch. Mainly it boiled down to I just didn't like Abbie - at all. I wanted to like her but it wasn't happening. I was not a fan of her fat jokes, the way she treated her husband or her ability to delude herself in regards to her diet. I just could not like her. I did like Thor, from the gym, and I liked the message that the book was trying to send. I would not recommend this book to a friend but because of the writing I would be inclined to check out another of Jenny Gardiner's books.

This book was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Part-time Princess by Pamela DuMond

Part-time Princess by Pamela DuMond is the first in her Ladies in Waiting Series. This book features Lucy, a quirky fun girl that has suffered through some tragedy and is taking care of her institutionalized uncle. After sticking up for her friend Lucy finds herself jobless and in need of some serious fast cash to keep her Uncle where he can get the care he needs. 

Lucy goes online to Daveslist where she finds an interesting job posting that leads to a rather odd interview and ultimately a job. The details given to Lucy on what she is going to be doing are pretty vague but when you need money you do what you have to. Lady Elizabeth Billingsley, Zara and Mr. Philip Phillips put Lucy through some serious training that includes an all over make over and shopping spree. At first Lucy thinks she is going to be Lady Elizabeth's assistant but eventually finds out that she is supposed to fly out to Fredonia with Zara and/or Mr Phillips and impersonate her until Lady Elizabeth can make it back to Fredonia herself. 

While flying to Fredonia, on her own, Lucy meets the handsome Nick and instantly feels a connection but tries to focus on her job. When the plane lands in Fredonia Lucy finds out that when you take a job it's probably a good idea to get a few more specifics before starting because she is instantly thrust into all kinds of situations that Lady Elizabeth didn't prepare her for at all. There are two Princes vying for her affection, death threats, dungeons, ladies in waiting, and snow in the summer!

When I began reading this book I wasn't sure if I would be able to finish it because the whole idea and the characters were a little crazy but then as I kept reading I just couldn't stop! Lucy was refreshing and I admired that she just kept making things work even though Lady Elizabeth pretty much threw her to the wolves with little help. I also really enjoyed the Ladies In Waiting because they were NUTS but I couldn't stop laughing at all the crazy stuff they did and said. I adored Nick after he stopped mentioning the past with Elizabeth. Christoph, aka The Doll Butcher, is a dirty dog and probably couldn't be faithful if he tried but then again you can't always get love with an arrangement. 

Fredonia sounds like a pretty fun place to visit and I applaud Lucy for making it through while still trying to be a lady. There were SOOO many slips she made so it really surprised me that she wasn't called out on her being Lady Elizabeth every other page. Then again all the people of Fredonia were pretty crazy themselves so maybe they didn't notice at all. I liked the ending but there were SOOO many questions I had that weren't answered. I guess since it's a series I will *hopefully* find out in the next book(s). I would certainly recommend this book to anyone looking for a funny, light read. 

I was graciously provided this copy by NetGalley for my honest review.

Teaching Kids to Think by Ron Stolberg & Darlene Sweetland

Teaching Kids to Think is an interesting read about the current generation of kids who seem to be used to getting everything instantly. The book is geared toward parents who want their children to grow up and become confident, independent and thoughtful adults in a time where children are used to relying on their parents and the technology around them. The book strives to show parents ways to guide their children to develop the skills to be able to plan, organize, problem solve and make their own decisions.

The book is laid out very well and contains an introduction and the following chapters:

1. The Parent Traps: Do you take the Bait:
2. Missed Opportunities When Parents Rescue Their Children
3. Make No Mistake About It: Everyone Makes Mistakes
4. Understanding Developmental Stages
5. Take Advantage of the Critical Periods of Brain Development
6. Ivy League or Bust: Are We Providing Children What They Really Need?
7. The Phones Might Be Smart, But What About Us?
8. The Trouble With Technology: Video Games, Social Networking & TV
9. Athletics Provide More Thank Just Fun
10. Why Drugs And Alcohol Are So Appealing
11. Will Your Child Be Ready To Launch?
12. Parents Have Grown Accustomed to Instant Gratification, Too
13. Lessons Learned

This book really does cover a multitude of different subjects that sneak into every parents life at some point. Sweetland and Stolberg seemed to offer plenty of examples they have seen in their offices in each chapter. There are also several several lists included to allow parents to identify if they are exhibiting any undesirable behaviors that could be contributing to the problem. Chapters are also ended with a Putting It All Together section that includes an overview of The Issue, The Trap your falling into, and The Alternative which states different ways to handle the issue. The last chapter of the book entitled Lessons Learned is a very brief recap of the book and just summarized the ideas of the book.

There were plenty of things I liked about this book. What I enjoyed the most about this was that it's not preachy at all. In fact this book is written by parents who admit in the Introduction that they have fallen into these traps plenty themselves and just want to help other parents avoid them. I really enjoyed that the book wasn't only aimed at one age group but instead offered not only examples of different ages but also suggestions for each. So many of these traps are easy to fall into and don't seem like a big deal at the time. I honestly haven't ever thought about what my son is missing by me helping him, I instead was only thinking of how I was helping. This book really opened my eyes to the different ways helping can really hurt in the long run. As parents it's important to think of the far reaching implications of our actions. I liked the list of things teachers sent in regarding what traits students will need to be successful adults. 

There were several ideas I found in the book that I want to implement in my home such as: "Fun Friday" - A day designated to no housework etc so you can play games, plan a sleep over etc so, as a working mom, your child can plan for a specific day instead of 'maybe later' or 'someday'. I am also going to try observing a situation my son is in for at least 5 to 10 seconds for jumping in to help. With play dates and social situations I'm going to help set parameters but let my son take control. There were also some things that I've already put in place so I was glad to see them on the "to-do" side of this book lol. 

There were also a few things that didn't apply to me because they were not meant for children with special needs - this book was definitely written with neurotypical kids in mind. Really the only thing that I would have liked to have seen was any talk at all about non-neurotypical kids. More and more children are being diagnosed with Autism each year and I feel like this book missed a huge section of the population(including my child). A wonderful read and I'm beyond glad that I got to read it.

This ARC was kindly provided to me by NetGalley for my honest review.

2015 Reading Challenge

I'm no stranger to a good book that's for sure but I've noticed that I had been sticking to one or two genres. When New Years rolled around I found a awesome Reading Challenge that would hopefully help to get my reading a little more diverse than what it's been lately. Below is the Reading Challenge that I'm participating in this year. So far I've read 7 of the categories below - I will be listing them all out in one of the Tabs at the top and updating as I go along with Reviews. Feel Free to Join ME!! 

Welcome!!

A huge thanks for checking out my new blog! I am just a lover of books and can't think of a better way to spend an evening than reading a great book. I have always been a huge reader, in fact when I was a teen you'd always find me with my nose buried in a book no matter what was going on. Over the years my taste in books have changed but not my love for the written word. Now I've just added my phone and tablet to the books! My library card certainly gets a work out between myself and my son. I've been slowly bringing my eight year old into the land of books and although his current favorites lean more toward comics and graphic novels I'm still counting it as a win! 

It really is my hope that this blog will encourage more people to find a love of reading. I look forward to reviewing some {hopefully} good books and maybe in the future doing some giveaways! My plan {here and in life} is to be as honest as possible. I'm also looking forward to connecting with more people who share my enthusiasm for reading. If you have suggestions for books you think I would enjoy feel free to share them because I'm ALWAYS looking for new books! I hope you enjoy being here!