Baked Fresh by Annabeth Albert

Annabeth Albert brings us another fun read about Vic Degrassi a baker on the rise in Portland. Vic goes after what he wants—and gets it whether it's losing weight, giving up smoking, or graduating from culinary school. Vic decides he wants Robin Dawson, the sweet-hearted hottie who volunteers with him at the local homeless shelter. When he learns that Robin is suddenly single after being unceremoniously dumped, Vic is more than happy to offer a shoulder to cry on—or at least a fresh-baked pastry to bite into. But it's been a long time since Vic's gone on a date, and he's nervous about risking his friendship with Robin. So when their flirtation turns into a steamy night together, Vic and Robin have to figure out if they're friends with benefits or lovers in the making, and if Robin is ready for something more than just a rebound.

I really enjoyed this book and thought the characters were just adorable. I like the differences in Robin and Vic and how they see each other. The description of the book led me to think that Vic's New Years resolutions would play a bigger part than it did but it didn't really detract from the story. Robin's previous relationship was certainly not really healthy at all but I would have liked to hear a little more about it rather than just guessing from how he is so skittish now. I thought that Annabeth did a very good job of displaying the self image issues that many people face after losing a lot of weight like Vic did. I was super excited to see Robby and David from the previous book too. I really look forward to reading more from this author.

I was given this awesome book to give my honest review of from NetGalley!

Crushed by Lauren Layne

Crushed by Lauren Layne is a book about two people who thought they knew what they wanted until they actually got it. Michael St. Claire grew up in New York but sets out to Cedar Grove, Texas to escape his life and find out more about his real father and the family that never knew about him. Chloe Bellamy has lived in the shadow of her pretty sister, Kristen, her whole life.

Chloe Bellamy has been in love with Devon Patterson for years but has resigned herself to just be his friend while Kristen has what she wants. Michael's plan was to use pretty, refined Kristen to meddle with his half brothers life. Michael decides to use Chloe's crush on Kristen's boyfriend to strike a deal with the curvy quirky Bellamy sister.

Chloe has always felt like the ugly one next to her picture perfect sister. Chloe would never do anything to break up her sisters relationship but she can't help but think that Devon is with the wrong girl. Michael is bringing some major baggage from New York and thinks that stirring up trouble will make the chaos in his life calm down. The book starts out with Michael and Chloe bickering before deciding to strike a deal to get Chloe in better health in order to show Devon what he's missing.

This story is really a tale of 'the grass is always greener on the other side'. Ladies with straight hair prefer curly and ladies with natural curls use straighteners. We always think we want what we can't really have. Chloe started out as Devon's best friend and thought herself in love with him before he became popular and started dating her sister Kristen. She has had to watch what she wanted being flaunted in her face for years while eating her feelings and hiding behind sarcasm. Along came Michael who guessed her dilemma immediately and, for his own selfish reasons, decides to help her get fit while showing Devon what he's missing. Michael doesn't really know what he wants but seems drawn to this curvy sarcastic girl with the mess of curls.

I really really enjoyed this book! Chloe is beyond funny and I love that she just pokes at Michael or Beefcake as she calls him. Who would have known that the Star Spangled Banner would be used like that? I just about fell over laughing at that whole thing. I thought Michael was definitely a smidgen broody but then again after his history is fully explained I understood him a little more and forgave his bi-polar self. The reunion at Micheal's place was a little bit crazy but a whole bunch perfect. I laughed a lot while reading this book and that's ALWAYS a good thing! I can't say that I was a big Kristen fan but then again I have to recognize that not every person can have depth, some people are just shallow like a puddle. I wasn't a huge fan of the way Chloe saw Devon in the beginning but then again that's how first crushes go. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wanted a sweet fun read with minimal drama. I totally would be down with a sequel.

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

Improve Your Memory by Robert Allen

Improving your memory can help you in your everyday life and is extremely important to everyone. Your brain is a muscle and you need to exercise it. With this book you CAN improve your memory.

I know that was a super short intro but it pretty much summed up this awesome book. Even from the start I appreciated that the book didn't talk 'down' to me but rather approached this topic as an equal. There was also a lot of good advice on things that I wouldn't normally think had anything to do with your memory but really (when I actually think about it) would effect your entire life so duh that would include your memory.

Taking the tests included in this book was both interesting and frustrating because I need work on my memory (hence my desire to read this book lol). I do have to say that I did better on them than I thought I would so I guess that's something right? I really liked the metaphor of memory being like glue and then going through the different "strengths" of glues. Throughout the book there were some cute quotes sprinkled in and I enjoyed them. I also really liked that the author fully admitted that some of the techniques were just plain wacky but that is what made them work! In the back of this there are plenty of memory tests and I liked the variety and content. I also really liked that this author didn't go into a bunch of medical stuff about your brain and memory it was more of a peer talking to you.

There was one example used in the first part of the book that I didn't appreciate at all. The author mentioned how the Army uses rituals to teach "a youngster who has little formal education (and may not be too bright) to strip down a complicated device.." and I really think this could have been worded differently to try not coming off like recruits are all stupid young kids. There are plenty of veterans in my family (young and old) and I just found the example left a bad taste in my mouth. I'm sure it wasn't really meant to be rude but it bothered me none the less.

Overall I liked the book and found it very easy to read and hopefully it will help me with my long and short term memory!

I got the opportunity to read this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Fix You by Beck Anderson

Fix you by Beck Anderson brings us a story about a widow, Kelly, who is trying her best to raise her two sons after losing her husband. Kelly quite literally runs into Andrew one morning and it instantly changes her life. One would think that Andy Pettigrew has it all with his movie star status but really he is heading towards a dark path when he meets Kelly. Andy pursues Kelly even though she has reservations about disrupting her families lives and fitting into his world. Andy has been having trouble coping with his fame and even though his efforts are great even Kelly might not be able to help him. 

I did enjoy this book a great deal. It was a very quick read and I liked the journey the two characters had to go through to find their own happiness. I think that Kelly went into this relationship with equal measures of reluctance and pure blindness. Andrew clearly threw out clear warnings that his world wasn't exactly stable but Kelly ignored it until she couldn't anymore. Andrew needed help for far to long and shame on the people in his life for not trying harder to get him to want it. I don't really like the way Kelly handled after the scene on the beach, even if I understand some of her reasons. Throughout the book Kelly mentions his young age and maturity level compared to hers but I don't think she really was as mature as she touted she was. Overall this was a good book showing that you really need to fix yourself and that although that's your job it can't hurt to have someone else there for support. Life is hard and sooo many things can complicate it but it's all in how you choose to handle it.

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.

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!!