From Here To You Review

Hello Fellow Readers!

 The book I am going to review today is From Here To You by the amazingly talented Jamie McGuire. Every book I have read of hers has pulled at my heart strings, and her characters are so real that you will feel a part of them. I have never been disappointed in any of Jamie's books, and this one blew me away yet again!

The description came from the Goodreads website:

 "As Darby Dixon sits in a tiny Texas church bathroom on her wedding day holding a positive pregnancy test, she realizes that of all the bad decisions she's made in her life, marrying her abusive fiancé would be the worst. She's never been able to stand up for herself, but she'll sure as hell stand up for her baby. With just the cash she has on hand, she runs to get a bus ticket to the farthest place she can afford. Between her sheer grit and pageant-queen smile, she lands a job as a front desk clerk at the Colorado Springs Hotel. It's not a glamorous life, but she and her baby are all that matters.

A former Marine, Scott "Trex" Trexler has worked in the most dangerous, corrupt, war-torn places on earth. Now he finally has a chance to return to the last place he'd felt at peace--Colorado Springs, Colorado, to take a new job with the Cheyenne Mountain Complex, a top-secret military installation buried deep within the granite.

The moment Trex walks into the inn, Darby knows he's dangerous. There's no way she wants to get involved with another man who seems to be keeping way too many secrets. As charming and devastatingly gorgeous as Trex is, he clearly isn't telling her everything. But as wildfires rage on the mountain and Darby's ex-fiancé shows he isn't so willing to let her go, both she and Trex are soon to find out that what you don't know absolutely can hurt you."

Darby knows that she is in a very bad relationship, but doesn't see anyway out of it, because she knows if she runs she will die. While panicking in a church bathroom, she discovers she is pregnant and knows that she has to leave the relationship for the sake of her child. She escapes and manages to find a job at a hotel in Colorodo Springs. While there she meets Trex, who wants Darby and will do anything to be with her, however he knows that something is wrong and he has to take things slow. You also get to hear about some of the Maddox brothers from the Beautiful Disaster series, but I am not telling you which ones. 

This book hit me really deep, because I was once in a horrible relationship just like Darby, where he was mentally abusive and that does something to a person. Darby's character was so close to how I felt that I could relate with her and everything she was going through. Also, might I dare say it but.....I found Trex to be sexier than Travis. Jamie knows how to bring the characters to life, and bring the reader into the story. Even if you haven't read anything by her before, you need to read this amazing story, because you won't be disappointed!

Go on adventures with a former Marine and sexy fireman readers!

Image taken from Goodreads website. 

Jane Austen Fun Facts

Hello Guys!

  So here is the first post of something new I am going to try with my blog. Today I am going to provide some fun facts about my favorite author Jane Austen. Jane Austen lived in a time where woman were only supposed to take care of the home, and no one would publish a book that was written by a woman. Austen is the author of several books that include: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abby, and short stories that she didn't get to finish before her death. I have compiled a list of fun facts and wanted to share them with you.

• She never got married, however she did become engaged one time, but called it off the next day
• There are 14 kisses in Jane Austen's novels
• She was the first writer to use the phrase "dinner party"
• She also wrote poetry and was always writing when she was 12 up to her death at 41
• Her chores included: Breakfast maker, Tea maker, Sugar keeper, and wine keeper
• There was only one man who she truly loved, which was Tom Lefroy, and he broke her heart (this can also be seen in the movie "Becoming Jane")
• She loved dancing
• After her novels ended, she would dream of what became of her characters
• One of her royal relatives was Mary, Queen of Scots, fourth cousin, seven times removed
• Her sister Cassandra and her were very close, Cassandra never married eith

I wanted to share one of the poems that Jane wrote with you as well:

 Lines Written By Jane Austen For The Amusement Of A Niece- On the marriage of Frank Austen and Mary Gibson, July 1806

"See they come, post haste from Thanet,

Lovely couple, side by side;

They've left behind them Richard Kennet

With the Parents of the Bride!"

I found the above information using the following resources:

https://www.biography.com/news/jane-austen-biography-facts

http://www.10-facts-about.com/Jane-Austen/id/1380

Book:

The List Lover's Guide To Jane Austen by Joan Strasbaugh

Royal Bastards Review

Happy Monday Everyone!

  I hope everyone had an amazing weekend! Today I am going to be reviewing Royal Bastards by Andrew Shvarts. I will admit the title of the book did initially draw me to pick it up, however after I read the description inside the cover of the book, I knew I had to read it. Although it does start out slow, I continued to read it to see what would happen, and I wasn't disappointed.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "Being a bastard blows. Tilla would know. Her father, Lord Kent of the Western Province, loved her as a child, but cast her aside as soon as he had true born children.

At sixteen, Tilla spends her days exploring long-forgotten tunnels beneath the castle with her stable hand half brother, Jax, and her nights drinking with the servants, passing out on Jax’s floor while her castle bedroom collects dust. Tilla secretly longs to sit by her father’s side, resplendent in a sparkling gown, enjoying feasts with the rest of the family. Instead, she sits with the other bastards, like Miles of House Hampstedt, an awkward scholar who’s been in love with Tilla since they were children.

Then, at a feast honoring the visiting princess Lyriana, the royal shocks everyone by choosing to sit at the Bastards’ Table. Before she knows it, Tilla is leading the sheltered princess on a late-night escapade. Along with Jax, Miles, and fellow bastard Zell, a Zitochi warrior from the north, they stumble upon a crime they were never meant to witness.

Rebellion is brewing in the west, and a brutal coup leaves Lyriana’s uncle, the Royal Archmagus, dead—with Lyriana next on the list. The group flees for their lives, relentlessly pursued by murderous mercenaries; their own parents have put a price on their heads to prevent the king and his powerful Royal Mages from discovering their treachery.

The bastards band together, realizing they alone have the power to prevent a civil war that will tear their kingdom apart—if they can warn the king in time. And if they can survive the journey . . "

The description basically gives the reader the idea of what the book is going to be about without giving away anything. There really isn't anything about the story that I can say without giving anything away. I will say that there is a lot of romance, but there are no descriptive sex scenes or anything like that. The book does end on a cliff hanger, however that is to be expected because this book is the first part of a trilogy. You will fall in love with the characters, I developed a crush on Zell, but apparently I have a thing for bad boys, lol. If you are able to stick with the story and give it a chance, you shouldn't be disappointed. I actually started to like the story by the middle of it.

With this book it is honestly a hit or miss. It will have a lot to do with what kind of books you like to read, and if you can actually make it to the middle part. If the description doesn't make you 100% sure you want to read it, than I suggest you don't because you probably won't like it.

Happy journeys  my friends!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.

New Announcement!!!!

Happy Sunday Readers!!

 I am going to try something new with my blog. I have been doing three posts a week, however I am now going to add two additional days. I will be releasing posts Monday thru Friday. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday will still be book reviews. Tuesday and Thursday, I will be adding new fun posts that are related to books.

I have been thinking of adding some fun facts about different authors, book quotes for book nerds, and some other fun things that I will write about. I am going to take the weekends off, because I am currently working on my Bachelor's degree and my weekends are normally dedicated to homework, because I work a full time job during the week.

Any who, I have some books to review, so I will let you go for now, and I can't wait for ya'll to read about the book I will be reviewing on Monday!

Have a great night, and dream about your favorite fictional character!

The Dressmaker Review

Happy Friday Everyone!

  I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, I know I am full from all that food I ate. But it is also really good to spend time with family during the holidays. Today I am going to be reviewing The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott. This book has to do with a seamstress that finds herself on the Titanic during that fateful voyage.

The description is taken from the Goodreads website:

 "Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love."

Tess believes that being hired by a famous designer will open up doors for her, and along her adventure on the Titanic she doesn't expect to find love with two different guys. When Titanic hits the ice berg, Tess doesn't know if she is going to survive or if anyone is going to survive. Through her terrifying journey through the sinking of Titanic and the trials afterwords, the reader gets a behind the scenes look into one of histories worst disasters. I didn't even know they had trials after the sinking until after reading this book, and the author goes into a lot of detail that will leave you wondering just who was at fault for the unsinkable ship sinking.

This is such a beautifully written story, and it doesn't take away the tragedy of all the innocent lives lost on that night the titanic sank. Kate does the story justice, and through her character Tess, the reader is brought along on the journey for the good and the bad. After reading this, you get a sense of what those people went through, the one's that lost their lives, and the one's that survived.

Happy reading about a new point of view about the Titanic.



Image taken from Goodreads website.

Austenland Review

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

  I hope everyone has a good, safe Thanksgiving tomorrow! As you know I am a huge fan of Jane Austen, and love every single one of her books. Today I am reviewing Austenland by author Shannon Hale. I couldn't put this book down when I read it, and when I saw they were making a movie, I knew I had to see it. I have actually read the book and watched the movie more times than I can count, and each time although I know what is going to happen, I am still drawn into the story.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "Jane Hayes is a seemingly normal young New Yorker, but she has a secret. Her obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, is ruining her love life: no real man can compare. But when a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-crazed women, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become realer than she ever could have imagined.

Decked out in empire-waist gowns, Jane struggles to master Regency etiquette and flirts with gardeners and gentlemen;or maybe even, she suspects, with the actors who are playing them. It's all a game, Jane knows. And yet the longer she stays, the more her insecurities seem to fall away, and the more she wonders: Is she about to kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?"

Jane Hayes is like every woman who reads Pride and Prejudice, falls in love with Mr. Darcy, well at least she is like me. Jane is giving the once in a lifetime opportunity to go back into Jane Austen's world, wearing the gowns they were, meeting gentlemen, living in Jane's shoes, and basically living every person's fantasy of living in Jane Austen's world. Jane has always wanted to meet her very own Mr. Darcy, and she might just have the chance to fall in love with a fictional character that has come to life.

This book will have you laughing, crying, screaming, and wanting Austenland to be a real place that you can visit. Even if you have seen the movie, which is just as amazing as the book, you still need to read this book, because it gives you deeper look into the story than the movie does. If you love Jane Austen and want the experience of living in her shoes, you need to read this book, and let it transport you to a resort that someone needs to build, because I want to go and find my own Mr. Darcy.

Happy journey into Jane Austen's world my friends!



Image taken from Goodreads website.

As Old As Time Review

Hello Fellow Book Geeks!!

  Can you believe that Thanksgiving is this week!?!? Where has this year gone, and why does every year feel like it is going faster and faster? My favorite Disney movie has always been Beauty and the Beast, so you can image when I found out there where doing a retelling of it, I was freaking out. Today I will be reviewing As Old As Time by the amazing Liz Braswell. This is also part of the Twisted Tales series, and I was so happy with this amazing story.

The description was taken from the Goodreads website:

 "What if Belle’s mother cursed the Beast?

Belle is a lot of things: smart, resourceful, restless. She longs to escape her poor provincial town for good. She wants to explore the world, despite her father’s reluctance to leave their little cottage in case Belle’s mother returns—a mother she barely remembers. Belle also happens to be the captive of a terrifying, angry beast. And that is her primary concern.

But Belle touches the Beast’s enchanted rose, intriguing images flood her mind—images of the mother she believed she would never see again. Stranger still, she sees that her mother is none other than the beautiful Enchantress who cursed the Beast, his castle, and all its inhabitants. Shocked and confused, Belle and the Beast must work together to unravel a dark mystery about their families that is twenty-one years in the making."

If you have seen the movie Beauty and the Beast or read the many different versions of the story, you know how the story goes. An enchantress curses a spoiled Prince, and turns him into a hideous beast to teach him a lesson. He has to get someone to fall in love with him to break the spell, and through twists and turns Belle falls in love with the beast and they live happily ever after. However, in this story Belle finds out it was her mom who cursed the beast, and together they must untangle a mystery from the past.

Liz sticks with the original Disney story, however she adds a sense of mystery to it that will leave the reader guessing until the very end of the story. There are new scenes thrown in with the old scenes, and nothing is taken away from the original story. In the movie Belle came to save the beast, however in this story when Belle gets into trouble it's up to the beast to save her. I loved this retelling so much, and I honestly believe that it gives a reader a deeper understanding of the story, and the sacrifices the characters are willing to make for each other. Liz brings a deeper understanding to the beautiful story of accepting someone for who they are, instead of how they look.

Dive into an adventure as old as time my friends!



Image taken from the Goodreads website.