Reclusive fantasy author turned famous when his series got developed into a mega TV hit. Except now I’m way behind deadline, and the whole world is waiting to see what I’ll write next. The pressure is getting to me, and I. Can’t. Write.
Cue: small town where people don’t recognize me.
Cue: my assistant insisting on a personal chef to keep me fed and nothing more.
Cue: finding the first bit of inspiration I’ve felt in months whenever she’s around…
Am I a walking cliche now, or what?
Dani Cooper seems to have her own hurdles to jump this holiday season. Newly divorced, looking for her next move. She’s the first person who’s seen me for me in way too long. And I see her, too–as way more than just an employee, a divorcee, a cook. She’s becoming my muse…
But when my Christmas deadline hits, will it spell the end of us, too?
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My Review This was just the right light-hearted romantic comedy I needed over the holiday season. Filled with lots of sweet, funny moments, it tells the tale of Matt, a younger, hotter, George R.R. Martin-type, who is trying to write the last book in his series at the same time that the television series based on his books is set to begin their last season of production. Too many similarities to ignore it, but that’s what makes it so fun and relatable. When recently divorced Dani is hired to cook and clean for the reclusive author as he pounds out his manuscript, these two end up falling for each other. But with Matt leaving just after the new year, both of them know this isn’t mean to last. Except what if they both want it to?
Plot The story itself is pretty predictable, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a hoot. It’s delightfully whimsical, filled with quirky characters and hilarious moments that kept me turning the page. There were a few twists I didn’t see coming, but nothing earth shattering. Just enough to remind me that the story wasn’t as predictable as I thought. The author’s style and well-developed characters carries the story to perfection.
Characters I loved everything about this wacky cast of characters. Dani, Matt, Dani’s family, the slightly eccentric neighbor, and even Matt’s assistant are well differentiated and utterly delightful. There is no one that you love to hate, in fact, the only real antagonist is the calendar eating away at Matt’s deadline and the opportunities for Matt and Dani to spend time together. Also maybe Matt’s stubbornness.
What I Loved About WRITE BEFORE CHRISTMAS 1. The Town. This is a really fun small-town romance that feels straight out of Stars Hallow.
2. Writing. I enjoyed reading about Matt’s writer’s block, his ability to find anything to do other than write, and his back-and-forth with his editor. All things I can relate to!
3. Dani. As a forty-something divorced mom, she wasn’t the least bit silly but also wasn’t overly serious. She was believably zany while also being down to earth.
4. Matt. His stubborn tenaciousness contrasted with his ability to procrastinate grounded him in reality so well. We’re all a little bit juxtaposed. But his more straight-laced style to Dani’s free-spiritedness was a nice balance.
5. Christmas. I love a good holiday romance and this was a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form. I loved every minute of it.
Bottom Line A delightfully quirky holiday romance that warmed my heart and made me smile.
About the Author USA Today bestselling author Julie Hammerle writes young adult novels that focus on nerds, geeks, and basket cases falling in love. On the YA side, she is the author of The Sound of Us (Entangled TEEN, 2016) and the North Pole romance series (Entangled Crush, 2017). For adult romances, look for Knocked-Up Cinderella in the fall of 2018. A graduate of Butler University with degrees in secondary education and Latin with a minor in music, Julie lives in Chicago with her family and enjoys reading, cooking, and watching all the television.
Synopsis “[A] heartwarming fantasy … Christmas enthusiasts will find this hits the spot.” ~Publishers Weekly
A contemporary, holiday fantasy with a new twist on A Christmas Carol and It’s A Wonderful Life.
Abby Nicholson used to love Christmas. Until she didn’t.
After leaving Winter Glen, the small town famous for its Christmas celebration and her family’s greeting card company, Abby is forced to return to the home she left behind when the unexpected passing of her father thrusts the business into her hands.
Turning her back on the magic of the holiday beloved by her father and the town, she decides to sell the business. Signing the paperwork with the very pen her father used to create it, she is shocked to discover her hometown has become a whole new world.
One where Christmas has vanished!
Now stuck in a place devoid of hope, joy, and the spirit of the season, Abby sees family and friends altered in the most terrible of ways.
Determined to set things right, though unsure how, Abby takes out her father’s pen and begins to draw. When she realizes her art is coming to life, she sets out to recreate the holiday and bring back the most wonderful time of the year.
But some are determined to keep an iron grip on the town and will do anything in their power to stop her..
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My Review WRITE CHRISTMAS is a Hallmark Christmas movie that lives in my Kindle. It’s a delightful story full of hope, transformation, and charming characters straight out of a Dickens tale. Abby Nicholson is the heir to the Samuel Nicholson Card Company, her beloved late father. The entire town of Winter Glen was built around the bucolic greeting card company. But the bright-eyed hopeful girl who used to help her father hand-sketch his whimsical, heartwarming designs is all grown up with all of that hope drained from her. With a teen daughter of her own and the father of that daughter proposing to her year after year, she’s jaded and ready to move on. In her words, there are no adventures left to be had in Winter Glen and is ready to sell the company to a big chain and leave town for good.
No one thinks this is a good idea, except Abby, so the town will need to come together to convince her that there is so much more to Winter Glen than she can see. But it will take more than that. Abby needs to rediscover the magic of Winter Glen and Christmas itself, the holiday that the town has embraced more than any other place in the country.
Plot The primary plot centers around Abby, but the story is told like a vivid movie, with a stellar supporting cast who all have their own stories within the story. The author does a brilliant job of creating these fabulous characters that I couldn’t help liking from the first moment they appeared on page. Even Lolo Windberg. Because the story is about growth and second chances, no one thing drives the plot, but rather they all work together to create this magical story of redemption and rediscovering the joy of Christmas, like ingredients in a favorite Christmas cookie recipe. It’s not perfect if you leave even one thing out.
The Characters The characters are what really makes this story work. The plotting unfolds at a steady, but slow pace, but because the characters are larger than life, it’s okay. I’d spend all day with these people. Huston has a way of developing his cast with a word here and a sentence there that make them come to life. From Darla, the town mayor, to Abby, Abby’s mother Stella, her daughter, Chloe, and the man who wants her love, Cameron, to the people who work for her greeting card company, everyone is the star of their own part of the story even as the contribute to the greater tale, and we feel that on every page.
Top Five Things I Loved About WRITE CHRISTMAS 1. Winter Glen. I’m more of a big city girl, but if I ever moved to a small town, it would so be Winter Glen. The town is its very own character in the story.
2. Darla. The quintessential mayor is spunky and seems to always have the right thing to say in a given situation, even though she doesn’t think she does.
3. Abby. Though often morose, it’s easy to understand her disillusionment with both her home town and the Christmas season it embodies. She’s all of us at one time or another.
4. Cameron. His persistence is sweet rather than stalkery. Being the father of her daughter only makes his unwillingness to give up on the woman he loves and the family he wants endearing rather than creepy.
5. Christmas. The best holiday of the year gets a fresh new tale.
Bottom Line A warm pair of socks and a cozy fire wrapped up in an endearing tale.
Disclaimer
I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
About the Author Thommy Hutson is a bestselling, award-winning author, screenwriter, producer, and director.
A graduate of UCLA, he began his career co-writing the story for the Warner Bros. animated hit SCOOBY-DOO IN WHERE’S MY MUMMY? He followed that with co-writing the concept and additional material for CHILL OUT, SCOOBY-DOO!
As an author, Thommy crafted a limited-edition coffee table book detailing the making and legacy of horror icon Wes Craven’s 1984 classic A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET. A trade version followed from Permuted Press/Simon & Schuster. His novel, the teen thriller Jinxed, (Vesuvian Books) is the first in a trilogy that has been called “A must-read for classic horror fans … Hutson could easily take on the mantle as the next Lois Duncan.” Hutson was named on the
7 Essential LGBTQ Horror Authors for Your Summer Reading Lists.
Thommy wrote the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries original film, A CHRISTMAS FOR THE BOOKS, which was the highest-rated scripted program the night it premiered. He co-scripted the teen thriller INSTAFAME (Lifetime), wrote a screenplay for an audio holiday project, and is in development on a family feature film. In addition, Thommy produced the critically acclaimed feature THE TROUBLE WITH THE TRUTH, an insightful relationship drama starring Lea Thompson and John Shea. He also produced DREAMWORLD, a quirky, romantic dramedy. He has also worked as a staff writer on a Hulu web series.
A member of the Producers Guild of America, a Saturn and Home Media Magazine award-winner, and an aficionado of holiday films as well as teen movies from the 80s and 90s, Thommy continues to develop unique, compelling, and provocative projects across multiple genres for film, television, publishing, and home entertainment.
AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS (Love Unexpectedly #5) by Lauren Layne
Synopsis She’s making a list—and checking it twice. But is there a nice guy among all her naughty exes? The New York Times bestselling author of Blurred Lines returns with a charming friends-to-lovers rom-com.
When a psychic tells spunky, superstitious Kelly Byrne that she’s already met her true love, she becomes obsessed with the idea of tracking him down before Christmas. Kelly immediately writes up an “Ex List” and starts contacting old boyfriends to figure out which one is the one. When her college sweetheart rolls into town, Kelly convinces herself that they’re meant to be. The trouble is, sparks are flying with someone she’s never given a chance: her best friend, Mark.
Mark Blakely has watched the guys on Kelly’s list break her heart, and he’s not looking forward to watching them do it all over again. Mark’s always been there for her, but the timing’s never worked out for their relationship to be something more. Now, just as Mark is ready to move on, the sexual tension between them is suddenly off the charts. With Christmas morning around the corner, he just hopes Kelly will wake up and realize that everything she wants has been right in front of her all along.
.
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My Review Still on my friends-to-lovers kick, I couldn’t wait to get into this light-hearted romantic comedy. Add Lauren Layne as the author, a little bit of snow, and some holiday magic, and I was all in. Layne is known for her quirky characters and Kelly is no exception. A school teacher in a private New York academy, she lives and dies by the Magic 8 Ball, allowing it to guide her choices. So it’s not surprising that Kelly would take the prophecy of a subway psychic to heart. When Kelly discovers that the love her life is someone she’s already met, she makes a list of all of her exes to figure out which is “the one.” Things go hilariously wrong with each one, only frustrating Kelly. She can’t figure out how the psychic could possibly be wrong, so she works her way through one ex after another, with disastrous results.
Enter Mark. He’s been her best friend for the better part of a decade. Old high school friends who have never risked that friendship with something as temporary as sex. Not to mention the fact that Kelly is so not like any of the super hot girls Mark usually dates. So when she starts to have deeper feelings for Mark, she only amps up her search for the right ex before she acts on those feelings.
Plot
The plot is somewhat predictable, but it’s so adorably told, it doesn’t really matter. Much of the story centers around Kelly’s search for her perfect ex, but her long-term friendship with Mark is a strong subplot until it becomes front and center. Underlying it all is Kelly’s superstitious nature that drives most of the conflict.
Characters
Lauren Layne’s writing shines when it comes to her characters. Kelly is delightful as an elementary school teacher who relies on fate to chart her course in life. While this could easily come off as cartoonish, Kelly has more depth to her than that, making this aspect of her personality realistic. Mark is utterly believable as the long-suffering best friend. A man of few words, he lets his actions speak for him. The supporting characters are light, with Kelly’s exes getting most of the roles.
What I Loved About AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS 1. Friends to Lovers. One of my favorite tropes.
2. Kelly. Her smart, spunky brand of quirky is a breath of fresh air.
3. Mark. He takes the strong, silent type to a new level of hot.
4. Christmas. I love all the holiday elements incorporated into this story. Everything from snow to decorations and a Christmas parade make the setting an essential part of the story.
5. Surprise Ending. So while I was pretty sure I knew how things were going to end, I didn’t know how it was going to get there, and the sweet surprise at the end was perfect.
Bottom Line An adorably fun contemporary romance with the perfect amount of heat and humor.
Disclaimer I was provided with a copy of this book by publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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About the Book Title: AN EX FOR CHRISTMAS Series: Love Unexpectedly #5 Author: Lauren Layne Publisher: Loveswept Release Date: November 7, 2017 Pages: 204 Genre: Adult Contemporary Holiday Romance
Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Barnes & Noble | Kobo
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Author Lauren Layne
About the Author NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR
Prior to becoming an author, Lauren lived in Seattle with a cushy job in e-commerce/web-marketing. On a whim, she quit her job and moved to NYC to pursue a writing career. A year later, she had an agent and two publishing contracts.
She now lives in midtown Manhattan where she writes full time, although has been known to be lured away from the computer by a well-made cocktail.
Heading home always stirs up mixed emotions for Laney Calhoun. Twelve years ago she left for graduate school, broken-hearted. She’s found professional success, but positive personal relationships have proved elusive. Running into her ex-boyfriend fans flames she thought long extinguished, and causes a renewed interest in love. Not with Kyle, of course. Never again. But as sparks fly and items of clothing disappear, she scrambles to keep her emotions in check.
…Now he has a second chance to get it right.
Kyle Nixon let Laney slip away once. Their chemistry together is undeniable, but steamy sex is not enough to convince her to let him back into her heart. Even if she did trust him again, her career as a paediatric surgeon is five hundred kilometers away from the hometown that he loves, and the life he once chose over her.
Come home to Wardham. Come home to love.
My Review I’m a sucker for long-lost love stories, so I had high hopes when I started What Once Was Perfect. My biggest issue is that most of the elements of these types of stories were missing. The couple made up almost instantly without much conflict at all. The romance was sweet with plenty of steamy sex scenes, but I never doubted these two would end up together. When Delaney Calhoun goes home for Christmas, she runs into her ex, Kyle Nixon, for the first time since her father’s funeral. They both realize their raw attraction is still present and are rather quick to act upon it. When Laney needs to return to Chicago after the holidays, the two will have to figure out how a long-distance relationship could work this time around rather than break them up again.
Plot
The pacing moves okay, but there is a lack of significant conflict. Instead, the story moves with some obvious unresolved sexual tension, clearing up of some misunderstandings, and lots of steamy bedroom scenes. It’s clear immediately these two still love each other and the only real unknown is how they’re resolve a long-distance relationship. But they’re not teens anymore, so I was confident the responsible adults in them would figure it out.
Characters
The two main characters, Laney and Kyle, are both likeable and well-rounded. It’s clear that miscommunication and misunderstandings got in their way all those years ago, but they recognize it now. There is solid character growth and introspection that is realistic and a natural culmination of the events.
What Didn’t Work for Me
1. Lack of meaningful conflict. My personal preference is for stories laced with conflict, even sweet romances. I would have like a less easy path to HEA.
What I Enjoyed About What Once Was Perfect 1. The characters. They were well developed, interesting, and likeable. 2. Character growth. Both Laney and Kyle need to look inside and confront their own part in their past breakup in order to move beyond it. 3. Sexual tension. These two had it in spades and it worked well. 4. The setting. A picturesque small Canadian town at Christmas was the perfect setting for Laney and Kyle’s story. The author brought the scenes alive in all their white and wondrous glory. 5. Compromise. I love that the ending didn’t come together all nice and neat and that both needed to compromise on what they thought they wanted to get what they really needed.
Bottom Line What Once Was Perfect is a sweet holiday romance about enduring love and second chances.
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About the Book Title: What Once was Perfect Series: Wardham #1 Author: Zoe York Release Date: June 14, 2013 Pages: 147 Genre: Contemporary Holiday Romance Links:Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo | GooglePlay
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Author Zoe York
About the Author New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Zoe York is a busy working mom of two young boys, wife to a very understanding soldier, and creator of modern, sexy, small town contemporary romances. Her debut novel, What Once Was Perfect, started the popular Wardham series, and her first military romance, Fall Out, was released as part of the international bestselling SEALs of Summer super bundle.
She lives in London, Ontario and is currently chugging Americanos, wiping sticky fingers, and dreaming of heroes in and out of uniform.
Since I decided to give NaNoWriMo another go this year, I didn’t get as much reading done as I normally would. Still, sixteen hours in a car, travelling to Northern California and back, provided some much-needed reading time last week. Here are the books I reviewed in November:
Return Once More (The Historians #1) by Trisha Leigh
About the Book
Title: Return Once More Series: The Historians #1 Author: Trisha Leigh Publisher: Bloomsbury Spark Pages: 289 Category: Young Adult SciFi/Time Travel/Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes and Noble | Bloomsbury
Synopsis If you could learn the identity of your one true love—even though you will never meet— would you?
Years have passed since refugees from a ruined earth took to space, eventually settling a new system of planets. Science has not only made the leaps necessary to allow time travel, but the process engineered a strange side effect—predicting your one true love.
If you could save your one true love from an untimely death, would you be able to resist?
Sixteen-year-old Kaia Vespasian is an apprentice to the Historians—a group charged with using time travel to document the triumphs and failures of the past—and she can’t resist a peek at her long-dead soul mate in Ancient Egypt. Before she knows it, she’s broken every rule in the book, and the consequences of getting caught could destroymore than just her new romance.
Or would you have the strength to watch him die?
But when Kaia notices a fellow classmate snooping around in a time where he doesn’t belong, she suspects he has a secret of his own—and the conspiracy she uncovers could threaten the entire universe. If her experience has taught her anything, to changing history means facing the consequences. The Historians trained her to observe and record the past, but Kaia never guessed she might have to protect it— in a race across time to save her only chance at a future.
Bottom Line Return Once More is an engaging time travel scifi romance with an intricate plot and intriguing characters.
Title: Rival Love Series: Rival Love #1 Author:Natalie Decker Publisher: Swoon Romance Release Date:August 26, 2014 Pages: 286 Genre:Young Adult Contemporary Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Synopsis Skylar Fletcher is a proud Harris Academy Bulldog! She has everything she’s ever wanted: a perfect boyfriend, great friends, and her dream college waiting for her in the fall. But nothing lasts forever. Skylar’s world shatters when her mom decides it’s time to move and drags Skylar, kicking and screaming, into Bobcat territory.
At Delmont High School, home of the Bobcats, Skylar has no friends and is often bullied. To make matters worse, her home life sucks thanks to all-star quarterback Caleb Morgan, nephew of her mom’s live-in boyfriend.
At first, Skylar and Caleb want nothing to do with one another. But they soon discover they’re not that different after all–and each is harboring a secret attraction to the other. But can a Bulldog and a Bobcat ever really be more than friends? And are Skylar and Caleb willing to risk everything to find out?
Rival Love is a debut young adult contemporary romance from Natalie Decker.
Bottom Line Rival Love is an contemporary teen romance with themes of bullying, belonging, and finding love and acceptance for who you are.
Title: Never Trust a Happy Song Author:Natalie Bina Release Date: March 14, 2015 Pages: 180 Genre:Young Adult Contemporary Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon
Synopsis When Cassidy Diamond is admitted to a prestigious summer program at Stanford University, she looks forward to being surrounded by people just like herself: smart, studious, and antisocial.
But when Cassidy is assigned to stay with the Harper family and meets their vivacious and uninhibited daughter Grace, the two girls clash at first sight.
Cassidy is determined to not let Grace distract her from her studies, while Grace wants to show Cassidy that maybe her grades aren’t all she has going for her, and that life might be about more than building the perfect resume.
Bottom Line Never Trust a Happy Song is a realistic contemporary teen story about learning to let go in order to find yourself.
The Revolution of Ivy (Book of Ivy #2) by Amy Engel
Title: The Revolution of Ivy Series: The Book of Ivy #2 Author: Amy Engel Publisher: Entangled Teen Release Date: November 3, 2015 Pages: 400 Genre: Young Adult Dystopian Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon│Barnes & Noble│iBooks | Kobo│Google Books
Synopsis **WARNING: Contains spoilers if you haven’t read book one**
Ivy Westfall is beyond the fence and she is alone. Abandoned by her family and separated from Bishop Lattimer, Ivy must find a way to survive on her own in a land filled with countless dangers, both human and natural. She has traded a more civilized type of cruelty–forced marriages and murder plots–for the bare-knuckled brutality required to survive outside Westfall’s borders.
But there is hope beyond the fence, as well. And when Bishop reappears in Ivy’s life, she must decide if returning to Westfall to take a final stand for what she believes is right is worth losing everything she’s fought for.
Bottom Line The Revolution of Ivy moves away from familiar territory, raising the stakes, and finishing the series on a high note.
Get Yourself Organized for Christmas by Kathi Lipp
Title: Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Author: Kathi Lipp Publisher: Harvest House Publishers Release Date: September 1, 2015 Pages: 144 Genre: Organizing/Holidays Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon│Barnes & Noble
Synopsis Have you lost your Christmas joy? Does the thought of jam-packed malls, maxed-out credit cards, overcrowded supermarkets, and endless to-do lists give you the feeling that maybe Scrooge was on to something?
In Get Yourself Organized for Christmas, Kathi Lipp provides easy-to-follow steps to reduce the stress of the holiday season, including tactics for how to
put together a holiday binder you’ll use year after year determine a budget that won’t break the bank gather your elf supplies get your gift list together (including ideas for various ages and relationships) collect your recipes and prep your kitchen
By putting into practice Kathi’s tricks and tips, you’ll finally be able to fully enjoy this most wonderful time of the year.
Bottom Line A good book for someone who is really disorganized. If you’re looking for something revolutionary, it’s not here.
Abby and the Cute One (Backstage Pass #5) by Erin Butler
Title: Abby and the Cute One Series: Backstage Pass #5 Author: Erin Butler Publisher: Entangled Crush Release Date: November 16, 2015 Pages: 172 Genre: Young Adult Contemporary Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis He’s cute. He’s famous. And he could ruin everything…
Every member of Seconds to Juliet has a girlfriend-except for Nathan Strong. Now the band’s manager is leaning hard on “The Cute One” to play the role of the band’s heartthrob. With the band’s sales in decline, it’s up to Nathan to keep the fans’ fantasy alive.
The plan is to stage a fake relationship and a fake breakup, and then let the fans fight to be the one to mend Nathan’s broken heart. Just one problem. There’s another girl in the picture-one Nathan can’t stay away from. In private, Nathan’s stealing kisses with the band’s new opening act, Abby Curtis.
If they’re caught, no one wins. Abby will be fired, and the band might not recover the success they need to survive. But even with the pressure mounting, Nathan and Abby can’t stop themselves from stealing one more touch, one more kiss. And it’s only a matter of time before it all falls apart.
This Entangled Teen Crush book is as forbidden as the secret romance it contains! It has hot kisses, graphic language, and extreme misbehaving. DO NOT GET CAUGHT WITH THIS BOOK…unless you want everyone to know you believe in true love.
Bottom Line Abby and the Cute One is a lighthearted contemporary romance that’s as adorable as the characters themselves.
Mirror X (The Van Winkle Project #1) by Karri Thompson
Title: Mirror X Series: The Van Winkle Project #1 Author:Kerri Thompson Publisher: Entangled Teen Release Date: June 30, 2014 Pages: 360 Genre:Young Adult SciFi/Dystopian Romance Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo
Synopsis I was born more than a thousand years ago. Put into a cryogenic tube at age seventeen, forgotten during a holocaust that decimated the world, I’ve finally been awakened to a more serene and peaceful future.
But things at the hospital are new and strange. And it’s starting to scare me.
Everyone is young. Everyone is banded and tracked. And everyone is keeping secrets.
The cute geneticist Michael Bennett might be the only good thing in this crazy new world where “life is precious” but no one seems free to live it. The problem is, I don’t think he’s being totally honest with me, either.
When I’m told only I can save the human race from extinction, it’s clear my freeze didn’t avoid a dreadful fate. It only delayed the horror…
Bottom Line Mirror X is an interesting scifi/dystopian adventure with some unique aspects. I’m interested to see where this series goes.
Writing Deep Scenes – Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion, and Theme by Martha Alderson and Jordan E. Rosenfeld
Title: Writing Deep Scenes: Plotting Your Story Through Action, Emotion, and Theme Authors: Martha Alderson and Jordan E. Rosenfeld Publisher: Writer’s Digest Books Publication Date: October 2, 2015 Pages: 248 Category: Writing Fiction Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars Links: Goodreads | Amazon |Barnes & Noble
Synopsis Take a Deep Dive into Plot and Scene and Improve Your Writing
Whether you’re planning your first novel or have already written a first draft, you need to master the concepts of plot and scene to truly realize your story’s potential. “Writing Deep Scenes” teaches you how to write strong, layered, and engaging scenes–the secret to memorable, page-turning plots. It’s filled with practical tools for building layers and nuance into your scenes, employing the right scene types at the right junctures, and developing a profound understanding of how plot and scene intertwine.
Inside you’ll learn: How scenes are comprised of three key layers: action, emotion, and theme.How to recognize each layer and weave them seamlessly into a scene.How to develop an intricate relationship between the action and emotion in every scene.How thematic imagery embedded in scenes increases a story’s tension and contributes to the story’s meaning.Using contemporary examples from a variety of genres, “Writing Deep Scenes” provides an effective method for plotting at the scene level. Use these techniques and enrich your fiction and memoirs with page-turning suspense and pathos, and explore new depths in every story you write.
Bottom Line Writing Deep Scenes presents solid techniques for developing your plot and creating layered scenes, but the terminology takes a little getting used to.
Get Yourself Organized for Christmas by Kathi Lipp
Synopsis Have you lost your Christmas joy? Does the thought of jam-packed malls, maxed-out credit cards, overcrowded supermarkets, and endless to-do lists give you the feeling that maybe Scrooge was on to something?
In Get Yourself Organized for Christmas, Kathi Lipp provides easy-to-follow steps to reduce the stress of the holiday season, including tactics for how to
put together a holiday binder you’ll use year after year determine a budget that won’t break the bank gather your elf supplies get your gift list together (including ideas for various ages and relationships) collect your recipes and prep your kitchen
By putting into practice Kathi’s tricks and tips, you’ll finally be able to fully enjoy this most wonderful time of the year.
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My Review Based on the title and subtitle I was expecting more. When I spotted this on NetGalley, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and start organizing the heck out of my holiday. I was even happier when I started reading it and realized I was already ahead of the game simply by reading it in October. But my happiness dwindled and fizzled out around the fourth chapter. Author Kathi Lipp has some good ideas, but nothing earth shattering or revolutionary. Her primary tool is a three-ring binder with pockets and sheet protectors for organizing. In today’s digital age, it seemed a little old school, particularly since each chapter contains a section on decluttering. The first step in decluttering is going digital in my opinion. So I decided to keep a digital binder using Microsoft OneNote.
But the more I got into the book, the less I even did that. Things like organizing recipes in the binder seemed silly. I have a Pinterest board for those already. Same for gift ideas. I don’t need to rip out pages of magazines and stuff them in my binder if every catalog has a website now and ideas can easily be pinned to private boards. It’s also nothing I haven’t already been doing for years. I think the subtitle is right — they are simple steps. As in the very basic things most people are probably already doing anyway unless their incredibly disorganized and barely able to get out of the house most mornings.
That said, the part of the book that really spoke to me was the first few chapters where she recommends making a list of what’s really important. Asking your family for the things they cherish the most and doing away with the rest. We implemented that and have our list. We don’t need 76 different types of Christmas cookies. Each member picked one favorite and that’s what we’re going with.
Most of the rest of the book I could do without and ended up skimming some of it. I rarely write bad reviews because normally if I don’t connect with a book, I don’t finish it, and then I don’t feel like I can write a review on a book I didn’t finish. But with this book, I did end up reading the whole thing because I wanted to see what other great ideas I could find. In this case, less than half a book’s worth.
Bottom Line A good book for someone who is really disorganized. If you’re looking for something revolutionary, it’s not here.
Disclaimer I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my review.
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About the Book Title: Get Yourself Organized for Christmas Author: Kathi Lipp Publisher: Harvest House Publishers Release Date: September 1, 2015 Pages: 144 Genre: Organizing/Holidays Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon│Barnes & Noble
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Author Kathi Lipp
About the Author Kathi Lipp helps women renovate their life with projects for the soul. She is a national speaker and author who inspires thousands each year to take beneficial action steps in their personal, marital, and spiritual lives. Her wit and wisdom will give you new ways to:
•Avoid settling for less than God’s loving plan for your life.
•Develop new levels of warmth and tenderness with your spouse.
•Return fun and flirting to your marriage.
•Boost your confidence to follow God-given dreams and goals.
•Create an environment of encouragement in your friendships
Kathi is the author of The Husband Project: 21 Days to Loving Your Man on Purpose and with a Plan and The Marriage Project: 21 Days to Bring Back the Love, Bring Back the Laughter, Bring Back the Lingerie (coming December 2009)with two more books under contract . In addition, her articles have appeared in Today’s Christian Woman, Bay Area Parent, Focus on the Family, Discipleship Journal, and Christian Parenting Today.
Church leaders and women’s ministry directors rely on Kathi to help women move from living out of obligation to enjoying godly passion.
Kathi and her husband, Roger, are parents of four kids and live in San Jose, California. They are members of Church on the Hill where Roger is the programming director of the worship arts ministry.
