litfuse blog tour and review "Firefly Island" by Lisa Wingate

At the age of 34, congressional staffer Mallory Hale is about to embark on an off-the-map journey. After she finds herself swept up in a whirlwind romance, she is hopelessly in love with two men... but fortunately, they are father and son, a package deal and she cannot imagine her future without either of them.

Mallory was shocked when Daniel asked her to marry him, move to Texas, and form a family with him and his son. The idea was exciting and terrifying all at the very same time.

But Mallory does take that leap of faith and begins a sweet and mishap-filled journey to Moses Lake, Texas. Despite the wild adventure that is her life, she has a lot of questions about the town and the situation they are in. Can she find all the answers on Firefly Island, a chunk of property off the lakeshore where the mysterious lights glisten at night?

Not being a stranger to Lisa Wingate, it was super exciting to get to read and review this anticipated new novel of hers. I was first introduced to Lisa's writing while browsing through the library and looking for Christian publishers in various sections. I was looking for a specific author that day and happened upon Lisa's Talk of the Town series, and after that I was hooked! Her writing is amazing, though I haven't kept up with every work she's created since then. But she is still one of my favorites. “Firefly Island” certainly did not disappoint at all. I was expecting this to just be a regular, light-hearted novel, but it surprised me with an incredible element of suspense. I couldn't put this down cause the constant surprises made it all the more appealing. I'm sure others will enjoy that aspect as well. It looks at first as if it will just be a nice beachy type of novel, but it really takes off with all of the mystery and suspense! I loved it! Great read, and you should definitely check it out now, especially if you haven't read any of Lisa's work before. Now go read this great novel!

i was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my review. i wasn't compensated in anyway



Lisa Wingate is celebrating the release of Firefly Island with an iPad Mini giveaway and a fun Facebook Author Chat Party (March 19th).  

  One fortunate winner will receive:

• An iPad Mini
• The Moses Lake series (Firefly Island, Blue Moon Bay and Larkspur Cove)

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 18th. Winner will be announced at the "Firefly Island Author Chat Party on March 19th. Connect with Lisa, get a sneak peek of her next book, try your hand at the trivia contest, and chat with readers just like you. There will also be many fun giveaways -- gift certificates, books, and more!

So grab your copy of Firefly Island and join Lisa on the evening of the March 19th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun, RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 19th!

Birthday month!

I haven't written a real post in a bit. And I’m trying to remember what I was going to write about.

Well it was birthday month so that meant I had a bunch of coupons for free meals/free ice cream. Last night we used our last one. We went to benihana! It was so fun I love going there. We only go there for our birthdays cause you get a 30 dollar coupon off your meal. The funniest thing ever was the fact that our cook was Hispanic. His name was Jose! And that made me laugh cause I’ve only ever seen Asian people work there. But honestly he was the best cook ever! Loved him and he was hilarious. But they sang happy birthday and that I am not too fond of. But its alright.

We've gone to red robin, famous daves, and the keg steakhouse! Also I got free scoops of ice cream from ben & jerrys and Baskin Robbins. I love birthday month.

One week we went thrifting and I found a bag of yarn that had 6 skeins in it so we got it. It doesn't smell which was the only reason I got it. So I’m excited to do a project with it. But I’m working on finishing up my granny square blanket I’ve had in the works for a few years. Its finally getting done. I have to sew it up by hand which I didn't want to do but its actually faster than I imagined. I'm hoping I can find some more yarn that matches the color I got from goodwill because I don't want to run out with half a blanket done. Its an aqua color so I wanted to do a aqua and white chevron striped blanket. I'll have to take it to joanns to see if I can find a color that’s really similar. Hopefully I can!

As you can see the boy and I have been working on my blog layout. Its either finished or done I can't remember if there was anything else but Im excited about it!

I've been working hard at catching up on reading/reviews. Its getting there. Hopefully soon I’ll get more up/done.

But I do have an awesome review coming up so excited about it! And I’m super excited about getting into a blog tour for christian fiction. I've been working at getting accepted in and I finally made it! It was a huge goal and I’m excited I finally got there.

I'm also excited about all the new blogs I’m following and the followers I have.

But I feel so socially awkward even on the internet. I want to have great blog friend relationships like I see others having and I just don't get how I can really achieve it when I don't know how to start. So maybe someone wants to be my blog buddy? I dunno. It sounds so weird and awkward.

The boy and I have been working on talking and not getting irritated and rawr with each other so far its working though on Saturday we had a rough time of it. I'm sure It will get better. We do flow better lately though so that’s good. I guess thats about all I have to say for now.

Book Review: Shattered by Dani Pettrey

 

Piper McKenna couldn't be happier that her “prodigal” brother Reef returned to Yancy, Alaska after five years. But her excitement is short-lived when Reef appears at her house covered in blood. A fellow snowboarder friend of his has been killed. Yet despite the evidence, Reef swears that he is innocent - and Piper believes him.

Deputy Landon Grainger loves the McKennas like family, but he has to investigate the truth. Piper is frustrated with his need for facts over her simple faith that Reef is innocent. But the deputy knows that those closest to you have the power to deceive you the most. With the sheriff pushing for a quick conviction, a few leads that came through unexpectedly complicate the investigation. Pursuing the truth may now risk Landon's career.

Piper wages her own search as the two of them head out into Canada's rugged back country with a few unforeseen complications. Not only does their friendship seem to be turning into something bigger, but this case is becoming much more deadly with each and every step.

“Shattered” is the second novel in the Alaskan Courage Series written by Dani Pettrey. After I read the first in the series titled “Submerged,” I wasn't totally sure how this one would be, whether it would follow the same characters or not, and whether it would fail to measure up to the first which I enjoyed a great deal. Thankfully this one is just as good as the first, and has even more suspense! The same characters are back, and even Reef, who was mentioned in the previous novel but wasn't so much present. So it was awesome to have the long lost brother as one of the main characters in this follow-up.

One character who really drives me nuts is the sheriff - you'll see what I mean when you read this novel and the previous. But even that isn't really a negative point because he adds to the storyline a fair amount. I just really can't think of anything bad to say about the book or the author, which is quite an awesome problem to have.

This one is a little longer than “Submerged” was, but that allows for more meat to the story, which is a benefit for this story since there is so much to tell. You for sure need to read this if you love mystery/suspense books. It had a little feel of the show CSI to it, which is another plus in my book. That said, go check this out right away!

i was provided a copy of this book in exchange for my review. my thoughts are my own and i wasn't compensated in anyway.

Dani Pettrey is celebrating the release of Shattered with a Nook HD giveaway and a Facebook Author Chat Party {3/14}. 

One winner will receive:

• A brand new Nook HD
• Submerged and Shattered by Dani Pettrey {Be caught up in this riveting series.}

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on March 13th. Winner will be announced at the "Shattered" Author Chat Party on 3/14. Connect with Dani for an evening of book chat, trivia, and a chance to win gift certificates, books, and other fun prizes!

So grab your copy of Shattered and join Dani on the evening of the March 14th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book - don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 14th!

Book Review: Picture Perfect by Janice Thompson

 

Wedding photographer Hannah McDermott has dealt with her fair share of brides that could be categorized as difficult. But nothing can compare to the “bridezilla” that she is dealing with right now. She is still trying to desperately impress Belly Neeley, Galveston Island's most sought-after wedding planner. Hannah would like to take the top spot in Bella's list of recommended photographers. Just one problem: that spot is occupied by a huge rival, Drew Kincaid. But one thing she doesn't count on is falling head over heels for her competition.

This novel was a perfect introduction to Janice Thompson’s writing - though I do have a few other books of hers I just haven't read yet. But this was quite a light-hearted, fast read. The only thing I didn't realize was that some of these characters were in previous series. But you wouldn't be able to tell from just reading it. I sure didn't feel like I missed anything. But now I will be sure to look up those other books, because this one was just so delightful! There was just something about it that made you wish there were more. And the fact that it wasn't too serious and not confusing was a huge plus as well. I would definitely recommend this novel if you want a light, humorous read.

I received this  book free of charge in exchange for my review. i wasn't compensated in any way.

Available February 2013 at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Influenster Palmolive box

For this box Influenster sent three full sized dish soaps.

i didn't know how that would ship i had seen a bunch of people say that their soaps had leaked and most of it was gone. so i was a little worried about that but i got it and only one had leaked but it wasn't much of a leak at all. the bottle just wasn't shut all the way.

so my opinion on these, i did not like the ginger one. but the lemon thyme and the lime ones were great. i gave the ginger one to my moms work and they were excited about it.

i am not sure about the soaps in general though because it seems like it takes a lot more soap to get a good sudsiness to the water. at least compared to dawn which is what we normally use. it did wash the grease off pretty good though. the lids don't really open and close with ease that makes you want to not use it honestly. would i buy it normally? probably not but it was a good thing to try. thank you to influenster for providing these for review!


i wasn't compensated in anyway and my thoughts are my own.

Valentines day mug swap

I particpated in a valentines day mug swap through the sew caroline and rags to stitches blogs.

i've never done this before but this is what i recieved.


Im not sure if i'll participate again. the candy was good and the mug is okay but nothing i'm totally wild about. there was one more hot chocolate that was a raspberry one that i gave to the boys brother. i just didn't totally feel like i would connect with my partner. hers wasn't a blog i wouldn't get into in general. i hope she likes her goodies.

german weiners

i don't exactly have the best extended family ever. and my grandma didn't ever take us to the zoo or anywhere fun. usually just on errands.

but while we were going to the pike place market this past week with the boys brother. the one great memory i have about my grandma is going to the german market down at pike place and well my grandma is german so that would explain why we went there. but the best thing is when we were kids they always gave out a free weiner. and those are well i guess they can be an acquired taste but i LOVE them. and i always smile thinking of that free weiner. i went there and got some bologna and some weiners and she gave me a free one! haha i swear i almost did a happy dance. but i shared mine with the boys because they weren't standing up with me they didn't get one. haha but its just the funnest thing i know its so weird and random but. thats my great memory.

300 posts and Jasons visit!

ugh so leading up to jasons visit here there was a lot of crap going on and non communication happening so at some points it was like why even bother with this whole thing. And now that hes gone its just really sad. I wish he lived here hes so much fun and I much prefer him over some of the boys other family. Jason is amazing though it amazes me how open he is. Its just something i'm not used to. With justin he basically doesn't talk about anything at all which is one of the problems with our relationship. But jason is a total open book. It threw me off honestly. The only disappointing parts were he went off to do an audition and a class and we didn't have ALL the time to spend with him. And we didn't take any pictures with us together. Ah well.

haha the the first night jason was here we were in the boys bedroom. And jason was all “hey look at this” "i want to show you something" i don't really remember which he said. but yeah.. And he unbuttoned his pants and I was like what the crap! But he had another pair of pants under the ones he was wearing. Haha it was so funny but he nearly scared me to death. But it also could be one of those “you had to be there” moments.

so saturday was my birthday and it was a really good day. We hung out and all of us went thrifting which was SO much fun. And then we also met up with a girl we knew from the internet. But the best part was we went to dinner at red robin. Mmmmm that place is the best. Love it. We had a lot of laughs and just in general a great time. I don't really remember what else happened if anything else did. Just that jason had found this jacket at goodwill and we liked it. It was a little short in the arms but still looked good. So he was asking everyone about that jacket. And he even turned around and asked these two teenage girls about it cause they would give him an honest opinion haha. It was the best thing ever.

while jason was here it was brought up that I tend to not want to do a lot of things. I dont really like going downtown or doing other things. And last night I was talking to the boy and was just going over things in my head. I feel like I used to be outgoing and spontaneous. I used to just get up and go and not think much about the possibilities of bad things happening. But then in 2006 I got robbed at gun point in portland. And I feel like that changed me. It made me a lot more cautious and honestly paranoid. It woke me up but it also changed how I was as a whole. I don't know if its good or if its bad really. Thats just what it is I suppose. I just don't get up and go with a lot of things I have to warm up to ideas or get used to it in my head first. I feel like i'm crazy but I have reasons for the way I am. I just felt bad for when jason was here because I seemed like I didn't want to do anything. But im really just paranoid in the end.

It was weird because when the boy and I were talking about our relationship and its not totally the best thing in the world right now. He seems to be super cranky and always snappy at me lately when I just try to talk about something to him. Its really sad and I don't know why he is like that. A lot of things have been going through my head lately and its like hes two different people. He is in a lot of groups on facebook and he spends a lot of time on them. And its like hes one person with them and talks to all those people so much. But with me its completley different he is super cranky and not so nice the majority of the time. Its just sad but this past weekend I saw a different side.

Jason (the boys brother) was here and him and I seem to get a long a lot. We don't try its just like that. And the boy was kinda sad about how him and I dont' get a long like that and gave him a lot to think about as far as our relationship goes. Which is good. I think its because jason knows how his brother is and can be and that way I don't really have to explain myself or anything he just knows what i'm feeling in regards to his brother so its easier. And there isn't that history of feeling like I can't talk to him at all. With the boy I really feel like I can't talk to him or confide anything in him. And that he just doesn't care. I just get so shot down a lot of the time. And with jason its not like that at all. I'm really grateful for jasons visit cause It showed his brother a lot of things to work out with me and it is encouraging honestly.

well now that the visit is over and everyone is back to their routines its good but its weird. I thought it was so funny when the boy told me he was really happy to be back into the routine because before he was always so against routines.

in the end great visit, we are sad he is gone. jason come back and live in seattle we miss you!

its been busy around here

this entry is a little random but just go with it. the next entry will be about my birthday and the boys brothers visit!!

last week I went and finally got a blood test and I was freaking out about it. Cause my hair is pretty bad as far as its thinning. And I thought all my levels were going to be really horrible. So I stressed about it all until friday when I got the results. My thyroid level is in perfect range and another thing she checked for was also in a good range. But my iron was still pretty low. So I have to bump that up higher and take a double dose of biotin. But she is still worried a little bit not knowing if its some autoimmune thing. But I will just hope and pray its my weight and my iron. I freak out enough as it is and I don't have the money to get a test like that. But the bonus of this was I got all my labs done for free! Good thing too cause that would have been super expensive.

I bought a big cd case and I was just tired of having all those dvds in a little shelf they were overflowing and I was just tired of going through five million dvds to find the one I wanted. So I threw away all the cases and put them in that cd wallet thing. It feels so good to have that done now.

one sunday while the boy and I were watching the kids at church. One of the girls was all “teacher teacher!” to me and I was like “uh what?” first I don't like to be called teacher but thats another thing. So she said really loudly “i have tangled panties” and then all of us started busting out laughing it shocked me but it was just so funny I couldn't help but laugh. Then later when I took the same girl and two other kids to the bathroom she said she got them at costco. Then all the kids started talking about costco and how they get samples and you can buy toilet paper and all this other stuff it was the funniest thing ever.

and thats all i have for now. later this week i will have another post. maybe tomorrow! 

and this weekend i have to use more of my birthday meal coupons. though i'm sad that goodwill didn't send a coupon. :( but i love those free birthday meals! yay birthday month!

Emmy Rossum Album Review

I recieved this album for review from one2one. honestly i have no idea who this person is so i didn't have any expectations. which is good to have when you are listening to music. while i didn't love it, i didn't hate it either. her voice was good but it seemed too slow for me when right now i'm really into indie stuff like the lumineers and mumford and sons. but if you'd like to check it out its more of a jazzy type feel.

I participated in this campaign for One2One Network. I received a free copy of the CD to facilitate my review. By posting, I am eligible for incentives. All opinions stated are my own.