Sarah Addison Allen is Amazing!

This is an old post that I did back in June for the Book End Babes blog that is shutting down.

June has finally made it! It’s time for swimming, barbecues, family fun, and vacations. I personally enjoy a little reading under the sun and in the evening air. I would love nothing more than to be sitting on a beach listening to the waves hit the sand while I’m devouring a book this summer. I suppose this year sitting by the pool in my backyard while the kids splash the water around will have to suffice.

Anywho…back to the book that I’m trying to tell you about.

A little over a year ago, I was fortunate enough to stumble across this amazing author. I was browsing the online library one evening for an audiobook to listen to while I was trying to fall asleep. (I love having someone else read me a bedtime story now and then.) The title of this one particular book sounded like it would be perfect for bedtime. I always hope for the best when I start a new book but I seriously felt like I had found a piece of treasure with this one. It wasn’t long after I had started listening to the book that I absolutely fell in love with it.

 

The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen was simply amazing. After reading that one, I absolutely had to read more from her. She has three other books available. Needless to say, I have devoured them all and am anxiously waiting for the next one to come out. February 2014 cannot get here soon enough for me. I’ve read many great books and hers are definitely at the top of my favorites list. The way that she writes really brings the story to life.

 I highly recommend her books to anyone who is looking for a story that will leave you with a smile long after they’ve turned the last page. The Girl Who Chased the Moon would be the perfect book to start the Summer off with. Sarah Addison Allen describes her books as ‘southern fried magical realism.’ This description couldn’t be more fitting.

Sarah Jio's Books are so Refreshing

Last week I finished Sarah Jio’s latest release The Last Camellia. She has such an amazing way of grasping your attention and pulling you in from the very first page. Her books are a perfect blend of mystery, drama, and romance. I love the way that she weaves history in with the present to craft together intriguing stories that will leave you breathless in the end. This is one of those books that you want to sit outside in the early mornings and late evenings to enjoy with a nice cup of coffee.
In The Last Camellia, Addison attempts to run from her past by moving to England with her husband for the summer. Their stay there is spent in a country manor that his parents have bought. While there they discover that the manor holds a mysterious past of its own that Addison is determined to piece together. Only the maid isn’t as forthcoming with any details as she would like which leaves Addison to her own disposal. In the midst of unveiling the lives of past occupants, she realizes that her past has followed her to England. Forced to come clean about her own past, she manages to shed light to what happened all those years ago. In the end, the closure that is finally brought to the surviving family members that once occupied the manor will leave a smile on your face after turning the last page.
I highly recommend Sarah Jio’s books to anybody that loves a good mystery that will keep them so intrigued that they can’t stop turning the pages until there are no more left. I anticipate the release dates for all of her books because I know that I’m guaranteed an enthralling adventure through the lives of her characters. I seriously do not think that it’s possible for her to write a book that is anything less than breathtaking.
The Goodreads Description:
A romantic and suspenseful tale about two women whose destiny is bound across the years
On the eve of World War II, the last surviving specimen of a camellia plant known as the Middlebury Pink lies secreted away on an English country estate. Flora, an amateur American botanist, is contracted by an international ring of flower thieves to infiltrate the household and acquire the coveted bloom. Her search is at once brightened by new love and threatened by her discovery of a series of ghastly crimes.
More than half a century later, garden designer Addison takes up residence at the manor, now owned by the family of her husband, Rex. The couple’s shared passion for mysteries is fueled by the enchanting camellia orchard and an old gardener’s notebook. Yet its pages hint at dark acts ingeniously concealed. If the danger that Flora once faced remains very much alive, will Addison share her fate?

Grab Your Tissues!!

Talk about an intense book that will leave you feeling completely blown away after turning the last page.
Oh my gosh!!! At first I really wasn’t sure what all of the hype was about but then Holder entered my life, I mean Sky’s life and things started to get pretty heated. Then I experienced ‘the most amazing first kiss in the history of first kisses without even kissing!’ Oh wait…again that didn’t really happen to me and I am soooo jealous of Sky right now.
I LIVED THIS BOOK!! I really liked it but I’m not ready to say that I loved it. So, Sky says it best when she scrambled the words together and came up with LIVE. A little bit of both words.
This book was heart wrenchingly beautiful! Colleen Hoover’s writing is breathtaking in this journey through one of the most excruciating issues that a person could experience. When I started this book I was not expecting the immensity of emotions that I was confronted with. If I had known where the story would have taken me before starting, I’m not sure that I would have read it. While I’m glad that I read it, I’m also glad that it’s over. The ending of Hopeless was bittersweet and has left me with the everlasting reminder that there really is beauty in the breaking. **Tissues within reach is also a definite must.**

BLURB FROM GOODREADS:
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…
That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.
Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.

Stacey Kennedy is the SSShhhhh...

Wow, I’m so glad that I read this book!! I love Stacey Kennedy’s books! The Cat’s Meow was just the book to cure the reading rut that I’ve been in lately. The magic that lies within the pages of this book is simply amazing. Stacey’s ability to craft such awesome stories never seizes to amaze me. Every book that I’ve read of hers has left me with such an adrenaline rush that I can’t wait to get to the next one.  I would recommend every last one of her books to anybody looking for an extreme dose of sexy mixed with the yummy paranormal realm.
Libby is a witch with the gift of casting spells that investigates the use of dark magic in the Charleston area. When her coven teams her up with a delicious warlock to look into the slaying of several cats in the area, Libby is not happy. Kale, a warlock with the ability to use runes, is actually there for ulterior motives. While she doesn’t trust or like warlocks she finds herself falling for his sexiness. I seriously need the next book in the Witch’s Brew series.
This book is loaded with plenty of mystery, action, humor, magic, romance, and steamy scenes that will get you all worked up. Stacey never fails to deliver an awesome story that will leave craving more. Her books are addictive.
**BEWARE** Her books are schmexy and definitely intended for the mature crowds.

Stitched With Love

I'm dedicating this post to my mom who is trying to get her quilting business up and running. For years she struggled to raise me and my three brothers all on her own. Our wants and needs have always came before hers but now she's found something that brings her as much joy as her children have for so long. I still don't think the quilting stands much of a chance next to her grandbabies but it's a pretty close contest. Nevertheless she has finally found something else that she can pour her heart and soul into. So, if by chance you have stumbled across this blog post click the link below and check out her facebook page. I LOVE YOU MOM!!!

https://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/pages/Nana-Rose-Long-Arm-Quilting/440445882697836

Clever Fiction

I finally put myself out there and submitted a story for Clever Fiction today. I'm really excited about it, so check it out! :)

http://www.cleverfiction.com/85/post/2013/02/unbroken.html

What's Going On In My World

I'm currently working on completing my first book. This is a story that has been in the back of my mind just waiting to be told for about a year now. The main characters, Ian and Aislynn, have finally decided that they are ready to be heard. I'm really feeling pretty good about this book, especially since it spends a lot of time at my new home away from home. I will post more details soon.