The Lanterns Ember by Colleen Houck

Hello again! Its my second day in a row getting some much needed down time from full time mommy life to bring you another book review. Thank you to my guy who is hanging out with our littles so I can take a break!

Synopsis:
Ember O'Dare has a secret. She's a natural born witch. From an early age, she's had a knack for crafting potions and felt and indescribable pull to the ancient bridge in her town of Hallowell. Little does Ember know, the bridge is a gateway to the otherworld, a realm crawling with fiendish beasts. And Jack, the ever-vigilant watchman, is committed to keeping meddlesome mortals away. His task is simple- or it would be, if he weren't falling for the very witch he's trying to keep out.
Undeterred by Jack's warnings, Ember crosses into the forbidden plane and sets off a chase through a world beyond her wildest imaginings. Now Jack must do everything in his power to rescue his true love before both the earthly and unearthly worlds descend into chaos.

Okay so, I waited for months for this book to be released because by the description alone I knew this was right up my alley. Witches, Halloween and a modern twist on the classic The Legend of Sleepy Hollow , I mean come on, what's not to love. I purchased it right before its release date so that it would arrive at my house upon its release. I read the first ten chapters and my life went bananas... literally crazy. Long story short, my dog got cancer, he fought for a couple months until he coul not fight any more and we put him to rest, then I took a part time job doing what I love to do, embroidery, I was in school and then we FINALLY got our transfer out of the crap town we were living in so I had to finish school, work and move with a one year old. Needless to say, reading was and has been on the back burner. In the last few weeks I have been listening to audiobooks like crazy and I saw that this book was available so I purchased it! But I digress...

Now Back to the book... Anyway because we had so much happening, I could not find the want to pick this book up again and every time I did I would get sidetracked or honestly a bit bored. There is a lull halfway through that is full of action and if you are like me you want the storyline to keep moving rather than have fluffer chapters that, in my opinion for this story, did not need to be as drawn out as they were and for me they detracted from the main premise. However I know that they do have their place and I think that most everyone will really enjoy these chapters. I have to say that the best elements of this book were the world building and the character development. It starts in this Sleepy Hollow-esque town called Hallowell that when you read the descriptions you feel like its Halloween in every scene. Then we visit the otherworld that reminded me of a steampunk underworld and by underworld I mean like one from Disney's Hercules. Then we are aboard the The Phanntom Airbus with a crew of monsters and a heated love triangle. By the end we are back in Hallowell which again is absolutely magical.

Then there are the characters. I will only talk about Ember and Jack as I want to limit spoilers as much as possible. Ember is a force! She is what you imagine a young, bright and beautiful witch to be. Imagined her as a Christina Ricci meets Mila Kunis kind of girl. Dark and beautiful but a bit rough around the edges (even if that's not how she is described) :) Then there is Jack. Be still my heart, how I loved Jack. He was dashing, and kind but he was not afraid to fight. He was masculine but not so much so that he was a muscle head (for lack of a better word) I Pictured him as Robert Sheehan with bright eyes, hark hair and Olive skin, of course even if he wasn't described that way.

I just have to say that while I was reading this, I was enjoying it but only at a 3.5/5 stars until the very end. The Epilogue alone made it a 5 star read for me. I wont give anything away, but if you are a history buff like I am then when you read it you will understand why I loved it so much. In fact I listened to it a couple more times after i finished because it was such a great way of tying in history to such a great story.

Like I said I gave this book 5 stars, and I think that it is a story that is appealing to many, especially Halloween/ Sleepy Hollow buffs like myself!

I hope you all enjoyed this review and I will plan on doing another soon!

Bye Friends

The Mister by E.L James

Hi friends and readers! I havent  had much time to blog this year. I think my last post was in February when i finished Open Book By Jessica Simpson! Well I am here today to talk about a book club read that i am happy i tried. Today we will be talking about The Mister By E.L James. If the authors name sounds familiar, thats because she is the same author that wrote the very popular Fifty Shades of Grey series. I ADORED fifty shades and Christian Grey is one of my favorite "Project" characters because he went from a broken shell of a sadist to a warm, trusting and loving man and husband to Ana. But enough about that, lets talk about her newest work The Mister .

SYNOPSIS:

London 2019. Life has been easy forMaxim Trevelyan. With his good looks, aristocratic connections, and money, hes never had to work and hes rarely slept alone. But all that changes when tragedy strikes and Maxim inherits his familys noble title, wealth and estates, and all the responsibility that entails. Its a role hes not prepared for and one that he struggles to face.

But his biggest challenge is fighting his desire for an unexpected, enigmatic young woman whos recently arrived in England, owning little more than a dangerous and troublesome past. Reticent, beautiful and musically gifted, shes an alluring mystery, and Maxims longing for her deepens into a passion that hes never experienced and dare not name. Just who us Alessia Demachi? and can Maxim protect her from the malevolence that threatens her? and what will she do when she learns that hes been hiding secrets of his own?

From the heart of London through wild Cornwall to the bleak, forbidding beauty of the Balkans, The Mister is a rollercoaster ride of danger and desire that leaves the reader breathless to the very last page.

Okay so First off let me just say I was VERY nervous to read this. I loves the Fifty Shades series so much that I just couldn't see how she would write something else as good. I was right in that sense. It was a good book, don't get me wrong but it still didn't hold a candle to Fifty Shades. I tell everyone this when I suggest this book or the others written by James, Her writing is not great, plain and simple HOWEVER she is good at writing Men. Her male characters could be considered physically perfect and perfect overall minus their GIANT flaws I.E Christian Grey is a rich Sadist and Maxim is a rich Man Whore! But the way she writes them makes you somewhat nervous and slightly uncomfortable to then being absolutely smitten with them, so I guess she is a great character writer.

Now for the flaw of this story. I have recommended it to friends who like these kinds of books but I always say "Its a European version of Fifty Shades" because it kind of is. The damaged boy falls for the shy virginal girl bringing her sexuality out and then falling in love and there is always some kind of danger. In this case Alessia is running from some human traffickers. So i would say if you are looking for a totally different love story from her previous works this is not for you, but if you love these kinds of romance novels then this is a page turner for sure.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars based on the fact that it is so similar but I was not as fond of the characters Maxim and Alessia as I was of Christian and Ana.

Well friends that wraps up tonights post. Stay tuned for what I hope will be another post next week!

Open Book by Jessica Simpson

Hey friends! Kelsey Here. Wow it has been quite a long time since Ashley or I have posted on here. Life has been busy for both of us. I wont lie to you either, I have been listening to so many audiobooks that I could write up at least 50 reviews but mom life has kept me insanely busy. Add on the loss of some amazing individuals in my life, a move and school i have not had the want to blog. My mind has been in ten thousand different places. However i have been inspired to post for you so my goal is to bring this blog back to life. It was such a fun endeavor for us and i know Ashley wants to post more too. I hope that we can and I will do my absolute best to stay inspired and ppost about what i read. That being said here is my first review of 2020.

Open Book by Jessica Simpson
Many of you have no idea, but from the age of 14 until I was 21 Jessica Simpson was my idol.I own every season of her and her now ex-husband Nick Lachey's reality show Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica. I had the whole lip collection of her Dessert line and I even had a pair of jeans from her clothing line! To this day at 31 I still find her so amazing and when i heard she was releasing a book I was over the moon. I decided to listen to the audiobook because she narrates it and for me it added to the entire experience.

Her story starts off with a heavy dose of her southern charm. She talks about living life with her family and frequently moving due to her father job as a minister. She comes from very humble beginnings with a family who did not have alot of money and were God fearing Christians. As the story progresses Jessica faces abuse from a family friend, trying out for and not making the infamous Mickey Mouse Club, losing her idol in her cousin Sarah's tragic death, finding fame and love on tour with 98 degrees, her reality show and "blonde moments" with then husband Nick Lachey, her failing first marriage, finding the love of her life in her now husband Eric Johnson and having her three babies. But the main theme is really all about her struggles with Alcohol and how all of the events that happened in her life led up to the moment she decided to get sober.

The first part of her book is quite sad. Between the abuse, and losing her cousin we see a side of Jessica that America did not see on her reality show and that her song lyrics never conveyed. She even begins to cry in her narration. As her story progresses I began to remember why i adored her so much as a teenager. She is so relatable and humble and she is not afraid to make fun of herself which is charming. But what I found the most amazing about this story is how her faith never wavered. Through the years of abuse, and heartbreak and loss she still remained steadfast in her love and blind faith in God. As someone who never had that connection with faith I was blown away listening to her thoughts on God and her prayers.

When Jessica meets Nick and begins to fall in love, I felt like I was 14 all over again. I am a HUGE self professed 98 degrees fan with Nick being my favorite so when I saw that he and Jessica were going to have a reality show on MTV I was elated! At the time i thought they were perfect and I had no idea why in 2006 they wanted a divorce. Now as a married woman, I cannot fathom how they stayed together as long as they did. They were under constant scrutiny and always followed by cameras. I will admit that when she was describing feeling ready to leave Nick and how she had changed my teenage heart broke all over again. As silly as that sounds.

Cut to when she meets her now husband Eric and becomes a mom and my heart began to burst! Again as a wife and mama hearing about how her pregnancies were and what she craved was so much fun. She is the first person to tell you how hard trying to get pregnant, being pregnant and giving birth is. She is so candid and real, its refreshing!

Open Book was such a great way to kick off my 2020. Her story made me laugh out loud and ugly cry. She makes you feel like she is telling you her story in casual conversation. She found a way to speak her truth about the good, the bad and the ugly and she did it eloquently. I think this book is good for many different types of readers. If you love her music and her its a way to get to know her. If you are struggling with the same issues of Abuse, grief and or alcoholism, she lets you know, You're not alone. If you are just a fan of a celebrity memoir its an easy read. I rated it 5 stars but i am a bit biased. I highly recommend it!

Well friends there you go! I just finished my first review of 2020 and I hope to post on my current read soon!

Top 3 Books from 2018

Hey Everyone! Can you believe that we are halfway through January already! Ashley and I wanted to do a post about the best books we read last year. I read so many great books so I had to narrow it down to only three. I will be posting a Synopsis directly from the book and then a mini review!  The Photo I am using is one I took showcasing the books! Hope you enjoy this post and Ashley will be posting hers soon~

The Wicked Deep. By Shea Ernshaw
"Welcome to the cursed town of Sparrow. Two centuries ago, three sisters were sentenced to death for witchery. Stones were tied to their ankles and they were drowned in the deep waters surrounding the town. 
Now for a brief time each summer, the sisters return, stealing the bodies of three troubled girls so that they may seek revenge, luring boys into Sparrow's harbor and pulling them under.
Like many locals, Seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot has accepted the fate of the town. But this year, on the eve of the sisters' return, a boy named Carter arrives, unaware of the danger he has just stumbled into.
Mistrust and lies spread quickly through the salty rain-soaked streets. The townspeople will turn against one another. Penny and Bo will suspect the other of hiding secret. And death will come swiftly to those who cannot resist the call of the sisters.
But only Penny sees what the others cannot. And she will be forced to choose: save Bo or save herself."
This was by far my favorite book of 2018! It was such a great combination of Hocus Pocus meets Practical Magic. This is the debut novel for Ernshaw and she nailed it! First off, her characters were outstanding, especially the Swan Sisters. They were dynamic and very relatable. The setting of Sparrow, Oregon was near and dear to my heart as I LOVE Oregon and also live on the west coast. The final twist was one that I didn't see coming which only made me love this book more. I rated this book 5 stars on Goodreads and recommend to anyone who loves a spooky and witchy read.

Odd and True. By Cat Winters
"Meet Odette and Trudchen  Grey. Of has always claimed that their mother slayed monsters and that she and her sister are destined for the same adventures. Tru, who has struggled to walk ever since a childhood illness, suspects that her fantastic stories are merely comforting lies.
But even skeptical Tru believes  there is a dark force approaching.
In 1909, after vanishing two years earlier, Od reappears in Tru's life with a suitcase full of weapons and a promise to rescue Tru from the monsters about to attack. 
Od seems haunted, searching for something she cant talk about. Tru goes along with her sister in the hopes of finding their long missing mother, but neither girl will find exactly what she is looking for.
Cat Winters did an amazing job with this story. I consider myself one of her biggest fans and this book did not disappoint! It reminded me of the hit show Supernatural except with women in 1909 and before. The backstory of the sisters and their mother is heartbreaking and so real. Winters made me weep while reading their story. The strong female characters is also something to celebrate. Both Od and Tru are a force to be reckoned with, armed with wit and strength. I gave this book a 5 star rating!

Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel. By A.W Jantha
Shortly after moving from California to Salem, Massachusetts, Max Dennison finds himself in hot water when he accidentally releases a coven of witches, The Sanderson Sisters, from the afterlife. Max, with his sister and his new friends (human or otherwise) must find a way to stop the witches from carrying out their evil plan and remaining on earth to torment Salem for eternity.
Twenty-five years later, Max and Allison's seventeen-year-old daughter, Poppy, finds herself face to face with the Sanderson Sisters in all their sinister glory. When Halloween celebrations don't quite go as planned, its a race against time as poppy and her friends fight to save her family and all of Salem from the witches' latest vile scheme.
Okay, so Hocus Pocus is my all time favorite Disney movie, so when I found out somebody was retelling the original story and adding a second part I was ecstatic to say the least. I absolutely loved this book. The retelling was so nostalgic and while I frequently watch the movie I still couldn't help but feel like a kid again. The sequel was great as well! I really enjoyed the new characters and their interactions with the original cast. The only thing I would change is some of the corny dialogue in part two. There were some one liners that I couldn't help but cringe at. Overall it was so fun and the ending only made me love it more. I also gave this one a 5 star rating!

New Year 2019

Hey everyone, Kelsey here! Just wanted to pop in and wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday. Also 2018 was a great reading year for me but the time spent between my baby, my family, and just life didn't allow for any reviewing. I'm hoping that in 2019 I can start fresh and begin reviewing books I just purchased the Always fully booked planner from @littleinklingdesigns and plan tonuse that for my reading and reviewing as my personal planner does not allow that much space for notes! I am currently reading Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis and she is inspiring my mind and heart so much. I think Ashley will be coming back to join me in reviewing as well and who knows maybe we can start uploading some video content and or giveaways!? Are you all still out there, reading this?!? We hope that you are. Until next year I wish you Happy Holidays!

2018 book expectations

Hi readers! It has been quite awhile since you have heard from either Ashley or myself. My life has been crazy hectic and Miss Ash works full time as well as attending school. We apologize for not posting more...

So 2017 has ended and we are now almost 1 month into 2018. I have set my Goodreads goal at only 10 books and I am already 6 books into that goal! I have only read extremely short books minus the one I just finished. If you have not read Furthermore by Tahereh Mafi, then you need to pick it up. It is a whimsical tale full of magic, color and self acceptance. I am currently a subscriber to Audible (thanks to my amazing husband) and I have listened to 2 books already, including Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo which I absolutely hated, and The Necromancer, book 4 in the Alchemist Series by Michael Scott which I adored! My current hard copy read is Cinder by Marissa Meyer. I am only about 10 pages in and have heard nothing but raving about the series so I am anxious to see if it will live up to its reputation. I hope to post a bit more as my free time is limited but when the blogging bug bites I have to post. I hope you will stay with us.

Book Subscription Boxes

Well, hello!!! 
So today I wanted to talk about book subscription boxes, like the Fairyloot box. I have been getting this box for six months now and I love it. It is a little expensive because it is based in the UK and I'm in the US so with shipping it's about $50 USD. There are definitely less expensive options that are just as good! I thought I'd share some pictures of the six boxes I've received so far, I hope you like them!
Disclaimer: This post is in no way sponsored by Fairyloot I am not getting anything for posting this, I just wanted to share something I love. 

This is the first box I received I bought it as a birthday present to myself! 

So these are the awesome things I've gotten so far, feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions!!!