Friday, April 30, 2021

Blackberry Beach Book Review

I have never read this author before but the description and cover made it sound like a book that I would like.  Blackberry Beach (Hope Harbor) by Irene Hannon is the 7th book in the Hope Harbor series. I was so excited after reading the book to look it up and see that I had 6 other books that I would get to read. I decided to take a chance and I wasn't disappointed. The rest of the books are at the local library so I will check out those and others by the author.

 

Blackberry Beach: A Hope Harbor Novel

Katherine Parker is on the cusp of having everything she ever wanted--fame, money, and acclaim. So why isn't she happy? In search of answers, she comes incognito to Hope Harbor on the Oregon coast for some R&R. Maybe in her secluded rental house overlooking the serene Pacific she'll be able to calm the storm inside.

Coffee shop owner Zach Garrett has found his niche after a traumatic loss--and he has no plans to change the life he's created. Nor does he want to get involved with his reticent new neighbor, whose past is shrouded in mystery. He's had enough drama to last a lifetime. But when Katherine and Zach are recruited to help rehab a home for foster children, sparks fly. And as their lives begin to intersect, might they find more common ground than they expected . . . and discover that, with love, all things are possible? Bestselling and award-winning author Irene Hannon invites you to come home to Hope Harbor--where hearts heal . . . and love blooms.

Katherine Parker was going through a lot in her life and decided to go where she was happy and relaxed.  It took her back to a rental in Hope Harbor.  She felt that she could finally relax from the spot light that she was feeling in LA where she was normally living.  Next door to Katherine's rental is Zach Garrett who moved to get away from the grind of the job that was not fulfilling.  He worked hard and opened the local coffee shop where customers are treated kindly and everyone feels at home. Katherine and Zach feel a connect because they have both gone through similar changes in their lives and they try to help each other. At the same time, Frank, who works at the coffee shop, is fighting the feelings that he has for Zach's aunt because he feels that she is out of his league.  I love a book that has more then one story line going but still isn't so caught up in the cast of characters that I get confused.  I hadn't read any of the other books in the series and I was able to pick up this book and read it like a stand alone book. I don't want to give away the path that the story takes but follow this group of great characters and find out how all of their lives turn out.  I am sure you will enjoy the ups and downs and how they work through the hard parts of life.  Books where the characters overcome their burdens always leaves me feeling hopeful and I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the amazing series.  I can't wait to read some of the other books now that I have found this fun new small town of Hope Harbor. I know that they will all be just as wonderful as this one was!

**I was provided a copy of the book for my review but all opinions here are my own and I was not required to have a post review.

Tuesday, April 27, 2021

Huckleberry Lake Book Review

 I hope that you check out this next installment of Mystic Creek series, Huckleberry Lake (Mystic Creek) by Catherine Anderson. It is the 6th and final book in the series. I was looking forward to seeing who we got to learn more about when I picked up this book.  I was so excited to see Erin De Laney and Wyatt Fitzgerald who I enjoyed getting to know in the last book.

 Huckleberry Lake (Mystic Creek)


Erin De Laney came to Mystic Creek hoping that the slower pace might rekindle her enthusiasm for law enforcement. Instead she feels as frustrated as she did in the city and when her disillusionment with the job increases, she takes a position on her uncle's ranch. Her life has enough complications without her attraction to handsome, deaf cowboy, Wyatt Fitzgerald, the foreman on the ranch. Wyatt has sworn off dating, and Erin fears that nothing she does will ever change his mind. Yet while working with an abused horse under Wyatt's guidance, Erin comes to better understand herself. She also learns that love can heal almost anything. Wyatt yearns to take Erin into his arms, but he's hesitant to pursue a romantic relationship. When their work sends them out alone together into a wilderness area, Wyatt is even more determined to hold Erin at arm's length. But out of their time alone together on the mountain blossoms a chance for a once-in-a-lifetime love if only he's willing to give her his heart and make her his.

I enjoyed getting to know Erin and Wyatt in the last book and was excited to see them in this book.  I was a little disappointed at the beginning of the book because I thought it was a change from where the last book left off.  Erin and Wyatt were sort fighting a relationship but it was still a friendship so it was a little switch in my mind to where this book started.  I know most people aren't reading the books back to back so they might not feel the same way or they might have seen something differently in the last book that I missed. I enjoyed watching their friendship grow again in this book and see all the challenges that both go through in this book. I love that this series normally covers two different couples and this book was no exception because we got to know Wyatt's brother who was fun to get to know and his love interest.  I think that the book quickly got back on track and I was much happier as the book went on but I don't want to ruin anything so I think that you should pick up this book and read for yourself. I hope that you check out this book and the rest of this series.  I enjoyed it a lot and was so happy to get to have one more time to visit this small town.

Monday, April 26, 2021

Menu Plan Monday 4/26

 


 

Pasta with Sausage Sauce and Garlic Knots and garlic bread

Grilled Caesar Chicken with Rice (Crispy Pepperoni)

Grilled BBQ Chicken with mac and cheese or tater tots (Chicken fries)

Tacos and corn bread (Hashbrowns and Bacon for my son)

Homemade Pizza

??

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Homemade French Fries

 

I can't believe another Monday is here!! It always seems like a surprise when these happen because the weekend feels so short. I am excited that I had the whole month planned but working on finishing the plan for May and I keep changing my mind! I need to get that finished soon and start my monthly shopping list. I have a few options for Saturday but the plan keeps changing when I rearrange the meal plan so I will see if I can get that finished today.

Last week went according to plan and I was very grateful to have it in place.  We actually ran out of lettuce because the head that I got was gross in some spots so I switched the tacos that were originally on the menu for the chili from this week.  I was super happy with making the switch at the beginning of the week and it made the week go so smoothly.  Now I am way more excited about tacos this week and my husband will be very excited for Taco Pizza.  It is super tasty!!

Hope you have a great week planned and if you have any great recipes that I need to add, please let me know!!

Monday, April 19, 2021

Menu Plan Monday 4/19

 


 

Spaghetti with Sausage Sauce and Garlic Bread Pizza (Penne with garlic bread for my son)

Grilled Spiedies Chicken with Rice (Hashbrowns and Bacon for my son)

Chicken Paninis with tater tots and shoestring fries (Chicken fries)

Chili and corn bread (Pasta)

Homemade Pizza

House Autry Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes or Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Pot Stickers and Edamame

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Homemade French Fries

 

Last week we ate everything according to plan except our take out which we were expecting to be just one cheaper pizza was more expensive because the promotions in our area changed so we had pay regular menu pricing or pick a new promotion.  We enjoyed pizza, bread sticks, and  buffalo chicken bites with the new promotion and spent $18 after using the rest of our gift card. Then Saturday we decided to have leftovers and clear out the fridge instead of the meal planned.  We are going to have that this weekend instead of the meal planned.

Super excited to have all of the meals planned for the month and everything in the house to make them work...mostly.  However we had a few extra salads and our lettuce was a little gross when I cut into so a bunch went into the trash which was a bummer.  We need to get a little more lettuce and probably some milk at the end of the month. So this week we switched out Tacos that we were supposed to have with Chili so that we could put off the purchase of the lettuce later. Hopefully we won't have another bad head but it has been happening a lot no matter where I buy it. 

Thursday, April 15, 2021

Strawberry Hill Book Review

 I was straight on to book 5 in the series, Strawberry Hill (Mystic Creek) by Catherine Anderson after finishing the last book.  This was a hard one to put down because I wanted to find out what was going to happen next. Not a mystery but totally suspenseful!!

 Strawberry Hill (Mystic Creek Book 5)

As a camp cook, Vickie Brown loves feeding any size crowd in the great outdoors--with one notable exception. She never would have predicted she'd join the crew led by gruff cowboy Slade Wilder, the man who broke her heart just days before their wedding.

Life has gone on since Vickie left him, but Slade can admit his attraction to the one woman he's ever loved remains stronger than ever. If he wasn't in such desperate need of an experienced cook for his paying guests, he would send Vickie packing. He knows better than to seek out the company of the woman who broke off their engagement so many years ago.

Except there's no escaping each other in the confines of the wilderness area, especially once their anger begins to soften in the shared close quarters. But after Vickie finds the courage to confront Slade, it will take a leap of faith for them to put their past behind him, even if it's the only way to recapture their once-in-a-lifetime love.

Super fun book that starts off with Vickie who we haven't met before who is dealing with having to take a job far away from where she was living because of the economic downturn.  She finds a camp cook job which happens to be in her hometown that she swore she would never return to. Although we have to learn why she doesn't want to return when she breaks down and tells her daughter all of the secret information from her past. She had her heart broken by Slade Wilder who was supposed to marry her in a few days but she found out that he was cheating and left.  Although she wrote him 4 letters after she left to tell him that she was carrying his baby but she heard nothing in return. Vickie finds out that the camp cook is working for Slade but she decided that she is going to take the job to deal with her past issues.  She pulls into camp and waits for Slade to show up and see how the years have affected him. Slade decides to let her go but the other guys in his crew disagree because without a cook, they won't keep the customers happy.  Vickie and Slade have to confront their issues in the past and figure out how to work together in the middle of the wilderness but it is a crazy ride while they figure out how to do it.  I hope that you check out this book and the others in the Mystic Creek Series. I know that you will enjoy them.  Stay tuned for the review of the next book in the series soon!!

Wednesday, April 14, 2021

Spring Forward Book Review

 I was excited to get back to this series since it was due back to the library soon and I had three books to read through. Spring Forward (Mystic Creek) by Catherine Anderson was the 4th book in the series. I had other books that were due back to the library that I needed to read first so this second half of the series was put on hold for a little bit.  I was excited to see who we were going to be meet in the small town of Mystic Creek now.

 Spring Forward (Mystic Creek Book 4)


When a favorite customer on his delivery route needs a favor, Tanner Richards agrees to help without a second thought. The last thing he expects is to face off against the man’s spitfire granddaughter.
 
Crystal Malloy is near her breaking point. Her beloved grandfather constantly skirts the rules at the retirement center where he’s recovering from surgery. She’s caring for his escape artist dog, even if it means abandoning her salon customers, and she has no time for a romantic attraction to the handsome new stranger. 
 
After Tanner’s reassigned to Mystic Creek, Crystal can no longer ignore how much she misjudged the man’s good intentions. She has known too much sorrow to easily open her heart, but she can’t deny that Tanner and his children could gift her with a happiness beyond compare—if only she can forgive herself for the past and accept that she’s deserving of such a love.

Tanner Richards is living a life all about his family.  His wife is gone and he is raising his two children alone.  His mother is there to help but he feels like he puts too much on her and she isn't getting a chance to have her own life. Tanner left his accounting practice to move to a smaller town to have a better life for his kids.  He now works a delivery person and becomes friends with a lot of people along his route.  Although one of those friendships gets him into trouble.  He is asked to deliver a package to a friend who has left his home on Tanner's route to delivery to the Retirement Home that he is living in while recovering from surgery which is in a different town.  Tanner decided that he is going to do it and then ends up loosing his route and having to work longer hours. Tanner meets the granddaughter of his friend, Crystal Malloy, and is immediately drawn to her.  She is dealing with a lot trying to keep her business afloat and make sure that her grandfather is well taken care.  At the same time she is caring for her grandfather's difficult dog who keeps escaping.  The characters and the story are really good and make me want to keep reading to find out what happens.  I think that you will be surprised by all the ups and down in this book.  There were surprises around every turn of the page. I hope that you check out this book and the others in the Mystic Creek Series. 

Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Menu Plan Monday 4/12

 


 

Spaghetti with Meat Sauce and Garlic Bread Pizza (Penne with garlic bread for my son)

Grilled Montreal Chicken with Rice (Hashbrowns and Bacon for my son)

Ground Beef Salsa with mac and cheese (Crispy Pepperoni)

Chicken Enchiladas and corn bread (Chicken Fries with tater tots)

Pizza Hut Take Out Movie Night

House Autry Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes or twice baked potatoes

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Homemade French Fries

 

Last week, we had everything according to plan and used up all of the things that I thought we would.  I got cheers when I announced take out this Friday and I am going to be excited to not be cleaning the kitchen. I have already spent the monthly grocery shopping budget and the overage from take out on the grocery shopping for the month.  I know that I have to make a lot of extra treats from scratch in order to make sure that we make it through the month and maintain the limited budget that is left. I think that we should be set up to finish all the meals that I have on the menu so we just need to make sure we have breakfast and lunch and snacks!!  Going to start baking now!

A Year Without Couponing

 I have been couponing for over 10 years and enjoyed all of the stockpile that I gotten at super low prices. I never thought I would go back to not couponing but I guess it would take a pandemic to shut down the system.  I stopped getting newspapers because the library was closed.  Even before the libraries closed, there were less inserts and less coupons in the inserts. It wasn't worth buying the inserts to save the money that I spent on the paper. Now with a crazy infection spreading in ways we were still learning about I was staying out of the stores and shopping once a month to save on exposure. We didn't know what the year was going to bring.

We got the notice that my son was going to stay home from school on March 13, 2020. Little did we know that we would be out of school over a year and we wouldn't even be going back to get our things.  

By March 14th, grocery store shelves were cleared of many foods and household goods.  My husband drove me from store to store so that I could run in and grab a few things to make sure that we had a stock of the important things my son's favorite Chicken Fries, Bacon, Pringles, Cool Whip, Ice Cream and ingredients for Rice Krispie Treats. We got gas in the car because my father (and living through multiple ice storms) taught me to always be prepared. 


 

March 15th brought notice that all school buildings were closed so my husband and son were both home now. I knew that I was going to have to create a schedule before things were crazy in my house.  My son had a check list of all of the things he had to do in a day in different categories so that he could pick.  He did Mo Willems Lunch Doodles to do art and had a ton of fun. He did Coloring Squared to do Math and other fun things.  He started making cakes, brownies, rice krispie treats and kool aid by himself in the kitchen.  He built things out of Legos and made marble mazes. He started doing lots of biking and playing outside. We all watched Cincinnati Zoo Home Safari to learn about different animals.


By March 25th, we realized that this wasn't passing anytime soon and I headed off to the store.  I got food that I thought would be fun and still distract my son like we were on spring break for real and enjoying life although Dad was obviously still working every day from the dining room table and we weren't going anywhere fun.


 

The beginning of April was when we realized that we needed masks going forward to leave the house. It also meant that germs were everywhere and we were told that we had to wipe down everything coming into the house so we had to wait in long lines at the grocery store and shop quickly with plastic gloves and face masks and hand sanitizer. There were no longer returns or exchanges in stores, no rain checks and shelves were still empty so you got what you could and went from store to store just to get enough to make it through until the next fun shopping trip.



The middle of April is when we learned good terms like synchronous and asynchronous because school was going to start up but only online and we had to know when we were supposed to be where and which platform to sign in on. My son quickly caught on even though he had over 10 different google classrooms and just as many teachers to balance. We did virtual teacher appreciation and end of the year parties and made the most of the year finishing it out with our class.


 

Home hair cuts started in May and hand made masks from Grandma showed up in the mail in June. School was over and the pool finally opened even though it was a little different since we had to swim in lap lanes. Life was different but we were trying to adjust and make things seem like normal.  


 

We decided to go to our July beach rental with driving straight through with no stops. We just made it a totally different experience with only one trip to the pool and no eating out. We went to the beach when it was quiet in the morning and left when it started to get busy. We rented bikes to ride around town. Overall it was weird but an amazing change to being at home for over four months. We thought we were recharged to make it through this because it had to end soon right?



We are now going for a full year out of the physical school and finishing up this school year online by choice. We are making the most of what we have and enjoying time outside but what have we learned.

What has this year taught me?  I can still make my budget work in the short term by cutting out a lot of things and being very creative.  I am grateful that I make our bread, rolls, cookies, cakes, quick breads and more. If I make a few things a week, the groceries don't seem to be as limited because we have a fun breakfast and dessert. I make at least one batch of homemade bread and one batch of rolls.  I make pumpkin bread or blueberry muffins or chocolate chip scones. I make a yummy dessert treat like cake, brownies, cookies and more. We have homemade french fries, hash browns, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, and twice baked potatoes so we use 15 pounds of potatoes a months now.  We also need at least two bags or flour and two bags of sugar for the month to make all of the meals and treats.




What was a grateful for? We use a lot of cleaning products in the middle of a pandemic but I had lots of things on hand to pick from when stock was low at stores. Although cleaners are getting lower, I still have enough toilet bowl cleaner, laundry detergent and trash bags to last the next year or longer thanks to great sales before the pandemic. In the pantry, I still have plenty spaghetti, hot sauce, salad dressing, syrup and a few other items to last for over a year. The personal care selections included tons of extra shampoo, soap, toothpaste and toothbrushes which we enjoyed.

I wish that we had couponing where I could still get lots of things for free and go to the store daily to get the things that we want that are on sale. But I am grateful to have stocked up on the things that that I have and really use the last year and many to last us through the coming years. I am certain that I am going to get better at knowing how long things last so we can have a good inventory like I know a box of 80 trash bags lasts me over a year.  I still don't know how long the laundry detergent and dish detergent last us. Going back to tracking how long things last to see what we need to keep on hand.

I still make my monthly meal plan the same way with an inventory at the end of the month of things in the pantry, fridge and freezer.  I have been making a big effort to use all the things that we have that we haven't used like the BBQ sauce and the Grape Jelly that we don't like were mixed together and I used it on chicken with a little of a seasoning that we had.  We both thought it made an amazing BBQ chicken sandwich on grilled homemade rolls.  Stir fry was made with Franks Stingin Honey Garlic mixed with the Teriyaki sauce that we hadn't been using and a little soy sauce. It turned out to be such a favorite that we are sort of sad that we are running out of the Teriyaki sauce. We had Orzo in the cupboard and I decided to add it to a rice dish which made it taste amazing like homemade Rice A Roni. I have used spices that I haven't touched in ages and things in the pantry that really needed to be used up. It has been easy to plan with the things on hand and add a few things to the list to get for the month to stay under my $160 grocery budget.  My monthly shopping trip is mostly getting things that are on sale to stock up in the coming months. I hope that I can continue the same but as things run out and grocery prices increase, I wonder if my budget is going to have to change. 

What have you learned this year that has changed the way you shop and meal plan??

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

Superb and Sexy Book Review

 I was excited and sad to get to the third installment of the Sky High series because I knew which character it was going to be about but I also knew it was the last one.  Superb and Sexy (Sky High Air) by Jill Shalvis is the book that lets us get to know Brody, the last member of the Sky High company.

 Superb and Sexy (Sky High Air Book 3)

Buckle Up. It's Going To Be Quite A Ride.

Despite his brooding bad-boy attitude, Brody's luxury charter airline, Sky High, provides the perfect escape route whenever things get complicated. And lately, things have become very complicated, thanks to the insanely passionate, or perhaps just insane, kiss he shared with Sky High's gorgeous, wisecracking concierge, Maddie. He's tried to keep his distance, but now Maddie desperately needs help, and it's triggering alpha-male urges Brody didn't even know he had--especially after he finds out that Maddie and her twin sister Leena are in big-time trouble. To save Leena, Maddie and Brody must pose as husband and wife. Good plan, except it's hard to tell if the heat in bed is acting or something too good to be true. . .

Brody and Maddie have both been in all of the books in the series because they both work at Sky High but this book lets you get to know them both better.  I was glad to get all of the history for both of them because understanding where the character comes from is always helpful in this goal.  Brody always seems grumpy and brooding while trying to keep his distance from Maddie who works as the concierge for all the rich clients. Maddie is attracted to Brody but always fighting with him so avoids him when she can.  Then this book has Maddie recovering from the gun shot wound in the last book that Brody blames himself for her injury.  Maddie has been out of work for 6 weeks and Brody goes to find out what is going on.  He gets turned away twice and then decides to break in to the back door because Maddie looked like she was upset so having a bad boy past comes in handy. Once he is inside the house, he realizes the truth.... Maddie has a twin sister and although they are alike in many ways, Brody can tell the difference in their expressions.  He is there to help both of them and ready to do anything that they need but neither of the sisters will tell him what is wrong.  Leena disappears and then Maddie finally lets Brody help but you have to pick up the book to find out what happens along the way. I hope that you check out and enjoy this last installment of the Sky High series with the fun loving pilots.  I know that I really enjoyed this series and read through them very quickly.  They were all hard to put down and fun to read.

Menu Plan Monday 4/5

 


 

Spaghetti with Meatball Sliders (Penne with garlic bread for my son)

Grilled Spiedie Chicken with Rice (Hashbrowns and Bacon for my son)

Chicken Paninis with tater tots and shoestring fries

Spicy Honey Mustard Chicken with chopped salad, mac and cheese and corn bread

Homemade Pizza (Pepperoni, Garlic Chicken, Buffalo Chicken and Pizza Knuckle Roll Ups)

Fried Rice, Egg Rolls, Potstickers and Edamame

Chicken Fries, Chicken Wraps and Homemade French Fries

I totally forgot to post the meal plan this week with the beginning of the month grocery shopping getting in the way.  I had made one for the whole month already made though I promise. We weren't really out of that many things but there were a few things that we needed and I knew that it was best to get most of the things that we needed for the month.  I went to Aldi, Lidl, and Trader Joe's.

Last week went great and we had everything on the plan.  We really enjoyed the Lemon Chicken with Orzo and Rice.  I was sort of sad that I didn't put it in the April meal plan so we are rethinking that and might have to trade it out with a planned meal.  The Roast that I did in the crock pot and the twice stuffed baked potatoes were very tasty and I was excited to have a little leftover so that I could use it for my Panini this week.

Tuesday, April 6, 2021

Smart and Sexy Book Review

 I had a bunch of books that I grabbed at the library when it was closing it's doors again but I wasn't sure what I was getting because I started throwing books in the bag as fast as I could because there was a limit on the time spent in the library. One of the books that went into my bag was Smart and Sexy (Sky High Air) by Jill Shalvis and the third book in the series.  I reserved the second book in the series so that I could read the series of three books together but I was running out of time because they were all due back to the library and I still hadn't read them....oops!!

 Smart and Sexy (Sky High Air Book 1)

A widowed ex-model in search of hidden money hijacks a sexy pilot in this romantic suspense series opener by the New York Times bestselling author.

Noah Fisher has worked for months to make Sky High the most prestigious charter airline in California. He's long overdue for a break—something involving ski slopes, cold beers, and hot ski bunny babes. The itinerary doesn’t include being hijacked by Bailey Sinclair, gorgeous widow of one of Sky High's wealthiest (ex-)clients. But here he is, crammed in a cockpit with a scared, stubborn, unbelievably sexy former model who could get him in serious trouble . . .

Noah Fisher was working hard as a pilot but was involved in a plane crash.  He was taking a break to recover and ready to head to ski and relax.  Of course nothing goes according to plan when he is hijacked by one of his clients, Bailey Sinclair. He has often had thoughts about her but she was married at the time so Noah kept his distance.  She has recently lost her husband and obviously going through something.  Noah was willing to help her in any way that he could even though she was holding him at gun point...well, pen point but he didn't know. Bailey is running away from people who are trying to chase her because of the mistakes that her husband made.  She has to find the money that he has hidden to pay back the people that her husband stole from so that she could stay alive.  Noah helps to fly her to the different resorts that she is trying to find the money that her husband has stolen.  She is escaping everyone and is pulled to Noah.  Bailey and Noah go through a lot together and they are pulled together by the chase and Noah is working to protect Bailey the best that he can.  There are tons of chases and challenges and I hope that you enjoy the ups and downs of this fun book. I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the Sky High series. Super fun series with the fun group of friends that came together to start the Sky High company and spend their lives flying.

Friday, April 2, 2021

Strong and Sexy Book Review

I was excited to reserve the middle book in this series from the library and get it in so that I could read through the whole series together. Strong and Sexy (Sky High Air, Book 2) by Jill Shalvis is crazy priced on Amazon but luckily the library had it for free.  Another great reason to love the library!!

Strong and Sexy (Sky High Air Book 2)

 

A pilot and a zoologist tackle inescapable danger—and passion—in this romantic suspense novel by the New York Times bestselling author of Smart and Sexy.

Shayne Mahoney is the laid-back, easygoing rebel in his family. But running Sky High Air—a charter airline catering to the rich and famous—is a dream come true, especially with in-flight specials like kissing his client’s beautiful, brainy daughter in a cozy coat closet. But before Shayne can say “Fasten Your Seat Belts,” Dani claims to witness a murder, gets stalked in her own apartment, and, as an added bonus, gets them both shot at by a mystery sniper. Normally Shayne would be strapping on his parachute and jumping out of the plane by now, but with Dani’s delicious body clinging to his, letting go is the last thing he's willing to do . . .

Shayne Mahoney was known as a laid back pilot that was easy going and out for a good time. He is working on starting his charter airline business with his best friends and focused mostly on business.  He is hosting a party and ends up in the coat closet, kissing a girl under the mistletoe.  He finds out that she is the daughter of a wealthy client so he tries to distance himself but she quickly reappears claiming to witness a murder. He is worried about her after checking the parking lot to find nothing out of the ordinary and then tries to help her.  It ends up turning into a crazy roller coaster ride for both of them with people shooting at them and apartment break ins and the same dead body showing up again.  I know that you won't be disappointed if you pick up this interesting murder mystery and figure out who did it!!  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the Sky High series about these fun pilots. I know that you will enjoy all of the action and adventure that there is in these books.

Thursday, April 1, 2021

Nobody But You Book Review

 I was enjoying the series and was excited to start Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge, 3) by Jill Shalvis.  It is the third book in the series and I had to read it quickly because I totally forgot to review the book.  I guess I returned it to the library before making a note of it.  Luckily I remembered to go looking for the third book in this series since I didn't see it on my list.

 Nobody But You (Cedar Ridge Book 3)

Sometimes You Can Go Home Again . . .
After an overseas mission goes wrong, Army Special Forces officer Jacob Kincaid knows where he must go to make things right: back home to the tiny town of Cedar Ridge, Colorado. All he needs to scrub away his painful past is fresh mountain air, a lakeside cabin, and quiet solitude. But what he discovers is a gorgeous woman living on a boat at his dock.

Sophie Marren has nowhere else to go. She's broke, intermittently seasick, and fighting a serious attraction to the brooding, dishy, I'm-too-sexy-for-myself guy who's now claiming her dock. Something about Jacob's dark intensity makes her want to tease-and tempt-him beyond measure. Neither one wants to give any ground . . . until they realize the only true home they have is with each other.

This was super amusing and a great read.  After meeting the whole family, it was great to meet the member that we haven't met yet because he was away with the Army.  I wasn't sure which family member we were going to meet when I started the book and I was surprised that it was Hudson's twin, Jacob Kincaid. Jacob has left home after high school graduation and joined the Army.  He thought that he was going to be leaving with his brother and because he didn't leave with him, they hadn't spoken in years.  It was sad to read the family drama with these twins separated because they are both stubborn and didn't want to admit that they were wrong.  You have to pick up the book to find out what happens between these brothers and if they can get over old wounds. The book also followed Sophie Marren who is trying her hardest to get over a failed marriage and all she walked away with was the boat that her husband treasured the most.  She decided that she would take the only thing that he loved but the horrible part is that now she has to live on the boat because she has no other money to find some where to live.  There is no where to dock the boat and she spends her time being seasick and working as many jobs as she can to make ends meet.  Sophie is instantly a character that you want to find out what is going to happen to because it seems like everything in her life is going wrong so make sure you pick it up to find the next thing in her life that goes wrong!!  I hope that you check out this book and the rest of the series.  I know that you enjoy it as much as I have but sad because this was the end of the series that I saw so I still have hope that there will be others in this great series.