Friends, I Have Missed You

So, yes, I have been MIA for quite some time.

Yes, I have been the world's worst blogger.

Yes, I have many, many reasons...that you may find entertaining.

Reason one? Leo has deployed. Again. He left before Thanksgiving. During all of my morning sickness. During the time that families are supposed to come together and dwell on the many thanks in their lives. I have been a busy, busy woman as you can surely imagine.

Reason two? I am sure my house has been hit with the plague. Not just one plague, but more like every plague that has crossed into Mississippi, my girls have caught. I have caught 3 out of 4 of the bugs. It's been stressful, filled with ER visits, and lots of defeated tears from me.

Reason three? This baby? In my belly? Holy tiredness. If I am not sleeping, I am dreaming of sleeping. Or wishing I was sleeping. Or counting the hours until sleep. You get the picture...

Speaking of baby--guess who finds out the sex on January 14th? This girl! So excited. Over the moon. Thinking this may be a boy (finally), but also am totally okay with another, our fourth, girl. Very excited!

So, in a nutshell, I have been pretty busy. I am trying to come up with a little blog time for myself. I miss it. I miss my friends in the blog world. I miss streaming my thoughts onto the screen.

And who know? Perhaps I may get a wild hair and start to read blogs again...xoxo

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

About the book:

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways...


My thoughts:

Although I have heard of Sarah Jio, I had yet to lose myself in one of her books. I decided on Blackberry Winter--and boy, am I glad that I did. I was immediately sucked into the story of Vera Ray and Claire Aldridge. This novel had me on an emotional roller-coaster, and the twists and turns were very surprising. I adored this book, everything about it. The writing was phenomenal, I immediately shared a connection with Vera and Claire, and the ending was spectacular. I give this book five out of five stars--and I am eager to read Ms. Jio's other novels.


Interested in Purchasing?

Amazon
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I received an ebook in order to facilitate this review. Thank you to NetGalley for providing this opportunity! No other compensation was given, and all opinions expressed above are my own.

Meant to Be by Karen Stivali

About the book:

Sometimes you’re already committed to the wrong person when fate finally brings you the right one.

When NYU professor Daniel Gardner’s career-obsessed wife convinces him to move to the suburbs, he hopes it’s a first step toward starting the family he longs to have. Instead of domestic bliss he finds his neighbor, Marienne Valeti. She loves her freelance design job, but must contend with a growing sense of isolation created by her husband’s indifference. A penchant for good books, bad movies, and Marienne’s to-die-for brownies sparks a powerful bond between them. Passion simmers, but they resist its lure, surrendering only in the seclusion of their minds. Their friendship helps them weather every hardship, from divorce to widowhood, leaving them both secretly wondering if it can survive a first kiss.


My Thoughts:

I am a sucker for any book with friends that are meant to be lovers. Karen Stivali's writing style was so lifelike, so real. I have read books where I never connect with a single character; this is the total opposite for Meant to Be. The characters are lovable, relatable, and I found myself sucked into this novel while unable to put it down. This novel definitely deserves a 5 out of 5 stars--it's a great book and I encourage all of my readers to pick it up!


Where to Buy: 

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

AllRomanceEbooks

About the Author:

Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies and fictional British men. When she’s not writing, she can be found cooking extravagant meals and serving them to family and friends. Prior to deciding to write full time Karen worked as a hand drawn animator, a clinical therapist, and held various food-related jobs ranging from waitress to specialty cake maker. Planning elaborate parties and fundraisers takes up what’s left of her time and sanity.

Karen has always been fascinated by the way people relate to one another so she favors books and movies that feature richly detailed characters and their relationships. In her own writing she likes to explore the dynamics between characters and has a tendency to craft romantic love stories filled with sarcasm and sexy details.  

Karen has published three erotic romances with Ellora’s Cave: Marry Me (June 2012), Long-Distance Lovers (co-written with Karen Booth, March 2012) and Always You (Passionate Plume First Place Novella Winner, RWA 2012).

Karen’s first full-length novel, Meant To Be, released from Turquoise Morning Press on August 26, 2012. Its sequel, Holding On, released on November 26, 2012. A prequel to these novels, the short story All I Need, appears in the Foreign Affairs Anthology (Turquoise Morning Press, August 2012).

Coming in 2013 Karen will have several contemporary romances releasing from Samhain Publishing and Turquoise Morning Press. The first of these, Then, Again will be release from Samhain on May 23, 2013.


Want to connect with Karen? You can find her at any/all of the sites listed below:

http://karenstivali.com
Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Amazon
Publisher's Site: Turquoise Morning Press


A huge thank you to Chick Lit Plus and Karen Stivali for the opportunity to read this book. I received one ebook in order to facilitate this review; no other compensation was given.

I Thought You Were Gone.

Last Tuesday evening (Isabella's 5th birthday) I had a scare.

The worst pregnancy scare a momma could have.

I was rushed to the ER where the doctor told me my hcg levels were very low.

Where they told me this could be the beginning of a miscarriage.

My heart and earth shattered. I cried. I sobbed. I tucked myself into a dark hole.

Another miscarriage? Why?

I got my hcg levels checked on Friday. A little over 48 hours since my last draw.

I waited patiently, knowing that the results would be not what I prayed for.

I answered the phone on the first ring.

The doctor asked me how I was doing. I told her okay. Just okay.

She surprised me.

"Your levels have more than doubled since the ER visit."

What? How is this possible?

She explained to me that some women bleed in pregnancy. No explanations, they just did.

I had my ultrasound yesterday.

5 weeks 4 days.

Still pregnant.

Gestational sac? Check. Yolk sac? Check.

I am still pregnant. Very, very scared. But very, very pregnant.