Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich

This is number 20 in the Stephanie Plum series.  If you would like to read the full description, click HERE.

I am, as most of you already know, a huge Janet Evanovich fan. I have read every one of her books and have bought almost all of them to have on my shelf (darn those last few that are harder to find!) I am in love with this series and I personally never want it to end. I know some people complain that the series is too long and blah blah blah but I love it and hope it continues.

I think Janet did a great job once again with this book. The giraffe brings humor from beginning to end and I found myself laughing at every sighting, ESPECIALLY when Ranger saw it. I could not wait to find out the scoop about the giraffe. I thought that was a great addition to the book. Yes Stephanie got into the same kinds of trouble as usual but that is to be expected. Morelli is not in this book as much but it fit well. I think Ranger is getting better (how is THAT even possible?) I felt like he was slightly funnier and more human this time and I enjoyed that alot.

The only criticism that I have is that the "big event" at the end was not very big. With the messes that Stephanie gets herself in, I would like to see more of a scare there. More drama and fear that she will not escape. Her heroes are helping her too fast in my opinion.  Let Morelli and Ranger panic a little more!

As with her other books, this one was excellent. I will buy it and add it to my book shelf as soon as I have extra money and I am already anxious for the next one to come out! Is it  time for 21 yet??????

Michael Recycle Meets Bootleg Peg by Ellie Bethel, Alexandra Colombo

Michael Recycle Meets Bootleg Peg by Ellie Bethel, illustrated by Alexandra Colombo

This book is easy to read with rhymes and eye catching pictures. It is short enough the keep my sons attention but long enough to not be a "baby book". To me, this book is great because of the illustrations. They are amazing, very colorful and bright!

The only thing that was concerning to me is that the kids worked hard and saved the fish, then turned around and ate the fish for dinner. Seems kinda wrong in my mind! My son did not seem to notice but I couldn't shake it. There are several of these books in the series so we will read some more of them and see if we like them more than this one.

Review from my six year old son, Max-"This book is awesome because the fish are pretty and the story is fun. I like that the whale was blue like a real whale and it was really big. I would read this book again!"

***This book was given to us by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Mistletoe Magic by Melissa McClone

Mistletoe Magic by Melissa McClone

Yes, yes, I know. It is after Christmas and you don't know why I am reading Christmas books still but look at that cute little kitty!  How could I resist? For those of you who want to read the full description of this book, click HERE.

Noah and Caitlin go way back but they split ways. After reuniting (thanks to a hurt kitten) they were able to rehash the past a bit and pick up where they left off.

This is a very short but very cute book. Nothing spectacular but a good rainy day read. The characters were fun and easy to follow and the story line was different. I think it would have been a little better if it were longer. For me it seemed unrealistic due to the short time frame of the story.

All in all, it was a cute book that I found on Amazon and I enjoyed it. Seriously, do you see the adorable kitty? I want to take it home!!!!

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  is a chance to share news,  A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news on what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Last week we brought you:

Unintentional Virgin A.J. Bennett

Who You Callin' Silly?
 How a Silly Woman Becomes Virtuous by Kimberly R. Lock

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown









Next week we will bring you:

Mistletoe Magic by Melissa McClone

Michael Recycle Meets Bootleg Peg
by Ellie Bethel, Alexandra Colombo

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich











Have a great week!!!

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

This week I told Max to pick a book off his shelf to read again and review. This is the book he chose.

This classic bedtime book helps your child calm down and go to sleep by telling everything including pictures, toys and the moon, goodnight.

I LOVE this book (we own several copies including board books and paper books). It is one book that I read to every one of my classes before nap time and one my son and I still read (but now HE reads it to ME). The pictures slowly get darker giving the illusion that it really  IS getting later and is bedtime. This book is easy to read with a calm voice which of  course calms the child down as well! All around, this book is still just as amazing as I thought it was years ago.

Review from my six year old son, Max-"This book is cool because it all rhymed and was fun. I like that the end says Good night moon in the story and that is what the title is, that is really awesome. Some of the pictures are black and white and some are colored and I like them all."

Who You Callin' Silly? How a Silly Woman Becomes Virtuous by Kimberly R. Lock

Who You Callin' Silly? How a Silly Woman Becomes Virtuous by Kimberly R. Lock

If you would like to read the full description of this book, please click HERE.

This book has three parts. The first part is for single ladies, the second part is for married ladies and the third part is for all women. I found that to be a great set up. As a single mom, I hate reading about marriage and how wonderful it is and how to raise kids together. I will be honest here, I did NOT read the marriage section of this book but I did read the rest of it. I enjoyed all of the stories and I was intrigued by the single ladies section.

She speaks of moving on from past mistakes, keeping yourself clean (eating properly, no alcohol, ect.). There is a small part about children and most importantly,how to love yourself. She mentions that we live in our own reality and I loved that. That is one of the things that I realized a few months back. I am not like my family, I am not like my friends. I have my own story and live a life different from theirs, it is MY reality and that helps me not get down when I think about my son not having a dad, or getting child support, being behind on bills, ect. This is our reality and with God, we will make it far in this world but first, I must stop comparing my life to those around me!

Each chapter of this book has assessment questions that really make you think. There are also Bible passages mixed throughout with her stories. I found it to be pretty well rounded and easy to read and relate to.

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Unintentional Virgin A.J. Bennett

Unintentional Virgin A.J. Bennett

Karma Points  (yes that is her name!) is about to turn twenty and is still is a virgin. She is desperate to lose her virginity but over the years has found that it is much harder than it seems. Her friend takes her to a club where she meets the hunky bouncer, Jax. Excitement mounts as he takes her home and then comes to a screeching halt as he realizes she is a virgin. Jax finds himself unable to take her virginity on a one night stand and strikes up a deal. They date for three weeks and then he takes her V Card. Will they make it through the three weeks or will disaster strike? I am not going to tell you, you will have to read the book to find out!

Personally, I LOVED this book from beginning to end. I loved the story line, yes the ending is predictable but there were quite a few surprises that caught me off guard and that was great! The bucket list was hysterical, the family life was perfect, Jax was amazing and Karma, bless her heart was a great character. I loved the writing style, the title and the cover. This is a book that I will read again!

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

The Sunday Post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer  is a chance to share news,  A post to recap the past week on your blog, showcase books and things we have received and share news on what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead.

Ok, so NOW I am back to my blog. Work has been crazy busy and so has life. I am finally back to reading and catching up on my blog! Yay!!!! Moving forward, this year I want to get better at commenting on other blogs and getting to know my readers better. 

Last week we started back and these are the reviews we got up:

Baby Santa and the Missing Reindeer by M. Maitland DeLand

A December Bride by Denise Hunter










Next week we will bring you:

Unintentional Virgin A.J. Bennett

Max will review one for Weds but he has not decided which one yet!

Who You Callin' Silly? How a Silly?
Woman Becomes Virtuous by Kimberly R. Lock

Thanks for stopping, feel free to leave a comment so I know who stopped in. I will come and visit you as well! Have a great week! 

A December Bride by Denise Hunter

December Bride by Denise Hunter

Seth and Layla have a past. A past that hurt Layla, leaving her furious and brokenhearted. When Seth shows up at one of her lowest moments, Layla brings him as her date to a wedding and boy do things get rocky from there! If you have not heard about this book, click HERE to go to Goodreads to read the full description.

Overall, I thought this was a cute book. Nothing spectacular but definitely what you would expect to find in a romance book. I found it entertaining and fun to watch the relationship between Layla and Seth grow as they struggled to forgive the past and create their future.

I thought the advancement of their relationship was believable and I could relate to some of their struggles. The characters were fun, funny ad realistic. The writing style was great. I found it easy to read and very easy to get into.  The title is fun and catchy. I have mixed feelings about the cover. I find it boring but I also love how much the red roses stand out. What are your thoughts?

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

Baby Santa and the Missing Reindeer by M. Maitland DeLand

Baby Santa and the Missing Reindeer by M. Maitland DeLand

Description from the publisher:
"Santa’s reindeer have flown off to have a little fun before Christmas. But who will bring them back to the North Pole in time to help deliver gifts? Why, Baby Santa, of course!

While Santa and the elves hurry to finish making gifts for all the good boys and girls, Baby Santa and Rudolph take flight around the globe to round up the mischievous reindeer.

As the reindeer are collected, one by one, charming illustrations portray how Christmas is celebrated around the world. From fireworks in Brazil to wooden shoes filled with gifts in Paris, Christmas is a time of joy for children on every continent. No wonder the reindeer headed out for some international fun!"

Max and I LOVED this book, as well as the others in this series. The story line is fun and exciting, the pictures are bright and colorful. There are multiple lessons in this book that you can easily expand on. I would recommend this book and series to every child!!!! 

***This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an open and honest review***

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

Hello friends!!!

I am so sorry that I have been missing lately, trust me when I say that I missed each of you as well. I work in a toy store so.....yeah, I have been very busy working overtime lately, then coming home to play with my son, my poor blog got pushed aside temporarily, but no worries, we're baaaacckkk!!!!!

Today everyone is talking about all these things that they will change about themselves this year. They want to lose weight, eat better, spend less time on the internet, and the list goes on and on. For me, I am not giving up things or making plans that I know I will break within a month, I have decided to look at life differently. I have decided to embrace my reality. What does that mean? That means that from here on out, I will be happy with my life. I am a single mom, there is no man in my near future and I am ok with that. I have decided that my son Max and I will take things one day at a time and not try to look too far ahead. We will work one day at a time and get ourselves to a better place. I will show him how strong a woman can and should be. I want him to grow up and not have memories of his mother struggling through life and wishing things were better but look back and remember that his mother worked hard, never complained and always encouraged him and did what it took to help him succeed. He will be the most amazing man when he grows up and I can not wait to see who he becomes!

As for this blog, I hope to get back to three reviews a week, one from Max and two from myself. I want to comment more on my friend's blogs and put a little more effort into my reviews. That is the plan, we will see how  it goes! LOL

May 2014 be the best year you have ever had! Here's to a fun year full of friends, happiness and books!