A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

A Broken Kind of Beautiful by Katie Ganshert

Description from the publisher:

"Fashion is a fickle industry, a frightening fact for twenty-four-year-old model Ivy Clark. Ten years in and she's learned a sacred truth -- appearance is everything. Nobody cares about her broken past as long as she looks beautiful for the camera. This is the only life Ivy knows -- so when it starts to unravel, she'll do anything to hold on. Even if that means moving to the quaint island town of Greenbrier, South Carolina, to be the new face of her stepmother's bridal wear line -- an irony too rich for words, since Ivy is far from the pure bride in white."

This book was amazing. The story.....Wow. It is deep and there are parts that are hard to read as the characters struggle with some serious issues but it is amazing. There are multiple struggles that each character goes through together but they each see it very differently. For me, it was really neat to see how each one coped with these struggles.

There is a little romance in this book, but not a lot. There are a few curve balls thrown in there that I did not see coming.but they make the book even better. I like this book  because you can see each character at different places in their walk with God. You have a character that is strong in her faith, a character that went through a rough patch but came back to God, a character who is still struggling with God and a character that did not know God at all. To watch them all grow and develop was......well,  it was written very well.

This was a great book that I will definitely read again. Parts made me laugh and parts made me cry. I found answers to some of my questions and also feel more inspired now that I have read it. I like the title and feel that it fits the book well. The only thing that I would change is the cover. It is nice, don't get me wrong, but it is not very eye catching. If I saw this book in the store, I probably would not pick it up. In fact, the only reason it caught my attention is because I have read some of her other books and her name caught my eye.

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

World Cup Mouse by Richard Seidman

World Cup Mouse by Richard Seidman

Description from the publisher:
"Where there's a mouse, there's a way," says Louie LaSurie. But it will take more than lofty words for Louie to achieve his goal: to be the first mouse to play for France in the World Cup soccer tournament. Can Louie do it? Find out in this fun book for 7 to 10 year-olds."

This book was full of great lessons for children, including going after your goals and never giving up. This adorable mouse faced all the odds and chased his dream even when everyone told him to give up. He showed that anyone can do anything they want and that was a great lesson for my son.

I also enjoyed the French words throughout the book as well as the French names. I thought that was a fun addition to the learning experience.

This book was too hard for my son (who is almost 7 but reading  at a 4th grade level) to read by himself so it was our bedtime book and I was able to read him a chapter every night before bed. I do believe it should be geared for children who are at least 10 years old but like I said, it was a great book for me to read to him.

Review from my six year old son-"This book is so cool cuz I really like soccer and this mouse played soccer in the World Cup!!!!!"

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

Hold On Tight by Serena Bell

Hold On Tight by Serena Bell

Fighting for his country gave Jake Taylor’s life shape and meaning. Now as an injured war hero he struggles to find purpose, until he runs into the gorgeous woman he dated briefly—and disastrously—before being deployed eight years ago. Turns out Jake doesn’t just need to figure out how to be a civilian . . . he also needs to learn how to be a dad.

Eighteen, pregnant, and totally lost, Mira Shipley couldn’t track down the soldier who fathered her child, so she put college on hold and focused on making a good life for her son. Now she’s determined to be something more than Sam’s mom, her parents’ daughter, or Jake’s girl—as hot as she finds her old flame’s take-charge attitude in and out of bed. Soon Mira and Jake realize that their passion didn’t disappear when Sam was conceived—and that instead of running away, sometimes it’s better to hold on tight.


This book was excellent. The author did an amazing job getting the emotions through the pages and into my heart. I could feel all of the ups and downs that Jake and Mira were going through individually as well as together.

It is not very often that you see books that can hold some truth such as going to war and coming back without a leg. That is a real life thing and I am glad that the author made this book realistic. The pain and struggles that Jake went through were very real and I appreciated that.

This book was romantic and heart wrenching at the same time. I enjoyed it from beginning to end and I would recommend it.

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

Break For Me Shiloh Walker

Break For Me Shiloh Walker

Jensen Bell had twelve happy years before her mother disappeared and her whole world went to pieces. Since then, she's become a cop—one who takes great pride in her work, and in helping keep others safe. The saving grace in her own life has been Dean West, the only man who can make her burn with desire and help her through her burdens. But when a shocking discovery turns her life upside-down, even being wrapped in Dean’s arms might not be enough to keep her out of harm's way, in Break for Me by Shiloh Walker.

This was a short book but it was an excellent read. There was alot of romance, some great mystery and of course, some comedy. Those three elements mixed together makes this a well rounded, fun and exciting book!

I enjoyed the characters, it was easy to get into the story and feel like you are right there with them. I loved the relationship that they had. The writing was great and the cover was eye catching. The title definitly piqued my interest and I HAD to find out more about this book!

I would love to know what you thought of this book, feel free to leave comments!!!

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

Cock-A-Doodle Oops by Lori Degman, Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

Cock-A-Doodle Oops by Lori  Degman, Illustrated by Deborah Zemke

Description from the publisher:
"When the rooster is away, who is there to ring in the day? Cock-a-Doodle Oops! is the humorous tale of a community of farm animals who band together to help out a rooster who is badly in need of a vacation. How hard can it be to wake up a sleeping farmer? While the rooster is gone, the pig, cow, sheep, and other farm animals attempt to rouse Farmer McPeeper with "cock-a-doodle SQUEAL," “cock-a-doodle MOO,” and "cock-a-doodle BAAAA," with hilarious results. The irresistible humor in this barnyard comedy builds vocabulary while encouraging children to cock-a-doodle-uh-oh along with the silly farm animals."

This book is absolutely adorable and fun! The animals try really hard to wake the farmer and we found ourselves laughing as each animal tried to mimic the rooster with no success.The pictures are fantastic-colorful, bright and fun.

This is another book about farm animals but it has a different spin than most of the others. It  teaches animal sounds in a new and exciting way! All in all, this is an excellent children's book!

Review from my six year old son- "This book is so funny that I am going to read it again right now!"

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

Singled Out by Nikki Derouin

Singled Out by Nikki Derouin

Are you struggling to find your purpose in life? Are you in a relationship that you feel is pulling you away from God? Are there no “options” in sight, and you are starting to fear that God may have forgotten about your heart and your dreams? Singled Out was written with the sincere desire of encouraging you in your walk with the Lord, motivating you to search your heart, and challenging you to wholeheartedly commit your life to Him! Remember, regardless of our relationship status, we must be single-hearted in our service to Christ — our Savior and our First Love.

As a single woman, I have gone through many ups and downs. On one hand, I am independent and do not need or want a man and on the other hand, I am very lonely and crave male attention. There are days when I just want a man to hug me. So when I saw this book up for review, I had to read it and see if it helped.

This book was written in such a way that I felt like Nikki was sitting in the room chatting with me. It was easy to read and understand. I found some useful tips and felt better overall after reading this book.

 There were discussion questions at the end of each chapter which was nice. The part I did not like was that they were all referring the the Bible. What I mean is that, you had to have your Bible open at the same time which some people may like. For me, I was not able to find the time (as a single mom) to research like that and would have preferred to have the notes in the same book.

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

Fake It by Jennifer Chance

Fake It by Jennifer Chance

I have had thoughts of making up a boyfriend many times to get the pressure off. It sounds like such a great idea and to be honest, based on how this story goes, maybe I should try it!!!!

Anna was tired of all the fuss from her friends about needing a boyfriend so she made one up. But when a friend's wedding day is here, she has to bring her boyfriend. Anna does what any woman would do, she panics and gets desperate to find a man that can play the part! In walks Jake, her neighbor who is VERY willing to play along..........

This book was fun and exciting. Watching the relationship between Anna and Jake grow was realistic and captivating. It was not all perfect like  most romance books are.There WERE problems between the two and I appreciated that. The only thing I did not like was that Anna was so willing to ride on the motorcycle as I did not feel like that fit her character very well.

The title was fun and catchy, the cover.....well, he is HOT. and I felt that it was a great read!

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

Crazy Undercover Love by Nikki Moore

Crazy Undercover Love by Nikki Moore

Have you ever lost your job? Was it someone else's fault? Have you wanted to fight for what is right? In this book, Charley was set up and fired so that someone else could advance. But Charley was not going down without a fight. Unable to get a job or pay her bills, Charley became desperate. Taking a temp job for the CEO of the company she worked for seemed like the only way for her to get ahead and really, what could go wrong?................

This book was adorable, funny and exciting. I did not want to put it down! I really enjoyed the relationship between Charley and Alex. They were hot, then cold, up then down and I appreciated that. I never knew what was coming on the next page and that is what kept me intrigued from the beginning to the end.

I enjoyed the writing style and all of the characters. To be honest, the title is what caught my attention on this one although the cover is not as catchy. All in all, it was an excellent book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

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