It Was Me All Along

I recently read It Was Me All Along by Andie Mitchell, and I really enjoyed her story. Andi talks about how she always turned to food for comfort during family problems. She wouldn’t think anything about eating 5 bowl of cereal in front of the television while her mother worked 1 of her 3 jobs and her father slept until noon. Throughout the course of elementary school, high school, and college, Andie continued to gain weight until she decided to still enjoy food, but in a way that would allow her to lose over 130 lbs.!! Andie talks about the different struggles she went through in her weight loss as well as coming to terms with her new body in the years after she lost weight.

 

I really enjoyed this book, and it encouraged me to read Andie’s blog, Can You Stay for Dinner. There are lots of great short articles as well as recipes on her site. I think this book is a great read for those who are looking to lose weight, as well as those who are just looking for a good inspiring book to read.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free as part of a Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

At Home in Last Chance

After abandoning her daughter with her brother, Kaitlyn Reed feels like everyone is judging her past, in At Home in Last Chance by Cathleen Armstrong. It doesn’t help that everyone in Last Chance, New Mexico seems to know everything about everyone. Steven Braden also feels the judgment from others in the town. When his brother put his life on hold to run Steven’s bar, and then Steven decided he didn’t want to own a bar once returning home, he felt disapproval from his family and the town. Against her better judgment, and the advice of others, Kaitlyn decides to give Steven and chance. Soon, Kaitlyn, her daughter Olivia, and Steven are spending time with each other. The book looks at their relationship and if they can overcome the past, while also dealing with the illness of a family member.

 

I really enjoyed this book and the relationship between Kaitlyn and Steven. They both helped the other find out what they wanted out of their lives while learning that you don’t always have to be the person you were in the past. Although I read other books in this series, I think this would read well as a stand-alone book because there is enough of an introduction to the other characters in the series. It was great to read about some of the other characters and where their lives have gone after the first two books in the series.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free as part of a Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Hidden Agenda

Hidden Agenda, by Lisa Harris, is the third book in the Southern Crimes series that follows Michael Hunt. Michael is in hiding since his 8 month undercover assignment was blown. Soon he is a wanted man, and he finds himself trusting the most unlikely source: the daughter of the man who wants him dead. Olivia also finds herself in the middle of the mystery involving a cartel drug lord. She really had to face a lot of emotions when learning that the people in her life aren’t really who she thought they were.  

 

I really enjoyed this book, since I like to read romance books. The action aspect made the book go really quickly, and I didn’t want to put it down until I was able to find out what was going to happen to Michael and Olivia. Since I read the other books in this series, I didn’t have a problem following the characters. I think there is enough information that people would be able to read this as a stand-alone book without any problems or confusion.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free as part of a Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Emissary

Emissary is the first book in the Legends of the Realm series by Thomas Locke (Davis Bunn). Although it’s different than they type of book I typically read, I did think it was nice to read something different for a change, and it kept me entertained while I was reading it. The story begins with Hyam losing his mother, and he goes he sets off to fulfill her wish. The journey he goes on was filled with different magical elements. Soon he’s learning things about his history and the truth about his family life. I think people who are interested in series like Lord of the Rings would really enjoy reading this book and future books in this series.

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free as part of a Book Review Blogger Program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

My Keepsake Bible

My Keepsake Bible, by Sally Ann Wright is a cute book, perfect for a gift for a newborn or young child. The book contains short Bible stories that have colorful illustrations to keep a young child’s attention. Daniel and the Lion’s Den, Jonah and the Big Fish, Noah’s Ark, and Prayers are just a few of the different short stories contained in the book. It’s also nice that the front of the book has room for information like height, hair color, and eye color as well as a family tree and progress of the child, like first words, first time crawling, and the first time sitting up.

I received this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review.

The Wedding A to Z

Even though I’m not planning a wedding in the near future, I thought it might be interesting to read The Wedding A to Z: Everything You Need to Know…and Stuff You Never Thought to Ask by Linda Hampshire and Karima El-Hakkaoui. The book was definitely interesting and covered a lot of topics I never even really thought about when considering weddings. Keepsakes, fitness, favors, vintage, ice, acne, and everything else you could possibly think of are addressed in this book. I really think the small size of the book makes it perfect for a gift for someone who is just recently engaged. The book is set up in alphabetical order, so if you are concerned about a particular topic it’s easy to find and read a brief, short paragraph or two about the topic.

 

I think this will be a really great gift in the future for friends who are planning their weddings, or something I can refer to when planning my own wedding. Overall, a quick, cute, read.

 

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Always on My Mind

Ever since I saw the great covers on the Christiansen Family series of books by Susan May Warren, I was looking for a chance to get to read one of these books. The first I read was Always on My Mind. Although I did not start with the earlier books in the series, I was able to follow what was going on in the Christiansen Family relatively quickly. Casper Christiansen is the focus of this book, as he leaves to go on an archeology dig in Honduras to get away from Raina Beaumont. He is in for a huge surprise, when he returns home and finds her pregnant with another man’s child. What ensues is a these two finding themselves constantly coming into contact with each other, as Casper helps his brother prepare for the grand re-opening of their family resort.

 

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading the earlier books in the series. Although I wish I had read them in order from the beginning, I really want to see the background that led the Christiansen Family to be where they are in the Always on My Mind Book.

 

Tyndale House Publishers has provided me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.