Happy Book Birthday! DIRT DIARY by Anna Staniszewski

If you're familiar with me and my blog, you probably already know that I'm a HUGE fan of Anna Staniszewski. I've raved about her books here and here, and I even wrote about how MY VERY UNFAIRY TALE LIFE turned my "worst day ever" into a total "best day ever." So yeah, when I got a chance to read an advance copy of her latest book THE DIRT DIARY, I'm sure you can guess that I was beyond thrilled!

Rachel's parents are separated, but she's certain she can get them back together if she could just get to Florida to talk to her dad in person.

Happy Book Birthday: SEVEN DAY FIANCE by Rachel Harris

Rachel Harris' SEVEN DAY FIANCE is finally here! 

You can get it in your hands (well, on your ereader) right now! You don't want to miss this fantastic Contemporary Romance from Rachel Harris. Book 2 in the Love and Game Series, SEVEN DAY FIANCE can be read as a standalone. Check out all of the information regarding this fantastic novel and Rachel Harris below! Then, celebrate Rachel's Book Birthday by entering the giveaway for an ecopy of Book 1, TASTE THE HEAT!

Isn't that cover pretty?? Read on and find out everything you need to know below! 

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Synopsis:

Angelle Prejean is in a pickle. Her family is expecting her to come home with a fiancé—a fiancé who doesn’t exist. Well, he exists, but he definitely has no idea Angelle told her mama they were engaged. Tattooed, muscled, and hotter than sin, Cane can reduce Angelle to a hot mess with one look—and leave her heart a mess if she falls for him. But when she ends up winning Cane at a charity bachelor auction, she knows just how to solve her fiancé problem.

Cane Robicheaux is no one’s prince. He doesn’t do relationships and he doesn’t fall in love. When sweet, sultry-voiced Angelle propositions him, he hopes their little game can finally get her out of his head. He doesn’t expect her to break through all his barriers. But even as Angelle burrows deeper into his heart, he knows once their seven days are up, so is their ruse.


My Thoughts:

As you know, I was pleasantly surprised by Taste the Heat the first book in this series. And so I begged for an early review copy of Seven Day Fiancé, the second book in the series. I have to admit, I was really hoping book two would be about Sherry, Cane and Colby's adorable younger sister (who was my favorite character in the first book). When I found out this would be Cane and Angelle's story, I was a bit hesitant. I liked Cane well enough in Taste the Heat, I guess, but it was only a "let's be friends" kind of attraction. And I didn't really like Angelle at all (I got totally jealous and overprotective of my "friend" Colby, when it looked like Angelle might have her sights set on Jason). A whole book about my two least favorite characters? Hmmm... But I loved Colby and Jason and Sherry. And the Robicheaux family is close-knit. I knew there couldn't be a book about Cane without a strong dose of his sisters. And that was enough for me to want to read the next chapter in their story.

WOW!!

I am so glad I gave these two a second chance! 

I fell in love with Angelle on page one. I realized that I hadn't really given her a fair chance in the first book. (I didn't know her well enough to judge.) Angelle is sweet, shy and unsure of herself - enough to invent a fake romance, just to prove to her family that she made the right choice when she broke up with her high school sweetheart. She's adorably awkward, and I wanted to jump right through the pages and give her a giant hug, to let her know that she had a friend.

But the best part of this book? The tattooed bad-boy who I'd already decided totally wasn't my type. Yep. First impressions can be deceiving. Cane is absolutely amazing! (Who needs a sexy fireman, when you can have a delicious restaurant owner?) He's smart, sexy and sensitive underneath his rough exterior. *swoon*

I started reading Seven Day Fiancé before bed, thinking I'd sample the first chapter, just to get a sense of what I could expect. The next thing I knew, it was 2am, and I had to force myself to turn off my Kindle to get some sleep before my alarm started buzzing at 4:30. - And yes, when that alarm rang, my first thought was "I have to see how this ends!" 


Butterflies and tingles from page one, clear 'til the end. (I can't wait for book three!!!)

Rachel Harris Bio:

Rachel Harris grew up in New Orleans, where she watched soap operas with her grandmother and stayed up late sneak reading her mama’s favorite romance novels. Now a Cajun cowgirl living in Houston, she still stays up way too late reading her favorite romances, only now, she can do so openly. She firmly believes life’s problems can be solved with a hot, powdered-sugar-coated beignet or a thick slice of king cake, and that screaming at strangers for cheap, plastic beads is acceptable behavior in certain situations.

When not typing furiously or flipping pages in an enthralling romance, she homeschools her two beautiful girls and watches reality television with her amazing husband. Taste The Heat is her adult romance debut. She’s the author of MY SUPER SWEET SIXTEENTH CENTURY and A TALE OF TWO CENTURIES. She loves hearing from readers! Find her atwww.RachelHarrisWrites.com.

Buy Links:

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

Links:

Website: www.RachelHarrisWrites.com

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/RachelHarrisYA

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/RachelHarrisYA

Goodreads Author: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5347676.Rachel_Harris

SEVEN DAY FIANCE Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17926005-seven-day-fianc?ac=1

Entangled Website: http://www.entangledpublishing.com/

And now for the Giveaway! Go enter to win! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Happy Birthday, Summer! Nutella-ish Chocolate Chip Cookies

On Monday, I opened up my Twitter feed to see many of my friends wishing Summer (@Fizzygrrl) a Happy Birthday. What? A birthday? And I didn't send anything?? This situation must be rectified immediately!! So I ran to the kitchen and whipped up a delicious peanut-butter cookie-based dessert... and then I remembered. Summer's son has peanut allergies. Ooops!

However... I KNOW Summer loves Nutella! I could make a Nutella-based cookie!... Except, I happen to be allergic to Nutella (it's the palm kernel oil that gets me, not the actual hazel nut and chocolate goodness).

Well, you know me. I'll never let a little thing like allergies stop me. It took me a few days to figure it out, but in the end, the answer was simple. I just made my own HOMEMADE Nutella!! And the cookies are delicious!

So, Summer, Happy Birthday!! This recipe is for you:

It's Apparent I'm A Parent

So my blog has been fairly neglected for the past week. I had plans to post a yummy Crock Pot Gourmet recipe last Thursday, and I had all sorts of thoughts and random nonsense to share with you... but sometimes life gets in the way of the best plans. As you know, my first priority is always my family. And this past week has been super busy on the Mom front. Blogging, writing and recipe creation had to take a back seat for a while.

 

What have I been doing instead?

 

I spent 2 afternoons taking my daughter to Alamosa Books (our favorite independent bookstore here in Albuquerque) with her friends, so that she could film the scenes she needed for her "movie trailer" video book report project. (She needed a "library" setting for the scenes, but the only days available for our filming were the days that the public library was closed. We're so grateful for the friendly staff at Alamosa Books who allowed us to pretend their bookstore was a library for a few hours!)

 

We spent one afternoon recording the sound files for the video, and locating some royalty-free music we could use for it as well.

 

I spent one evening teaching my son and his scout troop to sew the bags they need for a week-long Trek this summer.

 

I spent one afternoon/evening (continuing late into the early morning) helping my daughter navigate through technical difficulties with the video-editing software as she put her presentation together.

 

I took time to attend an awards ceremony with my son, as he was recognized for his academic achievements this year.

 

And I entertained a houseful of little girls overnight, as we celebrated my youngest daughter's birthday with a pizza, movies & makeovers slumber party. (Complete with homemade build-your-own pizzas

 

and my failed attempt at making an ice cream cake - it was supposed to be a giant cupcake, but I couldn't get the cake to come out of the pan.)

I even got to visit my oldest daughter's class when she presented her book report and the video for the LIBRARY JUMPERS project, and she told me I could post a clip here.

 

It's been a crazy, busy week, and I'm exhausted. But I don't regret a moment of the time spent with my family.

 

And I'm slowly getting back on schedule, but first I think I'll take a nap!

 

 

Update: I found out that I'm one of the lucky 150 to make it into the blog hop round of The Writer's Voice competition, so the Crock Pot Gourmet recipe I had planned for today will be posted on Saturday instead. Thanks for being so patient with me! :)

Cover Reveal! LIBRARY JUMPERS by Brenda Drake

Today is Brenda Drake's birthday!!

 

To celebrate, she's giving us a gift!! A sneak peek at the cover of her debut novel, LIBRARY JUMPERS, which will be released in February 2014!! Isn't it beautiful?

 

BEYOND THE HIDDEN GATEWAYS THAT CONNECT THE LIBRARIES OF OUR WORLD, LIES A DARK AND DANGEROUS WORLD JUST WAITING TO BE DISCOVERED.

I'm so excited to be a part of this cover reveal! I got a chance to read a draft of this book, and I love it! I'm already marking off days on my calendar, waiting for the release! Go add it to your To Be Read list on Goodreads! (I did!!)

Like Brenda's new author page on Facebook!