As we are practicing social distancing and consuming media at frantic paces to relieve stress, boredom, and honestly to just take us away from the reality we are all living it’s been wonderful to see how the arts are being enjoyed. Singers are releasing complimentary singles to help raise our spirits, publishing companies are releasing free ebooks for people to read, and actors are creating funny monologues, reading children’s books, and in the case of John Krasinski, even holding virtual proms.
I work for Nashville Ballet and we also are putting out free content with video’s of past performances, our dancers showing cooking and exercise tips on Instagram and Facebook, and our ballet classes are being held virtually. This week we launched a virtual book club to read J. M. Barrie’s Peter and Wendy, aka Peter Pan. If we are able to launch our season next year, our first performance will be our version of this classic tale. A perfect choice to remind us of the magic of imagination, and adventures we all shared with friends and family in our childhoods. Nashville Ballet has partnered with Nashville “celebrities” to help us narrate this story, donating their time and filming it on their phone’s, IPAD’s, and laptops. Last night we launched the first chapter narrated by Nashville Ballet’s Artistic Director, Paul Vasterling.
I would like to share each of these chapters with you all so that you may also enjoy this story again.
Nashville Ballet Artistic Direct, Paul Vasterling reads Chapter 1
Chapter 2 will go live on Friday night and will be read by National Best Selling author Ann Patchett!
I hope you all enjoy this special reading of Peter Pan!
The Colorado Mountain series is probably my third or fourth favorite KA series, with the Rock Chick and Burg series leading the pack. Jagged was released in 2013 and falls into what I call the pre erotica period of Kristen Ashley books. Her style is always very sexy, but her more recent books are more sex than plot and Jagged, thank goodness has a bit of both.
Our hero and heroine Zara and Ham have a bit of history. Ham, as a traveling bartender, had previous lived and worked in town with Zara and they had struck up a pretty casual relationship. At least on his side. Not wanting to be tied down to either one town or one woman Ham has always kept things light. Zara was a woman that remained under his skin. After surviving a serial killer (previous novels plot), Ham decides that life is short and after Zara reaches out to make sure he’s ok he shows up on her doorstep and decides now is the right time. Except it isn’t that time for Zara. Until he digs in and proves to Zara that this time he will stick around.
I liked Zara a lot. She is one of the more real heroines Kristen Ashley has written. She is a real woman with real problems and manages life in a way that her readers can identify with, there are ups and downs. Ham I had a harder time with. First, there was the name Ham. Yes, I know, it was a nickname and Zara was the only one that called him that, but to me it didn’t read cute. It read weird. He was definitely Alpha, like KA’s normal hero’s, and I do really like that aspect of her novels but something felt a little off in their love story. It may have been because he’s had a relationship with February Owens the heroine from the first novel in the Burg series who I absolutely loved. There was always a little bit of a comparison in my mind and although I liked Zara, I think that comparison was a little unfair. Feb had the whole serial killer stalker thing going on and Zara? She was a normal woman. I liked her, but there wasn’t a need for Ham to be a savior. Ms. Ashley does excel at those action plots and Jagged seemed a little tame.
I’m not saying I didn’t like this novel because I did! The sex hadn’t yet gotten over the top as the later KA novels have, and their relationship was nice. I guess that was it. They were nice but it just lacked that little bit of excitement.
If you like KA novels this is a solid effort and worth your 6-7 hours of reading time if for no other reason than to remind her readers how much they liked the Burg series. Hmm, maybe I will re-visit ‘For You’ and read Feb and Colton’s story again.
Jane is hired by Leo Pelissier, Master City of New Orleans to work as a bodyguard for his envoy to a delegation to discuss a new Master in Asheville, Jane’s hometown. While there some werewolves have bitten some campers and Jane is brought in to investigate that savage attack. When she finds that it’s connected to her purpose in Asheville she soon finds herself up to her elbows in blood, guts, and bullets.
There were a few interlocking plots in Raven Cursed. Rick LaFleur, her ex-boyfriend bitten by both werewolves and were panther in the previous novel is in the Asheville area. He connects with Jane during this investigation and their relationship is again teased into existence. Having grown found of Rick from having read the Soulwood novels I’m eager to learn more of he and Jane’s back story so any Rick scenes are much appreciated.
Jane’s best friend and witch Mollie also lives in Asheville, and her big sister who turned slightly evil in Mercy Blade also gets a continuation of her story in Raven Cursed. Her possible tie to the attacks on Leo’s envoy and Jane herself make her an even more interesting piece of the puzzle than she had been in Mercy Blade.
Jane, herself, keeps evolving as we learn more about her past. I am even more intrigued by her than I was when this series started. Her sass, confidence, and yes, even Beast who lies within are interesting and keep me coming back for more. It’s on to book #5 with many more to go. I gotta admit, I just love that feeling. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
It’s Monday! Or should ai say it’s Anyday because when working from home they do all kind of blend in together. The weekend flew by too fast, but I enjoyed spending time outside in the beautiful weather, but also inside reading and streaming some new shows. Really, the important thing is that I felt like reading for the first time. I finished a book that was for pleasure only. Yay! Let me tell you about what’s shuffled on and off my nightstand.
This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.
JUST FINISHED
You either love or hate shifter romance novels. I’m pretty ‘meh’ about them except for when it’s Shelly Laurenston. She writes with such a sense of humor that you know she doesn’t take herself seriously. This was a fun book but I am ready to move on from this badger series. Yeah, that sounded weird to me too!
JUST STARTED
I am switching genre‘s from romantic fantasy to science fiction. This is the second book in the Nightchaser series. I was a little disappointed in Nightchaser so I hope this book gets off to a fast start!
Ok, now it’s your turn to share what books you are reading this week!
Octogenarian Duffy Sinclair is living in what he hopes is his final residence Centennial Assisted Living. His roommate Carl and he are a bit of an odd couple with Duffy the gruff and surly character to Carl’s straight-laced Oscar. Or so Duffy thinks. One night a young woman in her 20’s sneaks through the window of their bedroom and claims she’s Carl’s granddaughter Josie. It’s a surprise to Duffy as Carl has claimed he didn’t have any children. AS the story unfolds their secrets are revealed and neither is who the other thought he was and Josie? She’s exactly who she says she is but her story creates a need, in Carl to finally be a grandfather, and in Duffy, a chance to redeem himself by helping this young woman through a difficult time.
OK, I’ll just say that this novel is a total departure from my normal reading. When I described the book to my husband (briefly) as a book about two old guys in an assisted living facility he asked me if it was a love story. Ha! Nope, or er, well, maybe? But not between Duffy and Carl, although there was a deep friendship and love did live in that relationship.
I really loved Duffy. He was so surly and not apologetic about it at all. However, when Josie enters his life he see’s in her a soulmate of sorts, and his chance for redemption for a life he felt he’d wasted. Interestingly enough, Josie was also drawn to Duffy, rather more so than Carl. Understandably so when you realize that Carl’s faults contributed to Josie’s problems- in a big way. As Duffy navigates through life in Centennial, helping to hide Josie during her visit, and and his issues with his roommate Carl you realize there’s a lot more to this old man that seemed at first. Those little details are why I loved him so much. He had so much heart!
The cast of characters in the assisted living facility were what brought life to this novel. Alice’s gentle beauty, Mrs. Zimmerman’s confused meanderings, and Sharon’s evil selfishness. All added depth and meaning to Duffy’s character adding a realness that the thought of him not accomplishing his goal of helping Josie wasn’t insurmountable. The humor and life that filled Centennial really opened my eyes to the life within our elderly. Yeah, I know this was fiction, but their problems were real and I just didn’t want to think that their days were slowly coming to an end.
I can’t help but wonder what brought this story into Brooke Fossey’s mind. In today’s world the elderly are almost forgotten, but Ms. Fossey has done a very good job of bringing them back into the light in a really positive heart-rending way. Even at the end, when I was quietly shedding tears, I has really happy that I’d read this novel and gotten to know these characters. Somehow through Duffy’s trials and tribulations I learned something about myself as well. This is a story I’ll reflect on for a while. ❤️❤️❤️❤️
I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review and it was honest!
After reading Faith Hunter’s Soulwood novels and LOVING them, I decided to get the audiobooks for her Jane Yellowrock series. It’s been slow going up until Christmas when my mom got me a few months worth of credits on Audible and I’ve been able to use those credits to further my fix. Narrated by the supremely talented Khristine Hvam I am now well into the darker series and finally hearing the details about Jane and Rick LaFleur that I’ve been dying to find out.
The newly outted were’s have come to town and Leo has requested that Jane deliver a message that puts her into direct contact with their pack. Of course that doesn’t go well and as she fights her way out of that dangerous situation she receives help from a mysterious stranger who, as she investigates the death of one of the were pack members keeps showing up in the middle of her investigation. Constantly embattled and in danger, Jane’s boyfriend Rick also turns up missing and somehow his disappearance is related to the tense negotiations going on between the vamps and the werewolves.
Jane and Rick’s relationship in Mercy Blade has just begun and it’s off to a rather rocky start. Jane calls Rick her boyfriend yet she still has a huge attraction to Bruiser, Leo Pelissier the Master Vampire of New Orleans’, right hand man and blood donor. In fact, it’s rather confusing because it seems as if Jane and Bruiser have more heat between them than she and Rick, yet it’s Rick who gets the title of boyfriend. When he goes undercover and hooks up with a woman, I’m right there with Jane in feeling betrayed and actually wishes that she’d go over to the dark side. Despite Bruiser’s loyalty to Leo, he doesn’t seem that bad a guy. (really!)
It’s interesting to read this earlier series and see how Faith Hunter’s writing hasn’t yet gelled. Or at least it seems so in this novel. While all of the action was intense, the relationships did seem to still be working themselves out and the conflicting emotions made Jane’s decisions kind of a confused mess. Knowing there are quite a few more books in this series and still looking for answers to what happens between she and Rick, I know I’m going to be along for the ride for a good long time. Oh, and that mysterious fellow who kept showing up in the middle of everything? His story is pretty fantastic!
Ahh Monday, another week where I’m working from home. Does anyone else actually miss going to work like I do? Anyway, it was a nice weekend celebrating Easter with the family, all while staying six feet apart. The new normal. I was able to escape into my apartment to escape from reality by reading another romance novel. It’s funny, but romances seem to be one of the things helping me get through this social distancing. There’s something about knowing there’s an HEA at the end of the story that makes life a little brighter. Let me tell you a little bit about what I’m reading.
This post originated over on Book Date, so thanks for the idea and letting me continue on the discussion about what books I am reading.
JUST FINISHED
I’ve had The Proposal on my shelf for awhile but still hadn’t gotten around to reading it. It’s a lighthearted rom-com and fit my mood to a T. Review to come!
Synopsis:
When someone asks you to spend your life with him, it shouldn’t come as a surprise—or happen in front of 45,000 people.
When freelance writer Nikole Paterson goes to a Dodgers game with her actor boyfriend, his man bun, and his bros, the last thing she expects is a scoreboard proposal. Saying no isn’t the hard part—they’ve only been dating for five months, and he can’t even spell her name correctly. The hard part is having to face a stadium full of disappointed fans…
At the game with his sister, Carlos Ibarra comes to Nik’s rescue and rushes her away from a camera crew. He’s even there for her when the video goes viral and Nik’s social media blows up—in a bad way. Nik knows that in the wilds of LA, a handsome doctor like Carlos can’t be looking for anything serious, so she embarks on an epic rebound with him, filled with food, fun, and fantastic sex. But when their glorified hookups start breaking the rules, one of them has to be smart enough to put on the brakes…
Don’t tell anyone but I haven’t actually started this one yet. However, I have the ARC and the book comes out on Tuesday. It does look really cute and I’m hoping it hits the right note for me!
Synopsis:
ogether, they’re going to learn it’s never too late—or too early—to change your ways.
For Duffy Sinclair, life boils down to one simple thing: maintaining his residence at the idyllic Centennial Assisted Living. Without it, he’s destined for the roach-infested nursing home down the road—and after wasting the first eighty-eight years of his life, he refuses to waste away for the rest. So, he keeps his shenanigans to the bare minimum with the help of his straight-laced best friend and roommate, Carl Upton.
But when Carl’s granddaughter Josie climbs through their bedroom window with booze on her breath and a black eye, Duffy’s faced with trouble that’s sticking around and hard to hide—from Centennial’s management and Josie’s toxic boyfriend. Before he knows it, he’s running a covert operation that includes hitchhiking and barhopping.
He might as well write himself a one-way ticket to the nursing home…or the morgue. Yet Duffy’s all in. Because thanks to an unlikely friendship that becomes fast family—his life doesn’t boil down the same anymore. Not when he finally has a chance to leave a legacy.
In a funny, insightful, and life-affirming debut, Brooke Fossey delivers an unflinching look at growing old, living large, and loving big, as told by a wise-cracking man who didn’t see any of it coming.
I know this year we will all be celebrating Easter a little differently than we have in the past. Typically, if you are spiritual you may celebrate with your family at church, cook a big meal, hide the eggs and hope they all get found before the next heatwave. This year we are streaming our family church services from our couch, enjoying a nice ham sandwich, and getting nostalgic looking at photo’s of past Easter dresses and bonnets. Yes, it’s a different world we are living in right now but we can still find little ways to celebrate safely.
Google how to color your hair a soft pastel shade with food colorings you have in your kitchen. Seriously, I’m seeing pictures of some of my more conservative friends who are now rocking purple or pink hair.
2. Now that your hair is styling, get out of your PJ’s and switch to your pastel colored leggings and fuzzy socks and stream your church service. Even though you can’t see all of your friends, it will be nice to hear your pastor’s voice deliver his Easter message. Here is my own local church service live at 10am cst. St. George’s Episcopal Church
3. I am lucky enough (well, most of the time I think this way) to live on my family’s property and because we are in constant contact with each other, and all of us are practicing social distancing we feel good about eating dinner together nightly. For our Easter dinner I’ll be making a Coconut cake with pistachio buttercream filling. I already have some prepared leftover pistachio buttercream and now need to attempt a homemade cake. THANK YOU PINTEREST! There are so…many….recipes!
4. Watch your favorite holiday movie while holding hands with your significant other. I say that last because I sleep in the same bed with my husband so I figure what he’s got, I’ve got. One of my favorite Easter movies is an oldie called East Parade with Judy Garland and Fred Astaire. I haven’t watched it in years, but I may torture my husband today by finding this and singing along while I watch Judy Garland try to get noticed in NYC’s Easter Parade.
I’m really going to have to find this movie, it’s bringing back such great memories!
5. Curl up in your favorite reading spot and finish that book you just started. For me that would be Jasmine’s Guillory’s The Proposal. I find that a romance takes me away from reality and that happily ever after gives me a moment of happiness. I’d recommend this one because it’s funny too!
Regardless of how you spend your Easter today, please spend it safely in your own home. Skype with friends or do a Zoom family reunion. Our troubles are not yet behind us, but they will be soon!
Naomi Westfield meets and falls in love with her now fiancé Nicholas Rose pretty quickly. They’re so in love, never fighting and agreeing on everything. When they move in together Naomi feels as if something has shifted. They never do anything together anymore and barely speak when they’re home together. They’re getting married in three months and her future MIL has planned and paid for everything and it’s no longer the wedding that Naomi wanted. Actually, she kind of doesn’t want to get married anymore and sets out to make her fiancé call the wedding off. After all, if he cancels it, he’ll have to pay for all of those bills. However, she quickly realizes that he’s not that happy either, and soon they are one upping each other in trying to get the other to leave. A weird thing happens, they start to have fun.
You Deserve Each Other is being compared to the much admired, and one of my favorite enemies to lovers stories, The Hating Game. Did I think it deserved that comparison? Kind of? There were definitely similar elements. Naomi and Nicholas did seem to hate each other, once the gloves came off their snark was spectacular, and when they took off the blinders their love for each other was glorious. For me there was just a small difference; Lucy and Joshua’s attraction for each other gave their bickering an underlying heat that was fun and made you eager to turn every page. Naomi and Nicholas strived for that same heat, but during their hate period it was more War of the Roses than The Hating Game. I just didn’t feel that connected. At least until closer to the end.
Naomi and Nicholas made such an unlikely pair. He was a successful dentist, handsome, and smart. She was pretty but wasn’t book smart and only held small time jobs. There was an unbalance that was really hard for me to get past. It made their snark a little uncomfortable. How do you laugh at someone who doesn’t have a college education and is a little sad in life? Nicholas was obviously not a bad guy, so how do you buy Naomi’s hatred? It wasn’t until Naomi finally opened her eyes and allowed herself to open up to hurt that this book really took a turn for the better. That moment gave these characters heart and allowed the reader to see what motivated them to act the way they were acting towards each other. It allowed us to move on, and again, fall in love with them.
If you are looking for the next The Hating Game, I don’t think you’ll find it in You Deserve Each Other. I also think you shouldn’t be comparing one book to another because it doesn’t give You Deserve Each Other a chance. This was a very good book that could stand on it’s own. Naomi and Nicholas were NOT Lucy and Joshua, they were their own brand of insecurities and snarkiness. In the end I liked them for their own story and invested myself in their HEA. What more can you ask for?
❤️❤️❤️❤️
I received a copy of this ARC through NetGalley for my honest review and it is honest!
Layla Beckett has a big secret. One that might conflict with her new job running the social media for The Rock Paper, a music magazine. On her first day she meets Jo, the wife of an on the rise rock star, and through her she meets Jo’s friends, including drummer Shane Morgan. As she and Shane get closer, it quickly becomes apparent that her secret of running the top fan sight in the country may stand between their happiness.
I’ve read both of the other novels in this series and was really looking forward to this new installment. This is a rock star series, and yes, there’s plenty of eye candy and sizzling action between our heroes and heroines, but what I like the most is that each story has an underlining plot that brings a more serious tone to what would normally be a light hearted subject. In Kind of Famous, Layla’s secret is part of the main story and it definitely added a huge conflict, even if most of it was inner conflict for the majority of the book. As the book developed I realized there was an additional conflict in their relationship and that was Shane’s insecurity. How can a hot drummer in a rock band be insecure? Good question, and Kind of Famous does a great job of delivering the answer.
When Layla and Shane meet there’s this instant connection and energy. He’s surrounded by these god-like characters in his band but he stand out because of his adorkableness (yes, this is now a word!). He’s cute, has a rockin’ bod, but he’s totally shy. Layla, too, is kind of awkward. She has this online life that allows her to be bold, but in person she’s quiet and let’s face it, pretty stunned to be standing in the same space as people she’s idolized. Her awestruck scenes were totally believable and also added some conflict to she and Shane’s developing romance. I really liked them together and loved the obstacles I could clearly see ahead of them.
When you read a series it’s always great fun to see where the characters in previous books lives are now. Eden, Adam,Micah, and Jo are all integral characters in Layla and Shane’s story and I like how they were true to my memories of them and liked even more that I was given a glimpse into their futures. Next up in this series has to be Noah as he was given a rather sinister light and there is definitely more to his story than we’ve been told so far. Kind of Famous did a good job of moving all of their characters forward in my mind, as well as letting me fall in love with Layla and Shane all on their own. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️
I wish this author wrote a little faster and hopefully (?) we may have another Flirting with Fame story by the end of the year. From these words to Mary Ann Marlowe’s ears… keep those fingers typing!
I received an ARC of this book from the author for my honest review and it was honest!
Opinions from around the Blogosphere
“Deeper than it seems on the surface, Kind of Famous explores the treacherous natures of fandom, friendship, and love–and the explosions that can result when those three things collide. Author Mary Ann Marlowe‘s book is a sweet coda of a love song to the rocker universe she created in Some Kind of Magic and developed further in A Crazy Kind of Love. If you loved those books, you’ll cherish this one as well.” Dreaming in Character
The Reading Chick 
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