This Chick Read: Under Locke by Mariana Zapata

Mariana Zapata novels are known for a slow burn storyline. Usually our female lead hates the male lead and it takes awhile for him to get back into her good graces until all of a sudden she realizes she is in love with the guy. Under Locke follows this trope, however, even though it takes Dex a little while to redeem himself in Iris Taylor’s eyes, the reader doesn’t have to wait until 90% to get their first kiss. Yeah!

Dex Locke is a biker in an MC, but he’s also a tattoo artist and owns a successful tattoo shop. Iris is down on her luck and flat broke. She is sleeping in her older half brothers spare room and goes on a job interview he sets up for her at his MC brothers tattoo shop. Despite her misgivings for working for Dex, she accepts the job. Needless to say, Dex’s surly attitude and snarly demeanor is not her idea of a good boss, even less so a love interest, and sparks fly. However, she keeps the job and over time, and multitudes of apologies, the two end up becoming friends.

Even though this book was unlike her other more sports themed books, I still liked the setup and story. Iris has a really sad back story. She is a rather timid thing, but watching her grow into a little dragon when facing down Dex made me appreciate her spunk and fire. Dex was surly through the whole book, but his moments of tenderness and humor, saved solely for Iris made me root for him. The fact that they reached their first kiss quicker than normal and I got to see their relationship develop a little more, I loved. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click this link to purchase! Under Locke

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: The Dog Walker’s Diary by Kathryn Donahue

Daniel Ashe, a literary agent in Los Angeles, is jaded about life and love. He dreams of starting his own agency, but in reality is afraid if he doesn’t find the next J. D. Salinger he will be out of a job.  When he arrives home to a puddle of pee on the floor he hires a dog sitter named Annie Donahue who has left a flier on his door. He meets her in person and although charmed by her Irish accent he is terrified of her red hair, a phobia left over from his childhood. He is determined to fire her so he doesn’t have to look at her red hair but she leaves him a charming story about his dogs and their adventure at the park that day. This starts a funny and animated diary flirtation between the two that sets his literary agent wheels and his heart spinning.

The first half of this novel was written in a fairy tale style with childlike stories of the dog that acted as the impetus to Daniel and Annie’s love story. As with most love stories there were quite a few bumps in the road, the biggest in this one being Daniel’s aversion to love. Although slow moving, I did find the stories sweet and Annie charming. Daniel, on the other hand didn’t have any self confidence, although he had an abundance of good looks, so it took me a little longer to warm up to him.

The second half of the novel was like a different book. The pace was quicker because the story abruptly changed from a sweet clever romance to a romantic thriller. The change was a little jarring, but the Daniel in the second half of the novel was everything that had been missing in the first; take charge, confident, and driven to succeed. Without giving away the story, I’ll just say that due to circumstance, Annie was mostly absent until the end which was also a little out of character for a romance.

How did I feel about this abrupt shift in pace and yes, even genre? Well, I still enjoyed the book. Although, in my head, they were two separate novels with the same characters that ultimately reached a happy ending. When I finished the book, I was happy that those two found their HEA but a little confused at the plot shifts that got them there. This author has a ton of talent because she made my emotions spike from one end of the spectrum to the other that’s for sure!

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for my honest review, and it was honest!

❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click this link to purchase!  The Dog Walker’s Diary

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: Share Your Shelves – Alphabet Book Tag (N-Z)

A few months ago I did the first half of the Alphabet Book Tag because I wanted to bring awareness to some books that were already on my shelves waiting to be read, whether they be off my kindle or physical copies of books. I have read quite a few of those books since then because when putting together my post, I reminded myself that they were waiting there to be read.  I promise you, if you should do this tag, you will immediately pick one of the books that have been waiting for you to read, some for years. I bet some of you have these same books or have read some of these. Let me know if you have and what you thought of the book!


 Now You See Me by Lacey Flint
One night after interviewing a reluctant witness at a London apartment complex, Lacey Flint, a young detective constable, stumbles onto a woman brutally stabbed just moments before in the building’s darkened parking lot. Within twenty-four hours a reporter receives an anonymous letter that points out alarming similarities between the murder and Jack the Ripper’s first murder—a letter that calls out Lacey by name. If it’s real, and they have a killer bent on re-creating London’s bloody past, history shows they have just five days until the next attempt.

No one believes the connections are anything more than a sadistic killer’s game, not even Lacey, whom the killer seems to be taunting specifically. However, as they investigate the details of the case start reminding her more and more of a part of her past she’d rather keep hidden. And the only way to do that is to catch the killer herself.

Oblivion by Jennifer Armentrout

Experience OBSIDIAN, ONYX, and OPAL as told by Daemon Black…

I knew the moment Katy Swartz moved in next door, there was going to be trouble. Lots of it.
And trouble’s the last thing I need, since I’m not exactly from around here. My people arrived on Earth from Lux, a planet thirteen billion light years away. Plus, if there’s one thing I know, it’s that humans can’t be trusted. We scare them. We can do things they only dream about, and honestly, we make them look weak as hell. ‘Cuz they are.
But Kat is getting to me in ways no one else has, and I can’t stop myself from wanting her—or wanting to use my powers to protect her. She makes me weak, and I’m the strongest of our kind, tasked with protecting us all. So this one simple girl…she can mean the end for us. Because the Luxen have an even bigger enemy—the Arum, and I need to stay on my game.
Falling for Katy—a human—won’t just place her in danger. It could get us all killed, and that’s one thing I’ll never let happen…

 Paper Princess (The Royals Book One) by Erin Watt
From strip clubs and truck stops to southern coast mansions and prep schools, one girl tries to stay true to herself.

These Royals will ruin you…
Ella Harper is a survivor—a pragmatic optimist. She’s spent her whole life moving from town to town with her flighty mother, struggling to make ends meet and believing that someday she’ll climb out of the gutter. After her mother’s death, Ella is truly alone. 
Until Callum Royal appears, plucking Ella out of poverty and tossing her into his posh mansion among his five sons who all hate her. Each Royal boy is more magnetic than the last, but none as captivating as Reed Royal, the boy who is determined to send her back to the slums she came from.
Reed doesn’t want her. He says she doesn’t belong with the Royals.
He might be right.
Wealth. Excess. Deception. It’s like nothing Ella has ever experienced, and if she’s going to survive her time in the Royal palace, she’ll need to learn to issue her own Royal decrees. 

 Quick Trick: A Rough Riders Hockey Novel by Skye Jordan
Rough Riders’ center, Grant Saber, has been sidelined for a bum shoulder. If he has to be off the ice for three weeks of recovery, he‘ll do it on his back—breaking in a new wanna-be cowgirl every night. But pressure from the team’s owner and Grant’s parents land him in his hometown of Holly, North Carolina instead. Things look up when he learns the hometown beauty who was once so out of his league is now single, and sexier than ever. Determined to slip in a night with her while he’s in town, Grant is shocked to discover one will never be enough.

Faith Nicholas has no interest in the newest Saber-son gossip. After losing her father just months before, she is now on the verge of losing their family hardware store—which is also her home. She couldn’t care less about the Saber’s big money or flashy toys. But she can’t seem to keep Grant out of her store–or her dreams. His magnetic charisma is impossible to ignore, and the longer he stays in town, the more she finds to love about a man who isn’t as superficial as he’d like others to believe.
With a struggling store, four-hundred miles and a rigorous hockey season looming between them, Grant will have to pull out his very best moves if he’s going to make this quick trick last forever.

 Remember Yesterday by Pintip Dunn

Follow-up to the New York Times bestselling novel, Forget Tomorrow!

Sixteen-year-old Jessa Stone is the most valuable citizen in Eden City. Her psychic abilities could lead to significant scientific discoveries—if only she’d let TechRA study her. But after they kidnapped and experimented on her as a child, cooperating with the scientists is the last thing Jessa would do.
But when she discovers the past isn’t what she assumed, Jessa must join forces with budding scientist Tanner Callahan to rectify a fatal mistake made ten years ago. She’ll do anything to change the past and save her sister—even if it means aligning with the enemy she swore to defeat.

. Soul of Flame (The Imdalind Series #4) by Rebecca Ethington
The Time for the final battle has come.

Edmund’s armies have surrounded the Rioseco Abbey, trapping the few survivors inside. The sight that Ilyan was given a thousand years ago is about to come to pass.
If only Joclyn was able to fight.
Joclyn is tormented by the hallucinations that Cail’s mind has left her with, her magic an uncontrollable torrent that even Ilyan cannot control. Her moments of lucidity are broken by fears of dripping pipes and bleeding walls, and a desire to kill Ryland that she is having trouble trying to ignore.
The sight has shown her power, shown her success, but it has also shown her death – The end of her life something she is not quite willing to give up on yet.
Even past her death, the sight has shown her love, and that love may be the only key to her sanity, to her strength, and to Edmund’s death.
That love may stand in her way, and a single choice may tip the scales and secure their future, or destroy their fate.

 The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan
First we were friends. Then we were roommates. Now I want more…

What can I say about Chess Copper? The woman is capable of bringing me to my knees. I know this about five minutes after getting naked for her. 
No one is more surprised than me. The prickly photographer my team hired to shoot our annual charity calendar isn’t my usual type. She’s defense to my offense, a challenge at every turn. But when I’m with her, all the regrets and darkness goes away. She makes life fun. 
I want to know Chess, be close to her. Which is a bad idea. 
Chess is looking for a relationship. I’ve never given a woman more than one night. But when fate leaves Chess without a home, I step up and offer her mine. We’re roommates now. Friends without benefits. But it’s getting harder to keep our hands off each other. And the longer we live together the more I realize she’s becoming my everything.
Trick is… Now that I’ve made her believe I’m a bad bet, how do I convince her to give this player a true shot at forever?
 Under the Lights by Abbi Glines
Willa can’t erase the bad decisions of her past that led her down the path she’s on now. But she can fight for forgiveness from her family. And she can protect herself by refusing to let anyone else get close to her.

High school quarterback and town golden boy Brady used to be the best of friends with Willa—she even had a crush on him when they were kids. But that’s all changed now: her life choices have made her a different person from the girl he used to know.
Gunner used to be friends with Willa and Brady, too. He too is larger than life and a high school football star—not to mention that his family basically owns the town of Lawton. He loves his life, and doesn’t care about anyone except himself. But Willa is the exception—and he understands the girl she’s become in a way no one else can.
As secrets come to light and hearts are broken, these former childhood friends must face the truth about growing up and falling in love…even if it means losing each other forever.

 Vigilante Mine by Cera Daniels
Internal Affairs be damned, Detective Amanda Werner’s ditching protocol to hunt the vigilante whose bullet landed her on the bench. But this is no vendetta. Evidence suggests he’s the zealot offing corrupt public officials–the same zealot who’s promised to set the city ablaze by week’s end–and she’ll risk her career and her life to save her hometown. Too bad she can’t find anything stronger than Kevlar to guard her heart against her primary suspect: a masked man with a telepathic German shepherd, unstable supernatural hearing, and lips that invite a whole different brand of investigation.

All businessman Ryan McLelas, a.k.a. Klepto, wants is redemption. But even if Amanda could forgive his itchy trigger finger, Ryan still has to convince her that his alter ego’s no serial killer. No small task, with syndicate-paid police officers turning up among the dead. He’d better keep his own syndicate ties close to his chest and Amanda even closer, because if Klepto is unmasked while he’s hunting the real killer, their passionate affair could mark Amanda as the next dirty cop on the hit list.

Wicked Beautiful by J. T. Geissinger
Life coach and best-selling author Victoria Price has it all: a successful career, fabulous friends, a fantastic penthouse in Manhattan. What she doesn’t have—and doesn’t want—is a husband. Fifteen years ago her high school flame broke her heart so badly she swore she’d never love again. Now she makes millions teaching other women how to be just like her: a ruthless bitch.

Drop-dead sexy restaurant tycoon and infamous playboy Parker Maxwell has only three rules for the women he dates: no questions about his past, no expectations for the future and no spending the night. When he meets Victoria, however, he’s willing to break his own rules if it means sating the explosive desire she arouses in him. What he doesn’t know is that the alluring Victoria Price used to be the mousy Isabel Diaz, the girl he deflowered and dumped long ago.
Presented with a perfect opportunity for revenge, Victoria decides the game is on. But when her connection with Parker proves more than just skin deep, she has to make a choice—continue with her plan for payback, or risk her career, her reputation and her heart by taking a second chance on love?




I didn’t have any books on my shelves for the last three letters of the alphabet. Even though thats not really a win since I have so many other books on my shelves, I’ll take it as three less books I have to read. LOL

I am not going to tag anyone on this adventure, but if you’d like to join in and show us all whats on your shelves, please do! There were a couple that I had forgotten about like Soul of Flame. I bought that book right when it came out because I had liked the series so much. Then I forgot about it, and that isn’t the only sad story. 

What books have beèn forgotten on your shelves? I challenge you to pick one up and read it next!

Until next Sunday,

Deb

This Chick Read: Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith

What would you do if you won the lottery? We’ve all asked ourselves that question, haven’t we? Jennifer E. Smith writes a realistic story about three teenagers, Alice, Leo, and Teddy. Teddy is turning seventeen and is legal, at least for the buying and winning of lottery tickets. Alice, who has liked Teddy for years as more than friends, buys him a lottery ticket for his birthday and against all odds, those numbers she chose makes him a winner. The winning of that ticket sidetracks her plans of finally telling him how she feels.

Some of this book is pretty predictable. I mean, what would you expect of a teenage boy who wins the lottery? Yep, he goes crazy with the money, buying everything in sight and treating all of his friends. What makes this story unique are the intricacies of these kids personalities and back stories. Alice had been adopted by her Aunt and Uncle at age nine after her parents death. She struggles with feelings of self worth, wanting to please the memory of her parents with everything she does, that you begin to wonder who Alice really is and what Alice really wants out of life. Leo is gay and is going through a long distance relationship with his boyfriend who is a year ahead and has already gone off to college. Teddy, the winner of the lottery, is actually the son of an addicted gambler who abandoned he and his mother stealing all of their savings. Funny enough, Leo has the most normal storyline. One that quite a few of us have gone through and can relate with. It’s Alice and Leo’s story that drives this book and Ms. Smith did a good job of taking a big subject like winning the lottery and intricately weaving emotion, heart, and heartbreak through the glitz and glam of Teddy’s prize.

If you are a fan of YA contemporary romances then you need to pick up this book. It is chock full of emotions but I’d rate it PG in physical contact, safe for any audience. ❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click the link to purchase! Windfall

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: The Time In Between (Magdalene #3) by Kristen Ashley

Cady Moreland has unfinished business that moves her away from her family in Denver to the small town of Magdalene in Maine. This unfinished business includes an old boyfriend, Coert Yeagar, now the Sheriff of Magdalene, and her estranged brother Caylen who lives a couple of hours away. When Cady gets to Magdalene she falls in love with and buys the lighthouse spending a fortune to completely restore it and move in. Coert, knowing she moved to town, is a complete turd to her, trying to scare her into moving away. However, Cady decides that she can live with being close to Coert yet never being with him. She digs her feet in and decides to stay. Of course, this is a Kristen Ashley novel, so I know that there may be heartbreak but there will also be a Happily Ever After too! It may just take a little while to get there.

There are so many things I like about Kristen Ashley books. One of those is that her women are real. They are usually 40-ish, normal sized, normal looking, and have normal lives. They are also strong and in the case of Cady, incredibly sweet and nice. Coert is also KA’s typical alpha male. Handsome, in a very manly way, terse, and confident in the it’s my way or the highway kind of way. In the beginning of this novel I knew I loved Cady immediately. She was so giving, some of her scenes were emotionally tragic (have a hankie at hand!), yet I never felt sorry for her circumstances. Life just kind of kicked her in the butt. Coert on the other hand took a little time to warm up to. Part of that were all their flashback scenes. Just as you were getting to know him in real time it would flip to a flash back and their tragic past was playing out. He was harder for me to like because of that. However, once he was all in with Cady, I was all in with Coert. Their story was really  moving and I liked it alot.

The only downside for me was that I think a third of this book could have been cut during an edit. For me it it lagged in the middle and I got a little antsy. I wanted the story to move along a little faster! Other than the slight slowness it was a perfect ending to the Magdalene series. Actually it made me want to go back and re-read the first two! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click link to purchase! The Time in Between (The Magdalene Series) (Volume 3)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: Dear Aaron by Mariana Zapata

I have read only a couple of Mariana Zapata novels and I loved them both. When Dear Aaron was released not too long ago I scooped it up hoping for that awesome slow burn romance I’d come to expect. The premise of the story guaranteed that this couple, like most of her others, were going to follow the friends to lovers plotline. Ruby Santos is paired with Aaron Hall through a military organization that organizes pen pals for overseas military. After getting off to a rough start with Aaron not responding to Ruby’s initial emails, they start penning notes to each other and as time goes on, discovering tidbits about each others lives. I actually enjoyed the flow of the book, learning about both Ruby and Aarons lives, however, the depth of emotion was missing, as it would when you are learning about someone through a letter. You learn only what they choose to tell you. This point of view separated the reader and kept me from developing any strong emotional attachment to either Ruby or Aaron for the first half of the book.

When the story advances, Aaron is on leave in the US, and their communication advances to texting and then finally a phone call. Its at this point that the author starts writing in conventional narrative and we get to read from an actual point of view. The Ruby that we saw in email form was only a little different than the Ruby we now know from hearing her thoughts. My problem was that I liked Ruby better in email form. Aaron was solid both in email and in person. I was given a good grasp of his character and it stayed consistent for the entire book. Actually, through Ruby’s eyes he got even more attractive! I think I just found it harder to connect with Ruby because of the email format at the start. I did still enjoy the book, but in comparison with The Wall of Winnipeg and Me and Kulti it paled. ❤️❤️❤️❣️


Click link to purchase! Dear Aaron

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

When I challenged myself to read The Hating Game in the next 30 days on my blog I pretty much put the kiss of death on the book. I’d glance over at it and think, I have time! If it wasn’t for the fact that I actually gave the book away on that same blog post I probably would’ve procrastinated as I’ve done with other books. At long last I picked it up and read the first chapter. Hmmm, I checked out the cover again. This book seemed to have it all; a catchy title, cute cover and the synopsis was interesting. I read another chapter and the next time I looked up it was 12:30am. Wait, what? I started to read the first paragraph of the next chapter and then slammed the book shut. I must go to bed because I have to go to work tomorrow! The next day, I could not stop thinking about this book and couldn’t wait to get back into it. Needless to say, it was absolutely FABULOUS! Sally Thorne, you wrote one fine book!

Lucy and Josh are both executive assistants to two co-owners of a publishing company. They sit across a glass and chrome room from each other and snark and stare at each other every day. True competitors they try to out perform each other while maintaining an icy glare. When they both apply for a promotion the game is stepped up. At least Lucy thought so until one evening when Josh pushed her up against the wall of the elevator as they were leaving work and gave her the kiss of her life. Lucy gave back as much as she got and that game of hate became an uncertainty. Was this not hate she felt? Did Josh feel the same way?

This book is so much more intricate than the premise leads you to believe. The tension is unbelievable and Josh is just YUM. To think that this is Sally Thorne’s first novel is pretty surprising. This book may not have been on your radar and I certainly never heard of it before, but I will definitely be keeping my eyes peeled for a new release from this author. If you love enemies to friend stories-read this book, it is great! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️


Click Link to purchase! The Hating Game: A Novel

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: Beard Science (Winston Brothers #3) by Penny Reid

Why did I wait so long to read this novel??!!  I’ve owned it since December and well, I guess I was worried about Cletus. If you are a fan of these novels, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Cletus makes a great quirky side character, and he was my favorite. How would that quirky weirdness translate into a romance hero? I’ll admit, when the novel first started and he declared that he and a different woman would suit, I had to read the synopsis again.  Wasn’t he supposed to be with Jennifer, the Banana Cake Queen? Yep, that other woman was just a red herring.  When the point of view switched to Jennifer, and I realized her scheme to get Cletus’s help, I knew he had no chance. Jennifer was going to steal his heart.

Cletus was just as quirky as he was in the first two novels, but the insight into his character showed that the quirkiness was actually a shield that he put up to protect himself. Jennifer, a rather odd duck herself, snuck under his defenses and pretty soon he was determined to win her for his own, forgetting Shelly, the woman he’d thought suited him at the beginning of the novel. Good thing, because Shelly is meant for his brother Beau.

Jennifer was a heroine you really wanted to root for. Treated horribly by her family and treated as a joke by the town you couldn’t wait to watch her grow into herself. I loved that she was just as unique and quirky as Cletus. They seem to be a perfect match.

Each time I read a Winston Brothers novel I worry about it not being able to live up to my enjoyment of the novel before, but once again, I didn’t need to worry. Cletus and Jennifer’s story, while different than the first two, was just as great. This family from Tennessee is charming, unusual and all are perfect gentlemen with their ladies. Their courtships are all unique and Penny Reid does a great job of maintaining the originality of the storyline yet catching the correct tone of a Tennessee southern vibe.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❣️

Click link to purchase! Beard Science (Winston Brothers Book 3) (Volume 3)

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

This Chick Read: Secrets of the Tulip Sisters by Susan Mallery

Kelly Murphy is being stalked by the boy she had a crush on in high school. Not stalked in a bad way but in a cute guy is very interested in her way. That would’ve been great but her memories of his rejection in high school are tied to her mothers infidelity and eventual abandonment. So, she’s somewhat disturbed that Griffith is showing signs of interest. However, she gets over those feelings pretty quick.

Olivia Murphy has been gone from home for years and decides to vacation back home with her sister and father. After running wild in her teens after her mother abandoned she and her sister with their father, she was sent to boarding school at fifteen and never really came back home. Now, she’s back and wants to fix her relationship with her father and sister.

Jeff Murphy is Kelly and Olivia’s father. He owns the tulip farm that he and Kelly run. When Olivia shows up, he’s overjoyed, but when her crazy mother shows up right after her, he’s a little overwhelmed. He had just started a relationship with Helen, Kelly’s best friend. To say Miriam’s appearance puts a kink in his sex life is putting it mildly.

As with all of Susan Mallery’s books, this was really well written. BUT, this book had so much going on! Kelly and Griffith’s budding relationship, Olivia starting fresh with her family and her multiple love interests, their fathers relationship with Helen, Helen’s insecurity with the ex wife showing up, an auction, a crazy mother, sheesh! I would’ve been happy with just one love story and the sisters renewing their relationship. Was the book good? Well, sure, but just when I started getting into one storyline, the POV shifted and I was reading from another characters POV. I will say that some of the issues in this book dealing with insecurity with sex, weight, self esteem, etc. were very realistic and I enjoyed seeing how these characters overcame these problems, but the amount of problems and who was sleeping with whom was a bit much. Will I keep reading Susan Mallery? Absolutely, so I guess it didn’t disappoint that much. ❤️❤️❤️❣️

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Secrets of the Tulip Sisters: A Novel Click link to purchase!

Copyright 2017 Deborah Kehoe The Reading Chick All Rights Reserved

This Chicks Sunday Commentary: I’m back from Vacation!

What a fabulous vacation!! Of course, after a week back at work it feels like it was weeks and weeks ago. However, I am hoping that by putting this post together and reviewing some of my photo’s I’ll put myself back in that relaxed vacation mode and get the most out of my three day weekend. Happy Labor Day to those of you in the States!

I promised I would share a few pictures of our trip to Venice, Italy. We really lucked out on the weather as a huge storm had gone through the night before we arrived and the weather was pretty mild. Low 80’s with a nice cool breeze. Coming from the humid south, it was a nice change.

First a little window shopping! Venice is known for textiles, Murano glass and masquerades! I threw in the pizza because well, I was hungry. Lol.


Tis next photo is of the Doge’s palace (a Doge is a nominated position, not a king, but certainly enjoyed the fruits of Venice’s battles!). Seriously, these Venetians really wanted to appear wealthy and gilded everything in gold. Very beautiful, but I kept thinking the maids must’ve had trouble dusting all of those extravagant ceilings!


We did see some other areas around Venice. The most colorful was Burano. Famous for their lace making. It was pretty spectacular! We did also do a little wine tasting. A few times, actually. Lol.


And of course, the Venice Canals!



We finally got that Gondola ride the day before we left. It is pricey, but really you only live once, you know? It’s a memory that I enjoyed making and will carry with me forever.

I hope you all enjoyed my Venice vacation photo’s!  Did any of you go anywhere on vacation this summer? I’d love to hear about it!

Until next Sunday,

Deb