Wednesday, October 19, 2016

"Euphoria - The Thornfield Affair" Book 1 Review

Jane Doe. That's the name they gave her. That's what happened when they stripped her name from her.

Sent away. Sent to be alone; at least that is how it felt.

Drifting and wandering is all Jane knew. Never having a place to settle down. Nowhere to feel "home". Thornfield sure wasn't going to be "home" but it would work for now. That is until......

Throughout this incredible story of love, lust, mystery, and fantasy, Amity Cross brings it with the first book of the Thornfield affair!

Whilst working at Thornfield, Jane figures this will be another place to work for the time being, before she moves on again. That is until Mr. Rochester takes a special interest. This cat and mouse game that has ensued is not only intriguing but floods your senses with it's intentions. The library. The woods. The torture. The heartbreak.

Cross has delivered! This series is shaping to be another one that you will not be able to put down!

Read on and bloom,
Stephanie

***ARC received for honest review***

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Crazy, Stupid Perfection - Review

The perfection of Paxton. The innocence (or not so) of Charlie. The fireworks and explosions between them.
Melissa Toppen has totally won herself a fan here! This is the 3rd book of the Crazy, Stupid Trilogy. Even as a standalone, this is an AMAZING book.

Love. Lies. Passion. Pain. Ends and new beginnings. This story has every single thing you want in a romance. Toppen kept me wanting more from the very first chapter! Her imagery, fantasy, and perfection of characters had me reeling from the very beginning.

One thing that I took away from this book, without realizing it, was that there is always a chance for a new beginning when you are willing to try. New life. New job. New home. New love. Whatever it is that you need to begin again, you can do so even in the face of insurmountable doubt and fear.

Keep smilin'
Stephanie

Wednesday, September 28, 2016

Ruin - My Review

Ok, so let me just start off with saying..... I COULD NOT PUT THIS DOWN!!!! I am going to do my best to not let any spoilers slip out.

First, I totally connected with Maybell. There are so many things that she and I have in common, it was surreal. As the main character of this story, Maybell is an incredible young woman who is misunderstood, mostly by her mother. One of the most connecting parts of this story was, "And then the lengthy process of getting back to bed begins. God. I never realized how debilitating being sick really is. How much independence you lose." That group of sentences is my life.

Alexander..... the guy that seems insanely creepy in the beginning. What a character he is! The "watcher" is what I referred to him as. I couldn't wait to see the story develop and the amazing connection that is found within.

This is incredibly difficult for me to not spoil things! I am so in love with this story that I cannot even begin to compare it to anything else. Clarissa Wild did an incredible job and is honestly one of my favorite authors because of this book!

**ARC received for an honest review.

Read on-

Stephanie

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

Lost in Rewind - Review

I don't even know where to begin...... Talk Alexander knocked this out of the park!

The intertwining lives, love stories, and the finding of self creates an amazingly beautiful story that I could not put down. Jeffrey Rossi, the man you love to hate and hate to love. Jackie, the woman your heart breaks for. Sara, you can't help but feel for her and want her to come out on top. Kali, the all too seducing young gypsy. There is so much to this story that you want to read it over and over again, and each time get something new. 

This story makes you laugh, makes you want to cry, makes you feel for characters in a real sense. I'm still reeling over the developments of this story!!!!! I highly recommend this to anyone, especially those who are new to Tali Alexander's writing. 

Alexander does not disappoint with this throw and final installment of this series. I was given an ARC of this book for an honest review. 


Monday, August 29, 2016

The Jolly Coroner

Hey everyone! So I had a great opportunity the ready "The Jolly Coroner" by

Monday, August 15, 2016

One Dress, One Year - Review


Bethany Winz is an amazing young woman. She took on an incredible task to raise awareness for human trafficking and in turn found herself. This story reads like a diary of a 16-year-old girl, because that is exactly what it is. 

I loved the premise behind the book and what Bethany accomplished. It was difficult for me to stay engaged, as I enjoy fast paced reading. Her journey is one that is incredible to follow but I don't recommend this as a read for an adult. This book is geared more toward the YA audience. 

God bless and keep Smilin

Stephanie ><>

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

The Shock of Night - review

Why can't he remember? What is holding these memories of the DarkWater Forest?

Willet Dura is a man that is not liked by many, and that's a stretch! When he happens upon a gift, his life changes!

Murder, mystery, romance, heartache, forces against one another.... Patrick W. Carr has brought it all.

My absolute favorite character is Bolt, and if you have any sarcasm in your being, you'll love him too!

This story pulled at every heart string. Suspense, caution, joy, sorrow all combined into one story!

Carr has an amazing gift for imagery. You live in the story, you smell and feel what is being described. You attach to characters and cheer their triumphs. You fall with them. This is the first book I have read by Carr and cannot wait to get my hands on more!

God bless and Keep Smilin
Stephanie ><>

Sunday, June 5, 2016

The Atonement - Review

From the moment that I picked up this book, I have been completely enveloped in the story lines. This book was amazingly written and the imagery was incredible.

We meet Lucy Flaud, a young Amish woman that has a jaded past. Throughout the story, you learn pieces of her past, her father's point of view, the effect on the family, and a love that knows no boundaries.

"The Atonement" was emotional, romantic, funny, and full of hope and inspiration. Beverly Lewis brought an amazing story to life on the pages of this book. I am so thankful to have read it, with the truth and wisdom that is imparted in it's pages.

Lucy's story is one that many can relate to, Amish or not. Through her trials we watch a young lady bloom into an incredible woman. She falls as we all do. She fills her time as distraction. But in the end she comes to her own revelations. I could not put this story down and cannot wait to read more by this incredibly talented author!

God Bless and Keep Smilin'

Stephanie ><>


Sunday, May 22, 2016

An experience to last a lifetime

Wow! I'm still wrapping my heart around what I experienced with my family on May 12 , 2016.

I'm still in awe.

But I can vividly picture every single moment. One moment in particular.

The moment our 10 year old son experienced God and was baptized in the Holy Spirit.

We were getting ready to wrap up the "vacation" part of our trip to Florida to head to my residency for school. On our way to Tampa, we decided to go to a place we always wanted to go......

The Holy Land Experience

What a breathtaking place full of the Lord and His love. Something happened there though. Something none of us expected.

We had walked through some of the exhibits and approached the communion experience. We sat inside and listened to a young woman singing worship and bringing us into a place of worship. Another employee had come forward and began speaking the truth of God's word and sharing the Gospel. Shortly after this we had all gone into a time of worship and prayer.....

And then it happened!

The shift in the atmosphere. The overwhelming presence of the Lord. I look to my left and there's our son, completely overwhelmed and crying in the presence of the Holy Spirit. He kept saying, "I don't know why I'm crying. I can't help it. I can't control it!"

Right then and there my husband and I knew our son, 10 years old, had experienced the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We are so thankful that the Lord allowed us to experience that with our son and how amazing it was to feel the Lord like we did.

This is for everyone! God wants to dwell within you. Open the door and let Him in!

God bless and Keep Smilin
Stephanie ><>

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Be You. Do Good. - Review

Jonathan Golden is an incredible motivator. Sharing his story truly brought insight into my own life. I was impressed with how he built this coffee empire, so to speak, as a ministry to help the people of Thousand Hills.

I have recommended this book to many people who are in the direct sales business or are entrepreneurs.

"Because words are so powerful - both divine and human ones - we have to be careful about what we say we can or can't do." - Golden

This statement has stuck with me since I finished the book. Our words are so powerful. We need to make sure that we speak our success!!! This was an incredibly uplifting book and has helped me see things from a totally different perspective.

God Bless and Keep Smilin'
Stephanie ><>

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

21 Seconds to Change Your World - review

Where do I even begin? This book was an incredible eye opener for me on the power of the Lord's Prayer and Psalm 23.

I have noted throughout this book and will continue to revisit it. Dr. Rutland has an amazing way of explaining this through the use of it in his personal life.

Learning the Lord's prayer and Psalm 23 and using them together has been an incredibly uplifting practice in my life and my family is even getting on board!

I highly recommend this book!

God bless and Keep Smilin
Stephanie ><>

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

The Boy Born Dead - review

What an incredible life story! From the perspective of and the help of David Wideman, David Ring tells his incredible story!

David Ring was a stillborn......
David Ring began to breathe 15 minutes later......
David Ring has cerebral palsy but no I'll cognitive effects......

That is just some of the amazing attributes of this biography. From start to finish I was intrigued. It was a roller coaster of proud, happy moments to anger and sadness for Ring. Disgust at the way he was treated by his sisters friend.

I'd recommend this book to anyone wanting a look into how simple their life really is in comparison to others.

God bless and Keep Smilin
Stephanie ><>