Book Review: The Marriage Pact by Kathleen Fuller

This is the first book I’ve ever read by Kathleen Fuller. After reading this book, I will be looking for some of her other books to read as well. She is a good author and a good story-teller.

This book is about Perry & Daisy. I love how Kathleen makes us care about each of the characters. I really liked Perry from the first page when his brothers were talking about him. The concern his brother’s had over Perry’s soon to be “peck of trouble” made me want to find out what was going to happen. On the other hand, as Daisy’s first scene came into view, it took a little longer to warm up to her. She isn’t as likeable from the first page, but I don’t want to give anything away by saying more.

I do recommend this book. It was a good read, and the story ends well.

Book Review: Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

This is not my usual ready of fantasy romance, but I did enjoy reading it very much. I feel it is historically accurate and the author had insight into the thoughts of people who survived the dust bowl in the 1930’s. It was entertaining and educational, which I very much like.
In this book you learn about Howe and Joanna as they struggle to live in very difficult circumstances. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys learning, and reading about people who can go through tragedies and come out the other side.

Book Review: A Fate Forged In Fire

I had the opportunity to read the book “A Fate Forged In Fire” by Hazel McBride recently. I have mixed feelings about it. To begin with (and now) I really like the cover art and the storyline seems to be exactly what I love to get lost in. Dragons, oh yeah! However, there are a couple of points that stop me from giving it a glowing top rated review.

I kept wanting to get behind and support the main character, Aemyra, but I kept shaking my head at her as she would make less than stellar decisions. She is definitely a character that you can care about and want to do well. You want her to get what she wants and succeed. However, she keeps making irrational decisions based on less than the best logic. Then, towards the end of the story, you think she is finally gaining some smarts, finally making some better decisions, making a shaky alliance with one of her nemesises. And the story turns. . .

The book really is a good read, but by the end of it, I was quite disappointed. I really wanted a different ending for the main character. I believe the author wanted you to yearn for more at the end, and there is probably a book two, but there is no happy ending at the end of book one. I would have liked to have a book you can feel good about finishing, instead of one where you really wished it had a different ending.

The book is full of action and characters that you can care about. It has great potential to be a wonderful series, and I look forward to seeing if Hazel McBride puts out a book 2.

Book Review: Give Me Butterflies by Jillian Meadows

I just finished this book. It was very very good !

I was very surprised to learn that this is Jillian’s Meadows first book. It flowed very well and was so realistic that it was easy to travel to the world inside the book each time I opened to it’s pages.

There are some adult scenes, but if those were removed or made G-rated, it would be an even more excellent read and enjoyable for all those who love a good romance. I especially like the interactions of Millie with Avery & Eloise. The dialogue was easy and natural and made me laugh.

This book publishes Jan 21, 2025, so get in touch with your local library and ask them to hold it for you!

Book Review: Holiday Wedding by Dr. Melissa Dymond

I recently was able to ready Holiday Wedding by Dr. Melissa Dymond through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed the storyline in this book. It took a couple of chapters to get used to the change of point of view (One chapter form Jennifer’s point of view, the next by Gwen.) Once I got used to actually reading the chapter title (I tend to skip these) It was easier to understand who was telling the story at that point.
I also felt like the book could of ended at several points, but I’d turn the page, and there was another chapter. I did appreciate the extra information in those “extra” chapters though.
Overall I feel like this was worth my time reading it. There are a lot of issues Jennifer & Gwen deal with, including self-esteem issues, which I think every women deals with at some point in her life. Occasionally I felt situations blew up too quickly, or were resolved too quickly, but then, it is just a story in a book, and not real life.

In the end, I enjoyed reading this book.

Thanks for the story.

Getting Back Into It

I have been away from my blog for a long time. I think it may be time to get back into it. Stop being afraid to share my thoughts.

So my thought for today. . . .

Why does Chocolate have to taste so good ?

I gave up caffeine a few years back, but I can not give up my chocolate. Chocolate does have some caffeine in it, but not a terrible lot. I also prefer milk chocolate so that has less caffeine then the darker chocolate. I have also heard that chocolate has some good stuff in it. I know that chocolate makes me feel better when I’m having a bad day and it’s the first thing I go to when I’m feeling uneasy.

It’s supposed to help release endorphins and dopamine so your body can handle stress.

Chocolate is one of my vices. Can’t stop eating it, although I do try to limit it. I no longer eat a mug full of chocolate chips with Hot Cocoa Powder over it like I did as a child. Or a cup of apple chunks soaking in Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup. Atleast I don’t do that anymore.

I really don’t want to give up chocolate. It’s tastes good. It releases good stuff in my brain. In small quantities I think it’s actually good for me. If I can soothe my nerves with a little chocolate, then that’s much better than eating a huge amount of other food (mainly carbs) to sooth my nerves. So I am going to conclude that chocolate is good. There is no need to remove it from my diet.

And perhaps I need to go get a piece before bed.

Mistakes and Non-Perfections

So,. . Not sure what to say. What am I thinking? I am thinking I have messed up on my current crochet project. I feel like I try, but I always screw it up. I’m making a dog sweater for my son’s dog, and I have the neck, chest, and back length measurements. I have finished the main portion of crochet, and it seems that the chest measurement should be close to 24″, and it’s 30″. Which is way too big. I could overlap the belly, but that would bring the leg holes closer together, and I’m not sure that’s a good thing.

So, I don’t know what to do. If I continue as it is, it’s going to be very big on the dog. However, the dog has a bulky harness. So I suppose I could do something with the back line of the sweater. I already have a hole for the harness-leash attachment, but the harness has a handle on the back as well. So that would take up some room. Perhaps if I somehow gather the back a little which would create a gather to make space for the handle, and tighten the other sections before and after the handle?

The other option would be to do a little bit of both options. A small overlap underneath and a small gather on top. That might work. I guess I still have to think about it and figure it out. Hopefully I’ll get it close to fitting properly.

Thanks for letting me ramble! (Like you had a choice!)

Photo by Anete Lusina on Pexels.com

Lack of Creativitus Decision Making

Have you ever really wanted to get back into something creative, like quilting or drawing or designing? But when you try, you get blocked by the inability to make a decision?

I’m having a extremely difficult time making any sewing / quilting decisions right now. I tried to go into my stash area and select a fabric to go with a project I want to make, but I couldn’t decide what to use. I wish I could be creative again. Any ideas?

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