Book Review - Brunch at Bittersweet Café by Carla Laureano + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Melody Johansson tries to find the positive in every situation. However, seven years after she moved to Denver, she feels like she is stuck in a rut. She is a classically trained baker and pastry chef but, she is currently working in a mediocre chain bakery. Her love life has stalled after a string of disastrous relationships. When the handsome and charming pilot Justin Keller knocks on her door during a snowstorm, Melody finally feels her luck might be changing.

Justin is impressed by Melody and her positivity. However, the last thing he wants is a relationship after his own romantic failures. He feels his job is demanding and stressful to have meaningful relationships and connections. Plus, he plans on moving across the country to Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Justin and Melody against better judgment decide to give their budding relationship a try. They find themselves bonding over their career choices and shared love of adventure. When Melody suddenly comes into a windfall she realizes she can finally live out her dream of opening her own bakery-cafe with her best friend. However, she finds herself stuck with an impossible choice. Should she give up her dreams of owning her own store or give up her chance at love?

This was the second novel in "The Saturday Night Supper Club" series but, I found each novel could be read as standalone. This novel focuses on Melody and her journey to accomplish her dreams and finding love. I enjoyed Melody and Justin's search to balance their love life and dreams but, found it to be a bit slow in some parts. Overall, a solid second novel to the series.

 **Disclosure - I received a free uneditted copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

About the Book

Title: Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe
Author: Carla Laureano
Genre: Christian Romance

Release date: February 5, 2019

Publisher: Tyndale

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country—an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

About the Author

 

Carla Laureano is the RITA® Award-winning author of contemporary inspirational romance and Celtic fantasy (as C.E. Laureano). A graduate of Pepperdine University, she worked as a sales and marketing executive for nearly a decade before leaving corporate life behind to write fiction full-time. She currently lives in Denver with her husband and two sons, where she writes during the day and cooks things at night.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Carla is giving away a grand prize package of a macron baking mat, a macron book, and a paperback copy of Brunch at Bittersweet Café!!

Be sure to comment on the blog stops for nine extra entries into the giveaway! Click the link below to enter. https://promosimple.com/ps/db0f/brunch-at-bittersweet-cafe-celebration-tour-giveaway

TokyoMilk Dark Pretty Rotten No. 33 Lip Elixir

The clear lip balm is enriched with aloe leaf and vitamin E to leave lips soft and supple. The lip balm has scents of green tea, jasmine, apple, rose, mandarin, and forest greens. I found the scent to be very pleasant and tantalizing. I like that they redesigned the lip balm container as the old ones were very difficult to open. I can't wait to try the other flavors from the line.

Biobelle #Unicorn Glow Facial Sheet Mask

Ah, I love facial sheet masks! However, I usually get the $1-4 ones and on special occasions, I splurge and get the more expensive ones. Boy, am I excited I took the chance and splurged with this facial mask! The Tencel sheet mask is enriched with honey, mulberry, and chocolate. The ingredients read like a smoothie ingredient list and my skin loved this mask. It left my skin so soft, moisturized and radiant. I got so many compliments the next day after using this mask before going to bed. Definitely one of my favorite masks over the ones I normally use. After getting such great results with this mask, I am going to try other masks from this company as I can't rave enough about this mask.

Lollia Poetic License 72 Velvet as Night Fine Perfumed Soap

The triple milled soap comes in a bold colorblocked with gold trimming packaging. Underneath the colorful packaging is block of delicately scented soap. The soap has scents of rose nilk and frankincense. The soap did provide a generous lather and left my skin delicately scented. I usually like floral scents but, I wasn't crazy over the scent. It was hard to place it words it felt, like a mish-mash of scents.

Book Review - Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones by by Micah Dean Hicks + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

The small town of Swine Hill is filled with ghosts. The ghosts have taken over the abandoned downtown area and haunt places that they have unresolved dealings with. Some ghosts have been known to hurt people and sometimes, even change them. In Swine Hill, there are more dead things than living.

Jane has been haunted since she was a child. Her ghost feeds on the secrets and fears of people around her. She loves to share her findings with Jane, even if Jane doesn't want to know. Jane's brother, Henry, is also plagued by a ghost. His ghost takes over and causes him to build strange and dangerous machines. Her mother is possessed by a lonely spirit who craves attention and burns anyone who she touches.

When newcomers start obtaining coveted jobs at the pork processing plant, both the living and dead are upset. They are worried about their future and where they would go. Jane and her family have loyalties to both sides and try to survive when things start getting violent. Will Jane and her family be able to escape Swine Hill?

I found the book to be an interesting read. It definitely had a different plot that I would have expected or used too.  I found each character to be well developed and interesting. However, I found it annoying that some characters knew how to get rid of ghosts but, didn't really make the attempt to do so until things went downhill. For example, Jane was trying to make her friend's life better but, yet she continued to let her mother suffer from her ghost. Overall, the novel was an interesting read from books I normally read.

 **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

SYNOPSIS

Swine Hill was full of the dead. Their ghosts were thickest near the abandoned downtown, where so many of the town’s hopes had died generation by generation. They lingered in the places that mattered to them, and people avoided those streets, locked those doors, stopped going into those rooms . . . They could hurt you. Worse, they could change you.

Jane is haunted. Since she was a child, she has carried a ghost girl that feeds on the secrets and fears of everyone around her, whispering to Jane what they are thinking and feeling, even when she doesn’t want to know. Henry, Jane’s brother, is ridden by a genius ghost that forces him to build strange and dangerous machines. Their mother is possessed by a lonely spirit that burns anyone she touches. In Swine Hill, a place of defeat and depletion, there are more dead than living.

When new arrivals begin scoring precious jobs at the last factory in town, both the living and the dead are furious. This insult on the end of a long economic decline sparks a conflagration. Buffeted by rage on all sides, Jane must find a way to save her haunted family and escape the town before it kills them.  

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY

Praise for BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES

“A tour-de-force of the imagination. Hicks has created a world that is beautifully and brutally surreal and yet, at the same time, BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES stands as a hyper-realistic psychological portrait of the death of the American factory town. My own identity as an American was disturbed and changed by this novel; some dormant understanding was shaken awake. This is a stunning and profound debut.” ―Julianna Baggott, bestselling author of New York Times Notable Book Pure

“Hicks’ debut novel is a thoughtful tour of the rotted and haunted heart of America. Highly recommended.” ―Jeremiah Tolbert, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author

“I can’t stop thinking about this book. It’s a haunting story that burrows under your skin like an insect laying eggs that hatch within you in the middle of the night. Hicks’ mesmerizing imagery kept me turning the pages and asking myself ‘How is this book happening? What sort of literary witchcraft am I witnessing?’” ―Maurice Broaddus, author of Buffalo Soldier and The Usual Suspects

“BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES is a breathless wonder of a debut novel… Hicks is a magician with words and has written a spellbinding, haunting and necessary book.” ―Anne Valente, author of Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down

“Hicks has crafted a haunting story with multi-generational appeal, where the very real horror of poverty meets supernatural horror, and social issues like xenophobia, racism and economic anxiety are addressed organically through allegory and gripping storytelling.” ―Chris L. Terry, author of Black Card and Zero Fade  

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Micah Dean Hicks is the author of the novel Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones. He is also the author of Electricity and Other Dreams, a collection of dark fairy tales and bizarre fables. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Kenyon Review, and elsewhere. Hicks grew up in rural southwest Arkansas and now lives in Orlando. He teaches creative writing at the University of Central Florida.  

PHOTO CREDIT: SCOT LERNER 2018  

WEBSITE: https://micahdeanhicks.com/

TWITTER: @MicahDeanHicks
GOODREADS: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7109627.Micah_Dean_Hicks
FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/micahdeanhicks
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/micahdeanhicks/

3 Winners will receive a Copy of BREAK THE BODIES, HAUNT THE BONES by Micah Dean Hicks.

ttp://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e849f7751558/   

Book Review - Fairy Mom and Me #2: Fairy in Waiting by Sophie Kinsella + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

 Ella Brook knows that she has to wait to become a fairy like her mother. She can't wait to be a fairy to have her own sparkly wings and Computawand. Ella and her mother are put through four different situations where the help of magic would be helpful. However, will Ella learn she doesn't need magic to save the day?

I like the book was split up into four small short stories that can be read in a few minutes. The book has a lot of laughs out loud moments when Ella's mom tries to use magic but, makes the situation worse. I found this book to be a great bonding experience when reading together. I liked that the book also included activities in the end that can be done together.

  **Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.** 

Title: FAIRY IN WAITING (Fairy Mom and Me #2)

Author: Sophie Kinsella

Pub. Date: January 29, 2019

Publisher: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 160

Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD

Fans of Sophie Kinsella's sparkling humor and the first book in the illustrated duology will love these next adventures featuring their favorite mother-daughter fairy team.

Ella Brook is used to being a fairy in waiting. It means that one day she will become a fairy with her own sparkly wings and Computawand, just like her mom.

But sometimes Ella doesn't want to have to wait any longer. After all, she helps her mom remember magic codes all the time! If only there were a spell for growing up faster.

Will Ella prove that she's ready to become a fairy? Or will she learn that she doesn't need real magic to save the day?

About Sophie:

Sophie Kinsella has sold over 40 million copies of her books in more than 60 countries, and she has been translated into over 40 languages.

Sophie’s latest novel, Surprise Me, presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be discovered.

Sophie Kinsella first hit the UK bestseller lists in September 2000 with her first novel in the Shopaholic series – The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (also published as Confessions of a Shopaholic). The book’s heroine, Becky Bloomwood – a fun and feisty financial journalist who loves shopping but is hopeless with money – captured the hearts of readers worldwide. Becky has since featured in seven further bestselling books, Shopaholic Abroad (also published as Shopaholic Takes Manhattan), Shopaholic Ties the Knot, Shopaholic & Sister, Shopaholic & Baby, Mini Shopaholic, Shopaholic to the Stars and Shopaholic to the Rescue. Becky Bloomwood came to the big screen in 2009 with the hit Disney movie Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher and Hugh Dancy.

Sophie has also written seven standalone novels which have all been bestsellers in the UK, USA and other countries around the world: Can You Keep A Secret?, The Undomestic Goddess, Remember Me?, Twenties Girl, I’ve Got Your Number, Wedding Night, and My Not So Perfect Life, which was a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist for Best Fiction in 2017.

In 2014 she published a Young Adult novel Finding Audrey about a teenage girl with social anxiety and her madcap family, and in January 2018, Sophie published her first illustrated book for young readers about the charming adventures of a mother-daughter fairy duo, Mummy Fairy and Me (also published as Fairy Mom and Me).

Sophie wrote her first novel under her real name, Madeleine Wickham, at the tender age of 24, whilst she was working as a financial journalist. The Tennis Party was immediately hailed as a success by critics and the public alike and became a top ten bestseller. She went on to publish six more novels as Madeleine Wickham: A Desirable Residence, Swimming Pool Sunday, The Gatecrasher, The Wedding Girl, Cocktails for Three and Sleeping Arrangements.

Sophie was born in London. She studied music at New College, Oxford, but after a year switched to Politics, Philosophy and Economics. She now lives in London, UK, with her husband and family.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of FAIRY IN WAITING, US Only.

Rafflecopter Link:

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/e2389ba2881/? 

Tour Schedule:

Week Four:

2/11/2019- She's Got Books On Her Mind- Review

2/12/2019- Savings in Seconds- Review

2/13/2019- Two Chicks on Books- Excerpt

2/14/2019- Owl Always Be Reading- Excerpt

2/15/2019- two points of interest- Review

Aerie Mandarin Blossom Softening Body Wash

Ah, I came across this body wash when I was organizing one of my many makeup/skincare/bath stashes. I think I bought this is a few years old as I don't see it available online anymore but, only through third-party retailers. The fruit scented body wash had scents of apple, mandarin, and freesia. It is enriched with aloe to leave skin soft. The body wash left my skin softly scented but, I found I had to use a lot of product to get a rich lather. Overall, it's a decent body wash but, I think I prefer BBW body washes or a drugstore body wash because it does a better job for around the same price or less.