Freebie Friday

Today's Freebie Friday is a fun contemporary romance by Lucy McConnell called The Academic Bride. I haven't read this one, but it looks like a sweet weekend read.

Here's the back copy:

A fun and romantic contemporary mail order bride book.

Early on, Pamela Jones realized she had an unusual talent for putting two people together. Over the years, she’s turned it into a successful matchmaking service for the ultra wealthy: Billionaire Marriage Brokers. While she specializes in “business” marriages — paring people off because of their skills, education, or training — she can spot a potential love match a mile away. When Pamela has a “good feeling” about a bride and groom - a business marriage can become so much more.

Janel Fendrick is a go-getter. Her dream of excavating a Mayan temple is within reach — until the funding is pulled and she’s left scrambling for an alternative. Pamela Jones comes along with a proposal...and a groom! Janel hesitates, until she realizes that one year of marriage is a small price to pay to have all her dreams come true. What she doesn’t realize, is that she’s about to get more than she ever dreamed of.

You can download your free Kindle copy here

A Happily Ever After Bridal Shower!

I was so excited to throw a bridal shower last weekend and I chose a Happily Ever After theme. It turned out so well, I thought I'd share a few pictures of the fun things we did!

Shower Favors

I got some pretty pink organza 3x4 bags off of Amazon (I got 100 for $8, I believe) and I did half of them with bath bombs and a tag that read "From Asia's shower to yours---thanks for celebrating with her today!" I did the Cherry Blossom bath bombs from Wal-Mart because they were pink and smelled so good. There were also eight wrapped bombs in a package, which was perfect.

For people who didn't want the bath bomb favor, I did the other half with Hershey's kisses and a tag that said, "Asia is kissing the single life goodbye---thanks for helping her celebrate!

Both favors were a big hit and I think they looked really pretty. 

Here they are on the table:

Game

I only did one game since it was an open house, where I had a pretty jar full of kisses and guests could guess how many kisses were in it. I was surprised how much fun people were having with that!

I also had note cards and pens so guests could write a piece of advice for the bride and groom, as well as their best date idea. I bought the little photo album to slip the cards into afterward, so they could have a cute little keepsake of it. There were some really fun date ideas and a lot of good advice!

Here's the finished table. Isn't it cute?

(I bought the cute Happily Ever After banner on Amazon for $5 and had the pink and blue balloons to match the bride's wedding colors.)

Refreshments

For refreshments I had mini-pink lemonade cupcakes and a beautiful Happily Ever After book cake with their names and date on it. The cake was chocolate with a raspberry filling and it was so good!

Since it was a light luncheon, I also served the five ingredient chicken salad croissants with fruit plates, veggie plates, and an assortment of summer salads. It was perfect!

I love throwing parties, but bridal showers are so fun because it's such a happy occasion. I'm so excited for these two! 

What I'm Reading Wednesday

I've been reading mysteries lately, and the description for Heidi Ashworth's new regency mystery, The Devil in Beauty, had me intrigued!

It opened with a bang, a scarred hero with a troubled past. The characters in all of Heidi's books are well-drawn, but this one seems to be her best yet. I'm about halfway through, and I've hardly been able to put it down! I'll be sure to write a full review when I'm finished. This is one I think that historical fans will love!

Here's the back copy:

"Stab the body and it heals, but injure the heart and the wound lasts a lifetime."

Julian "Trev" Silvester, the Marquis of Trevelin, once had everything a gentleman could want--fortune, good looks, and enough charm to seduce the beautiful young ladies of the ton. But after a duel with a jealous duke leaves him disfigured, Trev is ostracized by those who once celebrated him. Though his life is irrevocably changed, Trev is still loyal to his friends. When Willy Gilbert is accused of murder and Lady Vawdrey's diamond necklace is stolen, he jumps at the chance to help them.

As the two cases merge, however, Trev finds an unlikely ally in Miss Desdemona Woodmansey. She's the only young lady who doesn't seem put off by his scar and the scandal of the duel. But as their investigation into the murder reveals just how treacherous the mask of polite society can be, both Trev and Desdemona are placed in grave danger. Trev has already lived through the disgrace of a scandal, but can he survive a murderer who will do anything to protect a sinister secret?

You can download your Kindle copy here

Book Blast and a $50 Giveaway!

I'm excited to be part of the book blast for Dating the It Guy. I really enjoyed this book (you can see my review here) Definitely one you want for your beach read this summer! Don't forget to scroll down and enter the $50 giveaway!

Here's the back copy:

Emme is a sophomore in high school who starts dating, Brendon Agretti, the popular senior who happens to be a senator's son and well-known for his good looks. Emme feels out of her comfort zone in Brendon's world and it doesn't help that his picture perfect ex, Lauren seems determined to get back into his life along with every other girl who wants to be the future Mrs. Agretti. Emme is already conflicted due to the fact her last boyfriend cheated on her and her whole world is off kilter with her family issues. Life suddenly seems easier keeping Brendon away and relying on her crystals and horoscopes to guide her. Emme soon starts to realize she needs to focus less on the stars and more on her senses. Can Emme get over her insecurities and make her relationship work? Life sure is complicated when you're dating the it guy

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Excerpt: The next day, I went to the newspaper office to drop off my story. I hoped I wouldn’t run into Lauren, Brendon’s perfect ex, but she was there with her feet up on her desk, talking on the phone. She put up her finger to signal me to wait. There was no place to sit so I stared at the posters on the wall. Lauren was wearing a blue zip-up sweatshirt and sweatpants. Her shiny hair was pulled back in a ponytail (a bouncy one of course), which showed off her diamond earrings. She had some pearly lavender lipstick on, the kind that makes most people look like a corpse, but on her it showed off her flawless complexion and rosy cheeks. Plus, she didn’t need any other makeup with those gray eyes. I had spent forty-five minutes on my hair and makeup and wore a pair of designer jeans I got on sale and a cute fitted sweater I borrowed from Margaux, yet Lauren was hotter in her sweats and ponytail with hardly any makeup on.

“Sorry, talking to the assistant editor at the Post,” she said. Stupid namedropper—wait the Post?

Where I had gotten the internship—the same one taken away from me? “I’m interning there,” she said.

 “That’s nice.” Get me out of here. She got my position? “This is my second time there. I started in the summer, but they wanted me to stay on for the fall. So what can I do for you?” she asked as I tried to keep myself from howling over the unfairness of the universe.

“Here’s the Halloween party story. I e-mailed it to the submission address, but Brendon said you also needed a hard copy.”

 “Oh, I thought Brendon was going to write this,” she said.

“He asked me to…is it okay?”

 “I guess.” She dropped it in a box and began typing furiously on her laptop.

 “You’re welcome.” I hated her. I can’t believe she got my internship at the Post and moved in on my ex-boyfriend. I could just imagine her and Brendon’s life together—it would be like a glossy, preppy perfume ad. Their house would be in a magazine where they’d praise her for her good taste. Then their two perfect children Brendon Jr. and Lily (or whatever rich people name their daughters) would be dressed in perfect little outfits that matched the furniture. Meanwhile, I’d still be trying to work at the Post and wearing designer clothes from the final markdown sale rack at some bargain-basement store.

   

  Praise for Dating the It Guy: “Dating the It Guy is an entertaining story that is as absorbing as it is hilarious.” Reviewed by Arya Fomonyuy for Readers' Favorite “A satisfying YA romance that is really about growing up and learning how to deal with life.” Writing Pearls book review blog “There is so much to love about this book. Krysten Lindsay Hager knows how teens think and speak, and she understands why Emme would feel overwhelmed by everything about Brendon - his looks, his popularity, his feelings for her, his exes, his family.” Vox libris: the voice of books book review blog

Author Krysten Lyndsay Hager Besides mining her teen years and humiliating moments for her novels, Krysten is also a book addict who has never met a bookstore she didn’t like. Krysten writes about friendship, self-esteem, fitting in, frenemies, crushes, fame, first loves, and values. She is the author of True Colors, Best Friends...Forever?, Next Door to a Star, Landry in Like, Competing with the Star (The Star Series: Book 2), and Dating the It Guy. Her debut novel, True Colors, won the Readers Favorite award for best preteen book and the Dayton Book Expo Best Sellers award. Krysten's work has been featured in USA Today, The Flint Journal, the Grand Haven Tribune, the Beavercreek Current, the Grand Blanc View, the Bellbrook Times and on Living Dayton.

Website * Facebook * Twitter * Pinterest * Instagram

$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Giveaway Ends 7/23/17 Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader and sponsored by the author. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

  a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review: His Mysterious Lady

GG Vandagriff has a new regency romance out called, His Mysterious Lady, that I'm excited to tell you about!

Virginia Livingstone has lost everything in a fire at her home in colonial Virginia. She is able to be spirited into England, even though the two countries are at war. But what she finds in England and high society isn't at all what she expects. Thankfully, Viscount Anthony Strangeways rescues her more than once, and though she is attracted to him, she isn't sure of her feelings. But after a ballooning accident takes her memory, can she trust her heart?

I really enjoyed this story. There is a little of everything---quirky characters, a fun story with several mysterious twists, and a swoon-worthy hero. (There's also a scene-stealing dog for all the animal lovers out there.) The author does a wonderful job of intertwining the story with the societal strictures of the time, while still making our heroine relatable as she goes through the ups and downs on her journey to love. It was fun to see characters from previous stories and catch up with their lives, and I also enjoyed the little mystery thrown in when Virginia suffers with amnesia and doesn't know who to believe and where her loyalties truly lie. She had some hard choices to make, and it had me turning pages to see how it all turned out!

This is a sweet, romantic story, perfect for an afternoon beach read.

You can download your Kindle copy here

Here's the back copy:

It is 1813, and England is at war with America. Viscount Anthony Strangeways’ life is upended when he meets an American lady, Virginia Livingstone, His best friend who works in the Foreign Office thinks she is a spy, but Tony sees in her a rare openness and sincerity he has always wanted in a woman. Which of them is right?

After she suffers a ballooning accident Virginia loses her memory. A man she cannot remember meeting calls on her, informing her privately she is an American spy. Can she believe him? And, as an American patriot, can she really be in love with a English Viscount?

Freebie Friday

Today's Freebie Friday is a dark, but clean, fairytale called Leana, by Jaclyn Weist. I haven't read this one, but it looks like it has a lot of twists and turns to it!

You can get your free Kindle copy here

Here's the back copy:

The Leanan Sidhe has lived for centuries, inspiring artists while draining their life force in return. It’s who she is, all she’s ever known. While she loves the human’s artistic creations, she cares nothing for her victims.

Conall lives a complicated life, but he loves what he does. By day, he’s a humble farmer, by night he’s hunter, searching for the dark creatures that plague Ireland. When he can, he escapes to the local village and paints portraits in the small marketplace.

For Leana, Conall is just another victim. And yet, from the moment she meets him in the marketplace, she can’t seem to get him out of her mind, let alone end his life like she has so many others before. While they both see their growing attraction, they know that they can never be with the other and survive. Will they follow their destinies, or will they seek for the one thing they can’t have—each other?

The Wedding Bouquet Saga

As most of you know, my son is getting married in a month. The photographer he has is extremely popular and couldn't do the bridal session until a few days before the wedding, but two days ago she let us know that she had an opening for this Friday. So we've been scrambling to get everything ready.

You wouldn't think you'd need a lot for bridals, but you really do! My son needed to have a suit, the bride needed shoes.

And a bouquet.

When the bridal shoot was closer to the actual wedding, we were thinking of just using her real bouquet. But now that isn't an option, so I was frantically trying to decide what to do. I called up my friend Lori, and told her I'd been watching Youtube videos on how to make a bouquet, but some things weren't making sense and could I ask her some questions. She did one better and told me to come up to her house and we'd figure it out.

So I did.

We had to go to five floral shops to find the right shade of pink roses, but we finally found them. Then I learned how to wire roses, tape roses, arrange roses, and I watched helpfully while Lori made it look beautiful with a bow.

Here is the finished product. In a vase so the flowers don't open yet. (I didn't even know that was a bad thing!)

I'm so proud of us! Doesn't it look beautiful? I can't wait to see what the bride thinks.

Have you ever done something after watching Youtube videos or had a friend help you figure it out?