Winner, Winner, Winner!

Drum roll please....... And the lucky (no pun intended) winner of the Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is Shawna Henshaw!! Congratulations & I hope you enjoy this read! (I used random.org to determine the winner of this contest.)

 

Thank you to everyone who entered & who has scoped out my blog! It's so appreciated & I will be doing more giveaways soon so keep checking back!

Too Much Television Will What?

Ok folks so I'm slightly obsessed with my flat screen... I watch entirely too much television & I know it but I'm always finding some fantastic show to watch & I can't help it! I almost don't even want to list every show I watch because I'm slightly embarrassed and it will prove that I basically have no life what so ever but here it goes: Ok on Mondays my hubbs & I watch Sleepy Hollow. This is one that we aren't super into & frankly don't know why we still continue to watch it. I think because we've invested so much time we might as well see how the first season plays out. Moving on to Tuesdays, this is one of my favorite nights for tv because Pretty Little Liars, Twisted, & The Originals is on. Let me just say that no I haven't read the PLL series yet. I have the first 4 books and every time I go to start it I get distracted and pick up something else instead. It's one of my favs (& hello Mr. Fitz is obviously the best) I normally don't like spin off shows hence Ravenswood but I really like The Originals! Let's talk about Wednesdays, my hubbs & I both watch American Horror Story & Duck Dynasty. But then Chicago PD came along and while I can't DVR it I do catch it on demand. It's only 2 episodes in and I can't tell if I like it or not yet. I pretty much only tuned in because it's based in Chicago. Next up is Thursdays, I look forward to this night often because it's Vampire Diaries night! I have read the first 5 books in that series and fell off when they switched writers - lets face it the books started to go downhill and I'm glad the show is so totally different. On Fridays we watch Grimm, both my husband & step dad love this show & if you're into all the Grimm stories then you'd love this (Monroe is the best!) Saturdays I actually don't have much so I spend it watching the dailies like Ellen & Jimmy Fallon, because who doesn't love those two?! And then on Sundays it's Once Upon A Time & if it's during the summer True Blood. I could also watch marathons of Law & Order SVU (only when Stabler is on - after he leaves who cares right?!) & Big Bang Theory.  What are some of your favorite tv shows?! I'm already thinking of another tv post that is all about vintage tv shows! That could be a long one...!

Wordless Wednesday

Wednesday's are my day off work aka read all day & lounge around in yoga pants day! But today I actually did go out to do a little Valentine's Day shopping for my boys & my husbands birthday is coming up as well. I'm currently reading Hate List by Jennifer Brown - it's really good so far & as soon as I'm done with it I'll review it!
Oh by the way I totally want this sign for my door - it would basically never come off!

My First Giveaway

 

Why hello there, love to read like me?! Well then this giveaway is right up your alley! Pictured below is a paperback version of The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks, one of my favorite books!
All you have to do to win is follow my blog (< located on the left side of my page) & comment on this post letting me know that you did so! Easy peasy right?! In a week I will announce the winner! Good luck!

Summary: When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck—winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph—his lucky charm.
Back home in Colorado, Thibault can’t seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.
Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, The Lucky One is Nicholas Sparks at his best—an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love.

Onyx by Jennifer Armentrout

Summary: Being connected to Daemon Black sucks…
Thanks to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off, even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got bigger problems.
Something worse than the Arum has come to town…

The Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes…

I’ve seen someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies…

Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Review: Alright so Onyx picks up right where Obsidian left off. I won't go into full detail about that because I don't want there to be any spoilers for those of you who haven't read the series yet! I must say that I really liked this book & the only reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars is because it did get a tad repetitive at times but nothing you won't be able to handle. The tension between Katy & Daemon is hot in this book. It really captivated their frustrating undefined relationship & shows a much more realistic side than most other paranormal books. There were so many moments in this book that I literally laughed out loud. I liked the direction of this book and how the plot played out. There are several twists & turns until the end! This is one of my favorite paranormal series I've read in a while & if you're interested in investing your time in this series there are 5 books total with one of them being a prequel that I haven't read yet. The cool thing about these books is the author always gives a little bit of Daemon's pov at the end of the book, which is something I always enjoy.

Get Lost In A Book Today

One must always be careful of books & what's inside them for words have the power to change us.
-Cassandra Clare

That picture is actually my wedding ring - I've always wanted to take a picture of my ring inside of a book and noticed the lighting in my sunroom was just right to try and do so, I love it!
So that is what I'm doing today, diving into a new book & enjoying a cup of English tea! I'm just trying to figure out what one I want to read next. I've read 3 books so far this month! A review on my next one will be up soon!

Obsidian by Jennifer Armentrout

Summary: Starting over sucks.
When we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot of boring.... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up. And then he opened his mouth. Daemon is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a wave of his hand, well, something...unexpected happens. The hot alien living next door marks me.You heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.
If I don't kill him first, that is.

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Review: So I just happened to stumble upon this book while browsing the good ole Barnes & Noble site. It was a recommendation to I Am Number 4 which by the way I read & liked. After reading the reviews on my iBooks app I decided I would give this one a try. The dialog in this book has got to be some of the best written. It's so current & hip that it's refreshing. It's not annoyingly so but the quirky spunky sayings & insults are hilarious. The first book Obsidian in this series focuses on a girl named Katy (andplusalso how cool is it that a lead characters name is mine?!) She's strong, independent, & determined. And it's sorta kinda way freaking awesome that she's a blogger & has a huge love for books, so I can relate! I really enjoyed the banter between Daemon & Katy, it made the romance part of it that much more interesting because you just itching for the two to just admit they like each other. The storyline is exciting, fun, & dangerous. The only thing about these books that I'm not a fan of are the covers, it's kind of lame and in all honestly probably detours people away from reading them. I'm all about a good book cover, & if it were up to me I would have went with something simple. But anyhow don't judge a book by it's cover & read this!

Italian Chicken Potato & Green Bean Bake

 

Hey pals! So this is probably one of the first yummy recipes I ever pinned on pinterest years ago but never got around to actually trying it until now. Let me just start off by saying I am not a cook & to be honest I just recently started to actually try and cook. So anything super easy really appeals to me & this dish is not only tasty but it hardly takes any prep time and only an hour in the oven! Here's what you'll need:

2 cans of green beans (frozen or fresh can also be used) *I used whole green beans
4 pieces of boneless skinless chicken breast
3 generous cups of red skinned potatoes diced up
1 1/2 packets of Italian seasoning mix (I used hidden valley)
3/4 stick of butter

If you're picky like me cut of the fat on your chicken before baking, just like the picture shows put your potatoes, chicken, & green beans in and use one packet to cover all over. Then with your 3/4 butter cut up into little pieces and place them all over for coverage, next sprinkle half of the 2nd packet of seasoning mix. If you want a little more zest use the whole thing! Cover with foil & bake at 350* for one hour! Enjoy!

Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn

Summary: On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne's fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick's clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn't doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife's head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media--as well as Amy's fiercely doting parents--the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he's definitely bitter--but is he really a killer? As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn't do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

Rating: **** (4 Stars)
Review: This book is huge right?! It seemed like everyone everywhere was or is reading this book. So after hearing from a few friends that I must read this book I started it at the end of summer 2012. A year later I finally finished it... That's how long it took me to get into this book. I would pick it up & read a couple of pages, sigh and put it down. I won't give up on a book no matter how awful it is, I will eventually finish it even if it takes a full year to do so. The beginning was torture for me to get through. If you can make it past the first half of the book you'll eventually be rewarded with the start of a good read. I can honestly say I never saw that plot twist coming. It's one of those moments where you sit there and think "oh my god you've got to be kidding me!" & "how in the world? why in the hell...?" I couldn't believe what direction Flynn was taking but it was a captivating one. It's shocking and crafty. So if you have patience to get through the first half of this book you'll like this book. I'm of course looking forward to the movie coming out October 3, 2014 with Ben Afflect starring at Nick Dunne & Roasmund Pike as Amy Dunne (fantastic casting) also you can't go wrong with Niel Patrick Harris & Tyler Perry either.

The Touch Series by Laurie Stolarz

 

Summary: Some secrets shouldn't be kept...
Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary. Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend's accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She's reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She's inexplicably drawn to Ben and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help-but can he be trusted? She knows he's hiding something... but he's not the only one with a secret.

Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Review: I'm going to start out by saying if you liked Twilight then you would like this series. It has a very similar plot & turn of events but at the same time the style in the writing is completely different. This book has everything: great writing, stunning character development, unprecedented suspense, and gripping emotion.What I enjoyed most about this book is the originality of the story and the concept. I love the idea of psychometry; it was something I hadn't read about before. Every time I thought I was close to solving this mystery Stolaz threw a curveball that I didn't see coming. I actually read the first book in this series years ago and have waited for the final book to be released. So when I got the 5th for Christmas I dove right in.

I do have to say that the 5th & final book in the series was just so-so. I didn't really feel the closure I thought I would. It started off with a huge reveal but then just fizzled out afterwards. There was a lot of detail lacking, something I'm not used to feeling from reading Stolaz's books. I'm sad to see it end but it was time. (Side note: can we just discuss how much I love the covers of these books?!)

Bedroom Re-Do

So we are redoing our bedroom & when I say we I mean me. My husband kind of lets me do the decorating in our house unless it involves moving heavy things & then he's kind of forced to participate. Our bedroom has had a beach theme for as long as I can remember. The beach after all is my favorite place to be but this year I've decided it's time for a change & makeover of almost every room in our home. So since I spend most of my time in our bedroom aka my serenity I'm starting with it first. Starting out small since buying furniture is a pricey investment & we are saving for that. So I've replaced our bedding & bought little pieces to display.

The bedding is probably my favorite thing ever right now. I'm going for more of a vintage romantic feel in creams & blacks & the bedding is just so pretty. It's hard to tell from the picture in the bottom left corner but it's a vintage necklace/bracelet holder. It'll take sometime for me to redo but I'm really enjoying putting it all together. I found this Paris book & this cream decorative piece both at TJ Maxx. The book opens up and has a little bit of storage inside, I adore it!



Divergent by Veronica Roth

Summary: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue--Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is--she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.


Rating: ***** (5 Stars)
Review: Ok, so if you're like me and late getting on the bandwagon you probably thought this was just another Hunger Games. My husband told me about this book a year ago & to be honest I had no interest. I had read the first book in the Hunger Games series and while I didn't hate it, I didn't love it either. But enough about that book - I knew Divergent was another dystopian series & I didn't think I'd be into it. Boy was I wrong! I seriously read this book in less than a week. I couldn't put it down and when I was forced to (by having to eat, work, or shower) all I did was look forward to the next time I could pick it up again. Having lived in a suburb of Chicago myself for years it was really cool to know the locations described in the book and be able to picture exactly what was going on. I loved the deeper meaning throughout this story: how these human virtues are singled out and defined. It shows the good and bad of each, as well as the consequential aftermath. We are shown the impact and power of these values combined. I haven't picked up the second book in the series but have it on my to do list!