Sunday Update #1

I'm still trying to figure out what do post regularly. For now, it will just be my current reads, 3d prints, my current binge watch and what's currently going on in my life.

So here it goes:

Currently Reading:

Both of these titles have been out for many years. Should be easy to get your hands on online or at the library in print or digitally.

Seventh Grave and No Body by Darynda Jones (ebook)

    This is the 7th book of a 13 book series (plus a few novellas). Charley Davidson is a private detective who just happens to see the dead and be THE "Grim Reaper" too. She works in an office over her dad's bar and assists her Uncle Bob in police cases. 

I've always enjoyed paranormal books and these have a humorous kick to them as well.

Here's a link to the author site: https://darynda.com/books

Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews (audible)

Main Character literally finds her husband with his pants down with her personal assistant. It's got a little romance and humor in it and times where i get aggravated at the characters and how they act.

I'm enjoying this audio. Since I haven't had to go to to work for the last 3 months due to the pandemic, I've been listening to it at night while falling asleep. Thankfully the audible app has a sleep timer. :)

Author's Site: https://marykayandrews.com/books/

3d Printing:

I bought a pack of 28 sample filaments that are not on spools. I'm attempting to find a printable spool that looks like it will hold the filament without tangling and unspooling.

What I've been watching:

Movies:

    The Clapper

    Sierra Burgess is a Loser

    Show:

Elementary -   contemporary Sherlock Holmes in New York with            

                                    a female partner, Joan Watson.     

        

            Currently on season 4 episode 6.

Also, I'm reporting back to work on Monday, June 15th. So hopefully all goes well with opening the libraries up.

Reboot Maybe ??

A lot has happened in my life since i last posted. Well at least in the last couple years.

My parents took turns going into the hospital for a bit and then Hurricane Florence hit and flooded our house. It took a year living in an apartment before our house was complete and we could move back in.

It is slow going getting everything organized. You would think that with all this time at home during the pandemic it would be easy. It's not. I had surgery in February before the pandemic became a thing. Still trying to find ways to store what we could save from our house and finding the right way to organize and shelve things.

I'm not reading near as much as I used to but I am still reading. My GoodReads widget is always current.

I've been contemplating renaming the page as I do a lot of crafts and recently bought a 3d printer. So now I'm a crafty library chick.  :) Maybe one day I'll come up with a good name. For now... my site is TheReadShelf.com until October 2020. We will see what happens then.

As for crafts, I have been known to:

crochet

knit

kumihimo (Japanese braiding)

Cross stitch

Jewelry Making

and 'I'm sure a lot more too.

I've also been binge watching movies and shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Vudu, MoviesAnywhere, and the Roku Channel.

I hope to go back to work soon as restrictions are continually lifted.

Hope all is well to those that read this.

Cover Reveal: Dare to Reveal by RG Williamson and Phoebe Parkes

BOOK TITLE: Dare to Reveal

SERIES: Sex, Sin and Secrets #3

AUTHORS: R.G Williamson & Phoebe Parkes

SYNOPSIS

Connor

It’s all gone to shit.

I hate where I am but I’m so lost with absolutely no idea where to go from here. I f*cked it all up royally.

You would think I had learned from my past, but no, my past slams back to haunt me at every turn and I’ve failed again.

I tried, I really did but I know I f*cked up because of my stupid wild side, craving sinful pleasures that I should never have started.

But out of all the things that have gone wrong, there is one thing I can put right.

And I’m going to.

It’s time to be the man I should have been from the beginning. I don’t want to live with these secrets hanging over me, but just how much do I reveal to keep the woman I love?

Sometimes the truth isn’t pretty and my secrets definitely aren't.

Karina

I knew it was too good to be true.

He was a player, a man-whore through and through and leopards don’t change their spots, do they?

What is he trying to hide? His evasive behaviour is a dead giveaway that he’s not telling me the truth.

Then, just when I think I know what I’m going to do, I get the shock of my life when I see Connor out with a person I never even knew existed.

Was our whole relationship built on secrets? After what I stumbled across and then what I saw, I wonder how much Connor has been keeping from me.

Left with no choice, I have to confront him. I need answers and I deserve answers and I will not leave until I have them this time.

The question is, does he love me enough to reveal the truth?

More importantly, will I survive it if he does?

BOOKS IN THIS SERIES

DARE TO WIN

Sex, Sin and Secrets #1

Add to Goodreads TBR here

BUY LINKS

Amazon US

Amazon UK

Amazon CA

Amazon AU

* * *

DARE TO CHANGE

Sex, Sin and Secrets #2

Add to Goodreads TBR here

BUY LINKS

Amazon UK

Amazon US

R.G Williamson

I'm a happily married family man from the North of England, UK.

I like the feeling a good book gives me. I like to feel emotionally attached to the characters, I want to live their lives, I want to worry about them, laugh with them, cry with them, celebrate their achievements with them, love them, hate them, but most importantly, I want to feel something, anything.

I hope you enjoy my writing style and come away from my books feeling something!

R.G's LINKS

GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

* * *

Phoebe Parkes

After I got over the rejection of not becoming a Bond girl, I set my goals a little lower in the world of fast cars, sexy men and bank accounts that match their crotch sizes – yes, HUGE. I decided it was about time that all these glorious characters that I dream up needed to be brought to life. So Bond’s loss is my gain, because I don’t just get stuck with one 007 I get as many as I want and I can have them as gorgeous as I want them, as sexy as they deserve or sometimes even dark and disturbing but still ultimately phoaar. (Hopefully :-) )

I mean come on, who the heck really needs to ‘bond’ with Bond eh when you can dream up a whole cast of hot, muscled, sun-kissed, drop dead gorgeous males! When you can have men that all fall at your feet, worship your creative mind… lust after your curves and swoon at your utter gorgeousness… Yeah, that doesn’t happen either, well not on the scale you’re imagining anyway, wink-wink.

So, this is me, armed and dangerous, my mind honed and poised and ready with enough ammo to bring a horde of sexy mayhem. The stories in my head are finally being let loose. I apologise in advance for any loss of control, hernias or sheer frustration caused as a result of my imagination. Any legal action, (which would be completely unwarranted), should be taken up with the person who was the Bond Girl dream wrecker, in other words, it really isn’t my fault so my conscience is clear. ;-)

Finally shutting up (yes me) and leaving you with a more serious thought, please sit back, relax and enjoy my over-indulgent brain cells as they go into over-drive to bring you some British shenanigans, done the Phoebe Parkes way. Enjoy :-)

Phoebe's LINKS

GOODREADS | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

A Winter Wedding by Brenda Novak

Book 9

Whiskey Creek Series 

Kyle finally got his story. 

(click the link below for purchase links)

Blurb from BrendaNovak.com:

One Christmas can change your life…
Kyle Houseman believes he’ll never find anyone he could love as much as Olivia Arnold, who’s now married to his stepbrother. Not only did he lose her, he’s been through one divorce and has no desire to go through another. He’s determined to be extra careful about the next woman he gets involved with—which is why he fights his attraction to the beautiful stranger who rents his extra house for the Christmas holiday.
Lourdes Bennett is a country music artist. She’s only planning to stay in Whiskey Creek long enough to write the songs for her next album—the album that’s going to put her back on top. Her dreams don’t include settling in a town even smaller than the one she escaped. But as she comes to know Kyle, she begins to wonder if she’d be making a terrible mistake to leave him behind…

My Review: 
 
When I first met Kyle in "When We Touch", I didn't care for him much at all.  Now 9 books later, I can't help but like him. Kyle put up with his ex for way too long and I'm so glad to see he found Lourdes Bennett. I hope we get to see a little more from Whiskey Creek. I wouldn't mind even a short story or two. I've always loved the way she creates these small towns and gives them life.
If you've read my blog in the past you'll know I've been a fan for a while now. 

ARC Reviews: Short and Sweet (Secret Sister by Brenda Novak & Montana Cherries by Kim Law)

I've been trying my hardest to keep up with reviews this summer.  To save a little bit of time I'm going to do two reviews in this one post. Interesting enough both stories show strained relationships between mother and daughter.
Click the title to go to kindle page for each book: (I do not use affiliate links)

Secret Sister by Brenda Novak 
“I received a free, advance copy of this book from the author/publisher in exchange for my unbiased review.” 

(Fairham Island Books - Series)


Blurb from author's site:
Did she once have a sister? Has her mother lied all these years? Why?
After a painful divorce, Maisey Lazarow returns to Fairham, the small island off the South Carolina coast where she grew up.  She goes there to heal—and to help her brother, Keith, a deeply troubled man who’s asked her to come home. But she refuses to stay in the family house because the last person she wants to see is the wealthy, controlling mother she escaped years ago.Instead, she finds herself living next door to someone else she’d prefer to avoid—Rafe Romero, the wild, reckless boy to whom she lost her virginity at sixteen. He’s back on the island, and to her surprise, he’s raising a young daughter alone. Maisey’s still attracted to him, but her heart’s too broken to risk…
Then something even more disturbing happens. She discovers a box of photographs that evoke distant memories of a little girl, a child Keith remembers, too. Maisey believes the girl must’ve been their sister, but their mother claims there was no sister. She’s convinced that child existed. So where is she now?

My Short and Sweet Review:

I'll admit I'll read anything written by Brenda Novak. I've always enjoyed her work. This series has a bit of mystery and romance. Great Story and Nice start to what looks like a new series. The ending came too soon. Can't wait to see more. 4 Stars overall.


 ************************************************

Montana Cherries by Kim Law

“I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.”

Blurb from author's site:

After her mother’s tragic death, Dani Wilde had no choice but to abandon her dreams. She left Columbia University and returned to her family’s Montana cherry farm, intent on being a maternal figure to her brothers. Now the kids are grown, and it’s finally her time to fly. Her sights are on New York City, and nothing will stop her—not even an old flame with gorgeous green eyes.
Celebrity photographer Ben Denton hasn’t seen Montana in years—and hasn’t spoken to Dani since “that night” so long ago. When he discovers he’s a dad to a four-year-old—and the child’s mother refuses to care for her—Montana and the Wilde farm spring to mind. The orchard is the only place that’s ever felt like home, but will the warmth of the Wilde family be enough to help Ben figure out how to be a father?
As the Wilde family gathers for the yearly cherry harvest and Dani struggles to figure out what she really wants in life, she discovers the shocking truth about her own mother—and learns that following her heart may lead her to her dreams after all.

My Short and Sweet Review:

This is my first time reading this author.
I will definitely read her again. This book was more about relationships within the family. This story makes you realize that perception is everything. Ben and Dani both struggle with their relationships with their own mothers and how it affects their relationships with other people whether family or friends. Not your typical romance, has more drama than romance. Give it 4 Stars overall.

Review for Eeny Meeny by M.J. Arlidge

Title: Eeny Meeny

Author: M J Arlidge 

Genre: Mystery

Rating: 3 - 3.5 stars

Buy Links:  kindle, nook

Blurb:

First in the new series featuring Detective Inspector Helen Grace.

Two people are abducted, imprisoned, and left with a gun. As hunger and thirst set in, only one walks away alive.

It’s a game more twisted than any Detective Inspector Helen Grace has ever seen. If she hadn’t spoken with the shattered survivors herself, she almost wouldn’t believe them.

Helen is familiar with the dark sides of human nature, including her own, but this case—with its seemingly random victims—has her baffled. But as more people go missing, nothing will be more terrifying than when it all starts making sense....

My Review: 

Overall, I liked the story. Took me longer than usual to read as some parts were slow for me. When first starting the book, it reminded me a bit of "Criminal Minds". I had a hard time with some of the British terminology/slang. I will most likely try the next book in series but may wait until a published copy is available.   I received the book through Netgalley in return for an honest review. 

ARC Review: Awake by Natasha Preston

Title: Awake

Author: Natasha Preston

Rating:  3.5 - 4 Stars

Genre: Young Adult Mystery/Thriller

Release Date: August 4, 2015

Buy Links: Kindle, Nook

Contact Author Links: 

Twitter
Facebook
Goodreads
Author Website 

 

Blurb: 

 

Of course, the dress was white. This is what I'm supposed to die in, I thought. Not many people knew what their last outfit would be.
I pulled it over my head. It fit me perfectly. It had long, loose fitting sleeves, a modest neckline, and waves of material on the skirt. I hated it.
There were no shoes, and I was afraid I'd have to run through the forest barefoot but there weren't a lot of options. Besides, I'd run barefoot over a bed of nails to get away.
"Scarlett, are you ready?" he called.
I looked in the mirror and took a deep breath. Time to fight for my life.
Scarlett Garner doesn't remember anything before the age of four-until a car accident changes everything. She starts to remember pieces of a past that frighten her. A past her parents hid from her...and a secret that could get her killed.
 

My Review: 

I received this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

The cover and blurb caught my interest. It was slow and steady from the start. Felt like I was reading a Lifetime Movie, that this could have actually happened to someone to a point. The story takes place in the United Kingdom. While some parts were a little predictable, I enjoyed the story overall and would gladly read more if the author writes more for this story.