Jen's Blog

Before picture...with my boys in Grand Cayman!  April 2017 Anyone who knows me knows I have always struggled with my weight and that in the last few years I have developed diabetes.  In 2009 I successfully lost 30 pounds with Weight Watchers, and my fasting blood sugar went down quite a lot without medicine.  While I have successfully kept almost half of that off since then I have gained the other half back, and my blood sugar has gone up as well. Although I haven't had to go on insulin, I am currently on three medications to keep my blood sugars low.  That along with exercise and fairly healthy eating habits has helped keep my numbers in control. But...I love food.  And I love sugar.  I know it's a little bit of an obsession and addiction but there you go.  When my blood sugar went back up the last few months I wasn't surprised.  Winter was rough for me this year, not enough sun, I made some bad food choices and I wasn't as active as usual....

The Good Daughter was a reading departure for me, but it proved to me that sometimes it’s a great idea to read something different than you normally do!  Alexandra Burt had me turning pages as fast as I could from the beginning.  I couldn’t wait to find out what was going on with Dahlia and her mother and to know the truth!  Dahlia remembers moving from one place to the next all her life, and finds that she continues to do so as an adult.  Why doesn’t she have a birth certificate?  Not it seems like her mother is having a breakdown as well and Dahlia doesn’t know why.  She does know that it’s probably related to her unorthodox upbringing.  Usually I don’t like stories that go back and forth in character and time, but this time it works.  I almost found that Dahlia’s mothers story was more intriguing and I couldn’t wait until the story switched back to her!  Recommended…4/5 on GoodReads Thanks to Net Galley for the Advanced R...

Who doesn't love Sophie Kinsella?  Well, I am sure some people are not a fan, but I know she is loved far and wide.  Sophie writes a fun, fast paced story that catches your interest right away and keeps you reading!  Her style of writing is so engaging I often find myself looking up at the clock and wondering how time has gone so fast! My (not so) Perfect Life wasn't any different.  It was light, fun, easy to read, entertaining and hilarious.  There was a little bit of romance as well...it hit all the right notes for me. Katie is the main character, she has always wanted to live in London and have a fabulous life and job.  The reality is that London is expensive and her job isn't that great, but she is optimistic and portrays her life the way she sees it ending up to everyone around her, and her Instagram followers. When Katie is fired from her dream job she is forced to move home and reevaluate her life a little.  She is not about to give up h...

Another day...another cowboy book. Carolyn Brown's new series Lucky Cowboys starts off with Talk Cowboy to Me .  This one was good enough I will be looking for book number two.  I don't see an entry for book number 2 on Goodreads yet, so I put Carolyn Brown on my author's to watch list. This book features two mismatched families who are clearly destined to become one big family.  There are not many surprises in romance novels so the reader know almost from the beginning what is going to happen.  (Honestly, that's one of the reasons I love the romance genre so much!)  The journey the characters take to get there is a somewhat unique one however. This one features Adele O'Donnell and her two lovely daughters.  They move onto the Double Deuce Ranch after Adele's divorce and after her ex-husband takes away the ranch she had been living on with her girls. Then there is Remington Luckadeau, who is well known for his lady friends and bachelor lifestyle. ...

Holding on Tighter is another book I read in February and just now am reviewing! Any fan of Erotic Romance knows the name Shayla Black.  This is the 12th book in her Wicked Lovers series, and it's a good solid addition. The main characters include Jolie Quinn, who is a woman in charge.  She has big goals and knows what she needs to do to get them accomplished.  Heath Powell is recovering from personal tragedy and wants to stay clear of any attachment.  However Jolie and her company become a target and she suddenly needs to rely on someone else to help protect the things she loves. The sparks between the two characters are evident, but they both are fighting not only their desires but also their true feelings. Watching them sort that out is a lot of sexy fun!  One of the best parts was catching up with past characters of the other books, seeing the big extended family these people have created was truly special. Thanks NetGalley for the advanced readers ...

Thanks to NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy of this one.  I read it in January but am a little behind on my blogging. I love a good cowboy story, but this one was just OK.   Wild Horse Springs is the fifth in the Ransom Canyon series...but it certainly isn't my favorite of the bunch. This story features sheriff Dan Brigman and Brandi Malone.  Brandi is a singer who is running from a loss...she travels from town to town preforming on the stage and trying to forget her past.  When danger strikes Brandi ends up running to Dan instead of running away like she usually does. The story also features Lauren Brigman, Dan's daughter, who has come home after her job in Dallas doesn't pan out.  Lauren has to decide if home is where her heart is or if she is going to travel back out into the world and try and forge a new life.  There are some really solid parts to this story, but it did fall a little flat for me.  It look me a long time to get into it...

Thanks NetGalley for the Advanced Reading Copy of this one!  I read it back in January, but am a little behind on my blogging. Spring has been busy this year! This book made me feel all the feels!  It features two sisters Ainsley and Kate, and although it's a romance it could also be called women's fiction because it heavily features the relationship between the two sisters who have never been close.  However, some pretty big life events bring the two sisters together, closer than ever. Kate, who found her husband later in life, tragically loses him at the beginning of the book.  Readers follow her story of getting over the loss of her whirlwind romance and marriage, and then navigate a surprise that she never saw coming.  Watching Kate rebuild her life was addicting, and I had trouble putting the book down. Ainsley's romance is completely the opposite of whirlwind.  She has been waiting for 11 years for her boyfriend to propose.  Instead of pr...