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Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Book Review: Midnight In Berlin

Amazon.com


Hi all, I just finished the book, Midnight in Berlin by James MacManus it was just released last month. First here is some info on book:

One night, Macrae stops by the Salon, a local bar and restaurant, where he meets a beautiful German-Jewish woman named Sara. The two fall in love and Sara reveals that she is being blackmailed by the Nazis who are torturing her twin brother who is a prisoner in a concentration camp. Macrae vows to do whatever it takes to help his beloved escape Germany.

As the Nazis speed toward the genocide of the “Final Solution,” Macrae becomes the target of the Gestapo, which has him in its crosshairs. He’s caught up in a deceitful web of shifting loyalties, corruption and shocking indifference by the British government. Can he hold onto his humanity in order to save not only the woman he loves, but also himself? The answer lies in a single bullet that he plans to use to assassinate Hitler.

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Dance Pictures 2016

Hi guys - I know I haven't posted a "personal" post in awhile. I've been super busy lately. One reason is I got a part time job. I started back in April and it is a pretty good office job. It may only last til July, but it would be super cool if it turned permanent.

Another reason is my daughter's dance recital was last week and that is a week long process and then right after that we had tickets to this show she wanted to see. (which was for her birthday) And it was in Washington DC. So we went to that. Now I'm back but with this part time job- I don't have as much time for my blog as I used to.

Anyway here's a few dance pictures and will post more pics soon and maybe to this show we went to also.

Have a great rest of the week!

she also got the 5 yr award. She has been actually dancing for 11 yrs, but we switched dance places over the years so this year was the first time she actually got an award!

her (in contemporary costume) and her friend 




fam after recital

Hip hop video below:

Turn it Up


Tuesday, May 24, 2016

Deadly Obsession Blog Tour & Giveaway


Hi guys here is the last book in the May Harlequin series. It is called Deadly Obsession by Elle James. Here an excerpt from book, along with a Q&A. And be sure to enter giveaway below. Also stay tuned in June for the new set of books and giveaways. Thanks!

Excerpt #1


Chance parked his SUV beside the truck and climbed down. His feet had barely touched the ground when he heard the scream. At first he thought it was a figment of his imagination. The setting was perfect for a horror story; perhaps his mind had conjured a muffled scream to add to the ambience.
“Miss Taylor?” Chance called out.
No response.
He climbed the stairs and entered through the open front door, treading softly, holding his breath and listening for any sound.
Nothing moved. The old house didn’t even creak, as if it, too, held its breath. Chance passed through the wide center hallway all the way to the back of the house, peering through the open doors into what appeared to be a living room, study and dining room. At the other end of the house, he emerged onto the back porch. Lumber lay in neat piles against the side of the house. But there was no one around.
Chance’s gut tightened. Molly’s friend wouldn’t have abandoned her truck, leaving the truck doors and the trailer wide-open.
He returned to the entrance and climbed the stairs to the second story. Cobwebs hung from the corners and the wooden floors were covered in a thick layer of dust. This home hadn’t been lived in for a very long time.
After determining each room was empty, Chance returned to the first floor, passed a stack of clean white drywall leaning against a wall in the living room and entered an old-fashioned kitchen. Some of the upper cabinets had been ripped from the walls, and the countertop had been removed from the lower cabinets, making their remains appear skeletal.
“Miss Taylor?” Chance called out.
A plaintive, bleating cry of a small animal, muffled by walls, reached him, and he turned toward a door at the far end of the kitchen.
Chance twisted the knob. The door didn’t budge. Inspecting the door, he noticed a rusty hook near the top, threaded through a metal eye loop. Forcing the hook out of the loop, he flung open the door and flipped the light switch. A yellow bulb blinked to life, illuminating a small portion of the stairs nearest him.
The weak cries of a tiny animal sounded again, only louder.
Chance descended the stairs, the pitiful amount of light diminished by the time he reached the bottom. In the gloom, he almost tripped over a pile of rags. When his toe connected with them, the rags moved and a low moan rose from the floor.
Chance dropped to his haunches, his vision adjusting to the darkness. A figure dressed in jeans and a faded plaid flannel shirt rolled over and light blue eyes stared up at him.
“Who are you?”
“Chance McCall. Molly and Nova sent me over. You must be Jillian Taylor.” He scooped his hands beneath her, lifted her into his arms and rose with his burden.
She blinked and stared around the basement, her pale blond hair tousled, strands falling across her forehead. “What happened?”
“I’d like to know that myself. But first, let’s get you out of here.” Chance started up the stairs.
“I can walk,” she protested.
“Yeah, but if it’s all right by you, I’d like to get you into the light without worrying about someone pushing you down the stairs again.”
She shook her head, her silken hair brushing against his arm. “I wasn’t pushed.”
“No?”
Her frown deepened. “Why would you think that?”
At the top of the stairs, Chance set her on the dingy linoleum floor, keeping an arm around her waist to steady her. “If you weren’t pushed, why was the hook engaged at the top of the door?” He tipped his head toward the hook.
Leaning against him, she glanced up at the door, her eyes widening. “Why would the hook be engaged? I was the only one in the house. All the workers left.”
“That was my question.”
“Maybe it fell into place when the door closed.”
“Let’s see...the door was closed, the hook engaged, and when I opened the door, the light was off. Are you telling me you turned off the light, as well? And if you weren’t pushed down the stairs, you must have fallen.”
“I didn’t fall down the stairs.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.
“Then why were you lying on the ground?”
She stared up at him. “I don’t know.”
“Well, one thing’s for sure.”
“What’s that?”
“You can’t stay here alone.”
Jillian stiffened. “This is my house.”
“Yeah, but something’s not right here.”
She glanced around as if still getting her bearings. “Some say it’s haunted.”
“And you?”
She shrugged. “I think it needs work, but it’s my home.”
“Lady, you’re crazy. The best thing that could happen to this dump is to run a bulldozer over it.”
Jillian’s chin lifted. “That is not going to happen. I have workers scheduled to restore the house to its former glory. You wait. It’s going to be beautiful.”
Chance snorted. “It’s your funeral.”
“The only way I’m going to die in this house is from old age.” She pushed away from him and headed back to the front of the house. “You can go back to the B and B. I don’t need your help.”
“Can a ghost help you unload that couch off the trailer?”
“No. But I’d dump the damned thing on the ground before I let you touch it.”

Monday, May 23, 2016

How to Truly Relish Italy’s Relaxing Culture


Italy is an excellent vacation destination, because vacation is a way of life there. Italians are hard workers that have accomplished much, but they are also bold in their pursuit of rest, good food, fellowship, and romance. Individuals in more efficient countries could learn some good lessons from the emphasis on the pleasurable indulgence in Italian culture. Here are a few ways to set aside your culture and truly experience Italy upon your visit.

Eat delicious meals
Throw that diet away while you’re in Italy and instead truly taste and enjoy the food. If you’d like to really learn about food and specifically how to cook, take a cooking holiday in Tuscany and learn about some of the most popular dishes Italy has to offer. Experience not just the taste and nourishment of your food, but also the fellowship that surrounds you. If you’re traveling alone, make some Italian friends and meet them over meals. Or, just simply observe the fellowship and conversations happening around you.

Slow down and snap a few photos
Plan out only a few days of your vacation to hit some of the sites that you’ve wanted to see. On the other days, take your time. Stay in a nice hotel and sleep in every morning. Eat a leisurely breakfast whenever you feel led, and walk to the close destinations you want to see, so you can experience the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and things that Italian culture makes you feel. Listen to the people around you and observe them. Snap a few pictures, but make sure you’re not so wrapped up in capturing a moment that you’re not actually living in it. Take a break from social media and completely immerse yourself in the here and now.

Express yourself in a creative way
Creativity helps the brain process the moments that you experience. Even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, draw, write, or paint some of your experiences. Snap a few photos that capture the beauty. You don’t have to show your artwork to anyone – save it as a commemorative homage to your personal thoughts while in Italy. Just take some time to truly absorb the beauty of that place, even if it’s just making a simple list of the feelings you’ve had or the sites you’ve seen. Take some time each night before you go to bed to capture some of these things, so you’ll never forget.

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Truth and Consequences Blog Tour & Giveaway




Continuing the May Harlequin Blog tour is the book Truth and Consequences. here is some excerpts from the book

excerpt 1

This trip had sure ended with a bang.
And he hadn’t even stepped off the train to his final destination.
He’d come here searching for a woman he didn’t really know, except in his imagination. But a promise was a promise. He wasn’t leaving Desert Valley without finding her.
When he looked up a few minutes later to see a pretty female officer with long blond hair coming toward him, a sleek tan-and-white canine pulling on a leash in front of her, David thought he surely must be dreaming. Either that or his flashbacks were taking a new turn.
He knew that face. Had seen it in his dreams many times over.
While he sat on the cold train floor holding a bloody shirt to a man who was about to pass out, he looked up and into the vivid blue eyes of the woman he’d traveled here to find. The woman who’d colored his dreams during the brutality of war and made him wish he could finally settle down. Thinking of the worn picture in his pocket that her brother Lucas had given him right before he died, David couldn’t believe this was really happening.
Whitney Godwin was coming to his aid


Sunday, May 8, 2016

The Marshal’s Justice: Blog Tour & #giveaway

Happy Mother's Day! Here is a new book on the May Harlequin blog tour. It is called The Marshal's Justice, by Delores Fossen




below is an excerpt:

The ranch hand opened the gate, and the bull charged out. Snorting and bucking. Its massive head was down while the animal spun around, trying to hurl off the rider. But Lucky held on. He squeezed his legs around the bull’s sides, the chaps reacting to that pressure.
Cassie reacted, too.
And she thought about how it would feel to be that bull right now. Oh yes, she was worked up, all right.
The bull bucked even harder, slinging Lucky around, but Lucky just adjusted, his long, lean body sliding into the bucking moves. His left arm stayed high, dipping and lifting only when his body did. It was like watching some kind of dance. With a guy wearing chaps and spurs.
Cassie completely lost track of time. Eight seconds or an hour could have passed for all she knew, but then Lucky threw his left leg over the bull’s head, and he jumped off. Lucky landed on his feet and hurried to get out of the corral before the bull came back at him.
He laughed.
That’s when Cassie realized she was holding her breath. Possibly drooling, as well.
Lucky looked at her again, their gazes connecting and holding for a couple of seconds. Cassie didn’t believe in ESP, but something passed between them. He said something to the hands who were still watching the bull, maneuvered off the railing and came toward her. She had another chance to assess that ESP thing, but this time she knew what it was.
A really hot look.

Friday, May 6, 2016

Lone Heart Pass: Blog Tour & #giveaway

Hi, Happy Friday. Behind on posting this post too. So here is brief description of book and info on the author. Also enter below to win copy of book in giveaway!


With a career and a relationship in ruins, Jubilee Hamilton is left reeling from a fast fall to the bottom. The run-down Texas farm she's inherited is a far cry from the second chance she hoped for, but it and the abrasive foreman she's forced to hire are all she's got.

Every time Charley Collins has let a woman get close, he's been burned. So Lone Heart ranch and the contrary woman who owns it are merely a means to an end, until Jubilee tempts him to take another risk—to stop resisting the attraction drawing them together despite all his hard-learned logic. 



Desperation is all young Thatcher Jones knows. And when he finds himself mixed up in a murder investigation, his only protection is the shelter of a man and woman who—just like him—need someone to trust.

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

Lug Boots with Elastic #review #zooshoo

Hey guys, me again. Been super busy. So don't have much time to post these days. I will explain soon like I said in last post lol. But today I have to post another review. And it is for some Lug boots.





  • Available in 2 colors!

    Pair these pull on chelsea booties  with unlimited outfits! Ankle boots are extremely versatile with it's elastic inset on the side, round toe and lug sole. Rubber heel for added height lift.
     
  • Non-skid flexible sole and cushioned footbed.
    Shaft measures approximately 8 from arch
    Heel 3.25", 7.75" shaft, 11" opening circumference.