This week

I did 2 rows on my latch hook last night and 2 rows this morning for a total of 4 rows this week. The last row even has of one of the greens. I'm happy. I'm over 1/4 done with it. Still have a lot to do but the picture is showing my progress and I'm planning on either posting a picture a week starting this week or once a month. Hopefully this will encourage me to continue working on it each week.

In other news, I took a bunch of pictures of books in my room and posted the pictures on my facebook page where I am hoping that people will want to buy them. All of the money (which is donations or whatever anyone wants to purchase them for) that I collect from that will be going toward schooling. We'll see how that goes. So far I've got 2 people buying books, not many others.

I've joined a group called Romance Biggest Winners where I am trying to lose weight. I was hoping to be a little bit lighter than this by now but I am working on it. I've lost around 8 pounds and have been stuck on that and it's getting closer to the 2 month mark. Yesterday I started recording my food in a journal and then posting them on sparkpeople. I stayed in everything but went a little over my recommended fat for the day. I'll work on that and I'm going to have to start exercising some more/again. I think my problem is the exercising, stress/emotional eating and not keeping track of what I'm eating. I will get this down and plan on doing better. I'm starting a journal to keep track of my feelings and what I eat and I'm planning on starting a new exercise program this week.

How is everyone else's week going?

Adult Romance review- My fair Highlander

My Fair Highlander by Mary Wine

This is an adult historical fiction book.

The main characters are English woman Jemma Ramsden and Scots warrior Gordon Dwyre (Laird Barras). Jemma has been caring for her ailing father for a long time. Now that he is no longer around, Jemma has decided to live her life her way. On one of her many horseback outings, Jemma gets into trouble with some English ruffians. Gordon and his men step in to save her and bring her back with them to his lair. Gordon has already come to the conclusion that he wants to marry her because of her spirit but he has a tough time ahead of him. Jemma wants nothing to do with marriage or someone taming her. So Gordon sets out to woo her. Throw in an unhappy mistress, illness, love and you have a great book.

I really enjoyed this book. I'd give it a 4.5 out of 5. I loved the wooing and the Scots and English aspect. This story was believable to me, Jemma didn't give in too easily and Gordon kept up with wooing her. There was a part near the ending that you didn't expect. This is sort of giving it away but the author makes it out where the main characters think one person did it and that makes you think that that person did it too but it turns out to be someone else. It was a great book and I'd recommend it to people who like to read Mary Wine, historicals, Scots and English, romance and/or a wooing story.

Adult book review- The Hot Spot

The Hot Spot by Niobia Bryant



This is a contemporary romance. This is a 'cougar' romance. This is also book 4 in the Strong Family series.



The main characters include bartender Zaria Ali and cowboy Kaleb Strong. Zaria's husband has divorced her for a younger woman. After a little bit, Zaria loses some weight and begins working as a bartender and decides to live life to the fullest. Zaria and Kaleb meet on a night that Zaria is working and they begin a sex relationship. They both feel like they are 'scratching each others itches' (so to speak) as Kaleb is looking for a woman to settle down with and Zaria isn't looking to settle down. Throw in a couple of surprises, omissions, family, ex-husband, obsticles (external, internal and emotional) to over come, and this becomes a good book with good twists.

This was a good book. I'd probably give it a 3 stars. I felt that the author felt that she had to remind us that the main characters were African American (especially Zaria) by all of the sudden adding attitudes/comments that didn't seem to fit the characters that she built. Another thing that I couldn't seem to get over, and this isn't anything against the author, but their were parts that the editing wasn't too good. The ending also seemed a little too rushed or packed with too much. Over looking those things, this was a good book with a 'perfect/happily ever after' ending. The sex scenes were very hot tho. Even tho this is book four, I read it without reading the others in the series and would say that others can too. I would recommend it to people who like to read 'cougar' type books and like happily ever after stories and hot sex scenes.

Adult romance book review- Dragon Bound

Dragon Bound: a novel of The Elder Races by Thea Harrison









This is a paranormal adult romance book.









Enter a world full of Elves, mages, Wyrs and other mythical creatures. The main characters include half human and half Wyr Pia Giovanni and Wyr dragon Dragos Cuelebre. Pia's day just keeps getting better. She has been blackmailed by her ex boyfriend to steal something from the dragon's lair. The dragon, Dragos, doesn't take kindly to having his things stolen and wont give up until he finds the thief. Pia, after being on the run for most of her life, does what she does best, goes on the run. When Dragos figures out who she is and catches her, he considers her his. Throw in Pia's special gifts, a mystery, love, and adventure and you have an awesome book.

I LOVED this book. I'd give it a 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to read more by this author. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves shifters or paranormal romance books.

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY EVERYONE!!

I hope that everyone has a happy and safe 4th of July.

Mine hasn't been too bad so far. Walked in the 4th of July parade with some of my church members (and I have the sunburn to prove it!), mowed my grandma's front lawn, went to a book sale (and didn't buy any books!! aren't you proud of me? :)), and ate some watermelon. The 4th of July wouldn't be the 4th of July without watermelon and fireworks.

How was your 4th of July?

Adult book review- Bodyguards in bed

Bodyguards in Bed by Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, Elisabeth Naughton

This book is an adult romance anthology.

The 1st story is called "Who's Been Sleeping in My Brother's Bed" by Lucy Monroe. The main characters includes a very young and smart PH.D . student and huge superhero fan Danusia Chernichenko and Atrati agent Maxwell Baker. After having her apartment broken into, Danusia goes to spend time at her brothers apartment only to find out that Max is also staying there while her brother is away. Danusia is working on her doctoral thesis about the use of nanotechnology in pharmaceuticals while Max is waiting for his condo to be ready. They soon give into their attraction and then Danusia finds out that her apartment has been broken into (again) and trashed. She begins to think that one of the companies (Luminescent Pharmaceuticals) might be involved with the break ins as their research doesn't seem to be adding up to what it should be.

The 2nd story is called "Hot Mess" by Jamie Denton. The main characters include Alyssa Cardellini and FBI Special Agent Noah Temple. Alyssa Cardellini works for Primo Security Services (just one of her many jobs over the years) and messed up the date for Charles Rolston, a former accountant for Bastian Pharmaceuticals, to come in by flight to be a federal prosecutor's star witness. Not knowing what he looks like she instead picks up Noah Temple. Noah is an FBI agent with an assignment to 'follow Rolston and make sure the guy testified at trial, them bring him in for questioning' but he lost Rolston somewhere in Kansas City. After landing and finding Alyssa with a sign that has Rolston's name on it, Noah decides to talk with her and plans on telling her that he isn't Roland but that's before he notices the 2 big men also looking for Roland. They give them the slip, give into their attraction to each other, and are being chased by the 2 men. Who are the men and will Noah ever tell Alyssa the truth?

The 3rd story is called "Acapulco Heat" by Elisabeth Naughton. Main characters include bodyguard Finn Tierney and supermodel Lauren Kauffman. Finn is in charge of guarding Lauren and they both find it hard to fight their attraction. After Finn makes it clear that he wont do anything with her, Lauren takes Javier Santiago (a male supermodel she's been modeling with all week) up on an offer to go out. Things heat up between Finn and Lauren while at the club but the night ends with some shooting, the death of Javier, hot wiring a car, and them being on the run from men dressed up like cops. Who are the guys dressed up like cops? What do they want with Lauren?

This book was very good. All of the stories have action, attraction, love and conflict. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes there romance with some action. I, personally, thought that Elisabeth Naughton shined with the most action and the closest to the title of the story. I would give this book a 4 out of 5.

Adult book review- One Night Scandal

One Night Scandal by Christie Kelley



This is an historical (1818) adult romance book.

The main characters are illegitimate matchmaker Sophie Reynard and Marquess of Ancroft Nicholas Tenbury. Sophie has matched all of her friends to there loves but is now wondering if she will ever find her match. While on vacation, in Venice, a man saves her from drowning when she fell into the canal. After a night of passion she find out that he isn't an Italian like she first assumed but an Englishman who doesn't only live in London (like her) but also turns out to be her best friend's cousin and in love with another woman!

Nicholas wakes up from a night of passion to find the woman missing but a earring left in the bed. After returning home he soon finds out who the mystery woman was. After another romantic encounter, he's convinced that he wants to have a relationship with Sophie but finds his hands full with trying to convince her. Sophie thinks he isn't her match because of their statuses. How could he be her match when she's nothing in the eyes of society? Throw in Nicholas' no good conniving seriously ill father who wants Nicholas to marry someone with a good line before he dies or Nicholas wont be in his will, some friends who think that they make a good match, the fact that Sophie can't tell her own or Nicholas' match, a surprise, a mystery and determined Nicholas, and you have a great story.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The writing was a little different and Sophie's stubbornness in how she isn't right for Nicholas is a little tiresome as it seems to come back to that over and over again. But overall it was a great story and I would recommend it to people who are into the one night stand type stories and/or historical romances. The steamy parts were very well written. Over all I'd give it a 4 out of 5 .