My Review: All Made Up

"I want to be someone's home.  I want to spend my whole like making one woman happy.  I want to be worth staying for."  - Caleb Murphy

Description:

Everyone thinks Katriona McLeod is living the dream. Her professional career as a make up artist sees her traveling the world working with the stars and she's got no shortage of men wanting her affection. Only problem is she's never gotten over Caleb Murphy, the one guy she's ever loved. When she accepts a job on the latest looking-for-love reality TV show, Falling for the Farmer, she discovers to her horror that Caleb is the leading man and she's cast as one of his harem. But she hides a secret that means that even if she wanted a second chance with the guy who broke her heart she could never have it.

Caleb Murphy couldn't care less about C-Class celebrity fame or reality TV and he certainly doesn't believe it could lead him to love. The one thing he does care about is fulfilling his mother's last wish. Kat's presence on the show seems to offer up a solution that will make both the network and his mother happy. It might have been almost ten years since they split but he knows he can trust her with his plan. Just as long as he doesn't fall in love all over again with the woman who will never stay.

About the Author:

Kara Isaac writes contemporary romance in beautiful Wellington, New Zealand. She is the author of four novels including the Romance Writers' of America RITA award-winning Then There Was You, Close to You, a RITA Award Double Finalist, and Can't Help Falling, an RT Review Top Pick. When she's not chasing three small people, she spends her time writing horribly bad first drafts and wishing you could get Double Stuf Oreos in New Zealand. She loves to connect with readers on her website karaisaac.com, on Facebook at Kara Isaac - Author, Twitter @KaraIsaac and Instagram @kara.isaac.author

My Review: 4.5 stars 

I’ve been anxiously awaiting Kat McLeod’s story since first meeting her in “Close To You” and was SO excited when Kara Isaac announced her book would be next!  I have no idea how many pages this book has (I read an ebook), but it seemed to fly by!  Every time I was able to pick it up, I really didn’t want to put it down again before reaching the end.  I so enjoyed getting to dive into this story, meet Caleb Murphy, get to know Kat better, and laugh with them along their journey.

"Being afraid doesn't mean you're making the wrong decision.

Being afraid means you're invested in the outcome.

Having faith is trusting God with whatever the outcome is.

Even if it's not the outcome we hoped for."

Janine Tyler

This book tackles the reality TV world with panache, humor, and a honesty that makes this reader wonder if the author has been able to witness the behind the scenes of one such show. I had to laugh at Caleb’s awkwardness and some of the things the women connived to try to get his attention.  I also so appreciated the author portraying Caleb as a strong Christian and highlighting the brokenness in how some of the contestants viewed themselves.  This story tackles some difficult and painful topics, such as a family member with dementia, fear, trust, forgiveness, and facing the past.  I could so easily relate with the struggles each of the protagonist’s were facing and I was so drawn into the story that I often felt as though I was right there with them, shouldering the pain and wishing someone understood.

And I really enjoyed that characters from a couple previous books made appearances in this one and kind of linked them all back around.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys rom-coms that touch on deeper things.

Thank you again for stopping by and spending some of your valuable time on my blog!  I hope you enjoyed my review - there are so many other great quotes I wanted to use! - and will check into this and the author's other books a bit more.  They are seriously some of my favorites!  

As always, I hope you're having a ducky day! 

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My Review: Dead Drift (and a question)

I'm rather disappointed in myself that I apparently didn't save any photos of book pages - because I remember several excellent quotes from this book . . . 

Description:

Burning debris littering the ground . . . smoke pluming in the acrid air . . . this is just the beginning if he fails.

Seven years ago, operative Luke Gallagher vanished to become part of an elite team set on capturing a deadly terrorist. When Luke returns to face those he left behind, their help becomes his only hope of stopping his target's latest threat of an attack that would shake America to its core.

Private investigator Kate Maxwell never stopped loving or looking for Luke after he disappeared. But she also never imagined he left her or his life by choice. Now he's back, and together they must unravel a twisting thread of secrets, lies, and betrayal, all while on the brink of a biological disaster.

Will they and their love survive, or will Luke and Kate become the terrorist's next mark?

About the Author:

Dani Pettrey is the bestselling author of the Chesapeake Valor series and the Alaskan Courage series and winner of the 2014 Daphne du Maurier Award for Inspirational Novel, the 2014 Christian Retailing's Best Award for Suspense, and the 2013 Holt Medallion for First Novel. She and her husband reside in the D.C. Metro area. She can be found online at www.danipettrey.com.

My Review: 3.5-4 stars

This is the final book in Dani Pettrey’s “Chesapeake Valor” series and I was so excited to read it! Especially after the cliffhanger at the end of “Blind Spot.”  I had to know what was going to happen!  As always with Ms. Pettrey’s books, this story is fast-paced and action packed keeping me reading through traffic lights and lunch breaks.  I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book, but it was definitely a compelling read!

One of my favorite things about Ms. Pettrey’s books is how she keeps the pace speeding along.  In this case, there are dual storylines at play, something I really enjoyed and that indubitably amped up the suspense.  Though I did find the story a bit disjointed at times, when it would switch between mysteries.  The time-frame for the story is rather short, so it definitely moves quickly, in more ways than one.  I did appreciate getting to follow Luke and Kate, searching for a terrorist, and Griffin and Finley, searching for a murderer.  This author definitely has a way of leaving the chapter with just enough of a question or cliffhanger to keep you racing through the pages, having to know what’s going to happen next.  

I’ve enjoyed getting to know Kate over the past three books and have been so looking forward to her and Luke finally getting their story.  Kate is strong and independent, with a stubborn streak that is potentially wider than Luke’s.  But she also has a vulnerable side that is revealed with Luke’s return.  Luke is strong and determined to finally finish the war he’s been fighting for years.  He’s become disillusioned over the depths of deprivation he’s seen and is looking to find what is real and good in the world, again.  I greatly enjoyed getting to know both of them better and following them through their journey.  Ms. Pettrey did an excellent job of bringing them to life and making them seem more like old friends than characters in a fictional story.

Overall, I quite enjoyed the journey and would highly recommend it (and the whole series) to anyone who likes mystery and suspense.

Thank you so much for stopping by and taking the time to read my review!  I hope you enjoyed it and will consider checking out the book (and the rest of the series).  :)

I know I keep saying this, but I'm considering the merits of posting some more personal things on here from time to time.  Though I did just get married 2 months ago, so I'm mostly just enjoying time with my husband right now. :)  Maybe next year . . . .  After the holidays slow down. 

 If you have time to comment, would you like something beyond book reviews from me?

As always, I hope your day is ducky! 

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