Trip To My Local Library

I Got really lucky with my local library. It is literally around the corner and within walking distance of my house. Added to that it is connected to both Hoopla and Overdrive and I'm pretty sure it's the best library ever.

My library is very old, but it was unfortunately modernized when I moved to the area 13 years ago. We used the elevator to get to the main part of the library. I didn't take a picture of that because I didn't want this post to be too photo dense. 

when you first walk in, there are these little reading nooks if you want to read at the library. I think this is genius, what better way to read, than to sit in a quiet, comfy chair. My only other favorite place is curled up in bed.

To The right is adult fiction, I have a really bad habit of not returning them on time. But, luckily, our library dispensed with late fees. Now you can hang on to the book till you finish it with just gentle reminders sent to your email.

Behind fiction is adult nonfiction. This is my favorite nonfiction section. I've picked up many knitting patterns from the library.

Across from adult fiction and nonfiction is the kids fiction and nonfiction . Sometimes I go over there for simpler nonfiction reading material. Love Me some kids knitting books.

I'm a little sorry to say that this is probably my favorite part of the library. When I switch to WordPress I will probably spend a lot of time here, until I get a new library. For now I take advantage of $5.00 a month in prints. It used to be $20.00. At this rate I may have to invest in a printer for home. I like to print free planner pages from Pinterest, or free knitting patterns from Ravelry.

There is a lot more to my library, but I didn't want too many pictures. Then there is the main branch for the city libraries. It is from the 1700s and it is huge and ornate. My mom and I went there for a scavenger hunt hosted by the library. It was so big that we couldn't finish it!

Fake Dating My Best Friend by Tara Brent

I think my favorite trope is friends to lovers now. You know I'm there if an accidental pregnancy is thrown in! I'm not even spoiling anything either because it's in the description on the Amazon store. I stumbled on this book while looking up a Great Depression Memoir, it's a secret pleasure read of mine. Don't think I'll ever review one here, but it might be a nice listacle post.

Eli and Stasia have been best friends since childhood. One drunken night, they cross a line. They try to pretend it never happened, but Stasia learns she's pregnant, and Eli feels something more than friendship. Eli's work is keeping them separate, and Eli doesn't want to hold Stasia back in her career either. He is torn over his feelings for her, when he finds out she's pregnant. 

This writer had me engaged since page one. A lot of books start kind of stale, but finish epically. The author also starts you out with chemistry between the two main characters, which is my favorite. 

Old Books On My Kindle

It all started about 10 years ago. My husband had bought me an ereader before, but it was a Nook Paperwhite (totally opened up my world as far as books go). This time he got me a tablet and I downloaded the Kindle app on it. I didn't have Kindle Unlimited so I was limited in the books I could read. Most of my books were freebies shared through deal blogs. I bought a few books along the way too. I have over 5,000 books on my Kindle now. Obviously I can't list all my favorites and maybe I will have follow up posts on this blog.

A bunch of self-help and how-to books

When I first got my Kindle most free books posted on blogs posted these kinds of books for free. I have read a few of them, but most I'm just waiting to read. Favorites are probably the Crystal Paine books about money. I bought those. Still haven't finished them.

The Indebted Series by Pepper Winters

They may be on Kindle Unlimited. I don't know. I bought mine before I had Kindle Unlimited. But, I will tell you, this series got me into dark, edge of your seat romance. I don't know if I'll reread them, but I won't get rid of them. This six book series are not stand alone novels you must read them in order.

Pride And Prejudice, and Emma by Jane Austen

I have read Pride And Prejudice several times. I'm trying to read it again, but I keep getting distracted by new contemporary romance novels. Emma is one I've never read, but I've seen the movies and I'd love to read the book. Goals.

Dandelion Jane by A.R. Stanley

A.R. Stanley is a friend of mine. We have spent many hours side by side writing. Both as kids and as adults. She has realized her dream of being a published author. This is actually the first of a trilogy. Embarrassingly I have not even read this first one. I keep telling myself to read and review it, because that's what a good friend does. I just haven't yet.

A whole lot of M.N. Forgy novels

No I have not read all of them, but they were all paid for. At the time she did not post her books to Kindle Unlimited (not that I had it, anyway). I read the entire Devils Dust MC series. I read a few others by her, and I have a few I've never read. She was a favorite for a time. I still follow her on Facebook for updates and she is very good about interacting with fans.

The Endgame Trilogy by Sky Warren 

I didn't even realize I'd read the whole series until recently. If you like auctioning the FMC off to the MMC then this series is for you. I'm not usually a fan, though... this series was an exception. I'm not sure if these are even on Kindle Unlimited. I bought them.

The Diary Of Bink Cummings by Bink Cummings 

For some reason I went through an MC romance craze. I'm not sure why, because it was after my horrible ex (who was a 1% biker) and I broke up for good. But, I'm pretty sure these are a fictionalized betrayal of real life events. I'm not 100% on that.

Gas Or Ass by Eden Connor 

I read this evil stepbrother romance years ago. I recently saw the rest of the series on Kindle Unlimited. I'm not sure if I will be reading them. The stepbrothers are really mean to her in the first one. I'm not sure if I can handle more than that.

So much werewolf romance 

Yeah my favorites were werewolf Romances for awhile. And there were a ton of free werewolf romance. It's a lot harder to find on the Kindle now, Free, Kindle Unlimited, or paid. I don't know if I will keep the werewolf romance. It's all been read and I have more than 5,000 books on my Kindle. 

McGuffy Readers

One of my most prized possessions was the McGuffy Readers I learned to read on. Maddeningly I found myself homeless 14 years ago and lost my McGuffy Readers. When I got my Kindle I found them for free! I never finished the sixth reader. For those not in the know, the McGuffy Readers are what schools used in pioneer times. I'm not sure when they stopped using them in schools. They are not particularly religious, so that wasn't the problem. They have old style cursive in them. 

An embarrassing amount of free erotica

They tried to call it smut, but I think of smut having more of a storyline with lots of steamy scenes. These books were only steamy scenes. This is probably where my husband started trading me about my "girl porn" which it, essentially was. I'm working my way slowly through deleted these books. I have so much quality romance novels now.

Why I Started Blogging

This will be a post a little different from my usual posts. Today I'm going to tell a personal story.A tale about why I am where I am today. I may not be making money, but I am doing what I love.

Literally ever since I can remember I have been obsessed with two things piano and writing. My aunt had the piano at her house and ever since I could reach the keys on her piano I would tap at the keys. I gave her a headache, mostly. When I turned 13 my dad rewarded my many years of trying to learn on my own with real deal piano lessons. I only got halfway through level six before I started getting burned out on practice. My dad told me to "take a sabbatical." I ended up going into the Air Force a few months later and never took lessons again. I have, however, played from time to time, when I have the opportunity. 

Now, on to writing. Even before I could actually write I filled pages of notebook paper with careful scribbles. My mom taught me to read at four, and I was actually writing, not long after. It was my favorite subject, growing up. When I went to college I got A's on all my writing assignments.  Some technical others creative. I have had so much fun writing over the years. About 14 years ago my (then boyfriend, now husband) gifted me with my first ereader. A whole new world opened up for me. Free books. At first it was mostly free erotica, with a few contemporary romance thrown in. Over the years the selection got better and better, as it did I began to realize something. I may have some talent as a writer, but I don't have that kind of talent. 

It was a depressing realization. But, my story doesn't end there. I realized I might not have the talent to write a contemporary romance novel, but I may have just enough writing talent to write about those romance novels. I had done some blogging in the past. Well ever since I was 13. At first I posted personal blogs. More like an online diary than a blog of today. Then I moved to informative blog posts. I had a budgeting blog on WordPress for awhile. I ran out of money to keep it going. When I started this blog, I just wanted a hobby blog. That is still mostly true. Meta (Facebook and Instagram) have targeted my blog and call it spam. The only reason I can think for this is because I use a free platform. For this reason I will be getting a WordPress blog soon. I will probably do some ads and some affiliate links when I make the switch. Not to make a lot of money, but to at least try to make the blog self sustaining.

So, that's it. I'm a writer who isn't talented enough to write what I want to write the books I want, so I blog about those kinds of books instead. I will say that even though I feel I have no talent for that kind of writing, my Pinterest does not reflect that. I have boards about how to write novels in general, romance novels, editing, publishing, and more. I still have my dreams, okay?

Knocked Up Mistake by Roxy Reid

I have read books by this author before, but she changed the covers of her books. She used to work with teal lettering on the covers, now it's pink. It's all good, it just threw me off for a minute when looking up the book. My screenshot was the teal. The book was just as amazing as the last I read by her. It left me wondering why I don't read more by her.

Jonas and Nadine have some bad history but that doesn't stop them from jumping in to help their friends hide their marriage, by faking one of their own. During the course of their "marriage," Nadine finds out she is pregnant. Due to some conversations she had with Jonas, she is terrified of telling him. When he does not offer her love, she walks. 

As I've mentioned before, I'm not sure why I don't read more of her works. She specializes in accidental pregnancy and that is totally my jam.

The grand gesture had me in tears. The whole heartbreak scene sent me crying.

More Favorite Modern Authors

I find, that the more I read, the more I find more modern authors that I gravitate towards again and again. I know I already wrote a post on this topic, but I find my list keeps expanding, and I'm finding that I just have to share. I simply cannot keep them to myself.

Melanie Harlow 

I first read her book Ignite. It is a steamy single dad, firefighter romance. And the second book in the series, Taste, is even better. It is a chef, accidental pregnancy romance. Then Make Me Yours was the cop, single dad, brother's best friend romance. Her books are, quite simply, epic. I have a fourth book by her on my Kindle now, but I'm "cleansing my palette" with other favorite authors. 

Nadia Lee

I book by her a while ago and loved it. Then the author recommended another book she wrote, but it was a mafia romance, and they aren't my favorite. Then I read Baby For The Bosshole and I had to read more. I read an older book by her, That Man Next Door, it was excellent. Not her current style, but excellent. I'm currently reading another book by her, and I can't put it down.

Lilian Monroe 

Big, Bossy Trouble. Big, Bossy Mistake. Big, Bossy Problem. All books that I have torn into by her. I have read many other books by her, but these are my favorites. They are all nanny, billionaire boss, and accidental pregnancy romance. I can assure you, I will be reading even more by her in the future. 

Kelly Myers

This was a new discover for me. I read Misunderstood, which prompted me to read more. By the time I got to My Best Friend's Ex, I knew I had to add her to my favorites. I will say, she specializes is accidental pregnancy, which is totally my thing. And, you regularly read my blog, it probably is a thing of yours too. But, if it's not, then this is not the author for you.

Meghan Quinn 

When my Kindle Unlimited went on the fritz I found one of her books for free. I also read Those Three Little Words, and My Best Friend's Ex (yes another book by that title) I like her style. She writes both romcoms, and heart gripping romance. She covers tragedy and happiness equally well.

Alexis Winter 

I had The Wrong Brother on my Kindle for awhile. It was a slow start so I deleted it. Then I read My Best Friend's Ex (what is with the title? Well this one is different). It was so good I put The Wrong Brother Back on my Kindle and read it all the way through. It was magnificent enough that I read the sequel. She is another accidental pregnancy author. Usually it's really close to the end, though.

Sara Cate 

I actually started with the second book in The Salacious Players Club series. Eyes On Me was a step sibling romance. When Give Me More came out I jumped on it. It is, by far, one of my favorite books. After I read that I found Praise for free on my Kindle (not sure if it is still free) it sat on my Kindle for awhile ( I'm really bad about that) when I read it, I knew I'd have to read Mercy, although it is currently just sitting on my Kindle right now.

Marrying My Billionaire Hookup by Nadia Lee

I am a huge fan of Nadia Lee. I have read MarryingMyBillionaireBoss, Baby For TheBosshole, and That Man Next Door. The first two sealed My Fandom. After reading this book, I fully intend to read more. 

When Jo finds out she is pregnant, her cousin sends an official looking letter to her one night stand, asking him to give up his right. Edgar has no intention on giving up rights to his kid and sets forth to marry Jo, but Jo only wants to marry for love. Edgar sets out to convince her to marry him, without actually falling in love. Meanwhile, Jo is falling in love with him.

The feelings got real for me, a bit at the end there. The moment he realized he was in love, though. 

Praise by Sara Cate

I started out with book two of The Salacious Players Club series, then I read the third book. Those books were so good I backtracked and got book one (this one). I now have the fourth book on my Kindle, waiting to be read.

When Charlie's ex boyfriend sends her to his dad's house to get her money, she gets mistaken for an escort. Emerson wants to get closer to his son and he isn't above using Charlie to do that. After offering her a job, he ends up devopling feelings for her. He fights them, because he has plan on getting them back together. But, in the end, he gives in.

This is light BDSM story. If that is not your thing, this is not the book for you.i don't usually like BDSM stories, but this was light enough for me to get into it.

Big, Bossy Problem by Lilian Monroe

Aside from the fact that the MMC is the same name as my awful ex, this book was just as good as the other two in this series. Although, I'm not sure if I'm going to read the next one, it veers off from the romances of the best friend billionaires and their nanny.

Penny is Marcus' dog walker. She is also a doggie fashion designer. When Marcus' niece stays with him and it becomes too much to handle and he calls in Penny for help. But, he is wild attracted to her and soon they give into each other. Marcus wants to date some for the first time in years. As does Penny. Things unwind when he violates her privacy in a misguided attempt at helping her.

I can't comment on this book anymore. It was so good. I feel like Lilian Monroe has a firm grasp of nanny accidental pregnancies. 

Things Every Book Blogger Needs

This will be my first post dedicated to the book blogger as opposed to just the bookworm. As I get more of a handle on book blogging I hope to write more of these.

A phone

You have to have a phone if you are a book blogger. I do everything from my phone. I write posts, publish to blog, create graphics and even read sometimes. There are so many apps to help a book blogger. Maybe I will write a post about that in the future. 

A computer

Right now I don't need this because I use Blogger to blog, but when I switch to WordPress there will be a lot of blog work that can't be done on the phone. I currently have a chrome book, which isn't really ideal. I will probably either go to the library to blog or buy a Windows based laptop.

Source of books

You have to have some source of books. Unlimited funds for the bookstore, a library card, an ereader. Some way to have a steady supply of books to review.

Notebooks

I can never have enough notebooks. I'm sure I drive my husband batty with my love of collecting notebooks. While I have a lot of writing apps on my phone, sometimes you need to actually hand write some notes out. Usually when I do a book tag post I write out the prompts in a notebook and then type that along with my writings into a blog post.

Something to drink

Blogging can be tough and having a refreshing beverage nearby helps the blogger a lot. I usually have my trusty water bottle nearby because I'm trying to drink more water. But, tea, coffee, or wine would be acceptable as well.

Taste by Melanie Harlow

1. I have had this book sitting on my Kindle forever before I read it. Why did I waste so long? 2. I really could not decide on if I was going to write a full review or a mini review on my chefs romance list. Obviously I chose a full review, though I may go ahead and add it to the list too. It's that good.

Gianni has picked on Elle their entire life. But, he offers to help her at a dinner she is supposed to provide wine for. On the way home, they are sidelined by a blizzard. Staying in one motel room, with one bed, leads to hooking up. Gianni doesn't want to give her up. And she refuses to hold him back from his dreams. But, they aren't really his dreams and he wants to stay and win her over.

Melanie Harlow is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. In the back of the book there are some links to her email newsletter, her Facebook page, and her Facebook group. I signed up for all three. I can't wait to see what she writes next.

That Man Next Door by Nadia Lee

I like most of Nadia Lee's books. I say most, because there was that one book that was hard to get into. But, this book was great! The story was straight up heartwarming. There was one hick to my enjoyment, which I'll get into later, but I got past it and became obsessed with the story. I may even read the next book in the series. 

Jan has attempted 5 one night stands and chickens out everytime. Her latest attempt, Matt, moves in next door and gets a job at her work. She tries to fly under the radar, but that doesn't work. Matt wants to not only finish what they started, but he wants to be more than a one night stand. They have been dating in earnest for a short time, when she overhears a disturbing conversation. 

Okay, this is a one POV story. I don't usually like that. I had to remind myself that Vegas Aces by Lisa Suzanne is one POV and I've read them six times! After that, I settled into the story, and ended up enjoying it very much.