Finally I'm planning my vacation for the year, I know a little delayed. My husband and I agreed to do something outdoorsy for this trip and decided upon New Mexico. We are taking a road trip to Albuquerque for the International Balloon Fiesta.
I've had the opportunity before to get to see hot air balloons, but my husband has not. I'm going to try and surprise him with organizing us to ride in them one of the days we are there. Other than that though what else is there to do in Albuquerque? I was looking in hiking trails, wineries, breweries, and tours. I know Breaking Bad was filmed there so I'm extremely excited for that as well. Has anyone ever been to the balloon festival? Is it a whole day thing or do you go and watch them take off in the morning then come back for landing at night? Anyone have a recommendation for who to fly with or how it was to go up in a balloon? Thank you. I'll definitely post pictures of how it went after we get back. Conner Burke never expected Sofie Callahan to come back.
Where she’s been for the last two and half years is a mystery, and so is the reason she left in the first place. Now, though, she’s back in their hometown of Shelton Bay, South Carolina, at the same time Conner’s band Dirty B. is home on a tour break. Sofie Callahan has spent the months since her father’s death avoiding anything to do with her hometown. But with her brother in Afghanistan, she has no choice but to return and sort out her father’s house, even if it means facing the boy she fell in love with and revealing the reason she left. Conner has questions, and when his broken heart and her guilty one collide, Sofie has to start answering them. Their present is rocky, their future unknown. Only one thing is certain: Sofie’s daughter will change everything. 276 pages Published December 1st 2014 Current GoodReads Rating: 3.86 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/23245274-dirty-secret My Review: The characters didn't have as much development as I would have liked. It would have been cute to have a flashback in the first chapter or two or their lives when they were younger and still dating. I still am not sure who all is in the band and not positive they are all brothers. Character development and the details in the background were a little lacking but it wasn't a bad story. The author didn't really go into detail how a teenager moved out and raised a kid in a new city by herself. That's a lot of money and responsibility. I've read some books where they get pregnant and it ends with the baby being born and living happily ever after, but this is my first were it starts when she already has the kid. I listened to this as an audiobook and I wouldn't recommend that. The ladies baby talk was bad. I did enjoy the ending but the introduction of a baby to a new family just seems like it needs a bigger book that has a lot more detail about how each grandparent and all her numerous uncles are connecting to her. I liked the Popsicle ending as a hint they were getting used to each other. The best friend in the story though some times pushed that she was and other times you forgot she existed, she didn't have a constant role. I gave it three stars. How far will a good girl go for the bad boy she loves?
Laney Holt is a preacher’s daughter. A good girl. Her only goal was to get married, have babies, and live happily ever after, just like her parents. Only that didn’t happen. The two people closest to her betrayed her, and Laney’s dreams came crashing down. Now she’s left with an empty space she doesn’t know how to fill. Until she meets Jake Theopolis, a daredevil with a death wish who has heartbreaker written all over him. Jake has no interest in thinking beyond the here and now. All he wants out of life is the next rush, the next “feel-good” thing to keep his mind off the pain of his past. His latest rush? Showing Laney there’s more to life than being a good girl—and that going bad can be so much fun. Her only concern now is how she can ever hope to satisfy the wild side of a boy like Jake. She’s looking forward to trying. And so is Jake. If you love The Wild Ones, you'll be just as wild for M. Leighton's Bad Boys series which includes Down to You, Up to Me, and Everything for Us. 384 pages Published March 4th 2014 Current GoodReads Rating: 4.08 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17839135-some-like-it-wild My Review: I loved the little flash back at the beginning. It was a nice touch and a great brief glance at all the characters. The characters throughout were well developed and I enjoyed to people they became. I didn't like how obvious the author made it so early on and how repetitive they were about having the characters constantly saying that they wanted the other but it would never happen. We get it but we also all know it's absolutely going to happen so it just got annoying. The author could have teased against the relationship but to me the end was obvious. I did love the twist and turns though. The freeing adventures that were taken were relatable and exciting. The peeing in the woods I laughed out loud to because that would have been very embarrassing. I loved the ending that he got to use what he does for a living to make her fall even more in love with him. Great read. I couldn't stop thinking about this plot and the characters as I was reading and listening to other books. I gave it five stars because it was a steamy, fun read. Jessica Harper is the epitome of perfection. She’s a good daughter, makes excellent grades, and always strays on the safe side of life. The last thing she thought would ever happen was falling in love with her best friend’s brother. But sometimes fate just has a way of bringing two people together.
Wide receiver for the University of Arizona, Gabe Garcia, seems to have it all. When his feelings for Jessica come to surface, Gabe will give up everything to be with her. But what happens when a tragedy abruptly changes the course of your life? For Jessica and Gabe, everything they thought they knew about each other will be questioned. Sometimes, there are scars in life that are cut too deep to completely heal. Will their love prove to be unbreakable, or will it shatter and prove fate is just another lie? 339 pages Published September 7th 2013 Current GoodReads Rating: 3.98 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17208961-unbreakable My Review: The ending was cute but in total the plot never caught my interest. He was a football player then fire fighter very drastically. I don’t know of a family that would really approve of that. His character lacked depth. His entire family did with how involved the main character was with them. If the story was going to involve the hurt her father experienced after her mother died, it should have explained more about that event. I didn’t like that they just wrote Landon off at the end saying everyone needs a bad boy in between. I feel bad for him. We know his mother died and he’s heartbroken. I was scared at first that he was going to rape her as well, his character being so aggressive at first. I could complain about each character and how little I still know about them so I’ll just say overall this story didn’t have enough depth, so I never was connected or cared about the characters. I thought a few times during the first half to turn the audio book off because it was so boring, then the twist finally came and even after that happened it still barely kept me listening. I wouldn’t have finished if it was a book. I wouldn’t recommend this book because of its lack of depth which is what I crave when I read a book. I want to get emotional with the characters as if they were here with me in real life and I had no attachment to this book. I gave this book two stars. A Chicago reporter in her mid-twenties unexpectedly finds love in Napa Valley when she’s assigned to spend a week with a famously reclusive genius.
Kate Corbin has lost her spark. From the outside, her life seems charmed. She has a handsome, long-term boyfriend and a budding journalism career at a popular Chicago newspaper. But in reality, her relationship is going nowhere, and she’s quickly losing motivation for what she once believed was her dream job. When her boyfriend dumps her unceremoniously, Kate loses all hope of finding love. With no living family and few friends, Kate confides in her boss. Trusting that the hungry, ace reporter is buried somewhere deep inside, he gives Kate the opportunity to jumpstart her career. The assignment: to interview the famously reclusive R.J. Lawson, a wealthy tech genius who disappeared years ago but recently reemerged as a Napa Valley vintner. The week takes an unexpected turn, however, when Lawson refuses to divulge any information. Desperate for a lead, Kate turns to Jamie, a vineyard hand who shows her the romance of wine country—and stirs her aching heart. But his connection to Lawson is ambiguous, and when Jamie disappears before the end of the week, Kate is left to investigate another story: the truth behind the man who stole her heart. USA TODAY bestselling author Renée Carlino explored love and heartbreak in her beautifully written debut Sweet Thing, and her newest novel does not disappoint. For fans of Colleen Hoover, K.A. Tucker, and Katja Millay, Nowhere But Here is a stirring and satisfying romance that you won’t want to put down. 320 pages Published May 5th 2014 GoodReads Current Rating: 4.09 stars My Review: I have read about 20 New Adult genre books this year and this was disappointing because it didn't seem to fit in the genre. I know she's on 26 but not many twenty years old are either a millionaire who owns a vineyard for the past few years or even just writing articles at a newspaper. Movies even show people struggling to get in to the magazine or newspaper industry in their thirties and forties and in a town as big as Chicago a twenty-six year old already that far ahead doesn't seem likely. There story confused me till about half way through when I understood the twist the author was trying to pull. In my opinion there was no spark of interest that started for me and I never got into the characters. It was okay. I listened to the audio book version and even the voice and way they spoke made them seem more mature than they should be at their age and just added to my opinion. This book didn't catch my attention and wasn't very relatable in any sense to me. I gave this three stars. "Nate West. Hollywood bad-boy. Television megastar. Womanizer. Basically everything I hate about the male species rolled into one handsome package. And yet…I want him."
Ellie Turner is a lesbian. She has tattoos, short hair, and a ‘don’t-mess-with-me-attitude.’ She knows who she is, loves who she is, and couldn’t care less what the rest of the world thinks of her. And since she has the most kick-ass best friend on the planet, Noah Clark, even when family drama gets in the way, nothing can offset her happy-go-lucky demeanor. Until television star Nate West comes along. All thick muscle and alpha-male testosterone. When Ellie meets him on an airplane the only thing Nate West should be good for is a brand new profile picture on Facebook. Right? Wrong. Turns out he’s good for so much more. This man is going to flip everything Ellie thought she knew about herself upside down. NA Romance. This novel is the second book in the Kill Devil Hills series, however it can be read as a standalone. Recommended for 18+ due to sexy scenes, explicit language, and adult themes. 215 pages Published March 16th 2015 Current GoodReads Rating: 4.37 stars My Review: This series is badass. The author gave me the opportunity to read this book for a review and I'm thankful. The first in this series was a constant attention grabber and this one held up the same. It was a fun romance story that had characters you fell in love with yourself. I loved that this time the Hollywood heart throb wasn't obsessed so much with himself or his career and the story didn't get swallowed up with his lights, camera, action lifestyle. It was more real and my favorite part about this series is the background story that is growing throughout these past two books about their brothers death. I'm excited to read why and learn more about Sydney. This was a great read and I can't wait till the next one is released. Thank you. I gave this five stars. I take Influenster survey and review products in all different categories and this time I guess I took enough surveys about my cat and wanted to post my review mostly to show you my lovely cat. Everyone meet Fuzzball my lion cat.
My Review: I received this item free from the manufacturer to review. My cat initially ran to the box and sat on it because he could smell the treats that came with the toy. He was frantic to get to those so I was optimistic. At first I filled it with about 8 treats and put it in front of him. He smelled it then layed beside it and didn't know what to do with it. I showed him how to get the treats out moving it around in front of him and he still laying down bounced it back in forth between his two paws till a few came out. I was hoping for more exercise and involvement from him. I don't like that you have to fill it almost completely full of treats for my cat to get interested since the more treats inside the easier they come out. I'm also afraid that he'll end up throwing up from overindulgence and eating that many treats contradicts the idea of getting him active playing with it. It was okay but I wouldn't recommend this toy at least not for a lazy older cat that sleeps a whole lot. I'd give this two stars. He’s twenty-four. She’s eighteen.
His life is exactly the way he’s always wanted it to be...stable. She’s quite possibly the very definition of unstable. Noah saved her. Georgina never wanted to be saved. Growing up, Noah Clark was passed from one relative to the next until he finally ended up living with his abusive, alcoholic uncle in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina. Thanks in part to the unwavering love and support of his best friend, Ellie Turner, Noah survived those years, escaped his uncle, and grew into the man he is today. Now he runs his own business and lives a pretty normal, no-nonsense life—one where he maintains a high level of control. Georgina is Ellie’s younger sister. Four months ago, Noah saved Georgie’s life, but he thought that was where his involvement with his friend’s sister would end. Now Georgie has returned home from the recovery facility her parents sent her away to and Noah, still haunted by the night that connects them, can’t stop himself from continuously trying to protect this girl he barely knows. But is he willing to give up all of the control he’s worked so hard to build in his life and risk everything for her? Even more importantly, would she do the same for him? Current GoodReads rating: 3.90 stars 205 pages Published August 5th 2014 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21523040-kill-devil-hills My Review: I got my copy from the author to review which was overly sweet and appreciated. It was in order to read her new book which is the next in this series and after finishing this one I can't wait to start the next one. I downloaded this book and when I do that for any other book I usually read the first few pages then start getting into it that night or that weekend. This book I read the first few pages and said "holy shit". She definitely knows how to grab your attention and it didn't stop at the beginning. I loved the telling the parents because it was relatable even though I'm envious how easy her parents took that shocker. The family was was to nice to be believable but it was sweet to consider. If any of them put up a fight it might have taken away from the drama of the couples lives and added too much background noise so it was a good balance. I enjoyed this book. I gave this book five stars. The irresistible, blazing-hot sequel to New York Times bestselling author Molly McAdams's Forgiving Lies.
Rachel is supposed to be planning her wedding to Kash, the love of her life. After the crazy year they've had, she's ready to settle down and live a completely normal life. Well, as normal as it can be. But there's something else waiting—something threatening to tear them apart. Kash is ready for it all with Rach. Especially if all includes having a football team of babies with his future wife. With his line of work, he knows how short life can be, and doesn't want to waste another minute of theirs. But now his past as an undercover narcotics agent has come back to haunt him ... and it's the girl he loves who's caught in the middle. Trent Cruz's orders are clear: take the girl. But there's something about this girl that has him changing the rules and playing a dangerous game to keep her safe. When his time as Rachel's protector runs out, he will turn his back on the only life he's known, and risk everything, if it means getting her out alive. 256 pages Published March 4th 2014 Current GoodReads Rating: 4.34 stars https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17860194-deceiving-lies My Review: This was just as intense as the last book. I thought "Taylor's" role was pretty off for a typical love story, but I guess that's why I keep reading Molly McAdams' books. I liked how they included Taylor positively in the happy ending. At a point I really wasn't sure if Rachel was really going to stray in that direction or stay on course. You don't know what to expect in her books which keeps me interested. The book lasted longer than it needed too, but no one can complain about the feeling that she left us hanging at the end. This reminds me of Lori Foster books which I love so I can't complain about this one either. It's got hope, romance, lust, action and adventure. Still not positive on which was the deceiving lie that it was based upon. I thought it might end up being the kiss but he witnessed it and she confessed to it so no lying involved there. Good story nonetheless. I gave this book five stars. Synopsis:
"A matter of secrets... Undercover cop Logan "Kash" Ryan can't afford a distraction like his new neighbor Rachel Masters, even if she's the most beautiful woman he's ever seen. To catch a serial killer, he needs to stay focused, yet all he can think about is the feisty, long-legged coed whose guarded nature intrigues him A matter of lies... Deceived and hurt before, Rachel would rather be a single, crazy cat lady than trust another guy, especially a gorgeous, tattooed bad boy with a Harley, like Kash. But when his liquid-steel eyes meet hers, it takes all of Rachel's will-power to stop herself from exploring his hot body with her own. A matter of love... As much as they try to keep it platonic, the friction between them sparks an irresistible heat that soon consumes them. Can Kash keep Rachel's heart and her life safe even as he risks his own? Will she be able to forgive his lies ... or will she run when she discovers the dangerous truth? " My Review: This book was a pleasant surprise. It was so complicatedly perfect. I've been going down the list of Young Adult authors that are attending the RT Convention in Dallas this May and was very happy to discover this gem. I anticipated just another love story and was shocked into an intense interest within the first few chapters. I was listening to this as an audio book and the narrators did a fantastic job. The only phrase I will complain about was both main characters would say “what in the actual f@#$” and “what in the actual hell” and that kind of irked me. I’m not used to that phrase so it distracted me for a bit each time I’d hear it in the dialogue. The author could have gone more into her background about her parents and the good times in her relationship with Candice because if I was her I’d drop her as a friend at the beginning of the book. I needed more back story of them two to figure out why she still hangs out and/or lives with her. The story line was so intriguing and nail-biting that it’s hard to complain. Its set in Austin which I love to read stories based close to me. The author held a good imagination and I loved all the details meticulously placed around the love story. I didn't want the book to end and the epilogue got me interested in what’s next. This was a great read and hard to put down. I look forward to meeting this author at the book fair and will be reading more from them. I gave this book five stars. |