Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice Book Review

Title: Pumpkin Spice And Everything Nice Coloring Book

Author: Julianne St. Clair

Genre: Nonfiction, Adult Coloring Book, Creative, Autumn, Christian

Plot: Autumn is just around the corner and her loyal fans are already searching for the first hint of her arrival on the breeze. We're itching to dig out warmer clothes with comfy hoods and tall boots. We're eyeing the shelves while shopping for our favorite seasonal treats and waiting very impatiently for those treasured pumpkin spice lattes to appear on the menu once again.

While we wait, we can indulge our love of this wonderful season with this delightful coloring book. The perfect gift for any coloring or Autumn enthusiast and sure to enchant all who draw near with colored pencils or markers in hand. With pumpkins on nearly every page, beautiful scripted pages as well as full scenes and delightful little images all begging to be brought to life, this book has a little something in it for everyone. Better stock up on pencils and markers this year!

Likes/Dislikes: I love Autumn. Love, love, love it! And this coloring book is so perfect! Each page is a delight to behold and once I'm done coloring in it, it'll be a real beauty to grace my shelves. Toward the back of the book there are several sunset scenes which I'm not too sure of (having fully enjoyed all the hot chocolate, pies, pumpkins and owl pages much more previously), but I'm sure they'll look beautiful just the same. All I need now is a nice rainy day, a hot cup of tea, that rare two hour nap my kids take once a year and new coloring pencils.

Rating: G-all ages. You might not want to share though.

Date Review Written: August 24th, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of BookLook Bloggers for my honest opinion. I wasn't required to write a positive review and the opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

Death In Paris Book Review

Title: Death In Paris

Author: Emilia Bernhard

Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Contemporary, Paris, Debut, Series

Plot: Rachel Levis, an American, first came to Paris in her early twenties looking to become a writer and find herself. Now she's in her forties, happily married and a poet. She found herself with the help of her older boyfriend Edgar Bowen so many years ago. So when she finds out that Edgar died mysteriously, having drowned in his soup at dinner one evening with a suspicious bottle of rose` on the table, Rachel feels that she owes it to Edgar to solve his murder. All she has to go on is the feeling that something isn't right because Edgar hated rose` wine with a passion.

With her best friend Magda by her side (also an American who came to Paris young and never left), Rachel begins to investigate and poke around for clues. The two friends meticulously debate their suspect pool and go over their few puzzle pieces repeatedly, always looking for new clues. But when their suspect pool starts to die off in more mysterious ways, they wonder just what have they gotten themselves into and if it's worth it to continue along their line of inquiry - possibly risking death themselves.

Likes/Dislikes: Ever since I read French Women Don't Get Fat, I've been wanting more Paris-centric books in my life and this tasty little treat came in with perfect timing since I'm suffering from a post-Phryne Fisher murder mystery slump. And it was such a nice treat too. Very Paris without being overwhelming (I could've gone with a bit more Paris but it was enough to satisfy me and very different from my usual visits to the sparkling city in 1920 or so), and a lovely little murder mystery that kept me guessing right to the end. I didn't guess the culprit mainly because I figured it was too obviously to actually be the correct answer. I would've liked a bit more food descriptions thrown in but I know it wasn't a foodie book, and I could've done with a chapter or two less of Rachel and Magda going over their clues and suspects. It got a bit mind-numbing there for a bit and they kept going in the same circles but in the end it all wrapped up nicely. I'm intrigued to see if Rachel's husband gets involved in future mysteries, despite his reluctance. He seems humorous. Now to very impatiently wait a whole year for the sequel.

Rating: PG-13 and up, mainly for reading level and content (it's a murder mystery. Clean and not graphic but a murder mystery all the same.)

Date Review Written: August 10th, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion and I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

The Daily Question Journal Book Review

Title: The Daily Question for You and Your Child Journal


Author: WaterBrook

Genre: Nonfiction, Journal, Parenting, Children, Self-Help, Inspirational, Spiritual

Plot: Raising children can be a hectic task (especially when they are very young) and finding time throughout the day to chronicle their growth and that cute thing they just said can be next to impossible. But in the years to come, we will miss these hectic chaotic days and wish we'd taken the time to record a little bit more of our kids when they were still small and ours rather than big and away at college.

To make the best of both worlds, we have this gorgeous little journal. Designed with the busy parent in mind, the layout is clean and simple. A new question is at the top of each page for each day and underneath are a few lines to write the answer on for the next three years. Just five minutes a day and we can build a record of our child's growth and development over the course of three years while they eat breakfast or tie their shoes. And we can keep it forever or give it to them when they have children of their own. The ideal gift for parents everywhere looking to capture a moment of their child's childhood without the stress of documenting every little moment in fine detail.

Likes/Dislikes: I love journals and collect them whenever my budget lets me. But I'm also a parent with three children under the age of five so I don't always have the time to journal like I want to. I also don't always have the time to keep daily records of my kids; the cute things they say, the weird things they do, the touching moments when they help each other or are cute and cuddly for no reason after a long day. But this adorable journal is perfect for doing just that, along with finding out things about my kids that I never would've known or thought to ask them about. 365 questions is a lot of information to uncover about these tiny people I made. And I'm sure you'll love this journal just as much as I do.

Rating: G-all ages. Highly recommended.

Date Review Written: August 18th, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of WaterBrookMultnomah Publishing and wasn't required to write a positive book review. The opinions expressed in the above book review are my own.

Just Let Go Book Review

Title: Just Let Go

Author: Courtney Walsh

Genre: Christian, Fiction, Contemporary Romance

Plot: Quinn Collins has grown up in the same little dreamy town she still lives in today and can't imagine ever leaving. She might miss something exciting if she leaves. Besides that, her dream has finally come true; she has just purchased her mother's old flower shop and has a notebook full of ideas to improve it and drag it forward into modern times. Besides that massive project, she is also working on a show-stopping entry for the big winter festival where her mother is judging the floral arrangements. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be good enough to get her mom's attention after all these years.

Meanwhile Grady Benson is an Olympic skier who has had a bad streak of luck lately combined with some ill-advised spending sprees and bad judgement calls. One of which lands him in front of the local judge who sentences him to five weeks of community service. With a bit of meddling, Sheriff Collins and the judge get Grady assigned to help Quinn fix up her flower shop - much to Quinn's disapproval. But the two eventually soften and get the job done with hints of something more, till Grady puts his foot in his mouth and makes a crucial mistake. Will their fledgling relationship withstand the test?

Likes/Dislikes: First off, even though the cover is gorgeous, it led me to believe that the book takes place in the spring. It does not. It takes place over the course of December which threw me off a bit mentally in the first few chapters. I always like my December stories to be snowy. Anyway, aside from that, it is a slow burner type story. Quinn really hates Grady for some reason which got annoying after awhile and she's very focused on reconnecting with her mom to the point where it interferes with everything else in her life. In all honesty, I couldn't finish this book. Maybe it gets better but it wasn't the cup of tea I wanted for the heat of July. I'll have to sample it again in some cooler non-pregnant months.

Rating: PG-14 and up, mainly for reading level and content (it's a clean romance).

Date Review Written: August 3rd, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Tyndale Publishers for my honest opinion and I wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.

3-Minute Devotions For Moms Of Little Ones Book Review

Title: 3-Minute Devotions For Moms Of Little Ones

Author: Barbour Staff

Genre: Christian, Nonfiction, Devotional, Motherhood, Parenting, Toddlers, Spiritual

Plot: In the crazy busy days of newborns, diaper changes, breastfeeding, crawling, teetering first steps, endless snacks, more diaper changes, potty training and temper tantrums, it can be very easy to forget to do simple things like brush our teeth and read our Bibles. This handy little devotional takes into account our limited time, attention spans and attention spans of our tiny charges to deliver small bite-sized bits of encouragement and spiritual comfort. With a little something for everyone in here, this devotional is a wonderful thing to have on our shelves and to gift to every mom we know who has her hands full with raising tiny people.

Add in a mini bottle of wine and maybe some dark chocolate or tea and this becomes a wonderful little gift bundle.

Likes/Dislikes: While I enjoyed this book and loved the short entries and overall theme of encouragement, I felt that some of the entries were a bit guilt-trippy and others were very repetitive on the subjects of rest, doing literally everything to raise godly babies (when most of us are probably just trying to get them to stop peeing in their pants and eat their dinner), and a couple others. Overall, cute and I intend to get a copy for my expectant sister. Just not my personal cup of tea.

Rating: G-all ages, geared mainly toward moms.

Date Review Written: August 3rd, 2018

I received a copy of this book courtesy of Netgalley for my honest opinion and wasn't required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed in the above review are my own.