Bookworm Cafe: 2015

Monday, December 28, 2015

My Top 2015 Reads

This was a great year for me as a reader. I read some amazing books from my favorite authors and I also was introduced to the indie author world and discovered so many new awesome authors.

Here are my Top 5 favorite books that I read this year.

Stay by B.A. Wolfe
This is the second book in the Keaton Series. This book wrapped up Cassie's story beautifully. I think I can count on one hand the number of times a book has made me ugly cry. There was a point in this book where I had to set it down and I just sobbed for about 10 minutes. My husband was starting to get concerned ;) But really though, this book has all of the feels! I loved it and B.A. Wolfe has moved onto my list of favorite authors.

After the Storm by Faith Andrews
Faith is another new favorite author that I discovered this year. I loved all of the books in her Dream series, but After the Storm was my favorite. I loved Willow and Noah's story. Faith writes such relatable characters, it's easy to get drawn into her books.

Pretending He's You by Stacey Mosteller
This is the story of Liv, Tyler, and Emmett. I'm not usually a fan of love triangles but Stacey did an amazing job on this one. I'm looking forward to reading the conclusion of their story.

Slammed by Colleen Hoover
I checked this book out from the library because I wanted to see if Colleen's books were really as good as everyone said they were. This book sucked me in from the very beginning and gripped me until the end. I had to go and read the other two books in the Slammed series. My expectations were definitely met with this one.

The Selection by Kiera Cass
I wasn't sure how well I would like this book since it was considered a young adult/teen book, but several of my friends recommended it so I decided to check it out. I'm glad I did! This is another book that sucked me right in and I quickly went and got the rest of the books in the series so I could read them also.

What were your favorite reads for 2015?

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Logan's 8th Birthday

So, today my youngest son turned 8 years old. That just seems crazy to me. My boys are growing up on me. :(

We had a party for Logan yesterday at the movie theater. It was our first time having a birthday party there so we weren't really sure what to expect. It turned out great though and now Logan is requesting that we have his party there every year from now on LOL.

The employees set up some tables for us in the lobby area where we could set up with cake and presents and everything else. Once everyone got to the party we had cake and then Logan opened his presents. While he was opening presents an employee took our drink orders. Once Logan was finished opening everything, we just hung out in the lobby until it was time for us to go into the theater for the movie. All of the kids had a great time hanging out with each other.

Each person at the party got a small drink and a popcorn, so that was pretty cool.

You know the ads that are usually playing on the screen before a movie starts? While the ads on the screen were going, Christmas music was playing in the background. It was "We Wish You a Merry Christmas." When the kids in our group heard the music playing, they all started singing along to it and then the entire theater joined in with them. It was really sweet. <3 <3 <3

We watched the new Goosebumps movie and it was awesome! It actually scared me a couple of times haha. If you haven't seen the movie yet, I won't spoil it for you, but the ending...???!!! OH MY GOSH! It made my entire body shiver. Creeeeeppppyyyyy.

the cake

blowing out the candle

cake time!

waiting for the movie to start

Here is Logan's 8 year birthday interview:

Grade: 2nd

Best Friend: Avionna

What are you afraid of? the dark

What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer and a teacher

What makes you happy? My mommy (Aww!) <3

Favorites:

Color - blue

Toy - dinosaurs

Animal - monkey

Food - pizza

Drink - Lipton Peach Iced Tea

Snack - fruit gummies

Dessert- strawberry pie

Season - winter

Holiday - Christmas

Restaurant - McDonald's

Game- Monopoly

Video game - Skylanders

TV Show - Goldy and Bear

Movie - Frozen

Book - Skylanders comics

Thing to do - play with legos

Thing to do at school - recess

Subject in school - Math

Friday, December 11, 2015

Hallowed Ground Trailer Reveal

New Military Romance from Rebecca Yarros in Hallowed Ground (Book Four) of the Flight & Glory Series releasing January 25th!

Amazon US: http://amzn.to/1OVPJ0w
Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1Y05StF
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1NeMPn1
iBooks: http://apple.co/1lywj8A
Kobo: http://bit.ly/1QhPU9O

About the Author

Rebecca Yarros is a hopeless romantic and lover of all things chocolate, coffee, and Paleo. In addition to being a mom, military wife, and blogger, she can never choose between Young Adult and New Adult fiction, so she writes both. She's a graduate of Troy University, where she studied European history and English, but still holds out hope for an acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her blog, The Only Girl Among Boys, has been voted the Top Military Mom Blog the last two years, and celebrates the complex issues surrounding the military life she adores.

When she's not writing, she's tying on hockey skates for her kids, or sneaking in some guitar time. She is madly in love with her army-aviator husband of eleven years. They finally can call Colorado home along with their gaggle of rambunctious kiddos and snoring English Bulldog.

Stalk Rebecca here:

Website: http://www.rebeccaelizabethyarros.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaElizabethYarros

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/327562767450842/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RebeccaYarros

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rebeccayarros/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7539785.Rebecca_Yarros

Amazon Page: http://www.amazon.com/Rebecca-Yarros/e/B00HYKBU1W/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1449029619&sr=8-2-ent

Monday, December 7, 2015

Faith's Firsts Box Set!

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Faith’s Firsts Box Set is LIVE!
Faith Andrews brings you the first book in each of her series, bundled with love in this special boxed set for only 99 cents or FREE with your Kindle Unlimited subscription.
If you’re new to Faith this is a great way to fall in love with these fan-favorites including:

Man of My Dreams, Dream Series #1
Keep Me, Grayson Sibling Series #1
First Came You, Fate Series #0.5

If you’re already a Faithful Follower there’s something special for you, too! Faith’s Firsts includes two alternative POVs from Declan and Noah in Man of My Dreams and a glimpse into Tommy & Gabby's future after their story ends in First Came You.
You can purchase FAITHS FIRSTS on Amazon for only 99 cents right here: (Link coming soon)

“My heart fluttered and it faltered and I enjoyed every single minute of it.”
~5 stars from Jenny, Totally Booked Book Blog

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“I fell in love with a man today. Story of my life right?!!! But this time, he had my heart stopping, full on sweating, insane with lust.”
~5 star review from Jen, Schmexy Girl Book Blog

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“I loved, and I mean loved every single piece of this novella. Faith Andrews is one of my favorite authors for a reason. Not only does her writing allow you to slip right into the magnificent world that she creates in her books, the way she writes and develops her stories and characters allows you the exceptional chance to feel what you’re reading.”
~5 star review from Megan, The Never Ending Book Basket

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You can purchase Faith's Firsts on Amazon for only 99 cents: http://amzn.to/1YPhmNr

Other Books by Faith:

Back to You, Dream Series #1.5
After the Storm, Dream Series #2
Keep Her, Grayson Sibling Series #2
Keep Us (featured in Hot for the Holidays, A Collection of 21 Naughty & Nice Holiday Shorts)
Feel Again, Fate Series #1
Freeing Destiny, Fate Series #2 (Coming 3/14/16)

About the Author

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Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she's not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she's sitting behind the laptop, creating her next swoon worthy book boyfriend. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.
Website • Twitter • Facebook

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Here are some things that I have been loving lately:

* I'm loving how well Chris is doing in school this year. It's like he's a completely different child. He was struggling horribly and after some testing, we found out this summer that he has ADHD. We started some intervention to help him with that and he is doing so much better this year. It also helps that he has a wonderful teacher this year. Chris and Logan's school had Awards Day last week for the first 9 week period and Chris got 3 awards. He got Terrific Kid, Perfect Attendance, and A/B Honor Roll. Woohoo!

* I'm loving my new job! In September I started a job in childcare at my church. I absolutely love getting to take care of all of the babies and toddlers that come in. :)

* I'm loving that I've been losing weight. I've lost 26 pounds since April. I can already tell a difference in the way I look and the way my clothes fit. I excited to keep going! I can do this.

* I'm loving all of the great books I've been reading lately. I've come across a lot of new authors lately on Facebook and I've been reading their books one by one. It's definitely keeping me busy with something to do. ;)

* I'm loving that Chris and I both have a Kindle Fire now. I was just using the Kindle app on my phone to read e-books, but 2 months ago I won a Kindle Fire in a contest. I was so excited. Then a couple weeks ago at a fall festival at my dad's church, Chris won a Kindle Fire. I'll never forget the look on his face. He was so surprised and happy. <3 Now Logan wants one, haha.

What are you loving right now? :)

-Jackie

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Chris' 10th Birthday & Interview

Chris turned 10 years old on Friday. It's hard to believe that I have a child in the double digits now. My boys are growing up so fast. :(

That afternoon Eric and I took cupcakes to Chris' classroom. He really enjoyed that. His teacher had him stand up at the front of the room with us and everyone sang Happy Birthday to him. That still embarrasses him a little, but hey....it does me too, so I don't blame him one bit. ;)

On Saturday we had his birthday party at a local park. The weather was great and he had an awesome turnout. All of his family and bunch of friends showed up and everyone had a blast together. Chris had a Skylanders themed birthday party this year.

I set up a table buffet style with Skylander "themed" food. I thought it was pretty cute. We had "power up" pizza, Hot Dog's hot wings, Whirlwind's Rainbow Bombs, "upgrade" chocolate coins, and things like that. After everyone ate and had cake (Skylander themed also), we played a couple of games. We played Smash the Chompy, where everyone took a green balloon and had to smash it. That was a big hit. Then we played Give the Potion to Pop Fizz, which was also really fun.

Chris got a lot of great gifts and also racked up on money and gift cards.

Here are some pictures:

some of the food at the party

his cake

getting his free yogurt from Sweet Frog

getting his free meal from Ihop
(he's in costume because we just came from a trunk or treat lol)

me and my not-so-little-anymore birthday boy
<3

Here is his 10 year old interview:

Grade: 4th
Party theme: Skylanders
Best Friend: Dillen and Preston

What are you afraid of? Spiders
What do you want to be when you grow up? A police officer
What makes you happy? Listening to music

Favorites:
Color - red
Toy - Batman figure
Animal - bear
Food - cheeseburger
Drink - Mountain Dew
Snack - applesauce
Dessert - Reese's Cups
Season - summer
Holiday - Christmas and Halloween
Restaurant - McDonald's
Game - Disney's Beat the Parents
Video game - Lego Batman 3
TV Show - Once Upon a Time
Movie - Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Book - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Thing to do - go outside and play with legos
Thing to do at school - Math, Reading, Recess, and Social Studies (geez, what a nerd LOL!)
Subject in school - Math, Reading, and Social Studies

Monday, October 19, 2015

Freeing Destiny - Blurb Reveal

BLURB REVEAL + GIVEAWAY

FREEING DESTINY

BY FAITH ANDREWS

Freeing Destiny, Book #2 in The Fate Series by Faith Andrews

Publication Date: Early 2016

Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult Romance, Romantic Suspense

Blurb:

Words to live by:

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

Don’t break the rules.

I’d managed to fail at both by fraternizing with the enemy’s brother. Guess I’d followed in my mother’s footsteps by ignoring all the rules when it came to love.

Mom was marrying a man only six years older than me. A man who was also her student. But the biggest surprise that came out of their wedding wasn’t my new stepdad’s academic status or his age.

It was Jack Davis—my stepfather’s best friend.

Jack was the guy who could change the whole game. He was quite possibly my soul mate. But time and circumstance were against us—there was no easy way around it. I was moving back to New York in two weeks and his sister, Aubrey, was the one person my family hated most in this world. How would his sister—the enemy—deal with another Edwards girl claiming what she believed was hers? The idea of letting Jack go crippled me. Would I have to cut ties with the only man I’d ever let into my heart?

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Faith Andrews

Faith Andrews is living out her dream right outside the greatest city in the world, New York City. Happily married to her high school sweetheart, she is the mother of two beautiful and wild daughters, and a furry Yorkie son named Rocco Giovanni. When she's not tapping her toes to a Mumford & Sons tune or busy being a dance mom, her nose is stuck in a book or she's sitting behind the laptop, creating her next swoon worthy book boyfriend. Coffee addict, lover of wine and cheese, and sucker for concerts and Netflix, Faith believes in love at first sight and happily ever after.

Website • Twitter • Facebook

Other Books by Faith:

Man of My Dreams, Dream Series #1

Back to You, Dream Series #1.5

After the Storm, Dream Series #2

Keep Me, Grayson Sibling Series #1

Keep Her, Grayson Sibling Series #2

Keep Us, A Grayson Holiday Tale (featured in Hot for the Holidays, A Collection of 21 Naughty & Nice Holiday Shorts)

Feel Again, Fate Series #1

First Came You, Fate Series #0.5

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Review Requests & Policy

Requests
If you are an author and have a book that you would like for me to review, please send your request with information about your book (title, blurb, if it's part of a series or a standalone, genre, etc) to jackielizn@gmail.com.
I prefer to read contemporary, NA, and YA romance books. I also enjoy reading romantic suspense and cozy mysteries. I do enjoy some fantasy books. I will not read erotica, paranormal, or historical books. I will accept ebooks (mobi/Kindle) and paperbacks/hardcovers for review.

If you have children's books available for review, I have two children who read elementary age chapter books, middle grade books, and young adult books. If you are interested in having one of my children read and review your book, please note that I would prefer a physical copy in that case.

Policy
Once I receive your request, I will look it over and let you know as soon as possible if I will be accepting your book for review. Please note that if I am too busy or do not care for the genre, your request may be rejected.

My review of your book will be posted here on the blog, Amazon, and Goodreads. My blog post will include the book cover, synopsis, my review, as well as purchase links and Goodreads link. I cannot guarantee a favorable review, but I will be honest and respectful.

I rate on the following scale:
★★★★★ I absolutely LOVED this book. I loved the main and secondary characters and the plot. I wasn't able to put this book down. I was able to connect with the characters. This may very well go down as one of my top reads of the year. This will be one of the first books that I recommend to someone.
★★★★ I really enjoyed this book, but didn't *love* it. There may have been a plot hole, grammar errors, or just a couple small things in the plot that didn't sit well with me. I would still recommend this to a friend.
★★★ I liked this book. There were probably plot holes or numerous grammar errors that distracted me from the story and lowered readability. The characters may have been hard to connect with. There were enough good qualities about this book that I might recommend it to a friend.
★★ I did not like this book. There were numerous plot holes and the grammar errors made it very difficult to read. Characters were not able to be redeemed and I could not connect with them. I would not recommend this book to a friend.
★ I hated this book. There was probably nothing that I liked about it. It may even be a DNF. I would not recommend this book to a friend.

There may be instances where I use half star ratings. I will do that when I feel that a book falls between two categories.

Takeovers
If you would like to do an author takeover on my Facebook page or in my blog's Facebook group, contact me by email and I will get you scheduled.

Thank you! I'm looking forward to working with you.

About Me

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The Girl Behind the Blog

This is me!
My name is Jackie. I am 31 years old, live in North Carolina with my husband and two sons, and am a major bookworm. I've always been that girl that preferred reading to going out and things like that. My love of reading started at an early age, just like my two sons. It thrills me that they love reading just as much as I do. My favorite genres and what I read the most of are romance (contemporary, new adult, young adult, romantic suspense, and romantic comedy) and mystery (especially cozies!). Every once in a while I will find something outside of those genres that I enjoy, such as the Harry Potter series and the Hunger Games trilogy.

Other than reading and blogging, I love spending time with family and friends, photography (I take pictures of *everything*), and watching TV to catch up on some of my favorite shows (Grey's Anatomy, The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, General Hospital).

I'm a very shy person, but once I get to know you I will open up. I'm very loyal. If I care about you, you have my whole heart.

Here are some places where I've been featured in an interview where you can get to know a little more about me as well:
Interview at Blogger's Bookshelf