Book Review: Carmen DeSousa- She Belongs To Me (Southern Suspense Series)

Hello lovelies, today I'm going to be posting a book review that I wrote way back in February that I forgot to post. I didn't realize till last week that I hadn't posted this review yet, I originally wrote this post for my blog, but then I decided to use it for my guest blog post over on A Topsy Turvy Blog .

 I decided to post it on here now because I'm hoping to buy the other books in the series soon! In last weeks Top Ten Tuesday post I mentioned that I wanted to read more books from Carmen DeSousa and a few hours later she commented on that post and she mentioned me on Twitter! After that I started looking through my draft box and that's when I realized that I never posted my review.

So today I will be reviewing 'She Belongs To Me' by Carmen DeSousa, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for free, you can also get this book through the Kindle app for free.

 'She Belongs To Me' is a Romantic suspense novel, it is part of the Southern Suspense Series. It is 330 pages long, and took me 5 hours to read.

 I've been trying to stay away from book series for a while now, because I'm not wanting to get into another series at the moment.  So I wasn't going to read it for that specific reason, but then I looked at the reviews, and they all said that this could be read as a standalone novel, so I decided to go ahead and read it and I'm so glad I did!

Book Synopsis:

 "When wealthy construction company owner and Charlotte detective, Jordan Monroe, meets Jaynee for the first time he is awestruck and determines to make her his wife. Jaynee, however, has a history she cannot easily overcome and is fearful to submit to love. Jordan succeeds in making her his wife, but five years into their marriage, he realizes she is keeping secrets. Before he can decipher her duplicity, he discovers her unconscious in their home from a gunshot would only hours after giving her an ultimatum concerning their relationship.

          With Jaynee's life hanging in the balance, the mystery of her past drives Jordan to investigate. But what appears to be an attempted suicide turns out to be something far darker. Is someone from her past stalking her? Or worse, is someone close to Jordan trying to kill them both? As Jordan edges closer to the truth, it may be deadlier than he could have ever imagined."

So what did I think?   5 STARS

Like: The ending. I'll explain more below.

Dislike: Nothing.

What I loved the most about this book is definitely the ending. Not only were all the story line's wrapped up, but we were also given a look into Jaynee and Jordan's future. I feel like the epilogue was a brilliant touch, to an already perfect ending.

It's not easy telling a story from different perspective's, but Carmen DeSousa really took it one step further with using "present day" and "how they met" moments to create, a romantic suspenseful novel that kept me guessing til the very end!

I really like that it's a romance novel, but it's not explicit. I really believe that everyone would love this book, even people who usually don't like romance novels. This is the type of romance novel that could be read by people of all ages, and reading levels.

I absolutely loved the ending, it was perfect (already said that, but it's true). At first I wasn't planning on reading the rest of the series, but now I definitely will be, I can't buy the other books right now because all of my money is paying for college apps, but as soon as I get done with that I will definitely be buying as many books as I possibly can!

I wanted to add this quote from the end of the book, I love it.

"And they lived.....

      Life isn't always happily-ever after, rather, loving forever, regardless." - Carmen DeSousa

 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, it really hooked me, and I couldn't put my phone down. I kept getting mad because my battery kept getting below 10% so I had to put it on charge and stop reading.

So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review, let me know what you think in the comments. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

XoXo,

Lori

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey - A Rogue of My Own (Locke Family Series #3

 Today I will be reviewing ' A Rogue of My Own' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book about 3 years ago for $7.99.

         'A Rogue of My Own' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and  is the third book in the Locke Family Series. It is 393 pages long, and took me about 5 hours to read.

   

 As usual here is the blurb from the back of the book.

    "For Lady Rebecca Marshall, a whirlwind of excitement begins when she becomes a maid of honor at the court of Queen Victoria. But when Rebecca unknowingly steps into the rivalry between the Queen's spymaster and a noblewoman who uses the maids as courtly spies, she is soon entangled in a web of deceit with the charming marquis Rupert St. John. The devastatingly handsome ne'er-do-well is cousin of Raphael Locke, with whom Rebecca was once infatuated...... He's also a secret agent of the crown who leads a double life.

     Certain that guileless Rebecca is spying on him, Rupert seduces her--- then, forced to wed, he believes she has set a trap of the worst sort in order to marry into his powerful family! But as he comes to know Rebecca's true heart, his vow of revenge and infidelity becomes a desire to share many passionate nights--- only with his beautiful wife. "

So what did I think?

Like:  It was fun to read. 

Dislike:  Nothing.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

I will start off by saying that Johanna Lindsey has been one of my favorite authors for many years now, but her new work just isn't as good as some of her older books and series ( The Malory Family Series). 'A Rogue of My Own' is still a great book, it just isn't as great as I was hoping it would be. 

I would describe the book as being a battle of the sexes, with Rebecca and Rupert constantly trying to spite one another. 

I would definitely recommend 'A Rogue of My Own' it's a wonderful book and a great story, it's an easy read, and it doesn't require you to know much about the 19th century. It may not be as great as some of Johanna's other books, but it's still worth taking the time to read!

 So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?

          XoXo,

               Lori

   

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey- The Devil Who Tamed Her (Locke Family Series #2)

       Today I will be reviewing ' The Devil Who Tamed Her' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book about 3 years ago for $5.99.

         'The Devil Who Tamed Her' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and it is the second book in the Locke Family Series. It is 417 pages long, and took me about 5 hours to read.

  

As usual here is the blurb from the back of the book.

     " Ophelia Reid is an incomparable beauty with a reputation for starting rumors and spreading them. Having purposely wrecked her engagement to Duncan MacTavish, a future marquis, which her social-climbing father arranged, Ophelia wants to return to London's marriage mart and make her own choice of a wealthy husband. But on her journey home, something unexpected happens......

      The heir to a dukedom, Raphael Locke, Viscount Lynnfield is -- in spite of his disinterest in marriage -- the most sought-after young lord in England. he instantly disliked Ophelia when she caused a scandal to avoid marriage to his friend MacTavish, but having comforted  her in a tearful moment, he begins to wonder is she's not all bad. So when MacTavish claims Ophelia will never be anything but a spiteful beauty, Rafe bets his friend that he can turn her into a kindhearted lady who will one day make a good match, just not with him.

       With her parents' blessing, Rafe commanders Ophelia's coach and whisks her -- chaperoned, of course-- to his remote estate in the countryside. There, as he tries to show his furious, sharp-tongued "guest" the error of her ways, he discovers the surprising reasons for her bad behavior. Soon his daily lessons with Ophelia take effect and he finds himself irresistibly attracted to her. When Rafe champions the new and improved Ophelia's re-entry to London society, marriage proposals pour in. Only then does Rafe start to wonder whether he hasn't gone and fallen in love with Ophelia himself.     "

So what did I think? 4 Stars

Like:  Ophelia's transformation.

Dislike: The ending. I'll talk more about it below.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

        My favorite thing about the book is the hidden message in it, I recently finished my English class, so I kinda picked up on this more than I normally would, and I took the time to really think about it. In the book we see Ophelia's transformation from the ice queen into a kind loving woman.

     For me the message of the story is that regardless of a persons past, they can always change. In the first book of the series, and in the first part of this book Ophelia is a terrible person, but she learns to control her anger, and she learns how to trust again.

   The reason I didn't like the ending is because I feel like it could have been done better. It ended too quickly, and I feel like there should have been a little bit more to it.

    Overall, I really did like the book, if your a fan of other Johanna Lindsey books then I would recommend you read this one. Again as a warning most of Johanna Lindsey's books do contain sex scenes, and this book is no different from the rest.

     So that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, let me know what you think in the comments Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?

     XoXo,

          Lori 

   

Book Review: Johanna Lindsey- The Heir (Locke Family Series #1)

    Today I will be reviewing ' The Heir' by Johanna Lindsey, I bought this book a few years ago for $7.99.

         'The Heir' is a Historical Romance Novel, set in the 19th century and it is the first book in the Locke Family Series. It is 407 pages long, and took me about 6 hours to read.

       As usual here is the synopsis from the back of the book.

      "    Has anyone in London ever taken part in the coming-out season with less enthusiasm than Sabrina? Luckily, the most sought-after lady in the city has agreed to usher this young, lovely country girl through the perils and pitfalls of her all-important first season.

           Dashing highlander Duncan MacTavish is even less keen to be in London. Having recently learned he is the sole heir of an English marquis, Duncan is now required to assume his grandfather's title and estates- and to marry Sabrina's ravishing, viper- tongued guide, who has been heard to make scathing statements in public about her "Scottish Barbarian" groom-to-be.

          His unwanted betrothal, however, has brought Duncan into close proximity with the enchanting Sabrina- a kindred spirit whose wits delight him..... and whose essence is the exquisite stuff of dreams. But duty, station, and a secret that dwells in the lady's past forbid Sabrina's and Duncan's desired union- unless true love can somehow miraculously find a way.    "

    

   So What did I think?   4 STARS

Like: Nothing in particular stands out.

Dislike: The scene between Duncan and Sabrina in the carriage alone.

Age Rating: 17 and up. Depending on age and maturity.

     I bought this book about 3 years ago, and I recently decided to re-read it because I bought the newest book in the series, and I wanted to refresh my brain before I read the new book.

     My opinion of this book is the same as it was 3 three years ago, I love it as much as I love all of Johanna Lindsey's novels, and I think she is such an amazing writer.

     While I did love the book, I don't wanna give it 5 stars because it wasn't the best book, and because I know Johanna Lindsey has other books far more deserving of 5 stars.

    I think the reason why I loved this book is because the characters relationship was allowed to develop before they fell in love. It wasn't an immediate love story, and neither of them were expecting it.

    While I do love this novel, and the series, I do think Johanna Lindsey can do better. But I actually think I'm just being mean because in my mind nothing can live up to her Malory Family Series.

   

    Overall I think 'The Heir' is a  sweet love story, it's not a steamy passionate love story like most of Johanna Lindsey's books, but I like that.  I would definitely buy this book again, and I'm sure I will continue re-reading it for many years to come.

       So that's all for today, let me know what you think in the comments. Have you read this book?  Do you have any recommendations?
XoXo,

      Lori 

      

Weekly Inspiration

Via

    Making mistakes is a part of life, it's what you choose to do after making those mistakes that matters. The great part about making mistakes is that you can't go back and change what happened, you just have to learn to move on and focus on the here and the now.


  Goal:  Let go of the mistakes you've made, or will make, and focus on what's happening in your life at this very moment.

Weekly Inspiration

Book Review: Maureen Child- Baby Bonanza

         Today I will be reviewing 'Baby Bonanza' by Maureen Child, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for free. At this time you can also get this book through the Kindle app for free.

         'Baby Bonanza' is a Harlequin Desire novel, and it is part of the Billionaires and Babies Series. It is 186 pages long, and took me 3 hours to read.

         For a while now I've been trying to stay away from series, because I'm not wanting to get into another series at the moment. Technically 'Baby Bonanaza' is part of the Billionaires and Babies series, but the best thing is that the books are meant to be read as standalone novels, none of them are connected, and there are 42 books all written by different authors.

          Since my e-book version didn't have a blurb, here is one from Amazon that I trimmed down.

     "Twins? The startling revelation that his affair with Jenna Baker had produced two little boys was almost impossible to grasp. Tycoon Nick Falco had never considered himself the settling-down type, yet now that fatherhood has been thrust upon him, he was determined to give his sons his name. But their mother wasn't about to let him back into her life.... at least not without those three little words Nick had never, ever said."

What did I think?     4 STARS

Like: No unnecessary characters and story lines.

Dislike: Nothing.

     I really enjoyed this book, and it's probably the best Harlequin novel I've ever read. Most Harlequin novels are too short, and leave you not knowing the rest of the story, but this book really wrapped up all story lines, and ended perfectly.

     What I liked about this book the most is that there weren't any unnecessary characters or story lines, it stuck to the story, and didn't go off course.

     I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants a quick read.  This is the type of book that once you start the story line hits the ground running, but you won't feel like you missed out on anything. Before this book I'd never read any of Maureen Child's books, but I will definitely be looking into reading more of her books.

      So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review, let me know what you think in the comments. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

             XoXo, 

                    Lori 

Weekly Inspiration

Via

    One of the things I hate the most in the world, is when someone tries to make someone else feel bad, by telling them that somebody else in the world has it worse than they do. Someone else is always going to have it worse, but it doesn't mean that other peoples problems aren't serious too.


                                            Goal: Don't invalidate your feelings.

                                                                         

Review: OPI Nail Lacquer

         Today I will be reviewing the OPI Nail Lacquer  in Tickle My France-y. I bought this a few weeks ago at Krogers for about $8.00, I've said before that I hate paying more than $4.00 for nail polish, but I couldn't resist.

        The reason I chose this color is because I don't have anything like it, and  I wanted a new nude color. 

                                

    This was my first OPI nail polish so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was definitely satisfied with the results. I applied two coats of the nail polish, and I forgot to apply a topcoat, but it still lasted for 6 days with hardly any chipping.

                                               

What do I think?

    I really loved this nail polish, I was a little scared about it at first because after the first coat it didn't really look the way I wanted it to. But after I applied the second coat it looked just like I imagined it would.

    I would totally recommend this nail polish to anyone, I think the color is perfect, and this is a nail polish every woman needs in her collection.

    Well that's all for today, let me know what you think in the comments. Will you be buying this? Have you tried it already?

XoXo,

       Lori 

Weekly Inspiration

Via

    There comes a time in life where you have to stop playing it safe and take a chance. Sometimes it's worth it, and sometimes you realize it was a mistake, but regardless of the outcome, if you don't do it, you will always wonder 'What if I had done that? Where would I be today?'.


                               Goal:  Take a risk, and do something you've always wanted to do.

                                                                           

TAG: Would You Rather Beauty Edition

     I've been trying to do a TAG once a month, and I recently came across this TAG so I thought I would use it for today's post.  As always I tag all of you, so don't forget to leave a link in the comments so I can see yours too!  I also want to Tag the lovely Elizabeth over at Closer Than Yesterday .

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eyeliners, lipsticks, and lip glosses, or lose all your palettes and eye-shadows?

    I would rather lose all my eye-shadows, cause you can always smudge a colored eyeliner to use as eye-shadow.

2.  Would you rather chop off all your hair or never be able to cut it again?

   Cut it all off.

3.  Would you rather have a coral cheek or pink cheek?

   I always wear a pink cheek, I don't even own a coral colored blush.

4.  If you had $1000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?

   Clothes.

5.  Would you rather apply lipstick as eyeliner, or eyeliner as lipstick?

    Eyeliner as lipstick.

6.  Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?

     Definitely Sephora, because they sell my favorite brands.

7.  Would you rather only use one eyeshadow color or only one lip color for the rest of your life?

     One lip color because I only own one lip color as it is. Carmex is what I wear on a  daily basis, I only wear color on my lips for special occasions.

8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in the summer or summer clothes in the winter?

    Summer clothes in the winter, cause you can always add on more layers if you get cold.

9.  Would you rather have dark nails or bright nails all year round?

    Dark nails, my go to nail color is black.

10.  Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?

     Lip product. I could never give up my eyeliner, I love it too much.

11.  Would you rather only be allowed to wear your hair in a ponytail or a messy bun?

      I'd rather a messy bun, and that's because all of my hair would be up and out of my way, especially in the summer when it gets hot.

12.  Would you rather never be able to paint your nails or never be able to wear lip gloss?

     Never wear lip gloss. I always have something on my nails, as for my lips Carmex is all I use.

13.  Would you rather shave off all your eyebrows or have to sharpie them in everyday?

     Shave them off, they're already so blonde you can hardly see them, so it wouldn't really make a difference.

14.  Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?

       Makeup,  I hardly ever wear it, but I always have my nails done.

    Well that's all for today, I hope you liked it, don't forget to follow if you wanna see more blog posts.
                                                                    XoXo,
                                                                        Lori

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail polish

      Today I will be reviewing the Sally Hansen Nail Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear nail polish in 130 Blue Me Away! I bought this a few years ago at Walmart for $2.50, and I decided to review it today because it's super bright, and I really wanna get back into doing reviews every week.

                              

   This is a nail polish that I have used for years, and I've always loved it and still do to this day.

    As you can see it's super bright, and I got so many compliments on it, it really is the perfect light blue nail polish.

                             

   I think the reason I love the Xtreme Wear Sally Hansen nail polishes  so much is because they last so long, AND they're affordable. What more could you want out of a nail polish?

   Would I recommend it? OF COURSE, I don't think I've ever found a nail polish from the Xtreme Wear line that I don't like, they're all just so perfect.

    So that's all for today, come back for more tomorrow.

      XoXo,

                Lori 

Weekly Inspiration

Via

     We all have that one fear that keeps us from doing what we want in life. My biggest fear in life is failure, and everyone telling me "I told you so", but I realized towards the end of last year that if I didn't let go of that fear, then that's exactly what was going to happen. If I didn't let go, then I wouldn't be able to do what I needed to do, to prove them all wrong.


                             Goal:  Make the decision today to leave your fears in the past.

My Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 Dollars

  Today I thought I'd take a break from doing reviews and do something a little different. I'm going to show you my Top 5 Beauty Products Under 5 dollars.

                         

1. Aussie 3 Minute Miracle  $2.99 at Walmart.

 - This is hands down my favorite conditioner, it's even better than the conditioner my hairstylist uses. Normally I use this twice a week, butvfor the past month I've been using it everyday to prep my hair for the damage I knew my hair would go through last week when I dyed it. I also use this alongside my Moroccan Argan Oil, you can see my blog post about it (here)

2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish  $2.50 at Walmart.

 - For this one I'm lumping the entire collection together because I love every single nail polish in this line. If you've been reading my blog for a while then you know that I love these nail polishes, I've reviewed many in the past, and I have more reviews coming up over the next few weeks.

3. Wet & Wild Eye Shadow Palette in C246 Greed    $1.99 at Kmart.

  -  This is my most used beauty product, I don't wear makeup often, but when I do I use this palette to do my eyes.

4.  E.L.F Eyeliner Brush    $1.00

 - This is my favorite makeup brush ever, and I use it every time I wear makeup.  I probably have three of these brushes one I use, one as a back-up, and then I cut one into an angled brush.

5. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner  $4.49 at Walmart.

 - I cannot believe I've lived my entire life without this eyeliner, it is the most amazing beauty product I've ever used. I use this to line my bottom waterline, and I use it to tight-line my upper waterline. Once you put this on your skin it does not budge, and it will not smudge, it is the BEST THING EVER!!!

   Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to follow me if you want to see more.

        XoXo,

                    Lori Ann

Review: Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish

   Today's post is a review of the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in 320 Fuchsia Power. I've had this nail polish for about 3 or 4 years, I got it at Walmart for $2.50.

    This nail polish is a really pretty, bright fuchsia color. In the picture it looks like more of a red, but that's just because I couldn't get it to photograph correctly.

What Do I Think?

  In the pictures I'd had it on for about a week, and that's without a topcoat. It did chip a little, but not too much.
    Just like with all of the other nail polishes in the Xtreme Wear line, I would totally recommend this nail polish, I absolutely love it.
     Also have you noticed I've finally grown out of my glitter nail polish obsession? That's all for today, don't forget to follow to receive more posts.
                                                              XOXO,
                                                                    Lori Ann

Weekly Inspiration

 
     I think we all have those days where we just wanna tell everyone to go fuck themselves and to leave us alone. Yeah I have those days too, very often! When it comes to bully's or other shitty people in your life, you just need to remember that they're the ones who have the problem not you.

  Goal:  Ignore the people who try to tear you down. When they try to bring you down, give them a big smile in return, turn your back, and go on with your life, they're not worth your time.

                                                                 

Weekly Inspiration

 I feel like regardless of how someone treats you, you should always be nice. Like Taylor says, "Being nice is a wonderful legacy to leave behind." I always try to keep this in mind even when I'm having a bad day, and I always try to be polite, use my manners, and just be a kind person. You never know what's going on in a persons life/head, they may be contemplating suicide and you could save their life just by being nice to them, or smiling at them. 

 Goal: Smile at a stranger today, you just might save a life.

Book Review: Marriage by Mistake by Alyssa Kress

    Today I will be reviewing 'Marriage by Mistake' by Alyssa Kress, I got this book through iTunes iBooks for free. At this time you can also get this book through the Kindle app for free.
         'Marriage by Mistake is a Contemporary Romance Novel,  It is 349 pages long, and took me about 6 hours to read.

Since my e-book version didn't have a blurb, here is one from Amazon that I trimmed down.

      " He woke up to discover two days of his life completely gone.
           Workaholic Boston blueblood Dean has made it his life's goal to be the opposite of his irresponsible, womanizing father.
          But Dean discovers that while in a hypnotic trance he's acted exactly like his father, traveling to Las Vegas where he'd wooed and wed some sexy, airhead dancer.
          Now, Kelly may be sexy, but she's no airhead. She knows the cols and puritanical man who claims to be her husband is not the man she'd married. But she suspects the warm and tender man she does love is buried somewhere deep inside. And she's determined to find him.....    "


So What did I think?   4 STARS 

Like:  Troy and Felicia's story in the background.
Dislike:  The book cover.

   The reason I don't like the book cover is because I feel like it doesn't represent the story well. Yes Kelly is a dancer, but the story isn't about that, and you don't really know many details about that part of her life.
    I love that she included Troy and Felicia's story line, and if I'm being 100% honest, I think I would have preferred to read their story over Kelly and Dean's.
     Overall the book was a fun, easy, and entertaining read. It's not really anything I expect to leave a lasting impression, nor do I expect to remember it in a few months, but it was enjoyable.
     I would recommend this book to someone who wanted a fun and easy read, nothing serious, and nothing you really have to think about.

     So that's all for today, I hope you like my little review, don't forget to check back next week for more. Have you read this book? What did you think? Do you have any recommendations?

                                                             XOXO,

                                                                   Lori Ann
    

Weekly Inspiration

Via 

     Last year was tough, I realized a lot of stuff, and I had to let go of a lot of people. But once I let go of them, my life turned around so quickly, and life was worth living again. If I hadn't let go of those toxic relationships I wouldn't have accomplished everything I've accomplished over the past few months.

            Goal:  Let go of the toxic people in your life, once you do you will breath so much easier.

TAG: What's On My iPhone?

   Hey y'all, so here recently I've seen a lot of people doing this 'What's On My iPhone' TAG, and I really wanted to do one for my blog too.
    I have the iPhone 4, I got it about a year ago, and I can upgrade later this year if I want to, and I think I'm gonna get the 4s. There's nothing really wrong with mine, I just need more storage cause I accidentally bought the 8GB, and didn't realize it till my storage was full.
    But for now it's fine, after I updated to ios7 I lost everything, so I don't have as much on it as I use to, but that's a good thing.
 

       So here's my lockscreen, it just a standard default photo.

Now for the main page. On this page, I have six app folders, my calender, photos, camera, settings, iTunes store, App Store, Twitter, Facebook, and Safari.

In the first app folder

In the second app folder

In the third app folder

In the fourth app folder

In the fifth app folder

In the sixth app folder

bSafe is definitely an app I recommend all women in college, or who work at night to get.


      Well that's all for today, I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit about me. Let me know what you think below, and don't forget to follow if you want to see more.
                                                                                 XOXO,
                                                                                      Lori Ann