Saturday, October 31, 2015

Sneak Peek Link Up! (3)

Welcome to Sneak Peek Saturday on Sunrise Avenue! 

Sneak Peek Saturday on Reading List  a glimpse into what I am reading currently
This is a link up with me and Marissa from The Reading List!

Current book:

Redemption (Children of the Gods #3)
Jessica Therrien

Tuesday, October 27, 2015

The Glass Arrow {Review}

The Glass Arrow
The Glass Arrow by Kristen Simmons 
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Tor Teen
Publishing Date: February 10, 2015
The Handmaid’s Tale meets Blood Red Road in Glass Arrow, the story of Aya, who lives with a small group of women on the run from the men who hunt them, men who want to auction off breeding rights to the highest bidder.

In a world where females are scarce and are hunted, then bought and sold at market for their breeding rights, 15-year old Aya has learned how to hide. With a ragtag bunch of other women and girls, she has successfully avoided capture and eked out a nomadic but free existence in the mountains. But when Aya’s luck runs out and she’s caught by a group of businessmen on a hunting expedition, fighting to survive takes on a whole new meaning.

Monday, October 26, 2015

Favorite Games I Love to Play

I enjoy myself a good game night. I am not a huge video gamer however. In a family of three girls the only 'video games' we had were for the computer (Jumpstart series, SIM everything [Ant, Tower, Safari], Barbie dress up games). So don't look here for an awesome, spectacular list, but I would say stick around if you enjoy eclectic.

Friday, October 23, 2015

Valley of Decision {Review}

Valley of Decision (The Carthage Chronicles, #3)
Valley of Decision by Lynne Gentry
The Carthage Chronicles #3
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Howard Books
Publishing Date: September 22, 2015
Every choice has a consequence in the explosive conclusion to the Carthage Chronicles as Lisbeth returns to third-century Carthage for a thrilling final adventure.

Thirteen years ago, Lisbeth made an impossible decision—leave third-century Carthage and her husband Cyprian behind for good. She knew it was to protect her daughter Maggie, so Lisbeth gathered the strength to move on with her life.

All these years, Lisbeth has thrown herself into her work and raising her headstrong daughter, all to live up to the promise she made to Cyprian. But Maggie is sick of being protected. In an act of teenage rebellion Maggie decides to do what her mother can’t—secretly returning to the third century on a quest to bring her father back, leaving Lisbeth no choice but to follow.

With Maggie’s surprise arrival in Carthage, chaos ensues. She finds her grandmother on trial for murder and attempts to save her, but instead the diversion sparks a riot that nearly destroys the plagued city. Only one thing will appease the wrath of the new proconsul of Carthage: the death of the instigator. 

Will Lisbeth arrive in time to save her daughter from the clutches of Rome? How can God possibly redeem such a slew of unwise decisions and deep regrets? Filled with heart-wrenching twists and riveting action, Valley of Decision brings the romantic adventure epic, The Carthage Chronicles, to an electrifying conclusion.

Thursday, October 22, 2015

The Conspiracy of Us {Review}

The Conspiracy of Us (The Conspiracy of Us, #1)
The Conspiracy of Us by Maggie Hall
Conspiracy of Us #1
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Audio Publisher: Listening Library
Publishing Date: January 13, 2015
Avery West's newfound family can shut down Prada when they want to shop in peace, and can just as easily order a bombing when they want to start a war. Part of a powerful and dangerous secret society called the Circle, they believe Avery is the key to an ancient prophecy. Some want to use her as a pawn. Some want her dead.

To unravel the mystery putting her life in danger, Avery must follow a trail of clues from the monuments of Paris to the back alleys of Istanbul with two boys who work for the Circle—beautiful, volatile Stellan and mysterious, magnetic Jack. But as the clues expose a stunning conspiracy that might plunge the world into World War 3, she discovers that both boys are hiding secrets of their own. Now she will have to choose not only between freedom and family--but between the boy who might help her save the world, and the one she's falling in love with.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Oppression Review + Giveaway

Oppression (Children of the Gods Book 1)
Oppression by Jessica Therrien
Children of the Gods #1
Publisher: Acorn Publishing
Publishing Date: September 2, 2015
Goodreads Summary:
Elyse knows what it means to keep a secret. She's been keeping secrets her whole life. Two, actually. First, that she ages five times slower than average people, so that while she looks eighteen years old, she's closer to eighty. Second, that her blood has a mysterious power to heal. For Elyse, these things don't make her special. They make life dangerous. After the death of her parents, she's been careful to keep her secret as closely guarded as possible. Now, only one other person in the world knows about her age and ability. Or so she thinks. Elyse is not the only one keeping secrets. There are others like her all over the world, descendants of the very people the Greeks considered gods. She is one of them, and they have been waiting for her for a long time. Some are waiting for her to put an end to centuries of traditions that have oppressed their people under the guise of safeguarding them. Others are determined to keep her from doing just that. But for Elyse, the game is just beginning - and she's not entirely willing to play by their rules.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

The Pledge Blitz + Giveaway!

Displaying PledgeSetBanner.jpg
ABOUT THE BOOK
THE PLEDGE TRILOGY BOX SET

Author: Kimberly Derting
Release Date: October 20th, 2015
Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry

Displaying Pledge trilogy.jpg

Saturday, October 17, 2015

Sneak Peek October Link Up!

Welcome to Sneak Peek Saturday on Sunrise Avenue! 

Sneak Peek Saturday on Reading List  a glimpse into what I am reading currently
This is a link up with me and Marissa from The Reading List!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Brief Weekend Update :)

Apple orchards in the fall:
Pin image found HERE

Hello bloggy world! I apologize for my absence this week, but I spent much of my time preparing for Baby Girl's 3rd birthday party! Princess themed of course :) She absolutely loved it and can't wait for her birthday to come around again 'next week'. I'll try to share a few pictures soon. 

I also wanted to wish you a HAPPY FALL WEEKEND! I hope it is beautiful where you are, with just the perfect touch of chill for a nummy chocolate mocha. 

Make sure to check back in tomorrow for the SNEAK PEEK link up. Come share what you are currently reading and even some preliminary thoughts! Can't wait to see you there :)

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Friday, October 9, 2015

September 2015 Recap

 
September was a fun month! We got back in the groove and yet Baby Girl was throwing us curve balls left and right. First she had me worrying because she was being too clingy, and now I'm worried she's turning into a hyper brat when we go out. Potty training has been going very well with just the random accident here or there. Baby Girl still isn't 100% independent in this region, but being out of diapers is so exciting! We also started up our ECFE (Early Childhood Family Education...which is apparently unique to MN, but totally rocks!) class and Baby Girl and I are both loving it.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Girl Meets Change {Review}

Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You Through Life's Transitions
Girl Meets Change by Kristen Strong 
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Revell
Publishing Date: September 15, 2015
Whether chosen and celebrated--like going off to college or welcoming your first baby--or unexpected and anxiety-inducing--like losing a job or grappling with a broken trust--all change brings stress. Kristen Strong knows about change--especially the kind you didn't choose or expect. What she's fought hard to learn over the years is that change is not something to be feared but something to be received as a blessing from a God who, more often than not, works through change, not in spite of it. Strong has learned to see change not as a grievance but as a grace.

In this hope-filled book, she shows women how when we follow God's will, we receive blessings of contentment, purpose, and renewed strength. She encourages women to see change not as the end of their story but as the scenery for this part of life's journey. And she offers practical advice for coping with change in every part of life. Anyone who has struggled to adjust to life's transitions will welcome this warm and personal perspective.

Saturday, October 3, 2015

Scarlet {A Sneak Peek}

A Link Up with the Reading List

My Current Read?
 Scarlet (The Lunar Chronicles, #2)
Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

She gasped and had just enough time to open her mouth, ready to demand he put her down, before Wolf was on the windowsill, the wind whipping Scarlet's curls against her neck. 
He jumped. (pg 182)

Haha, I know I'm like the last person to read the Lunar Chronicles, so this isn't really a 'sneak peek'. But I couldn't resist linking up with Marissa this weekend! Check out the link up yourself :))




Sneak Peek Saturday

Friday, October 2, 2015

All Dressed Up in Love {Quick Review}


All Dressed Up in Love: A March Wedding Story (A Year of Weddings Novella 2, #4)
All Dressed Up in Love by Ruth Logan Herne
Year of Weddings 2 #4
Visit the Author's Website HERE
Publisher: Zondervan
Publishing Date: February 24, 2015
Greg Elizondo hadn’t bargained for this. Any of this.

Satin. Lace. Tulle. Pearl inlay, embroidered bodices, and Swarovski crystals.

The bridal shop business it took his mother three decades to build, the enterprise that covered his university and law degrees in full, was struggling because he might be part-genius when it came to contract law . . . But corset-style gowns with a mermaid flair? Shoot me now.

Tara Simonetti hated law school, but loved the community grant funding her presence at Temple University’s esteemed school of law. She could not fail. Would not fail. But when a notice for bridal store help appeared on the community notice board, Tara applied for the job immediately. While grants and loans helped pave her way, money for food was scarce. Legal precedence, moot court, and judicial clerking all had their place, but they were nothing compared to Alcenon lace, tucked silk skirts, and a well-placed peplum. 

Greg had grabbed her help as the act of a desperate man. Within weeks, he was desperate again, this time to win her heart. But after using community funds to get her degree, how can Tara turn her back on the people who helped finance her goal?

But if she leaves Philadelphia and Greg to return to her small-town in northern Pennsylvania, she’ll be leaving her heart behind. A heart he won, fair and square by posting a help wanted notice on the coffee shop board . . . A heart that filled the missing niche in his mother’s acclaimed bridal store. A heart Greg longed to cherish forevermore.