GLASS SLIPPERS, EVER AFTER AND ME by Julie Wright

GLASS SLIPPERS, EVER AFTER AND ME by Julie Wright. This book . . . this book was so fun to read. It really takes you on a roller coaster of ride through an author's dream of what could happen beyond rejection. Of course there's a twist or a catch to that seven digit number. How Anders works into Charlotte's story and how Charlotte learns to love herself and to recognize what type of change is good for her is fantastic. I would highly recommend this book to everyone, not only for the fantastic love story, but for the underlying life lessons one can take away from this. This is definitely a must read.

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A modern, reimagined Cinderella story.

When aspiring author Charlotte Kingsley finally gets published, she thinks all her dreams have come true. But the trouble begins when her publicity firm reinvents her quirky online presence into a perfectly curated dream life. Gone are the days of sweatpant posts and ice cream binges with her best friend, Anders, replaced instead with beautiful clothes, orchestrated selfies, and no boyfriend. Only, that carefully curated fairy tale life is ruining her self-esteem and making her feel like a fraud.

When a bestselling author takes Charlotte under her wing—almost like a fairy godmother—she helps Charlotte see the beautiful person she already is and the worth of being authentic. But is it too late to save her relationship with Anders? The clock is quickly ticking towards midnight, and Charlotte must decide between her fairy tale life and the man she loves, before he's gone forever.

THE CANDY CANE CAPER by Josi S Kilpack

THE CANDY CANE CAPER by Josi S Kilpack. I am a Sadie Hoffmiller fan. I have loved all her mysteries. This was not my favorite one of hers. I did love the recipes (can't wait to try them) and the ending was perfect. I guess I was expecting a little more action since her last ones had so much in them. It was a wonderful cozy mystery that did lead me through her decetive skills so well. It really is a great addition to the Sadie Hoffmiller stories. I would recommend it to anyone.

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The theft of a friend’s priceless, family-legacy Christmas ornaments brings amateur detective and culinary expert, Sadie Hoffmiller, back on the case in a new standalone cozy mystery.

In the latest chapter to the Culinary Mystery series, amateur detective Sadie Hoffmiller continues combining her sleuthing with her cooking and baking to connect with people and gain information she might otherwise not have access to. Moreover, now that Sadie is married to Detective Pete Cunningham, she has a street-savvy husband to test out her crime-solving theories.

With Christmas approaching, Sadie is preparing for a large blended-family gathering—including many new grandchildren—in their home in Fort Collins, Colorado. Even with the festive chaos, Sadie drops everything when word gets out that her friend, Mary, is the victim of a holiday robbery. 

At ninety-four years old, and nearly blind, Mary knows this is may be her last Christmas and the last year to enjoy her family heirloom Christmas tree ornaments. She wants just one more holiday to display her ornaments and following Christmas Eve Mass, she’ll pass them on to her great-granddaughter, Joy. Though priceless to the family, the collection has been valued at $40,000, and the Christmas tree in the care facility has never looked so good. But before the ornaments can be retrieved by Mary, eleven of the most expensive ornaments are stolen. 

A holiday Christmas caper might be new to Sadie, but she’s ready to mix in her seasoned crime-solving skills with a pinch of new holiday recipes.

SMARTER THAN A MONSTER by Brandon Mull

SMARTER THAN A MONSTER by Brandon Mull.  This book is pure genius. Every child needs to read this book. It will cure any monster problems at home. Not only that, but it will help with other issues like taking baths, cleaning rooms, and other things that will help children understand how to be smarter than a monster. I would say it's this year's book to read.

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Little kids have big fears, which they often imagine to be scary creatures, like monsters. But this book helps explain how knowing "Monster Facts" can help kids outwit them.

Want to avoid monsters? 

Fact: Monsters love dirt and grime, so when faced with two kids, the monster will choose the dirty one every time. 

And if toys and clothes are all over the floor, you may get ambushed by a mess-loving monster. 

Survival Tip: Take baths and keep your room clean.

Smarter Than a Monster will arm young readers with practical advice in this innovative and imaginative parenting tool that teaches common sense and positive and healthy habits.

DRAGONWATCH 3: MASTER OF THE PHANTOM ISLE by Brandon Mull

DRAGONWATCH 3: MASTER OF THE PHANTOM ISLE by Brandon Mull. The hardest part about series as fantastic as this one, is you have to wait for the next installment. I have loved Seth and Kendra since the beginning of FABELHAVEN. DRAGONWATCH has continued the story so well. I was wrapped up in the story and couldn't put the book down. Ideas of how Seth would pull through swirled through my head. I couldn't figure out how Kendra was going find her brother. It felt like I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. The sacrifices others made brought tears to my eyes. It ends just right but at the same time, now I have to wait another year for the next one. It is such a great story that I can recommend to everyone. If you love a great fantasy full of adventure and mystical creatures, this is the book for you.

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Cursed by the Key of Forgetting, Seth has lost all memory of his past—his relationships, his experiences, and who he really is. For now he will align with his new mentor, Ronodin, the dark unicorn, who takes him to the Phantom Isle, the secret gateway to the Under Realm. Though Seth is not formally a prisoner, Ronodin wants to use him and his shadow charmer powers for his own dark ends. Kendra is frantic to find her missing brother, but the quest will take her and her companions, including Warren, Tanu, and Vanessa, far from Wyrmroost to Crescent Lagoon—a recently fallen dragon sanctuary made up of many islands and underwater domains. Its caretaker has regained a foothold on one of the islands. If Kendra and her friends can save that sanctuary, they might uncover the answers they need to rescue Seth. With each sanctuary the dragons overthrow, Celebrant, the Dragon King, comes closer to the dawn of a new Age of Dragons. With the forces of darkness on the march, can Kendra and her allies gather enough power to win the epic dragon war? 

TOUR SCHEDULE:

Is Brandon coming to your town?

THE LADY AND THE HIGHWAYMAN by Sarah M Eden

THE LADY AND THE HIGHWAYMAN by Sarah M Eden. The best part of this book is it's really three stories in one. I loved being able to see the two competing pennyfold stories play out as well as
the actual story. Fletcher and Elizabeth had such interesting stories as individuals that when they came together it made the whole book that much better. This is such a wonderful, fun story that I highly recommend to anyone who loves a great story as well as adventure, romance and intrigue. Be sure to let me know what you think as well.

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Elizabeth Black is the headmistress of a girls’ school in 1830s Victorian London. She is also a well-respected author of ”silver-fork” novels, stories written both for and about the upper-class ladies of Victorian society. But by night, she writes very different kinds of stories--the Penny Dreadfuls that are all the rage among the working-class men. Under the pseudonym Charles King, Elizabeth has written about dashing heroes fighting supernatural threats, intelligent detectives solving grisly murders, and dangerous outlaws romancing helpless women. They contain all the adventure and mystery that her real life lacks.

Fletcher Walker began life as a street urchin, but is now the most successful author in the Penny Dreadful market, that is until Charles King started taking all of his readers. No one knows who King is, including Fletcher’s fellow members of the Dread Penny Society, a fraternity of authors dedicated to secretly fighting for the social and political causes of their working-class readers. The group knows King could be an asset with his obvious monetary success, or he could be the group’s undoing as King’s readership continues to cut into their profits.

Determined to find the elusive Mr. King, Fletcher approaches Miss Black. As a fellow-author, she is well-known among the high-class writers; perhaps she could be persuaded to make some inquiries as to Mr. King’s whereabouts? Elizabeth agrees to help Fletcher, if only to insure her secret identity is never discovered. What neither author anticipated was the instant attraction, even though their social positions dictate the impossibility of a relationship.

For the first time Elizabeth experiences the thrill of a cat-and-mouse adventure reminiscent of one of her own novels as she tries to throw Fletcher off her scent. But the more time they spend together, the more she loses her heart. Its upper-class against working-class, author against author where readers, reputations, and romance are all on the line.

THE FIGHTING PREACHER

THE FIGHTING PREACHER. Hubby and I had the priviledge to see this movie Friday night. I had seen the movie trailer and I was very curious about it. T.C. Christensen did such a fantastic job. The story was incredible. I had no idea about the sacrifices of the Bean familiar in going to Palmyra. It was an incredible story that was portrayed so well. We talked about it all the way home, as well as when we can show this movie to our children. It is a movie of change, growth, and love. I would highly recommend it to everyone. It's in Mesa, for those of you in the area, this next week. Take a watch and let me know what you think.

Watch the trailer here. You'll love it.

THE LADY OF THE COPPERGATE TOWER by Nancy Campbell Allen

THE LADY IN THE COPPERGATE TOWER by Nancy Campbell Allen. This steampunk version of Rapunzel was not exactly what I expected. It was a fanatasic story. I love Sam and Hazel and their professional relationship. I love that I hear a little more about characters from Nancy's other steampunk stories: KISS OF THE SPINDLE and BEAUTY AND THE CLOCKWORK BEAST. The way the story is woven together is beautifully done. However, I was expecting more of the Rapunzel type them far earlier in the book. It was a great intrigue to keep reading in order to see when the tower appeared in the story. Truly it was done very well. I would highly recommend this story to anyone who loves steampunk and/or romance.

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Hazel Hughes believes there is nothing remarkable about her, not even her strange ability to heal the sick and injured. Her employer, Doctor Sam MacInnes recognizes her special talent, but because of the difference in their social status, he can't tell her how much he admires her. When a mysterious count arrives in London and reveals to Hazel the existence of a twin sister, she agrees to accompany him to the wilds of Romania, where she learns that her healing skills are needed to save her twin's life. Worried for her safety, Sam insists on traveling with her.

Faced with dark magic, malfunctioning automatons, and dangerous magical artifacts, Hazel and Sam learn to rely on each other as they untangle a deadly web of mystery surrounding the count and search for a way to free Hazel's sister from the cursed walls of the Coppergate Tower before time runs out on all of them.