So Many Reasons Why by Missy Johnson Review & Giveaway!!

Twenty year old Emma hasn’t left the house since she was attacked as a child. Now, with the impending release of her attacker from prison, Emma knows it’s more important than ever for her to regain control of her life. From her unrelenting nightmares, to her strained relationships, to her crippling agoraphobia, Emma feels as though her life is spiraling out of control.

When her professor, Simon Anderson enters her life, Emma must deal with feelings she has never experienced before. 

Though both she and Simon know their relationship is bordering on inappropriate, neither of them are able to ignore the intense chemistry that is quickly developing between them.

What was supposed to keep her mind off the attack has left her more confused than ever. When there are so many reasons why you shouldn’t be together, is simply being in love really enough?

This is book one in a two book series.

So Many Reasons Why by Missy Johnson on Goodreads
So Many Reasons Why on Amazon

In So Many Reasons Why, we meet twenty year old Emma, a college student living on her own in New York. Emma's not your average college student. After being brutally attacked at age ten, she's not left the house in years. She developed agoraphobia and continues to have nightmares about her attacker. Her relationship with her parents is strained. She does have two best friends who create a fantastic support system for her, but sometimes it's just not enough. In the first few pages of the book, Emma receives devastating news. Her attacker is on track to be paroled and will soon be out of prison, sending her into even more of a panicked state.

After sending an email to gain clarification on an assignment, Emma quickly finds herself engaging in a playful back and forth email exchange with Professor Simon Anderson. They fall into an easy friendship, and eventually it's evident that they both have feelings for each other. As he's her professor, any form of relationship will be considered inappropriate, but they soon find that they can't help their undeniable attraction.

As their relationship progresses, Emma continues to deal with the knowledge that her attacker is now free. Will Simon's love be enough to release Emma from her own prison, or will she be stuck there forever?
****
The very first paragraph of this book had me hooked. This not your average Professor/Student novel. While there is an essential romantic element to the story, and Simon plays a huge role in Emma's development,this story is so much more than your average romance. To me, So Many Reasons Why is about finding your inner strength to overcome the worst of your fears. Ms. Johnson did a fantastic job of showcasing Emma's agoraphobia without making her a pitiful, weak character. Emma had a brilliant balance of strong will while still suffering from her anxiety. The e-mail exchanges between Emma and Simon were a wonderful addition to this book, and a great way for the relationship to develop realistically as Emma does not leave her home. Their chemistry was undeniable, regardless of the vast age difference. I truly enjoyed witnessing Emma find strength not only through Simon, but within herself to overcome her fears when it mattered the most. The main storyline in SMRY is wrapped up, but the ending does provide somewhat of a cliffhanger to set-up book 2. I'm anxiously looking forward to book 2 in this series.


***ARC kindly provided by Ms. Johnson in exchange for an honest review.

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If I Fall by Anna Cruise

If I Fall by Anna Cruise on Goodreads
If I Fall on Amazon

Meg Calloway is at the edge.

Reeling from her parents' sudden divorce, fifteen-year old Meg has never felt more alone. Her father is about to marry a woman she can't stand and her mother's only companion is an endless supply of alcohol. When Aidan Westwood, an older boy at school, shows interest in her, she grabs on and doesn't let go, thinking he's exactly what she needs to help stem her loneliness and despair. She quickly learns that Aidan lives a darker, more dangerous life than she does and the more isolated she feels from her family, the more willing she is to step into Aidan's world.

As Meg drifts further from her friends, she tries to find comfort with a boy who is opening her eyes up to new things, none of them good. Will she listen to those around her who are warning her that she's headed down a path of self-destruction?

Or will she fall too far...too fast...too deep?

I'd highly recommend that all teenage girls read this gritty portrayal of the dark sides of growing up. This is not a traditional YA love story. Look, we all love our fictional bad boys, but it's important that there are also stories out there that can show a bad boy for what he can be... a true loser. This isn't a story filled with romantic walks on the beach, while reforming the bad boy to be good enough for the good girl. This story is a dark, disturbing tale that moves in the opposite direction. Ms. Cruise describes just how easily the good girl can be brought down, and how difficult it is to rise against.

I'd fallen. Fallen hard. But not so far that I couldn't pick myself up.

Fifteen year old Meg Calloway's life has just been turned upside down. Her father's left the family for a younger woman. Her mother, in turn, has found solace only at the bottom of a bottle, falling into a depression so consuming that she can barely leave the house, let alone be any sort of mother to Meg.

After a night out with friends, Meg's not ready to return to the desolate place she once called home.

My thoughts drifted to what I knew waited for me at home. I thrived to think of something else but I couldn't. The memories sucked me back in. I couldn't go back there, to that suffocating place that reeked of misery, that threatened to swallowed me whole.

Instead, she strolls down the beach until she comes across a group of seniors from her high school. Amongst them is Aidan, a charming, attractive, charismatic older boy who's instantly taken by Meg. Aidan quickly becomes an easy escape from Meg's less than desirable home life. Unfortunately, sweet, charming Aidan is the very definition of a wolf in sheep's clothing. As he leads Meg down a dark rabbit hole of drugs, alcohol, and sex, she begins to lose not only her friends, but herself.

You're never smiling. It would be one thing if you looked happy when you are with him. But every time I see you? You don't look very happy.

Despite her friends warnings and concern, Meg can't help being pulled further into Aidan's world of lies and deceit. Those close to her no longer recognize her as they attempt to make her see Aidan for who he really is, but she's resistant to their efforts.

I think I just wanted some attention. I was tired of being alone and feeling hurt all the time. And, with him, I didn't hurt anymore.

How far will she have to fall before it's late, and who, if anyone, will be there to catch her?

If I Fall was a very compelling story that showcases the effects that divorce can have on young teenagers, and highlights the dark path of peer pressure that they can easily fall into by means of escape. Ms. Cruise wrote a chilling portrayal on how easily young, impressionable teen girls can fall in with the wrong crowd when it seems as if everyone else in your life has give up on you. At the same time, it's also a story about strength, and overcoming the loss and loneliness that life can bestow upon us. It's a story about not giving up on those close to you, no matter how damaged they may become. This is a story about falling...and finding a way to stand back up.

*ARC provided by Ms. Cruise in exchange for an honest review.

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Adventures in Winemaking: Part 3

Part 3 of this winemaking process is the Stabilising and Clearing stage. Before beginning, you need to clean and sanitize the hydrometer, test jar, wine thief, and the spoon. This step happens 10 days after part 2.

Sorry, Nick, no cats allowed. 

1.) The first thing to do is to check the specific gravity to ensure that it is at or below 0.996. Ours was at 0.992, so we were able to proceed to the next step.

2.) Once you've determined that the specific gravity is low enough to move on, you need to dissolve packet #3, metabisulphite, and package #4, sorbate, into a 1/2 cup of cool water.

 

 We like to use bottled water instead of tap. Don't have to, we just do. Water snobs.

 

3.) Once it is dissolved, add to the carboy and stir vigorously for two minutes. Make sure you stir up the yeast sediment on the bottom, and stir hard in order to degas the wine.

 

 

4.) Shake package #5, Chitosan, which is a clarifier. Carefully cut the corner of the package open and pour contents into the carboy. Again, stir vigorously for two minutes. This helps degas the wine in order to help it clear.

 

 5.) Once you're finished stirring, top the carboy with water until there are only two inches left between the wine and the bottom of the bung.

 6.) Attached the bung and the airlock, ensuring that the airlock is filled halfway with water.

 

7.) In fourteen days, it'll be time to bottle!!!

Girl With Guitar Cover Reveal & Release Day Sign Up. ARCs Included!

Hey y'all!! I had the absolute pleasure of reading (and loving!) Girl with Guitar, the debut novel by brand new indie author, Caisey Quinn. We'd like to invite you to participate in either a cover reveal, a release day bash, and we'd love it even more if you'd participate in both! The first 25 bloggers/reviewers who sign up will receive an ARC copy to review. Please post reviews no earlier than the cover reveal. Sign up below, and feel free to share with blogger/reviewer friends!

The Cover Reveal will be Wednesday, May 15.  Ms. Quinn will be providing a giveaway for ALL BLOGS that participate in the Cover Reveal. The information packet will be sent to bloggers a couple days before the cover reveal. Girl with Guitar Cover Reveal Invite 

The Releash Day Bash will be Wednesday, May 22. This is also Caisey's birthday, so let's make it extra special for her by spreading the word about her new book! Again, Ms. Quinn will providing ANOTHER giveaway for ALL BLOGS that participate in the Release Day Bash. The information packet will be sent to bloggers a couple days before the cover reveal.

Girl with Guitar by Caisey Quinn
New Adult. MA 17+ Content.
After Kylie's dad dies in a freak accident, he leaves her with nothing other than her crazy step-mother Darla, and the ability to play guitar. When Darla kicks Kylie out she loses her job all in the same day, she hops on a bus to Nashville, determined to make her late father's dreams come true. Waitressing and saving her pennies to record a demo, her big break comes when she's asked to join a tour going down the tubes with once platinum album-selling country music superstar, Trace Corbin. But touring with Trace is hardly a dream come true since he's pretty much drinking his career down the drain. If Kylie can't pull Trace out of his rut, he'll pull her and her dreams down with him.

Caisey Quinn's Website

Meet Kylie Ryans

Say Hello To Trace Corbin
Add Girl with Guitar to your GoodReads TBR!
Follow Caisey on Twitter

 

GIF Review of One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy AND Giveaway!!!

AT THE END OF THE REVIEW IS A RAFFLECOPTER GIVEAWAY IN HONOR OF SECOND CHANCE BOYFRIEND'S RELEASE ON TUESDAY, APRIL 9! ENTER NOW!

Temporary. That one single word best describes my life these last few years. I’m working at a temporary job until I can finally break free. I’m my little brother’s temporary mother since our mom doesn’t give a crap about either of us. And I’m that temporary girl all the guys want to get with because I give it up so easily. According to the rumors, at least.

But now I’m the temporary girlfriend of Drew Callahan, college football legend and all around golden guy. He’s beautiful, sweet—and he’s hiding way more secrets than I am. He’s brought me into this fake life where everyone seems to hate me. And everyone seems to want something from him. The only thing he seems to want though is…

Me.

I don’t know what to believe anymore. All I know is, I think Drew needs me. And I want to be there for him.

Forever.

One Week Girlfriend by Monica Murphy

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I'll do a full text review later, but for now you get my gif crazed self.

My Drew:

My Fable:

PRONTO. STAT. NOW.

Oh Hey Adele

Drew & Fable:

In the beginning, Drew & Fable both find themselves feeling this way... It kills me.

Eventually Fable gets to this point:

But Drew's has too much pain from his past...

And Fable understands...thinking he, like everyone else, doesn't want her.

But it's not Fable. It's the past. The pain. The heartache that's keeping them apart. Yet Fable believes they were brought together for a reason. To save themselves from the past.

And there are some fabulous intimate moments

And then it all goes to HELLLLLLLLLL.

This is what I'm telling myself. I can do this. I can make it. This will happen. I can make it to the sequel.

Please, please, please. I implore you to read this book! Monica Murphy's writing is so effortless. Her words flow and I could not put this book down. I am dying for the sequel. Go forth and READ READ READ! And someone send me some freaking marshmallows. Now!

AGAIN!!! PRONTO. STAT. NOW.

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