Rainy Day Ramblings

Tell Me Something Tuesday #162: Thankful

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post here on Rainy Day Ramblings where I discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. 

 

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly discussion post here on Rainy Day Ramblings where I discuss a wide range of topics from books to blogging. Weigh in and join the conversation by adding your thoughts in the comments. If you want to do your own post, grab the question and answer it on your blog. 

This week’s topic:

What are you thankful for this year?

Since we are two days from Thanksgiving, I felt like I needed to take a minute and do a post on all I have to be thankful for this year. I know that there is a lot of social upheaval going on right now, and many tragic events continue to consume us. We survived the election, watched California burn and endured more shootings. Sometimes the headlines are hard to handle, so that is when I dig deep and go to my happy spot. When times are tough, look inward and find things that make you happy, and think on all that you have to be thankful for, it helps. 

Here is what I have to be thankful for this year:

My family: First and foremost, always is my family. I am blessed to have two beautiful, intelligent children who work hard in school. They are healthy and happy. I have a wonderful husband who provides and takes care of us, and who is also my best friend. I have my three siblings, whom I don’t get to see often enough, and my dad, who has always been my rock. I also have lots of aunts, uncles and cousins who continue to send love and support from afar. 

Friends: I have made new friends this year, which has been wonderful, it is always nice to make new connections. I am also grateful for old friends. One can never have too many friends.

My pets: In September, we had to say goodbye to our beloved cat, Rex, who had been a part of our family for over twenty years. He was the best cat, I still miss him terribly, and I always will. However, we were able to welcome two new furry faces into our family. Akira and Niko arrived in September. Two little siblings who have stolen our hearts. We also still have Smokey. We love these furry friends.

Good Books, Blogging and Blog Buddies: November marked my blog’s eighth anniversary. I have loved this journey. There have been lots of highs and some lows, but along the way, I have made some incredible friends, read some wonderful books and found love and support across the blogosphere. 

 

Healing: It has now been over two years since I lost my beautiful mother. The last couple of years have been hard, but they have also been a journey of hope and healing. Thanks to all the love I received, my heart is healing and I am continuing to move in a positive direction. 

As you can see, my list if full of lots of things to be thankful. I am blessed with friends and family and I am truly am grateful for all that I have. I hope you all are as blessed as I am. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! Enjoy your time with your friends and family!

Next Week’s TMST:

 Do You Procrastinate Writing Reviews?

Audiobook Review: The Exes' Revenge by Jo Jakeman

 

A wickedly dark debut thriller about three women who've all been involved with the same man and realize the one thing they have in common is that they all want revenge against him...
Divorces are often messy, and Imogen's is no exception. Phillip Rochester is controlling, abusive, and determined to make things as difficult as possible. When he shows up without warning demanding that Imogen move out of their house by the end of the month or he'll sue for sole custody of their young son, Imogen is ready to snap.
In a moment of madness, Imogen does something unthinkable--something that puts her in control for the first time in years. She's desperate to protect her son and to claim authority over her own life.
But she wasn't expecting both Phillip's ex-wife and new girlfriend to get tangled up in her plans. These three very different women--and unlikely allies--reluctantly team up to take revenge against a man who has wronged them all.
Hardcover, 342 pages
Published September 11th 2018 by Berkley Books
Source: Publisher

 

 

Three stars: A dark thriller that shows what happen when women strike back.

Imogen tries to muster up some emotion at her ex husband’s funeral. Technically, she and Phillip are still married since the divorce was never finalized, so she should be the grieving widow, but she’s not. Imogen knows first hand how controlling, manipulative and cruel Phillip really was, and she is glad to finally be rid of him. Surprisingly, over the last couple of weeks, Imogen gained two new allies, Rebecca and Naomi also exes of Phil. Were the three women responsible for his death?

What I Liked:

• The Exes’ Revenge is a dark tale of domestic abuse and revenge. This is what happens when women take control over a vile man. I enjoyed this twisted tale. I couldn’t put it down as I had to know what happened to Phil.
• The story opens with Phillip’s funeral, so the reader immediately knows that Phil is dead. The book then moves back in time, uncovering key events that led up to Phil’s death. I liked the way the author incorporated the movements in time, it worked for this story.
• The book revolves around three women: Imogen, Naomi and Rebecca, who were all involved with Phil. Imogen is the main focus of the story. At first, she is meek and mild after living with Phil for so long. As the story goes on, she digs deep and finds her inner strength. I enjoyed watching her find her voice and seeing her stand up to Phil. Her transformation is impressive.
• I was surprised by the formation of friendship between the three exes. The three women are very different, and they don’t have anything in common except for Phil. It takes awhile, but eventually, the form bonds. Girl Power!
• Phil is an absolute bastard. I liked that he was so vile and that I completely hated him. He is one of those villains you love to hate, which made the story even more appealing. I must admit, I was shocked a time or two at how low he stooped.
• The book builds and builds with suspense, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat. Was Phil murdered, and if so did the women do it? I had to know!
• The ending is terrific. After the dust settles, all the story lines are completed. No unanswered questions or dangling story threads. It ends in a good spot, and I was pleased with the way it all played out.

And The Not So Much:

• I was expecting more twists and turns. This one doesn’t have them. It reads fairly straight forward with no big surprises.
• This was an interesting read, but not one that was mind blowing or original. It ended up being a rather ordinary read. I wanted more.
• I struggled a time or two with the decisions made by the women and wondered why the authorities weren’t called.

The Exes’ Revenge is an interesting book, but it isn’t a thriller by any means. This one doesn’t have any mind blowing twists or turns, and the big secret that the villain is dead is revealed from the get go, the only question left to uncover is how he died. I enjoyed the book, but it wasn’t anything unique or mind blowing.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.

The Sunday Post 268th Edition

The Sunday Post is a weekly post hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It is a chance to share all the news and highlights on your blog for the past and upcoming weeks. Head over to Kimberly's for details and to link up!

Happy weekend! How did your week go? I had a busy week, but I was able to spend some time catching up on the blog. I wrote some reviews, returned lots of comments, but I am still not caught up. I am hoping to catch up and possibly get ahead in the next couple of weeks before the holidays ramp up. 

Speaking of holidays, I can’t believe next week is Thanksgiving! I never appreciated Thanksgiving as a kid, but as an adult, it has become one of my favorite holidays. I love being able to spend a couple of relaxing days with my family here at home. We will be alone this year, which is fine. We will cook up a small meal, watch some movies and footballs, decorate and relax. I am looking forward to it. 

I am so not ready for the holidays. I am already starting to feel the stress! Ugh!

Let’s not talk about the holidays, instead lets move on to blog stuff. 

This is what happened on the blog last week:

Monday: Audiobook Review: Sadie by Courtney Summers

Tuesday: Tell Me Something Tuesday: Why Should You Comment?

   

Wednesday: Audiobook Review: The Other Woman by Sandie Jones

Thursday: Audiobook Review: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

Friday: Friday Forecast 

Received for review:

Next up:

Monday: Audiobook Review: The Exes Revenge by Jo Jakeman

Tuesday: Tell Me Something Tuesday: What Are You Thankful For?

    

Wednesday: Audiobook Review: The Glitch by Elisabeth Cohen 

 

Thursday: Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Friday: Friday Forecast

 

That’s it from Oregon! Go out and have a fantastic week.

Friday Forecast November 18th-24th

Here we are entering into Thanksgiving week. I hope that you all get a chance to spend some time with family and friends, and that you enjoy the holiday. The upcoming holiday chaos can wait for a couple of days, enjoy the time with your loved ones. If a good book is on the menu for you this week, I have some suggestions. Here are the highlights from the upcoming list of books scheduled to hit shelves this week. What interests you? How is your weather? (Click on covers for details). 

Forecast November 18th-24th

 

Weather for Portland, Oregon:

Saturday: H 53 L 37 Sunny/ Wind     Sunday: H 52 L 33 Sunny/ Wind

Sun and wind are in the forecast. It will be chilly with the wind, but I am not complaining. However, November is usually our wettest month, and so far it has been dry and cold. Not great for skiers, but I like the sun. Have a lovely weekend!

Audiobook Review: Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

 

Hazel Camille Bradford knows she’s a lot to take—and frankly, most men aren’t up to the challenge. If her army of pets and thrill for the absurd don’t send them running, her lack of filter means she’ll say exactly the wrong thing in a delicate moment. Their loss. She’s a good soul in search of honest fun. Josh Im has known Hazel since college, where her zany playfulness proved completely incompatible with his mellow restraint. From the first night they met—when she gracelessly threw up on his shoes—to when she sent him an unintelligible email while in a post-surgical haze, Josh has always thought of Hazel more as a spectacle than a peer. But now, ten years later, after a cheating girlfriend has turned his life upside down, going out with Hazel is a breath of fresh air. Not that Josh and Hazel date. At least, not each other. Because setting each other up on progressively terrible double blind dates means there’s nothing between them...right? 
Audible Audio, Unabridged (7 hrs 16 min), 7 pages
Published September 4th 2018 by Simon & Schuster Audio
Source: Publisher

Four stars: A cute, zany romance that is drama free. Light and fun. 

Hazel Bradford has never followed the crowd. She runs with scissors, colors outside the lines and beats to her own drum. Perhaps that is why she has never had a long term relationship. Things change when Josh comes back into her life. Hazel first met Josh in college. She lusted over him and then barfed all over his shoes. Then she sent him an unforgettable email after wisdom teeth surgery. Needless to say, Josh probably thinks Hazel is a bit zany. When Hazel learns that Josh is the brother of her best friend, Emily, she decides she and Josh should be friends too. Hazel and Josh embark on a friendship, that morphs into trying to set each other up on the perfect date. The dates always seem to end in disaster, perhaps because they are ignoring what is right front of them?

 

What I Liked:

• If you haven’t read a book by the Christina Lauren duo, you don’t know what you are missing. This latest book by the dynamic writing team, delivers a fun, flirty friends to lovers romance without drama and angst and plenty of comedic moments. This is just what you need when you need a light, fun read. This book will drag you out of a rut. 
• Let’s talk about the characters: Josh and Hazel. Hazel is unlike any character I have read before. She is the definition of quirky, zany and eccentric. Hazel brings hilarious chaos wherever she goes. She has her own unique style, she often forgets to censor herself, and she is flat out fun. It took some time to adjust to her, but after awhile, I fell in love with her craziness. Josh is the complete opposite of Hazel (opposites attract, right). Josh is organized, calm, kind and loyal. At first, he shies away from the Hazel tornado, but then he also falls in love with her quirkiness. I loved how patient Josh was, and that he never lost his cool with Hazel, even when she smacked him with an umbrella. 
• The romance is adorable. It is a slow burning friends to lovers romance. It takes a long time to get there, and when it finally blossoms, it is perfect. I loved that the relationship was built on a firm friendship, and that Josh and Hazel talked about all things. When it turned romantic, it felt genuine and perfect. 
• I liked that this book featured out of the box characters. Josh and Emily are American Koreans, and I loved the way their culture and their characters were depicted. Josh’s mother was adorable. I also loved that Hazel and her mother were women who weren’t afraid to be themselves. Neither Hazel or her mother worried about their appearance and how others would view them. So refreshing. Finally at the end, there was the introduction of a little boy who loved to wear princess costumes, and his parents were totally fine with the way he expressed himself. Big props to the authors for bringing us diverse characters. 
• I loved that this book was without all the drama and angst. The romance, for the most part, is conflict free. There was a tiny moment of hesitation, but I never doubted that it would work out. I loved that this was light and fun the whole time. 
• The ending was sweet and satisfying. At first, it was jarring the way the Epilogue jumped forward a few years into the future at a pivotal moment. I was anxious at first, but then things were explained and I was happy. I liked getting a peek into the future and seeing how things worked out. 

And The Not So Much:

• Hazel may not be for everyone. Sometimes she felt a little unrealistic. However, I quit worrying about it after awhile and just enjoyed the book. 
• I wish that Emily and Dave had a bigger part. I was especially curious to learn why Dave thought they wouldn’t have children??? I loved Emily and Dave. I especially liked how supportive Emily and Dave were.
• I listened to the audiobook version, and I didn’t like the narration at all. The male narrator, Tood Habberkorn, did a terrible job with the female voices. His voice for Hazel sounded like a comedian doing a bad female impersonation. I cringed every time he did Hazel’s voice. The female narrator was much better, but I felt like her voice didn’t capture the quirkiness of Hazel. This is one audiobook I would recommend skipping. I think I would have enjoyed this far more if I had read it. 

Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating is the kind of romance you need to read. This book is light, fun and flirty. It is relatively drama free, which makes it more of a delight to read. I loved the unique characters, the cute romance and that this book left me with a big goofy grin. One hesitation is that the audiobook was not well done, the male narrator’s female voices were terrible. Read this versus listening to it. 

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated for this review.