Gadrella by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is such a cute Halloween book to read to little ones. It teaches them it’s okay to be from everyone else and shows how everyone else can accept who you are. I love Tricia Gardella books. They always have a great story to them and the illustrations are amazing.
It’s Cool To Be Kind: A Children’s Book on Kindness and Friendship by Shermaine Perry-Knights
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Such a heartwarming dedication. Michael, Max and Martin are trying to figure out what they are good at for a homework assignment.
“Being kind isn’t just about the big stuff. It’s about helping in the small ways too.” Such a great quote in those book. Teaching and discussing kindness at the end for kids also. The illustrations and storyline is great. Definitely a good book to help little ones understand what it means to be kind.
The Trouble with Possibilities by Nancie Abuhaidar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Delaney (Del) Harper has lost her husband, job and is having issues with her adult son. So she decides she needs to get away and goes to Africa to help the less fortunate children with schooling. Once there she tries so hard to keep her feelings and anxieties bottled up from everyone and everything that happened at home. Such a wholesome romance novel. Once I started this book I had to keep going. This book shows how grief can manifest itself and eventually you just have to let some things go in order to make peace within yourself.
Detective Dylan and the Thief of Camp Leaf by M.J. Murray
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Dylan and his sister Emily are at camp Leaf with their dog Theodore. After raining for 3 days, it finally clears up and the camp can have its usual camp games for all the kids to play. But when an important item goes missing, they might not get to do the camp games. Dylan, Emily and a few friends decide to sleuth out what happened and who took it. This is a great storyline with questions in the back of the book for teachers/parents to use to see how their little ones liked the book. About a 30 min read for I’d suggest second or third graders (8-10 yr olds). Cute illustrations in the book as well.
Love and Fate by Loriana Cappello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is written very well. A little disclaimer for those who might feel like it’s not for you, with the settings being in New York and also England, most of it is written in the British version of English. That being said, some things you may not understand what the meaning is or how the wording is written. This is a romance book, but a clean one with very little spice. Now on to the storyline. Tommy is the drummer for a band and reconnects with his college girlfriend, Angie at his bandmates wedding. Of course Angie is now married to Scott and expecting a child and Tommy is with Chelsea. From the get go I really despised Chelsea, her manners and selfish nature just made my blood boil. In the end though, because I’m not going to do any spoilers, fate had a way to change the directions of a few lives. Overall a great book to read.
Down By The River by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Fantastic short children’s book exploring nature. This is an amazing 5 min read with excellent illustrations throughout. I really love the way Tricia Gardella pulls from experience in her own life with children, grandchildren and such to write her books. Showing children what all they can find when exploring nature is really great. Definitely worth a read before bedtime with little ones.
Cam Creates a Hero by Dagmara Sitek
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this cute book, we meet Cam and his foster siblings. Cam is upset by a newscast about a little girl getting hurt. So he draws a hero bot to protect others. Such a great story showing determination and courage to make a difference for others. Quick read for little ones. Exceptional illustrations. Overall a great book.
Hi Little Brother, I Love You: A Sweet Gift Keepsake Book Welcoming a New Baby Brother to the Family. by Deniese Dennis
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A very well written, sweet book about sibling relationships. I just loved this book. It reminded me so much of my oldest granddaughter when her little sister was born and how she loved and cared for her, even down to singing to her. The illustration are very well done. A very quick and easy read for little ones who about to have a new little sibling if they are feeling anxious. Definitely recommend this book.
Luca Magoo, Don’t Eat The Glue: A back-to-school tale that encourages positive classroom behavior and creative expression. by Megan Delgado
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s art day and the teacher lets the kids use their imagination to create whatever they please. Luca gets the glue and then wonders what would happen if he ate the glue. Definitely shows the creativity of young minds and what kinds of things their imagination can come up with. Such a great easy read with excellent rhyming words and illustrations. Definitely a book to read to my littles before bed.
Unmasking A Cowgirl by Rachelle Paige Campbell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is book 3 of the series, while I have not read the other books in this series I wasn’t completely lost in the characters. This book was slow for me to get into. I could tell from the beginning there was definitely something between Abby and Joe. (Enemies turned Lovers trope) Seeing the way the town snubbed Abby was disheartening but I can also see why it happened. In small towns that can happen anywhere. Definitely a good clean romance novel for ones who don’t enjoy any spicy context. I think I’ll read the previous books also to see just how everyone got together.
Miss Georgiana Darcy’s Quest For Love: A Pride And Prejudice Variation Novelette by T.L. Clark
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve never been one to get into Jane Austen books. While I thoroughly enjoy regency romance books, she’s one I just can’t seem to enjoy. At the beginning of the book I just couldn’t get into it, by the middle I was slowly getting there. Overall it was a good story. Georgiana tells her sister in law she thinks she’s ready to find a husband. A dinner party was planned and seemed like it was almost a “love at first sight” suggestion to the moment. The optional epilogue was a great thought for some steamy wedding night details.
Decisions Matter: A picture book about learning right from wrong by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Buddy and his brothers, Salem and Donut, are in this book. Someone keeps getting in the trash. Buddy didn’t want to be a tattletale but he also didn’t like taking the blame. It’s a great way to show littles ones how to make the right choices even when it’s hard. Great illustrations and quick read.
Good Things Take Time by Suzanna Lynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Buddy is getting his forever home in this book. While he was down over not getting picked sooner than his siblings, he finally gets his home. He just needed to learn to be patient. Another great book on learning something that can hard for little ones to understand. Excellent wording and illustrations.
Porter and Midge: Paws and Pastries: A Kid’s Guide to Homemade Dog Treats by Giselle Nevada
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is such a great book for kids. Showing how they can make homemade treats for dogs. Including the recipes and most importantly a warning on what dogs cannot have is great. The illustrations and rhyming words are excellent in this cute and quick read. I’m looking forward to trying out some of these recipes on my own dog.
Forever to Fall by Libby Kay
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
“Life is only sweet if you share it with your person”. What’s not to like about this book. Even though this is the fifth book in the series and the first one I’ve read, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything from the other four books.
From childhood friends to adults who fall in love. Best friends who end up fighting and making up. The Awwwww moments in this book is a lot. The amount of passages I’ve highlighted in this book is incredible. Usually it’s not this much. Definitely a wholesome romance book and definite recommendation.
The Places We Call Home by Kim Ann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This cute children’s book talks about all the places people and some animals live. The illustrations are great. The words are simple and easy to understand. A quick easy read for little ones. Kim Ann has written another great children’s book. Teaching that no matter where one lives, home is where the heart is.
Picking Pismo by Emi Hilton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Claire and Alexis lost their mom unexpectedly. Now Claire is taking care of Alexis. Upon a routine visit to the orthodontist for Alexis, Claire meets Dr Clark. This book definitely shows the trials and tribulations one goes through when they like another but is afraid to give things a try. The way this story is written is beautiful and shows just how real life people and relationships go.
G is for Gossamer: A Children’s SMART & SOPHISTICATED ABC’s Book by Miss Whitaker
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
As an avid reader I found this children’s book refreshing and awesome. So many times are the most common used words are used on a daily basis that the younger generation don’t have a clue about the meaning of some words. Used to in school there was a class called vocabulary where you had to learn new words. While my littles didn’t understand all the words I did enjoy explaining new things to them. I just love that the meanings to the words are included in this. The illustrations are beautiful.
Her Sapphire Blade: An Arthurian-Inspired Portal Fantasy Novel by Sarah Biglow
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Reimagining of Camelot and King Arthur. While I’ve not been on who’s typically read books on this subject I was much intrigued on this book. I will definitely say, it was a fantastic read. I finished it in 24 hours. I didn’t want to put it down. Morgan is great character showing strength and perseverance with everything she endured in only a couple of weeks time span. Aunt Nim’s “bed time story” wasn’t just a fairytale after all.
Falling Down by Anne Mercier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I don’t know where to even start with this book. It had me laughing so much with the banter of it all. Smiling at all good parts. The spice factor is there also. Lets see Mafia stuff, Hollywood actress and also musicians… you can’t beat this intwined book that’s going to make you want to keep going in the series. ( once you’re hooked…you’re hooked) You can just tell the chemistry is there between Jesse and Lucy. It’s a wonderfully written story full of hope and great characters.
A definite must read! I’m definitely going to book 2 in this series.
Oscar and Emmy Visit the Vet: A book to explain how visiting the vet with your pets can be fun! by Terri Sabol
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Abby and Charlie are taking Oscar and Emmy to visit the vet. This quick read shows kids that pets need to see the “doctor” every year like we do to make sure that they are staying healthy. Goes over shots, brushing hair, and even teeth. Shows kids how to properly take care of their pets. Great illustrations and information for children. The end gives good information on pets health and how to keep them healthy and happy.
Where’s Gramma? by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a cute, quick read. I read this to my grandkids before bed(ages 8,7, and 3). They laughed, chuckled and even helped me read it. We loved the illustrations and the rhyming. It took us 5 minutes or so to read this and the youngest asked me to read it again. Tricia Gardella has done a fantastic job on this once again. Definitely love reading her books to my grandkids. Seems she pulls from personal experiences with her own grandchildren.
Notebook Mysteries ~ Art of Deception by Kimberly Mullins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Peggy’s brother, Teddy went missing. Peggy and her husband Tony enlist the help of an investigation company to help them find out what happened to her brother. This is definitely a book that you need to pay attention to detail. Twisty aspects, multiple characters involved, and the unexpected twist to what finally happens. A wonderful mystery to read.
Finding Hope: A Small Town Beach Romance by Erin Brockus
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Hope is in hotel management. She tries for a promotion only to not get it. Unbeknownst to Hope, Sara, her sister, entered her into a raffle to win a dive resort on the island of St. Croix, which she ended up winning. Hope leaves snowy Chicago for sunny, warmer weather and a hot dive instructor to boot. This slow burn romance will have you turning pages just to see how it ends. From heartbreak and heartaches, to fretting over a disaster to …… well you’ll have to read it to see how it ends. I believe I’m definitely going to have to read the series because I need to know what comes next for Hope.
No One Could See the Flea by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Jack is talking his dog Shank for a walk. Shank stops to scratch his ear so Jack checks for a flea. But no one could see the flea. In the end Jack and his friends went to the vet and the mystery was solved. This is such a fast, cute read with great detail to illustrations.
Word Play by Tricia Gardella
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Joe is starting school and learning to read. After not getting to it in class, Joe decides to look elsewhere for help to learn to read. Joe learns it takes time to learn to read. This is a great story for little ones. It’s shows them to be patient while learning new things and also strangers are not always very nice people. A quick read with excellent illustrations.
Rock Crush and Roll by Hunter Snow
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Tyler Robertson comes from a family of musicians. Her dad is a known musician. Unlike the rest of the family, Tyler doesn’t have a musical bone in her body. Ever since high school she’s had a crush on Cary Kingston. Tyler is a music manager for a company, in which her boss is a sleazy, slimy wannabe.
Sebastien and Tommy both have those vibes as creeps in the whole book. I found myself smiling like a fool in most of the book and laughing out loud at some of the banter. There are several music references and hockey references throughout this book. The friendship with Tyler, Kim and Allie is a great example of what women face in male dominated industries and sticking together to make life better as a whole. I read this book quite quickly once I got through the first couple of chapters, it sucked me in and I had to learn what happened next. This is definitely a great rom com to read.
The Music That Ties Us: A Rockstar Romance by Nicolette Terry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While this book is the second in the series it can be read as a standalone. The way Nicolette Terry writes is so very descriptive that I could easily “see” it in my mind as I was reading. This book drew me in slow, but hooked me fast. I didn’t want to put it down.
I could definitely tell from the beginning something was off with Cadence and Elijah’s relationship. The way Elijah went from being a jerk to lovey dovey was classic narcissistic behavior. Thankfully Cadence finally figured out he wanted her in a box and when she finally figured that out and allowed herself to grieve that relationship and move on she was much happier. The connection that Cadence has with Damien is everything a girl could ever hope for. Not to mention the steamy scenes with Damien had me thinking I needed to fan my face. (Spicy edition, there’s a clean edition also). Talk about the spark and heat of these two. In the end, love wins it all.
The Queen’s Dance: A Sizzling Slow Burn Fantasy Romance by Nicole E. Kelleher
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book 1, Wild Lavender hooked me. I had to know more and see what would happen with Claire. Book 2, this book. Most definitely didn’t see the plot twist. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions from chuckling at some of the banter to my heart racing at times. The journey that Claire had to endure and become stronger from it was heart breaking and hopeful. Not to mention that she still had and won the heart of her beloved. Truly masterfully written and beautifully done. Definitely recommend reading.
