Review: Brunch at Bittersweet Cafe by Carla Laureano

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Summary:

Baker and pastry chef Melody Johansson has always believed in finding the positive in every situation, but seven years after she moved to Denver, she can’t deny that she’s stuck in a rut. One relationship after another has ended in disaster, and her classical French training is being wasted on her night job in a mediocre chain bakery. Then the charming and handsome private pilot Justin Keller lands on the doorstep of her workplace in a snowstorm, and Melody feels like it’s a sign that her luck is finally turning around.

Justin is intrigued by the lively bohemian baker, but the last thing he’s looking for is a relationship. His own romantic failures have proven that the demands of his job are incompatible with meaningful connections, and he’s already pledged his life savings to a new business venture across the country?an island air charter in Florida with his sister and brother-in-law.

Against their better judgment, Melody and Justin find themselves drawn together by their unconventional career choices and shared love of adventure. But when an unexpected windfall provides Melody with the chance to open her dream bakery-café in Denver with her best friend, chef Rachel Bishop, she’s faced with an impossible choice: stay and put down roots with the people and place she’s come to call home . . . or give it all up for the man she loves.

Review

I don’t know what it is about books that have a supper club in them but they always never disappoint. Brunch at the Bittersweet Cafe was light, fun and delicious. I’ve never been so hungry reading a book but it was definitely a refreshing read that I’m so glad had a sweet HEA.

So, you never know who you will meet anywhere so you better be prepared. Melody, a big dreamer who hasn’t quite found the stability in her life.  A french trained pastry chef, she is currently working a job that is going nowhere but when a unexpected customer walks in one day during a storm, something just sort of made her come alive.

Not that she was looking or anything. She has had her share of losers and then comes in Pilot Mc Steamy. After his car got stuck in the snow, he took a chance to find some help and crossed paths with Melody and little did they know sometimes you meet for a reason. Even though fate step in and they find themselves completely smitten with each other, a twist of events brings these two to face their fears to either fight or flight their potential destiny.

Overall, this was cute one. I love stories that blend great friendships, family, overcoming obstacles and not to mention tasty food. I would’ve love to get recipes on those dishes that were talked about. I don’t know what it is about those books that have a super club theme but they also leave you feeling good. Oh man, the ending was reminded me of when Kevin Costner stopped the plane in the bodyguard. That declaration made this HEA worth it. I’m really looking forward to seeing what’s to come. I’m looking forward to see what’s to come in this sweet treat series. Add this one to your list to read.  

Review: What to Eat When: A Strategic Plan to Improve Your Health and Life Through Food by Michael Roizen, Michael Crupain and with Ted Spiker

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About the Book

NY Times best-selling author Dr. Michael Roizen reveals how the food choices you make each day–and when you make them–can affect your health, your energy, your sex life, your waistline, your attitude, and the way you age.

What if eating two cups of blueberries a day could prevent cancer? If drinking a kale-infused smoothie could counteract missing an hour’s worth of sleep? When is the right time of day to eat that chocolate chip cookie? And would you actually drink that glass of water if it meant skipping the gym? This revolutionary guide reveals how to use food to enhance our personal and professional lives–and increase longevity to boot. What to Eat When is not a diet book. Instead, acclaimed internist Michael Roizen and certified physician Michael Crupain offer readers choices that benefit them the most–whether it’s meals to help them look and feel younger or snacks that prevent diseases–based on the science that governs them.

Review

For those of you who set your unrealistic weight loss goals on New Year’s day, don’t be discouraged, it’s not you. I decided to take a different approach this year and wasn’t going to be a slave to the diet fads and get upset weighing myself if the scale didn’t move fast enough. My goal this year is to just focus on eating healthy. Not going cold turkey on my favorites but slowly changing things that will lead me down the road that I want to get to.

 

Then here comes this book I was like, let me check it out. What I love about this book is that for once, it’s based on information that is given by doctors not a celebrity. It’s not preachy pushing some crazy starving yourself, drinking shakes sort of regiment or some fad that will have you right back where you started in six months. It really hit the core of different health and personal life scenarios we encounter and how the impact of what to eat and when you eat really affect the quality of the health of our lives.

The book gives really insightful information on what foods to eat and suggestions on substitutions that will give you optimal health. You really get a new way of looking at preparing food and gives you a little push to have fun and be creative. They really made food sound fun and it motivated me to try some of the techniques and apply alterations to my daily eating. You learn when to eat and the affects that it has on your body. The when and the what are broken down in the book to show you how food is used as the fuel to promote a healthy body inside and out.

Overall, I thought this was an insightful read that was fun and engaging for those who want to learn how to use food to have a healthier and happy life. No doubt this would be an excellent reference to health with those who want to lose weight for various reasons. There no definitive claims but information to make healthier choices that can improve illness and ailments that plague so many are also highlighted. I’m looking forward to taking the information I learned to make work for my situation. I found this informative and pushed me to want to get healthy to prolong my life. I’d recommend adding this to your tbr.

Review: 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne

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Darcy Barrett has undertaken a global survey of men. She’s travelled the world, and can categorically say that no one measures up to Tom Valeska, whose only flaw is that Darcy’s twin brother Jamie saw him first and claimed him forever as his best friend. Despite Darcy’s best efforts, Tom’s off limits and loyal to her brother, 99%. That’s the problem with finding her dream man at age eight and peaking in her photography career at age twenty—ever since, she’s had to learn to settle for good enough.

When Darcy and Jamie inherit a tumble-down cottage from their grandmother, they’re left with strict instructions to bring it back to its former glory and sell the property. Darcy plans to be in an aisle seat halfway across the ocean as soon as the renovations start, but before she can cut and run, she finds a familiar face on her porch: house-flipper extraordinaire Tom’s arrived, he’s bearing power tools, and he’s single for the first time in almost a decade.

Suddenly Darcy’s considering sticking around to make sure her twin doesn’t ruin the cottage’s inherent magic with his penchant for grey and chrome. She’s definitely not staying because of her new business partner’s tight t-shirts, or that perfect face that's inspiring her to pick up her camera again. Soon sparks are flying—and it’s not the faulty wiring. It turns out one percent of Tom’s heart might not be enough for Darcy anymore. This time around, she’s switching things up. She’s going to make Tom Valeska 99 percent hers.

I will admit that this is my first novel by Sally Thorne. I know that The Hating Game is a wildly popular novel; however, I have not gotten around to reading it. I can say that after reading 99 Percent Mine, I understand the hype surrounding Sally Thorne’s novels.

99 Percent Mine is a great friends-to-lovers romance. It was funny, however, it knew how to pull at the heartstrings. Especially, when it dealt with the troubled relationship between Darcy and her twin brother, James.

As a reader, one of my favorite things to do is get lost in a book. Thorne has created a story that makes it easy to forget the world around you as you read. It is a page turner; that has captivating writing with its unique voice.

The book is told through the POV of Darcy, and her internal monologue was witty, flawed, and hilarious. I really enjoyed her as a character. Especially, since she was not made out to be this perfect heroine. There were several times in the book where she alluded to the fact that she was her own personal villain. And I think that we all can relate to that. There are so many times where we doubt ourselves or think we don’t deserve things because of who we are.

Tom was the complete opposite of Darcy. While she was careless, he was careful and protective. He balanced Darcy very well.  

Although I enjoyed both characters separately, I think that my favorite part of the book their relationship. It felt effortless and familiar. You really got a sense that these characters have known each other for a while. It was neither rushed, overdramatic, nor was it unbelievable. It was easy to believe that somewhere down the line these two people had fallen in love.

I would classify this novel as a slow burn. It did take the characters the majority of the book to get together. But that could be easily ignored. These characters had undeniable chemistry and they did have memorable banter through the book while they were attempting to ignore their feelings.

Final Analysis

99 Percent Mine was an unexpected hilarious read with a swoony, relatable and comfortable romance.

*ARC was provided by TLC Book Tours for an honest review*

Review: The Eulogist by Terry Gamble

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After reading the summary of the book, I really had high expectations on my experience. I love historical fiction, especially this time period and was expecting to fully be immersed in this one but I didn’t feel connected to it as I’d hope. I appreciated the vivid placement that I can feel there in the moment, she wrote beautifully but I just felt like it didn’t give me what I hoped. That’s not a bad thing, I just wished it could’ve explored more. She offered a glimpse into a time period that showcased so much: the societal expectations and limitations of a woman’s place and voice, the effects of the abolitionist movement vs slavery in the south and the free north, immigration and social class.

So, I have mixed feelings. The beginning of the book when the family comes to America, I was really excited because here was this Irish family setting roots. I wanted to see where there journey led to. Then after the dad left, and life took them where they led, I just wish there could’ve been more. I feel like we just got a little taste of them. I don’t feel like we got all of what they could’ve offered considering what was happening in the book. The way the story was told in the end was so awesome, it really captured the heart of them then. Overall, it was still a good read.

Review: 500 Words or Less by Juleah Del Rosario

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I wholeheartedly enjoyed 500 Words or Less. It was an emotional read that was written beautifully.

The premise of 500 Words or Less is that Nic Chen has made an awful mistake her senior year and to redefine her reputation she begins to write her classmates’ college admission essays. The book is told in verse and only breaks that to showcase an essay that Nic had written for her classmates.

I loved how it was written, and I think that may have been my favorite part of the book. Outside of poetry books, that would be my first venture into a young adult novel where the majority of the story is told in verse. I found it to be very effective and that the writing was so beautiful. It created a unique style for the book and also a unique voice for the main character, Nic.

Characters

Nic was broken; she was not in any means a perfect human being. She was flawed. However, she felt extremely bad for what she had done and that was conveyed well within the pages. She was also suffering from the impact of something that had happened to her. It was interesting to see how those two situations impacted who she was at the beginning and the decisions that she made at the end.

There is something that needs to be said about the way in which the supporting characters were described. Like mentioned earlier, Nic writes her classmates’ college admission essays. Although, the essays were written by Nic, it perfectly crafted the personalities of her classmates. Those essays felt raw and did more than just introduce those characters.

Final Analysis

500 Words or Less is about growing but it is also is about finding yourself and loss. The writing is beautiful and the overall story, is unique and heartbreaking.



Review: Work In Progress by Staci Hart

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Work in Progress was an interesting read to say the least. I had not read the summary before reading, and was shocked by the direction that it took.

Work in Progress is a story of Amelia and Tommy. Amelia is a book reviewer.  Tommy is writer, who is all too familiar with Amelia’s reviews. She has yet to find a book of his that she loves. After some bad press, Thomas is struggling to stay with his publisher and having a major case of writer’s block. To combat the bad press and writer’s block, him and his twin brother hatch a plan- Tommy should “marry” Amelia and let her provide the critical input that he needs with his books.

The premise of this book was a unique and interesting concept. Yes, fake marriage tropes have been done millions of times. But this had a fresh and exciting spin. The spin has mainly to do with the dynamic. It’s between a writer and a reviewer, which on its own is already exciting.  When you bring in the “fake marriage” trope, the level of excitement increases.

There were times where Work in Progress felt very unrealistic and cheesy, however, it was easy to overlook those things. It ended up being a sweet and heartwarming romance book.

Amelia and Tommy were great leads. You can’t help but fall in love with them both. Amelia’s was just so pure and shy. She was also very passionate about what she does. And Tommy had such a strong loyalty and love for his family.

Final Analysis

Work in Progress is an interesting and heartwarming read with two lovable characters.