The Lost Carousel of Provence by Juliet Blackwell

*Disclosure of material connection-I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

An artist lost to history, a family abandoned to its secrets, and the woman whose search for meaning unearths it all in a sweeping and expressive story from the New York Times bestselling author of Letters from Paris.

Long, lonely years have passed for the crumbling Château Clement, nestled well beyond the rolling lavender fields and popular tourist attractions of Provence. Once a bustling and dignified ancestral estate, now all that remains is the château's gruff, elderly owner and the softly whispered secrets of generations buried and forgotten.
 
But time has a way of exposing history's dark stains, and when American photographer Cady Drake finds herself drawn to the château and its antique carousel, she longs to explore the relic's shadowy origins beyond the small scope of her freelance assignment. As Cady digs deeper into the past, unearthing century-old photographs of the Clement carousel and its creators, she might be the one person who can bring the past to light and reunite a family torn apart.

My thoughts-

I often find myself drawn to books that take place in more than one time period, especially if one of the time periods happens to be during WWII. I have always gravitated towards stories set during that time, and lately I am especially interested in stories that deal with the French Resistance Movement. What I really loved about The Lost Carousel of Provence is that it is full of layers- there are 3 time periods, and one of the main characters is in both of them. His character is significantly younger in the older time period and I think Juliet Blackwell does a terrific job at making sure we see what has happened in his younger years has really effected how he is in the present day story. I like that there is an element of mystery surrounding Fabrice and his direct ancestors both in the past and present. I found him to be the fabric that tied all of the stories in each time together. I liked that there were elements of suspense, romance, and history running throughout the book. I recommend this book to anyone interested in WWII, France, and Women's Fiction. 

The Edible Cookie Dough Cookbook by Olivia Hops

Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

The Edible Cookie Dough Cookbook is exactly what someone with a big sweet tooth needs for endless options of great desserts. I think many people enjoying eating cookie dough, but this book allows you do that safely. It also delivers the opportunity to try a wide array of recipe options for every palate and has recipes that would fit nearly every dessert making occasion. The first section focuses on cookie dough recipes. Most are pretty simple recipes, but there are a few more intricate ones as well. The second section allows you to use your cookie doughs to make out of this world desserts if you want to do something more complicated or mix more flavors together. I recommend this book to the cookie dough enthusiast or anyone who enjoys a homemade sweet treat.

The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

“We’ve been waiting for an hour.” That’s what Audrey says. She states it with a little bit of an edge, her words just bordering on cursive. That’s the thing I think first. Not: Audrey Hepburn is at my birthday dinner, but Audrey Hepburn is annoyed.”

At one point or another, we’ve all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we’d like to have dinner. Why do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are the questions Rebecca Serle contends with in her utterly captivating novel, THE DINNER LIST, a story imbued with the same delightful magical realism as One Day, and the life-changing romance of Me Before You.

When Sabrina arrives at her thirtieth birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there’s a reason these six people have been gathered together.

Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, THE DINNER LIST is a romance for our times. Bon appetit.

My thoughts-

I was so excited to read The Dinner List because the concept seemed so interesting. I think many of us have been posed the question, if you could have dinner with 5 people living or dead who would they be? This book takes that question and helps paint a picture of what that might be like. Sabrina has this happen to her in the book at her 30th birthday. There is only one famous person in the mix, Audrey Hepburn, but she ties together several of the people in Sabrina's life and makes the story more interesting to boot, she may have been my favorite part of the book. The Dinner List explores several key relationships in Sabrina's life- her relationship with her estranged father, her best friend who she seems to have lost her connection with, and the love of her life, Tobias, and the struggles they went through and what happened that ultimately lead to their parting. The book is heartbreaking and romantic and keeps you turning page after page to see what exactly happened in all of these relationships. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read something refreshing and new or who enjoys contemporary literature. 

Fizz Boom Bath! By Isabel Bercaw, Caroline Bercaw

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Have you ever been at a store and found yourself staring longingly at a table full of scrumptious-looking bath bombs, shower melts, or lotion bars and thought, “Gee, it would be fun to make these at home, but where the heck would I begin?!” Well, we’re here to take the mystery out of bath and body recipes and give you all the tools you need to crown yourself Archbishop of Bathtopia. We’ll hold your hand every step of the way, and then we’ll exfoliate it with some sugar scrub when we’re finished! This book will teach you how to create all kinds of delightful, natural, homemade treats. From fizzers to scrubs, masks to soaps, bubble bars to shower melts, we’ve got you covered.

My thoughts-

A few years ago I bought several bath bomb molds on a whim and started making my own. At first it took some trial and error, but I found a few recipes online that worked well. Fizz Boom Bath! Is full of interesting, fun, new bath bomb recipes to take my bath bomb making to the next level. What I really love about the book is that there are so many other do it yourself beauty product recipes in the book including bath jellies, hand scrubs, lotions, foot masks, ect. Most of these recipes have stuff that I have lying around the house to try out these fun recipes. Fizz Boom Bath! is an excellent resource for making beauty products at home. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys D.I.Y. or  beauty products.  

All We Ever Wanted by Emily Griffin

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville’s elite. More recently, her husband made a fortune selling his tech business, and their adored son has been accepted to Princeton. Yet sometimes the middle-class small-town girl in Nina wonders if she’s strayed from the person she once was.

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs while struggling to raise his headstrong daughter, Lyla. His road has been lonely, long, and hard, but he finally starts to relax after Lyla earns a scholarship to Windsor Academy, Nashville’s most prestigious private school.

Amid so much wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn’t always fit in—and her overprotective father doesn’t help—but in most ways, she’s a typical teenaged girl, happy and thriving.

Then, one photograph, snapped in a drunken moment at a party, changes everything. As the image spreads like wildfire, the Windsor community is instantly polarized, buzzing with controversy and assigning blame.

At the heart of the lies and scandal, Tom, Nina, and Lyla are forced together—all questioning their closest relationships, asking themselves who they really are, and searching for the courage to live a life of true meaning.

My thoughts-

Nashville is one of my favorite places to visit and Emily Griffin is an author I really like, so I knew I would like this book before I even read it. Bonus points for mentioning one of my favorite hotels in Dallas (not too far from where I live), The Mansion on Turtle Creek! This was a quick moving story line and it didn't take me long to get through reading this one, just two days. I find Nina to be so easy to like and feel empathy for and Tom and Lyla really drew me in as well. The story is told from 3 different view points and I love books that are written in this format because I think it always goes a long way in really setting the scene and getting the full impact of the story having several different view points. The only complaint I have is I wanted more in the epilogue. I liked the taste of their futures but I wanted to know even more. All We Ever Wanted tackles some tough subject matter, but it is done in a way that I think isn't too overbearing. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction. 

The Other Lady Vanishes by Amanda Quick

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

After escaping from a private sanitarium, Adelaide Blake arrives in Burning Cove, California, desperate to start over.

Working at an herbal tea shop puts her on the radar of those who frequent the seaside resort town: Hollywood movers and shakers always in need of hangover cures and tonics. One such customer is Jake Truett, a recently widowed businessman in town for a therapeutic rest. But unbeknownst to Adelaide, his exhaustion is just a cover.

In Burning Cove, no one is who they seem. Behind facades of glamour and power hide drug dealers, gangsters, and grifters. Into this make-believe world comes psychic to the stars Madame Zolanda. Adelaide and Jake know better than to fall for her kind of con. But when the medium becomes a victim of her own dire prediction and is killed, they're drawn into a murky world of duplicity and misdirection.

Neither Adelaide nor Jake can predict that in the shadowy underground they'll find connections to the woman Adelaide used to be--and uncover the specter of a killer who's been real all along...

My thoughts-

The Other Lady Vanishes seemed liked a great book to reach for during my flight to Vegas for our family vacation and it was absolutely the right pick. It was full of interesting characters, great plot points, and a love story. It was just light enough to read on a flight, but intense enough to keep my interest. It did get repetitive in places and that was kind of a bummer, but not so much that it made me not like the book. I really enjoyed getting to know the small town of Burning Cove and it's newest residents, Adelaide and Jake. I liked the main premise of the story of Adelaide escaping from the sanitarium and the murder mystery with the psychic. If this continued on as a series, I would definitely want to read the next book to find out what happens to Adelaide after her past is behind her. 

Low Carb on the Go by Sandra Stupning, Mirco Stupning

*Disclosure of material connection- I received a copy of the book form the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions stated are 100% my own. 

About the book-

More than 80 fast, healthy low-carbohydrate recipes for meals and snacks you can eat anywhere, anytime.

Low-carb eating is a sustainable lifestyle choice for people who want to lose weight, stabilize blood sugar, or simply avoid the afternoon carb coma. Fitting a low-carbohydrate diet into your busy day is easy with more than 80 meal and snack recipes bursting with modern, vegetable- and protein-packed ideas such as Chia Seed and Turmeric Pudding, Coconut and Vanilla Energy Balls, and Chicken Teriyaki with Cauliflower Rice. Discover tips and tricks for healthy meal prep, and the best way to store and transport your low-carb lunch to keep it looking and tasting fresh. Each recipe contains nutritional information, including the all-important carb count, as well as a handy guide to prep time and equipment you'll need. With Low Carb on the Go, you can plan your low-carb diet and stick to it with more than 80 delicious, healthy meals and snacks for anytime, anywhere.

My thoughts-

I am a stay at home mom but during the school year I stay very busy with volunteering and during the summer I stay busy with keeping the kids busy so it is good to have some portable food that works well on the go. There are definitely some good recipes here, I plan to try the kimchi, and the oops bread recipes first, and I like that the nutrition facts are listed for each recipe at the bottom of the page. I didn't like that fiber count wasn't included because I find that to be an important part of each meal as well, but of course for any person doing a low carb diet fat and protein counts are the most important and I like that it is listed right on each recipe page to make counting macros that much easier. I think anyone looking to have healthy meals on the go would get great use out of this cookbook, but would especially recommend it to people who follow a low carb lifestyle.