Edenbrooke

When pondering about my favorite romances (specifically regency romances), I cannot help but immediately think of Julianne Donaldson's Edenbrooke.

Edenbrooke
by Julianne Donaldson
Shadow Mountain Publishing

 

I read Edenbrooke about a year ago, and I can honestly say it's changed by life...in a manner of speaking. Since reading Edenbrooke, I cannot get enough of romance novels!! It really is all I crave lately, but that is not the only way it has changed my life. I have always wanted to write a novel. I love writing and knew it was something that would make me feel... expressed-for lack of a better word. Although I had this desperate desire, I never had a connection with a genre. I never had that story in my mind that had to be put to paper, until Edenbrooke. As soon as I finished this brilliantly written book, I got the itch. I knew this was the answer. I wanted to write regency romance. This is not to say I wanted to rewrite Edenbrooke, but I had a connection with this genre and era I hadn't experienced before. So exciting!

 

So putting aside my personal connection, I have to tell you about this book!! Like I said, I read this book about a year ago. I did not, however, mention that I have read it multiple times since. In fact, I read it again yesterday in preparation for writing this review. I wanted it fresh!!

 

Edenbrooke is nothing short of spectacular. Breathtaking. Maybe even magical. Marianne's story is one that breaks your heart while making it soar. She has lost so much and fears she is unwanted by everyone. Until she visits Edenbrooke. Here she meets handsome, charming, flirtatious Philip. After becoming fast friends with him, she comes to find that the man she now cherishes as her friend is the same man her twin sister has set her sights on marrying. Is what she feels toward Philip really friendship or something more? And can she step aside and let her sister have the man that might be the love of her life?

 

This story has everything you could hope for. Julianne Donaldson truly is a master of regency romances. When you read her tale, you somehow feel like both twirling and crying. Everyone must read this book!

 

PS. My favorite line is on page 229. I can't put it here because it's a spoiler, but you will know it when you read it. What can I say? I am a romantic!

 

Julianne Donaldson has just released her second title, Blackmoore. (Which is just as wonderful!) Review to come!

 

 



 

Longing for Home

So many books to talk about!! I've been in a romance mood since...well...pretty much since Edenbrooke. I can't get enough! So I have a few favorites I would like to share with y'all. I will be posting about a few different romances over the next few days but first is....

Longing for Home by Sarah Eden

I read this one a week or two ago and was so happy I loved it. I have read Sarah Eden's other books which are regency romances and was nervous about this one because it is set in Wyoming. I even held off reading it for a few weeks after getting a copy because I really didn't want to not like it! But now I can't believe I didn't read it the second I got it!!

Katie Macauley is a woman with a torn past. She feels she has a debt to pay to her family, and she cannot return to her home in Ireland until she has repaid that debt. She takes a job as a housekeeper in Hope Springs, WY but is surprised by what she finds when she gets there. Hope Springs is a town at war with itself. Half the town is Irish and the other half is not. The two sides hate each other, and Katie is caught in the middle! As she makes a home for herself and develops relationships with the people in Hope Springs, she must decide if she should "stay and give her heart a chance at love, or return home and give her soul the possibility of peace."

Such a riveting storyline and enchanting characters! Katie is the perfect mix of delicate lady and tough heroine. And I can't even tell you how much I loved the men in her life! Tavish is the charming, flirtatious Irishman, and Joseph is the wealthy, sensitive father. I love them both! I can't tell you how much I want everyone to read this book...and then come talk to me about it!!

I'm still here!

I haven't forgotten! But sorry it has been so long. The last few weeks have been a roller coaster. So many things going on in life! This post will be more like a journal entry than anything else, so if there is anyone reading this, it will most likely be insignificant to you. I apologize. But one of the main purposes of this blog was to better record what is happening in my life, so here we go.

Family: We recently celebrated the 24th of July. So fun! We had the day off so we woke up and went out to breakfast (kind of a tradition in our family for small holidays.) We drove to Evanston, WY for the Jackson family reunion. I know- we leave Utah to celebrate the 24th. The irony kills me. Such a good time up there though. Except we had to basically hold Buzz the whole time because he had been fixed two days earlier. Oh well. He's all healed up now! After Evanston we drove to South Weber to visit my family, picking up a few fireworks before we re-entered Utah. We had an excellent evening with my family. We did fireworks and made snowcones. Overall a very fun day.

             This week, August 1st to be precise, Ava turned 2. She is getting so big! Except not really. She only measured at 22 lbs which puts her below the 3rd percentile for kids her age. She is just so small! But that is ok. The doctor wants us to start giving her vitamins with iron to make up for the fact that she thinks she is a vegetarian. We almost got a bit of hotdog in her yesterday. She put a corndog nugget in her mouth, chewed for a little bit, and then spit out all the hotdog parts. Somehow she got the cornbread down without swallowing any hotdog. It was kind of impressive. We are also going to be starting her in speech therapy. She still only says about 5 to 10 words regularly and she should be popping out small sentences by now. So we are going to see if we can get her a little extra help. I'm actually really excited about it. She is super smart and understands everything we say. I think she just needs an extra push to start really talking.
        To celebrate her birthday, we drove down to Davis county where our families live. We went to the gateway in Salt Lake so she could play in the splash pad, which she loved, and then took a short nap. :) We had a birthday party for her that evening. Thanks to everyone who came! Sorry to all those who couldn't make it! We went to a park and had pizza and cupcakes. Ava had a great time and enjoyed seeing so many people she loved.

School: Phil and I are both enrolled in summer classes. I had a huge project due last night for one of mine. The final product was 22 pages long to give you an idea. It wasn't particularly hard, just a lot of work. I'm glad to have it turned in.
              Phil spent last night studying for a Health and Wellness test. He is taking the test today, and I expect he will do pretty well. This coming week is finals week for the semester so he has his big business statistics final on Wednesday. I will be happy when that is over. This is his last math class- ever. So excited.

Work: Lots of things going on at work. Specifically, I interviewed for the Deseret Book Riverdale store manager position three weeks ago. I found out on Wednesday night that I did not get the position. Bummer. But it was not unexpected. Although I wanted the job, I had felt from the day I interviewed that it was not mine. I had no reason for this, but I continually had a feeling that it was not the right fit for me or my family at this time. Thursday morning, however, I received an email from the regional manager over the Cedar City store asking if I was interested in the store manager position down there. I emailed back immediately saying I for sure was! He responded that he would love to meet with me this next week. He said he wants to fill the position without having to post it. Hopefully that means I am only up against a few people. That would be great. I already feel so much better about this job than I ever did about the Riverdale store. I'm sure there are reasons, even if they are beyond me.

Sorry this was so much!! Like I said, lots has been going on around here!

Cupcake Voting

This week has been crazy!- but it is coming to an end and I am looking forward to spending the weekend with my hubby and my daughter. Between work, homework, doctors appointments, dog groomings, and job interviews, we have barely seen each other. So this weekend will be nice.

With such a hectic week coming to a close, I can now move forward in planning my little girl's second birthday party. She currently loves Toy Story, so we are going to have a themed party. Of course, I will be making cupcakes, but I'm not sure what kind to make. I'd love some input! Comment below if you have a vote. I will probably make multiple batches so I will be taking some to neighbors and work. So, even if you think you may not get a taste, you probably will. So let me know if there is something you want to try!

Wise words from Kathleen Kelly

"Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life. Well, valuable, but small. And sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? So much of what I see reminds me of something I read in a book, when shouldn't it be the other way around? I don’t really want an answer. I just want to send this cosmic question out into the void." - Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail

Oh, to be as poetic as Kathleen Kelly! Maybe someday. But until that day I plan to send my thoughts into the void through blogging. I've never thought of myself as the blogging type, but why not? What better way to tell absolutely everyone absolutely nothing? I guess everyone needs an outlet, and this will be mine. Get ready for the good, the bad, and the fabulous!