A Wonderful Winter Read

A Wonderful Winter Read - Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce - Keurig Junior Mints Hot Cocoa K-Cups
Beauty Brite Disclosure

I am always keen to find new authors to read and new genres of the written word to dive into. This winter, a new author I’ve found is Erica Boyce

I love a book with unexpected turns that makes me think about or see a situation in a totally new way. I’ve read novels about people who were adopted and I’ve read memoirs/biographies about people who were adopted. But, I don’t think I’ve read a book that explored the adoption of one child from so many different people’s perspectives at once before. I found that aspect of this story to be very fascinating and fulfilling.

On top of that this story takes place in a small town, features a mysterious disappearance that baffles everyone, the unraveling of secrets, and tackles the topic of substance addiction in and around all of the other plot elements.

Even though there are a lot of different characters and elements, I never felt like the story was rushed or confusing. At the same time, I think that there is enough of a foundation here that Ms. Boyce most certainly might have created a whole series or at least a very long novel out of it easily without losing her audience’s attention. Not saying she should have done that, but I mean it as a high compliment to her that I could easily have become ensconced in the narrative for a much longer time if she’d wanted to go that route. I would love to learn more about the town and its inhabitants.

I mentioned that one of the elements in the story was substance addiction. Without spoiling anything, there is one character who is supplying narcotics to addicts that I just didn’t see coming at all. Total surprise!! And honestly, I’d love to see an exploration of that topic and how seemingly ordinary people come to do very surprising things like this (just a thought I had after closing the last page of the book).

Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce will be on sale March 3, 2020. Definitely pick up a copy and give it a read. I’m glad I made it one of the 50 books I try to read each year for my Goodreads reading goal!

A Wonderful Winter Read - Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce - Keurig Junior Mints Hot Cocoa K-Cups

Synopsis:

When beloved fisherman John Staybrook vanishes in the night, his loss stirs up more than grief. His daughter Ella is convinced he’s still alive and vows to bring him home.

But as she searches the small Massachusetts town, secrets throughout the community begin to bubble to the surface. As the pieces fall into place of what really happened, everyone from the babysitter to the local librarian are swept into a more urgent question: Why would someone go out in the middle of a deadly storm?

Erica Boyce weaves a tense yet hopeful tale of family secrets whispering across the rocky shores and the unshakeable strength that love leaves behind.

A Wonderful Winter Read - Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce - Keurig Junior Mints Hot Cocoa K-Cups

Nothing goes better with a good book during the winter time than a nice hot beverage. Hot tea is fine, but I prefer a nice cup of hot cocoa or cappucino.

Junior Mints Hot Cocoa K-Cups are an easy way to get a fast cup of hot cocoa. Smooth and minty chocolate flavor warms me all up inside and the scent takes me back to that smell when opening a box of Junior Mints at the movie theater as a kid.

A Wonderful Winter Read - Lost At Sea by Erica Boyce - Keurig Junior Mints Hot Cocoa K-Cups

The only way this might be better is to have some whipped cream I could dollop on top and some soft, doughy, sweet doughnuts to snack on. You can also find other candy-inspired flavors like Charleston Chew (creamy vanilla marshmallow flavor) and Sugar Babies (caramel cocoa flavor)!

You can find these pretty much anywhere you like to shop for k-cups — like Amazon, Walmart, or Bed Bath & Beyond.

Find Erica Boyce at Goodreads and her website to learn more, and find her book at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or anywhere else you shop for books.

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I love a book with unexpected turns that makes me think about or see a situation in a totally new way. I’ve read novels about people who were adopted and I’ve read memoirs/biographies about people who were adopted. But, I don’t think I’ve read a book that explored the adoption of one child from so many different people’s perspectives at once before. I found that aspect of this story to be very fascinating and fulfilling. word word word word word word word word

Down The Rabbit Hole With Alice, Again

Down The Rabbit Hole With Alice, Again--Ever Alice by H.J. Ramsay
Beauty Brite Disclosure

Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll was one of my favorite books as a kid. I read quite a few classical favorites, from Little Women to Frankenstein to A Tale of Two Cities, and many, many more besides. But there was something about the whimsical fantasy of Wonderland that drew me into those pages again and again.

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Are You Bringing Your Whole Self To Work?


Mike Robbins Book Bring Your Whole Self to WorkBeauty Brite Disclosure

Spring is around the corner and before you know it, summer. Summer is the time when many people will grab a book and spend time reading at the beach, by the pool, or while sitting in the sun in their backyard. The first business culture book I’m reading is “Bring Your Whole Self to Work,†by Mike Robbins. I thought this would be a great time to do a book review!

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Lose Yourself In A Good Book


Lose Yourself In A Good Book - My Last Love Story by Falguni Kothari-What Doesn't Kill You by Aimee Hix

What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix
Print Length: 266 pages
Publisher: Midnight Ink (January 8, 2018)
Language: English
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My Last Love Story by Falguni Kothari
Print Length: 304 pages Publisher: Graydon House (February 1, 2018) Language: English

 

Beauty Brite Disclosure

One of my all-time favorite hobbies is reading. I have a few favorite authors, but am always looking for new ones to expand my horizons, so to speak. I love to read everywhere — in bed, while waiting for the kids to be done with sports, on the beach or while out on the boat … there is no such thing to me as a place it’s not good to read.

I wanted to share two new books I’ve read recently by authors that are new to me. My Last Love Story by Falguni Kothari is a love story, but not just any old love story. The plot has a pretty great twist to it and it also incorporates something else I love, a foreign culture. What Doesn’t Kill You by Aimee Hix also involves a love story of sorts but it’s wrapped up in a thrilling murder mystery.

I read the murder mystery first and was completely hooked and thrilled throughout that story. It was nice to have a book to follow it up with that was of a different sort of engagement style. Both of these books are really good and were well worth the time I spent living within them!… [read more]

Books That You Will Love


Books That You Will Love-House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick-Last Chance by Gregg Hurwitz

Beauty Brite Disclosure

I love to read. I have since I was a kid. I remember the highlight of one evening was waiting in line for the last Harry Potter book to come out. We waited for three hours and were first in line. I had that sucker read in about two days. (Yes I’m well aware how much that dates me) As a parent reading is my time that I set aside for myself and gives me a chance to breathe and recover from the day.

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Who Do You Trust?


Who Do You Trust? - The Trust by Ronald H. Balson

Series: Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart (Book 4)
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press (September 19, 2017)
Language: English

Beauty Brite Disclosure

If you already follow the Beauty Brite Blog you may have read quite a few book reviews I’ve written in the past. I would never call myself a professional reviewer of the written word or say that my opinions and impressions are any better or worse than anyone else’s. But, I’ve been an avid book worm all my life, from the time I could pay attention long enough for my mother to read to me I’ve been entranced by words, characters, and their stories (both fiction and non-fiction).

When I read a new book, particularly one by an author with which I’m not already familiar, I always pay attention to the pace of story development and how the story progresses to its conclusion and make a mental (or sometimes literal) list of questions that occur to me while reading to see if they get answered by the time I finish the book. Most books leave me with one or two questions that I’d ask the author if I were to ever meet them, some leave me with many questions. Whether I’m left with questions or not doesn’t directly impact my overall impression of the work, per se. But, a book that leaves me with few questions is one I generally consider a good book.

As I read The Trust [Liam Taggart and Catherine Lockhart #4] by Ronald H. Balson (an author I’ve not read before) I mentally compiled my usual list of questions while progressing through the narrative. When I finally closed the back cover and set the book aside, I was genuinely surprised to find that I could not think of a single question that I had while reading that was left unanswered. That almost never happens!… [read more]

Between Lost and Found: A Novel of Love in South Dakota


Beauty Brite Disclosure

The story of a far-gone city girl traveling to a new place–and discovering redemption, and herself, along the way–is by no means an original one. However, such a plot-line deserves some repetition. It’s satisfying, sweet, and serves as a more tangible example of the search for self that we all strive towards. So, knowing that the book Between Lost and Found (whose heroine, Janelle Marshall, finds love and closure while searching for her missing grandfather in a little South Dakota town called Mammoth Falls) would involve said plot-line, I was excited and pleased to read the story. Shelly Stratton’s book, Between Lost and Found, has all the pleasurable cliches of a typical find-yourself-novel–but none of the typical brattiness that also comes along with it.

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Read Your Way Through The Blah Days Of Winter


Read Your Way Through The Blah Days Of Winter - A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay and Rejected Princesses by Jason Porath

Rejected Princesses:
Print Length: 384 pages
Publisher: Dey Street Books (October 25, 2016)
Publication Date: October 25, 2016
Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
Language: English

A Portrait of Emily Price:
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Thomas Nelson (November 1, 2016)
Language: English

Beauty Brite DisclosureThe older I get the more I hate the gloomy days in the wintertime. But, on the upside, the kids’ extracurricular activities slow down and the cold weather gives me the perfect excuse to stay indoors and burrow into the couch with my favorite blanket and a hot cup of mocha cappuccino.

This winter, when I’m not crocheting or knitting, I’m hitting the books. You might have guessed from the picture that I read… a lot. I do. I read all the time, and I try to choose books from many genres spanning many topics. More often than not, you will find two or three books sitting around because I like to read more than one book at a time. Most recently, I’ve been reading A Portrait of Emily Price by Katherine Reay and Rejected Princesses: Tales of Histories Boldest Heroines, Hellions, and Heretics by Jason Porath. With these two books, I have been traveling the globe and it’s been a fun ride!… [read more]

Letters From Paris: Introspection and Mystery in the City of Love


Letters From Paris: Introspection and Mystery in the City of Love

Letters From Paris by Juliet Blackwell

Beauty Brite Disclosure

When I first saw the book Letters from Paris, I was not incredibly excited. The book’s cover is beautiful, and it is written by bestselling author Juliet Blackwell, but the word ‘Paris’ instantly made me apprehensive. After all, there are many books about Paris that involve a woman’s self-discovery (and romance) whilst visiting the French city; what would make this one different?

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Only You: A Summery Romance


 

Only You: A Summery Romance

Only You by Denise Grover Swank

 

Beauty Brite Disclosure

I admit it; I love romance novels. Sound the alarms! After all, romance novels are not usually listed among the world’s most esteemed pieces of literature (even though they can tell us a lot about different cultures’ romantic ideals), and several of them certainly do lack quality writing or unique plot elements. But I love them anyway, whether they’re historical Westerns or simplistic contemporary novels–and I’m certainly not the only one who does–so I was thrilled to receive an Advance Reading Copy of Denise Grover Swank’s new book Only You as a reviewer!… [read more]