All that stands between love and war are two families, two brothers and two conflicting versions of the truth.
About Seeing Double
A chill ran up her spine, triggering an alarm that spread through her system. Her eyes studied him as his eyes studied her. In the recesses of her mind, a fragment of a memory tingled…a tiny blip from long ago. An image spiraled and then vanished. There was something about this man, this Ari Ben Aviv. There was something about him that she couldn’t pinpoint.
On the heels of her last mystery, Elisabeth’s new patient is more than meets the eye, and unraveling his secrets will throw her team into a desert storm of double agents and religious extremists. All that stands between love and war are two families, two brothers and two conflicting versions of the truth.
My Thoughts
An exciting adventure that takes us around the world and through past and present. Elisabeth is part of a secret but very important organization. Her newest patient holds many secrets some that tie into her own past. This time, Elisabeth and her organization find themselves trying to extract a young family in the middle of a war torn country and in the camp of a new terror organization. In the midst of this is a family whose Mother Elisabeth knew and her children, whom Elisabeth begins to know quite well!
The plot is intense and very well planned out. It kept you guessing at every second, never allowing (or you wanting!) to put the book down. We are given just enough information at each stage of the novel to help us unravel the story. It is full of suspense, fear, anxiety, hope and excitement. You never quite know what to expect next but she never disappoints you.
Seeing Double is a well written, excellent novel full of suspense and mystery that you will fall in love with from page one. A definite must read.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Love of the mystery/thriller genre combines with psychotherapy training and experience to produce an emotionally supercharged novel. Nancy Alexander has devoted much of her professional life to helping survivors of childhood trauma; their distress has been ingrained and works to create characters who give voice to their plight. To analyze the evil minds that prey on others and the intricacies of law enforcers who purse them seemed a natural interlacing of professional, literary and creative interests.
Three best friends met every Tuesday for twenty-six years. And then they stopped.
About Sweet Tea Tuesdays
Three best friends met every Tuesday for twenty-six years. And then they stopped. From the author of the bestselling Sweeney Sisters Series comes a novel of friendship, family, and hope. When new next-door neighbors Georgia, Midge, and Lula first assembled on Georgia’s porch in Charleston for sweet tea, they couldn’t have known their gathering was the beginning of a treasured tradition. For twenty-six years they have met on Tuesdays at four o’clock, watching the seasons change and their children grow up, supporting each other in good times and in bad. With their ambitions as different as their personalities, these best friends anticipate many more years of tea time. And then, one Tuesday, Georgia shares news that brings their long-standing social hour to an abrupt halt. And that’s only the beginning as unraveling secrets threaten to alter their friendship forever.
My Thoughts
Wow – another incredible, incredible story from Ashley Farley. She had me laughing, crying and heart sore throughout this novel that I just couldn’t stop reading (how could you want to miss a day in the lives of Georgia, Midge and Lula?!).
These three ladies were the best of friends but life has a way of pulling people apart slowly. As their life goals change, their special tea time is changed and this brings their friendship to a breaking point. Their friendship begins to spiral and you really begin to wonder if they can recover from this. As it spirals out of control, we are introduced to more to their past and we begin to uncover secrets from their present. Like any normal friends, they fight, they love, they forgive and sometimes they hold grudges!
It is at one shocking point where the three women are forced to wake up. This life changing event affects not just them but the people around them. This life event is a reminder to all of us to always be in the present, to forgive and to love.
Sweet Tea Tuesdays is an emotional, honest, loving story of the lives of three normal women that we can all relate to. It is a special reminder to live our lives to the fullest, to be honest, to give to others and to be happy in all that we do. It is a truly special book that you will always cherish.
Ashley Farley is the author of the bestselling series, the Sweeney Sisters Series. Ashley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her goal is to keep you turning the pages until the wee hours of the morning. If her story stays with you long after you’ve read the last word, then she’s done her job. After her brother died in 1999 of an accidental overdose, she turned to writing as a way of releasing her pent-up emotions. She wrote SAVING BEN in honor of Neal, the boy she worshipped, the man she could not save. Ashley is a wife and mother of two college-aged children. She grew up in the salty marshes of South Carolina, but now lives in Richmond, Virginia, a city she loves for its history and traditions. Ashley loves to hear from her readers. Feel free to visit her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ashleywfarley or twitter.com/ashleywfarley. Visit her website at http://www.ashleyfarley.net
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Turn to the left…squeeze your eyes tight and pray for some sleep.
Ten minutes later turn to the right…squeeze your eyes tight and please let me sleep!
Forty minutes later give up all hope of sleeping as your mind continuously reminds you of your to-do list, your work list that never seems ending and not to mention the stuff you need to buy for your children as they constantly grow out of their shoes and clothes.
Sound familiar?
I am sure so many of us can relate to having our natural sleep patterns disturbed at some point in our adult lives. Sometimes it is for a night or two but for others mild stress can become a burden and force longer periods of sleeplessness.
Mild stress and anxiety can have a negative impact on so many areas in your life. It can affect your relationships, the way you react to situations (even normal situations that you have dealt with in the past but because of stress your mind can’t think properly) and can even affect your sleep.
For me stress and anxiety cause a lot of disruption to my normal sleep patterns. I find it difficult to fall asleep at night (it can be so brutal to watch everyone else sleeping and there you are tossing side to side, trying to keep your eyes closed and pray for just even a few hours of sleep) and I find it even more difficult to stay asleep for more than four hours at a time.
A lack of sleep can have many negative impacts in your life – it makes me grumpy, irritable and I am less on the ball; I make more mistakes at work and even at home. Ever poured a large amount of cumin into a loaf of banana bread instead of cinnamon? OOPS! But that is how a lack of sleep affects me. Not to mention being far more irritable with my family and becoming quick to anger, this hurts me and them.
So how do we fight back against sleep problems? Try these helpful tips below:
Exercise Daily: I am not talking about heading to the gym for an intense workout but something as simple as going out for a walk on your lunch break, taking the dog out for a walk when you get home from work. Just something simple, relaxing but still gets your heart rate elevated. A little bit of exercise goes a long way for stress relief and relaxing the body. Don’t go overboard with the exercise late at night – that will likely reverse the effects and actually give you more energy. This is definitely not something you want to do if you are already struggling with sleep.
Eat a healthy, balanced diet: Nutrition goes a long way for making your body and mind feel good and I am a firm believer of this. It can’t work miracles but when you fuel your body with healthy food products you will feel better too. Stay away from alcohol! Honestly, you don’t need the negative effects of it on your body if you are already suffering from restless sleep.
Practice good sleep hygiene habits: Don’t bring your cell phone and tablet to bed, that is one of the worst things that you could do. It is also one of the habits that I am most guilty of doing. The screen will keep your mind alert and awake and not to mention the constant stress of knowing you have work emails coming through. Your phone becomes like a beacon on your bedside table, “read me just one more time, what harm can it do?” The harm comes easily when you can’t help looking one more time after that and one more time after that! Some nights I find myself working on my blog at two in the morning instead of sleeping and the next day I am mentally and physically exhausted. Or even worse, social media can be a huge distracter when you want to sleep, as you scroll through your feeds one more time or laugh your way through one more meme.
Use a lavender oil on your sheets: I have this great lavender oil spray that I use on my pillows and sheets about twenty minutes before I go to bed. I love the relaxing smell of lavender and it helps to unwind the stress from the day.
If you try all of this and still finding you are having restless sleeps, trying a natural sleep aid can make a huge difference in your life.
Pharmaton® Sleep Harmony™ is a traditional herbal medicine which has been designed to help calm those racing thoughts and improve our sleep patterns at night. Pharmaton® Sleep Harmony™ is made with a patented essential lavender oil, called Silexan™, which has been shown to help relieve symptoms of mild exhaustion and mild mental stress. The best part (and one I know so many of us worry about), Pharmaton® Sleep Harmony™ is non-habit forming, so your body won’t begin to rely on it for sleep. It also doesn’t leave you with that groggy feeling in the morning that many prescribed medications do. This is the perfect solution for individuals who need a good night’s sleep but don’t want to take prescribed medication that can cause your body to need the medication to fall asleep. Before you start this product, make sure it is the right one for you – read and follow the labels.
Do you suffer from sleeplessness? How do you deal with it and what are your best go to solutions?
Disclosure: I received compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
The Bad Luck Bride is the first in a new Regency romance series from Janna MacGregor.
The Bad Luck Bride
All were shocked at the announcement of the cursed Lady Claire Cavensham to Lord Alexander Hallworth, the Marquess of Pembrooke, especially when she is already engaged to another unfortunate Lord. Perhaps she will make it to the altar this time with one of these gentleman.
No one is left breathless at this pronouncement of her engagement to Lord Pembrooke more than Claire. She hardly knows the man! But after three engagements gone awry and a fourth going up in flames, she is not in a position to refuse.
Alexander requires the hand of his enemy’s fiancée in marriage in order to complete his plans for revenge. It is his good fortune that the cursed woman is desperate. However, what beings as a sham turns into something deeper.
My Thoughts
I fell in love with this novel – it was full of humour, romance and suspense! Lady Claire is a strong, kind and so full of love but her life was changed the day her parents died. That day forever changed her, her fears and her outlook on life. It also sprang to life some of the vicious curse rumours that have forever plagued her. So much so that Lady Claire begins to believe some of those cursed rumours! It doesn’t help when four of her engagements are broken and not in the usual manner. You fee for Lady Claire – how much can one young woman handle? All she wants is her own family and children to love.
Alexander doesn’t believe in the curse but at first only wants Lady Claire for his personal revenge. As he begins to truly know Lady Claire, we see him fall in love with her for her bravery, her kindness and her good heart. But he is still hiding a dark secret from her which includes why he married her in the first place – if she were to find out it would spell disaster for the two of them! He makes you mad at times for being so secretive but he has such good intentions that it is hard to stay mad at him.
As their feelings develop, disaster strikes again and leaves us wondering if the pair can heal their broken past and move forward. They have such potential to build a strong relationship but sometimes it can be hard to release our past.
Bad Luck Bride is full of love, strength, hope and resilience. Our two main characters could let their past determine their future but instead use love, hope and forgiveness to move forward. Bad Luck Bride is a well written and exciting read that I could not put down.
Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the boot heel of Missouri. She credits her darling Mom for introducing her to the happily ever after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the Mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her own dashing rogue and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs. She loves to here from her readers. The Bad Luck Bride is her first novel.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The teenage years are exciting, scary, unsure, full of changes and can be so hard to navigate – not only for teens but their parents too. Teens are given more freedom but at the same time treated as children. They are expected to make decisions about their future younger and younger each passing year. They have school, peer, work and family pressures just like adults do but without the freedom and experience to make difficult decisions. Connecting with your teen can be an even harder job for parents! We may be out of touch with the reality that teens face or even the changing social scene. We may not know how to start the conversations or even what is important to talk about.
As my son enters into his teen years, I am reminded of my own teen years. They were full of both ups and downs marked by my own depression and anxiety. High school was full of rumours, fights, parties, the importance of getting good grades, getting into university and stress (lots and lots of stress!). I remember the constant pressure to give and be at 100% all the time but still trying to fit in with your peers and give off the appearance of not caring. I worry for my son as he enters his teen years, I want him to know that I am there for him no matter what and that he can and should reach out to those who love him when he needs help.
But how do we connect with our teen about the tough topics, like suicide, depression, stress and bullying? One of the best ways we as parents can understand what teens are facing is watching television series that resonate with them (there is a reason these shows mean so much to them!). Teens want to talk to their parents but can find it hard, finding a common ground like television series can really help open up the tough conversations.
Recently, 13 Reasons Why on Netflix has come under fire from critics claiming it glorifies suicide. The resulting comments and debates hurt me personally as I struggled with depression in high school and there were times where it felt like I needed a way out and that may possibly be the only way out. High school is hard, rumours hurt, bullying hurts and for some when this is combined with mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, suicide can be the only way out to stop all the pain that they are feeling. It is not glorifying suicide, it is laying out the steps that lead to suicide. No one wants this way out, no one wants to feel alone and no one wants to hurt the people they love the most. I feel as though my brain works differently when I am depressed and suffering through increased anxiety. Even little things bother me in ways they would never have before.
Before I let my son watch the show with me, I had to watch it alone. I wanted to see what the hype was about and if it could really help build an understanding and become a starting point for the tough conversations. I was blown away by the first episode and kept watching late into the night. It was raw and honest. It showed how the start of one rumour and the sending of an inappropriate (not to mention out of context) picture started the downwards spiral of one young girl. Teens have access to technology that as parents we never had access to, they just sometimes don’t understand the implications of this technology as we see so many times throughout this series. I didn’t have access to this technology but my son does. We all feel our child will be responsible but this series shows, they not always are and they make mistakes. It helps teens understand the consequences of these mistakes and how it hurts others.
There were so many important lessons in this series for teens from bullying to not standing up for a friend and changing relationships. The honest and raw emotions spoke to me personally. Life in high school isn’t always happy and full of sunshine. Teenagers feel the same pain adults do but have less skills and opportunities to help them through it. Television series like this help teens realize how actions and words can hurt and how quickly situations can spiral out of control. It is also a great tool to use for parents to help our teens understand that we are there for them and want to help them. Kids and parents want to talk, we just need to learn how and have a starting point.
13 Reasons Why is my number one pick for parents to help understand their children and to have a great conversation with their teen about. Here are some more great picks from Netflix that will really help you get the conversation started with your teen:
NOTE
If you’re thinking of watching 13 Reasons Why with your teen and are looking for additional information, here are some resources to help navigate the conversation: 13 Reasons Why Talking Points (created by SAVE.org and the JED Foundation) and the after-show titled 13 Reasons Why: Beyond The Reasons. If you are immediately concerned about a teen in your life, you can find a list of local market resources on this 13 Reasons Why Global Resource Website.
How do you connect with your teen on these difficult topics?
Disclosure: I am a Netflix #StreamTeam member and receive perks associated with this affilitation. All opinions expressed are my own.
