Teaser Tuesdays #3

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

I chose this week's book purely for superficial reasons.  I mean come on, look at that cover model!  Rawr!!!

DARK EMBERS by Tessa Adams

..........from page 138

It killed him even as it made him determined to prove that he would protect her--even from himself.

And struggled to get his wild lust under control

Winner for the Roundabouts Cupcake Sleeves......

I want to thank all of you who took the time to sign up for my contest!  It was exciting picking a winner this morning and I hope to bring you another contest soon.  So without further ado, and with the help of Random.org, the winner is..........

.............Terry!!!!  With your tweet on January 28, 2011 at 11:54 AM you are now the proud owner of your choice of designs from Roundabouts cupcake sleeves.  I'm sending you an email now and you'll have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

Congratulations again and another contest will be coming soon!

Fashion Monday Madness

The beginning of the week and last night's SAG Awards collide to bring an expanded fashion review.  Today's post will be filled with even more choices for what I deem good, bad, and ugly.  So without further ado......

The Good....

Mila Kunis has come a long way from playing animated Meg on Family Guy to arrive on the Red Carpet looking this wonderful.  The dress is light and airy with gorgeous coloring.  The free flowing hair also works beautifully with the cool and relaxed look this dress inspires.

Another actress who looks gorgeous in red is Juliana Margulies.  It's a simple design but fits her like a glove.  She looks chic and stylish and is tastefully accessorized to let the outfit speak for itself.

Another actress new to the Red Carpet is Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit.  I love the brightness of this dress that made her stand out while retaining her youthful appearance.  Cool and classy while not being overdone make this a great choice for this young lady.

The Bad....

I wanted to like this dress because of its romantic quality and how well Angie Harmon is wearing it, but in the end the feathery skirt caused my allergies to act up too much and I had to downgrade it.  It's just a bit too much over-the-top and too bottom heavy for me.

Jayma Mays is such a bubbly personality, but this dress is just droopy and too pale to match that fiery red hair.  The dress is trying to be Grecian-lite, but ends up looking like a reject from the background of Spartacus.

The Ugly....

Eva Longoria looked sooooo much better at the Golden Globes and what a difference two weeks makes.  This dress is so ill-fitting and one wrong move will lead to a wardrobe malfunction.  The draping is ill-proportioned and the zipper can be boldly seen when she turns around.  The hair is overdone and by the look on her face she too knows she looks bad.

Acting alongside James Franco in 127 Hours was probably the highlight of Kate Mara's life, since this dress definitely isn't something to be proud of.  The color completely washes her out and the bottom of the dress looks like the hair foils my colorist uses.  The hair and hair decoration are way too severe, as is the smudgy makeup.

January Jones again goes too cutting edge this week and ends up looking like the table runner at our Thanksgiving dinner.  The overdone hair doesn't help this doily nightmare either.  Oh how I wish she'd dress like she used to before she started hawking clothing for designers.

Not even the handsomeness of Keith Urban can save Nicole Kidman from this overdone frock.  The neckline has way too much going on and the chunky necklace makes it worse.  The backside is even more unappealing with its lace and bow ornamentation.

Julie Bowen brings back the 70's in this Brady Bunch pantsuit that seemed very out of place on the Red Carpet.  It was bland and a bit matronly and no amount of jewelry could help that.
 

Jenna Fisher again makes my ugly list with this matronly dress that makes her look extremely top heavy.  The color is boring and makes her look at least ten years older than she is.  She's in desperate need of a new stylist.

So there's my list from the 2011 SAG Awards.  My choices for the Ugly category were a larger number than the Good, but I have to say I was disappointed for the most part.  I actually had more choices that I wanted to put in the Ugly category but wanted to leave some for all of you to comment on.

So please sound off below!  Do you agree with my assessment?  What did you like, or not like?  It's time to play armchair fashionista, so get those fingers typing and lets get the comments rolling!

Just a quick reminder.............

Tomorrow night--Sunday, January 30th at Midnight CST (12 am)--my first giveaway will come to a close.  I'm excited by the entries so far and would love to get even more, so if you haven't entered yet please do so soon.  The Roundabouts cupcake sleeve has made baking even more fun and I'm certainly impressing my friends with my creativity and how artistic my cupcakes have been looking lately.  So definitely sign up if you too want to impress your friends.

Another Follow Friday

It's my favorite part of the week where we in blogland meet each other and talk.  I love discovering new blogs and interesting new people!

What is/was your favorite subject in school?

My favorite subject was in college and was a class devoted to the works of Jane Austen.  We read all of her books and I was in heaven getting to discuss the wondrousness of Mr. Darcy--and her other wonderful heroes too.

So what about you?  Was your favorite subject recess or maybe biology?  Sound off below and thanks so much for visiting me!

Future Birthday Gift Idea........

Even though my birthday has come and gone, I want all my followers to be planning for next year.  As some of you know, or will soon know as I start talking about my favorite things more, I'm a sci-fi junkie.  With Doctor Who being one of my most favorite things, I stumbled across this cool new toy for your children based on the bad guys of Doctor Who--The Daleks.  I'm not quite sure we should be encouraging our youth to EX...TER....MINATE things, but it looks fun to drive around.  What do you think?

Looks pretty fun, doesn't it?

Review for Shattered Glass by AC Katt

This is a very intense m/m themed book that takes place in the world of rock 'n roll.  It shows the good and the bad side to fame and pulls no punches when showing how it can all go wrong.  For those who can handle the harshness of life, you'll find this an intriguing read with moments you'll love and moments you'll hate.

Sam and Milo have been friends since they were very young.  In a narrow-minded town violently unaccepting of alternative lifestyles, Sam and his brother Rick are the only ones Milo can "come out" to.  To keep Milo's sexual orientation hidden, the boys decide to start a rock band to give Milo a manly persona.  With Sam playing drums, Rick playing bass, and Milo playing lead guitar they set out to find a lead singer and stumble across the new little kid in town.  Liam is six, and since Milo can sense he's gay, the boys bring him in to their circle to keep him safe.  Luckily for them, he's a musical genius who writes amazing lyrics and plays saxophone and keyboard.  With the blessing of his mother Liam becomes the band's new lead singer and thus begins the bumpy travels of Shattered Glass on their rise to fame.  Along the way members of the band have to deal with drug addiction, feelings of jealousy in regards to the music as well as romance, and a blackmailer with a personal vendetta who will do anything to destroy Liam.  Where music once brought these men together, it ultimately tears them apart.  But from the darkest of despair music may once again bring them together and reunite lovers torn apart by a madman.

This book caused a lot of conflicting feelings in me as I was reading it.  My first issue was with Milo knowing Liam was gay at such a young age.  I'm not sure how believable that is since a six year old is still discovering themselves, but it created a bond between them that was the heart of the storyline.  My second issue was with the villain and just how despicable he was with the acts of hatred he committed against Liam.  Those moments were hard to read and very cringe-worthy and somewhat over-the-top.

The characters caused me a lot of irritation in that there was no clearly defined good guy.  Of all the characters, Sam probably comes out looking the best.  He doesn't outright hurt anyone but is definitely guilty of isolating himself from the events occurring around him.  Rick hits many lows on his path to self-destruction and his jealousy makes him hurt those he once called family.  Liam is put through the wringer, not only by the man bent on his destruction, but also by the men who call him brother and especially by Milo who claims to love him.  Liam doesn't stand up for himself and tends to be rather childlike at times.  His inaction became very annoying, if he'd just spoken up for himself more often he wouldn't have been hurt so badly.  Milo lets his father's feelings about homosexuality permeate his entire life and destroy a relationship that was good for him.  He swings from being overly obsessive to ignoring the person he says he loves.  As I said, these characters were very hard to like and it diminished my enjoyment of the story.

The villain and his vengeful acts were some of the more extreme things I've seen from a villain in all my reading experiences.  It was rather jarring reading what he was able to get away with.  And for me at least, his ending is not as fulfilling as I would have liked considering his previous crimes.

I was expecting so much more from this story, since I love stories set in the music world, but felt disappointed as I turned the last page.  With characters like those in this story it was hard to root for anybody since I didn't really like any of them and finding any redeeming qualities was few and far between.  I'm not regretting reading this book, but there's so many things I wish were different.  For those wanting a challenging read that's definitely not like anything else you've read before, I recommend you give this a shot.  Be prepared for the conflicting emotions the storyline generates in a book you won't soon forget.

My rating for this is a C-

*Book cover photo courtesy of Goodreads.com.

My 40th Birthday!!!!

Today was my 40th birthday.  At first, I thought I'd be upset with the realization that I've reached this milestone age and don't have many accomplishments to show for it.  After all, I'm not married, have no children, and am not climbing the corporate ladder.  But because of my great friends who surprised me, and those friends who tried to surprise me (but I'm too smart for them), I realized that even the small accomplishments are enough.

So thank you to all of you for making me feel important, even if it's only in this small corner of the world.  Thank you for making me feel worthwhile, even when some doctors thought otherwise.  And mostly, thank you for giving me a purpose....to be the best friend, daughter, and person I can be.

Teaser Tuesdays #2

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

For this week's Teaser I went in to the closet of no return (aka the closet housing my TBR mountain) and grabbed a book that has had great reviews and that I bought with a gift card I won.

THE SUMMER OF YOU by Kate Noble

....from page 226

".....But if you ever need to run, you can run to me."

"Until you. I don't want you to be afraid of me."

Fashion Monday Madness

I love fashion, even though my bank account can't buy me what I want.  But I can at least talk about it.  And since I had such fun last week discussing Golden Globe fashions I thought I'd make it a regular feature.  So I searched the internet for what the famous, and those who think they're famous, wore last week and bring to you.....

The Good.... 

At a Presidential dinner, the First Lady Michelle Obama, looks dramatic and regal in this red and black dress that drapes beautifully over her well-toned figure.  And look at those earrings!  They look like art!  Everything about this is perfect.

The Bad....

At a party celebrating her being on the cover of Lucky Magazine is Nicole Richie, wearing this purple velvet drape (err, dress?) that makes her look anything but lucky.  She's a rumpled mess in my opinion.  From the hair and make-up that leave her looking like a drowned rat to the dress that she literally threw on (are there staples or duct tape keeping it on her), I'm betting she'd like a do-over.

The Ugly....

Naya Rivera from Glee has nothing to be happy about in this odd blend of sci-fi and art deco.  Too many patterns leads to her looking like a craft project gone wrong.

So what's your opinion?  Sound off below with how you rate these outfits and join me again next Monday for more fabulous fashions or fashion faux pas.

Review for Roundabouts to make you a master baker (Giveaway Ended)...

Sponsored by Tomoson.com

The time has finally arrived!  The item that I mentioned that would result in my first giveaway is here!  And I'm happy to report that it's a very unique and fun item to make your baking more special and personalized.

The item is called Roundabouts and they slip over the bottom part of a cupcake to transform it into something special.  There's over 70+ designs to choose from and all you have to do after slipping them on your cupcake is to add a bit of frosting on top and you suddenly have a professional looking goodie that goes with every party design.  These wraps can transform standard cupcakes into virtually anything.  For example, I received the Lil' Burger wrap and in just a few minutes my cupcakes looked like this.....

Doesn't it look amazing?!  Using toppings easily found at a grocery or local party supply store, these decorative self-adhesive cupcake wrappers instantly transform cupcakes into popcorn tubs, gumball machine, sushi, and ice cream cones.  The wraps are resistant to grease, are earth friendly, and wipe clean so you can re-use them, adhering a second time with just a dab of frosting.  These are incredibly easy to use and I felt like a professional baker after looking at my completed cupcakes.  I'd love to try the designs for the holidays to make my gatherings more special and there's even ones that would be great for a wedding and could help brides on a budget still have a chic ceremony.

The company can personalize, customize and have been featured in Rachel Ray Magazine.  They are also the proud winners of the Most Innovative Exhibitor Award at the 2010 July CA Gift Show in Los Angeles.  So you know you're going to get exactly what you want.  After trying them myself, I'm excited to give my followers the chance to pick from all the designs on the sponsor's site so you too can add pizazz to your party and impress your guests.

THE GIVEAWAY INFO:
-What you'll win is one package of your choice of any of their 70+ designs that you can find at their site.

TO ENTER (please put each entry in a separate comment & include your email addy with each entry):
+1 THIS IS MANDATORY-Go to the sponsor's site and tell me which design you would like if you win.
+1 Like the sponsor on their Facebook page--please leave me your first name and the first initial of your last name in the entry so we can check.
+1 Follow the sponsor on Twitter-please leave your twitter name in the entry.
+2 Become my GFC Follower and leave your follower name in the entry--it's over on the right hand side about halfway down.
+2 Follow me on Twitter-please leave your Twitter name in the entry.
+1 Tweet this saying (#Win Roundabouts Awesome Cupcake Sleeves - Winner's Choice! http://tinyurl.com/4ks5ysq @RoundaboutWraps @jone402) every day for an extra entry-please leave tweet link in entry.

CONTEST ENDS ON January 30th, 2011.  This contest is only for US residents +18 years of age and one contest entrant per household.  Winners will be chosen via Random.org and have 48 hours to respond to my notification email.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. Tomoson Product review & giveaway Disclosure.

Follow Friday Time

Wow, a week flies by quickly!  This is the day of the week that we bloggers come together to say HI and find out new and interesting things about one another.  The question posed by our host this week is...

Who do you cheer for?

I'm not a big sports enthusiast, but since I live in the state of Nebraska I have no choice but to root for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in college football.  I actually think it's a state law.  At the very least, people look at you funny if you don't wear red on football Saturdays.

So what about you?  Please sound off below.  I'd love to see your responses and appreciate any and all visitors.

Review for Designs By Dawn Marie Jewelry

A fellow blogger recently had a contest and I was lucky to be chosen the winner of a gorgeous piece of handmade jewelry from Designs By Dawn Marie Jewelry.  Dawn created a lovely and artistic piece of jewelry that arrived at my home quickly and in very professional looking packaging.

The jewelry I received is a delicate looking pendant necklace with matching dangling earrings.  The necklace is in an intriguing pattern and contains beads and crystals whose coloring goes with almost every outfit.  The necklace is lightweight and drapes in a modern, yet romantic way, and is made with materials that are not harsh to the skin.  The earrings too are lightweight and are very comfortable to wear for extended periods of time.  They are not irritating to my ears either and frame my face perfectly.  Dawn is a very creative person and extremely professional to work with.  Customer satisfaction is extremely important to her and for those wanting unique jewelry at very affordable prices should definitely go to her website and see what other pieces she has to offer.

*For the purpose of this review I received the above mentioned pieces, and nothing else, in exchange for my honest opinion.

Teaser Tuesday Time.......

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

After hearing so many awesome things about this book, and since I'm obsessed with books featuring rock star storylines, I knew I had to read this.  So here's my entry for this week's Teaser Tuesday.....

BACKSTAGE PASS by Olivia Cunning

....from page 136

-"I want to do you," Trey said, toying with the hair at the nape of Mark's neck.

-"I'm the webmaster," Trey murmured.  "So make sure it's a naked picture."

British Ideas Come To American TV Tonight.......

Tonight's a big tv night since we'll be welcoming to US airwaves not one, but two, Americanized versions of two hugely popular British programs.

First out of the gate is SyFy's remake of the BBC's Being Human.  Below is a trailer....

I always keep an open mind when it comes to redoing a popular show,  so I'm definitely looking forward to this.  My first reaction to the casting is that I don't love the actor playing the vamp, named Aidan in this version.  He doesn't seem able to project the conflicting emotions that Mitchell in the Brit version does.  I'm hoping he'll surprise me.  I'm also not too keen on the ghost, named Sally in SyFy's version.  She too doesn't give off that perfect blend of naivete and sadness that the originating actress does.  I also worry that the subtle humor of the original won't transfer well to this version.  I ultimately worry that, like almost every other British show we Yanks remake, it will lose the heart and emotion of what drew us to the original versions in the first place.  As I said, I'll be tuned in to the new version tonight waiting to see if I fall in love with this just as much as I did with the original.
*Airing tonight on SyFy at 9/8 pm central time.


After that, MTV raids the British cupboards to bring us the Americanized version of the gritty and highly emotional British fave....Skins.
Below is the trailer......

This reinvention has me much more worried than the American Being Human.  In the land of MTV where Snookie and Teen Mom's scream and party their way through life comes a show that in its original version is gritty and uncompromising.  I fear that MTV is going to turn this in to a hard-core Gossip Girl.  They won't show realistic teens from different socioeconomic backgrounds with serious adversities in life, but will focus on the glamour of partying like they do with all their current shows.  The Brit version of Skins made me cry, I worry this will make scream in rage over its superficiality.  I'm again keeping an open mind and hope that MTV can show me its emotional side and give me a Monday night show that I want to tell others about in a good way.
*Airing tonight on MTV at 10/9 pm central time.

Please let me know your first reaction to these reinventions.  Will you be watching?  What has you excited, or not, about both of these shows?  Be sure to come back after watching to let me know your rating and feelings about the storylines.

The Golden Globes.....a fashion review

The 2011 Golden Globes are over and I'm left with happy memories of some lovely dresses and horrifying nightmares of some truly wretched ensembles.  Here's the good, the bad, and the ugly (which is the bad, but even worse).......

The Good..

I love the draping and simplistic glamour of Julia Stiles black gown. Tasteful and stylish.

The color of Catherine Zeta Jones' gown is bold, dramatic, and fits her beautifully.

A stand-out color on the Red Carpet.  Simplistic, tasteful, and fits Claire Danes like a glove.

Jon Hamm and his girlfriend are gorgeous together.  They're each other's perfect accessory.

Olivia Wilde's dress is bold, dream-like, and makes her look like she's floating on a cloud.  Hair and make-up add to the drama.

All pregnant women should look this great.  Natalie Portman's absolutely glowing and the dress drapes her figure gorgeously.

The Bad..

January Jones again goes too artsy.  The cut-outs are too much and make her chest look like it's going to explode.  The color blends in to the carpet a bit too much as well.

Anne Hathaway's dress gives off too much of an 80's vibe with those padded shoulders and the fabric looks reminiscent of an ice skater's costume.

 

I love Sandra Bullock, but this dress looks too frumpy on her.  It hangs on her listlessly and the drab color doesn't help the overall sad quality.

Could have been a winner for Scarlett Johansson if it weren't for the drab coloring that washes her out.  Why so scared of color?

The Ugly..

When looking for a consistently bad dresser to an award show look no further then Tilda Swinton.  She looks like David Bowie's sister who's raided his closet to play dress-up.

Helena Bonham Carter is known for her avant garde style, but just once I'd like to see her in something classy.  Here, she looks like a Christmas Tree ornament that got dressed in the dark and put on the wrong shoes.

Leighton Meister will definitely be gossiped about after being seen in this tablecloth dress that's drab in color and droopy in fit.

So there's my take on a few fashion choices from my favorite award show.  Please sound off below with your reactions to the ensembles that walked the Red Carpet.

It's Follow Friday Time.......

It's that time again....the day of the week where we get to know each other better by answering a fun question.  Today's question is.........

What makes up your non-human family?

I'm the proud mommy of an almost two-year-old kitty cat named Miranda.  She's got a funny personality and makes me laugh a lot.  She runs things here at home and according to her my job is merely to pay the rent and make sure she's fed.

Isn't she the cutest thing ever?  I think so too.

So what about you?  Who really rules the roost at your house?

Big Plans Ahead!!!!

I'm so excited by some upcoming events that I've been chosen to host (does that mean I'm slowly becoming the hostess with the mostest?), that I'm sharing them with you now to get you excited too!

First up......my very first giveaway!  I don't want to say too much about this item ahead of time other then to say that you can use it for every holiday/special event to add some personalization or just you it every day to bring a smile to some one's face.  Hmm.......that's sounds like the item's a bit adult it nature, but I promise it's not.  It's very unique and fun and it will be coming to you within the next two weeks.

Next up......The first week in February will be busy as I will be hosting two authors with two new releases coming out with storylines that reflect my favorite genres.  The authors are Donna Burgess and Roxanne Rhoads, both are multi-published with storylines that are wonderfully intense!  I'm reading their books now and thoroughly enjoying them and am excited to bring these author events to you.  There might be some giveaways of some sort as well so you definitely don't want to miss out!  In anticipation of these author events, if there are any questions you have for these amazing authors, please post them in the comments section below since I'll be torturing--oops, asking--some questions of them both.

Donna Burgess will be visiting us on February 2nd!

Roxanne Rhoads will be visiting on February 7th!

Mark your calendars and get ready for the fun!  I'm hoping to see all my current followers, as well as new ones, for these exciting events!

Review for Blinded by Our Eyes by Clare London

Up and coming artist Paolo is found dead in a pool of his own blood in this very suspenseful story that takes place in the cutthroat world of art.  From that dramatic moment on it's a race to figure out who the murderer is amongst a long list of suspects who we slowly learn were not as fond of the artist as they originally let on. 

With the police not seeming to be diligently working on the case, art gallery owner Charles steps in to sort through the clues to find the murderer.  As he's questioning those in the artist's inner circle and gallery workers, he discovers other sides to the people he thought he knew and it makes him question everything he thought to be true.  All his previous beliefs have been shattered and now everyone looks like a suspect to him.  Former and future lovers now look like villains and Charles could well miss out on the love of a lifetime, and quite possibly his life, because of his disillusionment.

This story is from the m/m genre which might deter some from reading it, but they'd definitely be missing out on a sexy and exciting read.  It's intriguing seeing the dark side to what is normally thought of as beautiful and to see how far an artist is willing to go to create his art.  All the characters in this story are memorable and even though the story is told in the first person perspective you learn a lot about all the characters.  Paolo is very much the tortured artist and does whatever it takes to create his art.  His actions are so extreme that he becomes very unlikable and as a reader I wasn't sure whether to be upset about or applaud his being murdered.  The suspects were numerous and any of them would have been a believable choice since they all had a legitimate ax to grind in regards to Paolo.  The real murderer is not overly obvious and the reasoning behind the act is understandable.  The introduction of Antony as Charles' soon-to-be lover was fraught with sexual tension and amped up the suspense since he too was a plausible murder suspect.  The scenes between the two of them were intense and brought out a much more relaxed side to Charles that was nice to see amidst the horror of the crime.

Clare London has created another intense read with great suspense.  The characters are all fully developed while creating a mystery that leaves you guessing until the end.  I fully enjoyed this read and anytime Ms. London wants to keep me guessing, I'll be there with my thinking cap on with a fan beside me for those steamy interludes.

My rating for this is a B.

*I received this from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

*Book cover photo courtesy of www.goodreads.com

Review for Three Over Par by Cathryn Brunet

This book is built on the premise of living life to the fullest, never live on the sidelines for fear inaction will lead to regrets.  For nurse Lucy Seymour, this is the message she receives from her elderly dying patient and immediately takes steps to change the course of her life.  From that inspiring idea comes a story that is sexy and full of angst with a love triangle that steams up the golf course.

Lucy starts out as a very likable woman who doesn't want to die a bitter old woman who missed out on a satisfying relationship.  To find what she thinks she's missing, she starts an affair with her golf tutor Robbie.  While she likes him, it's an affair that only occurs on the golf course.  Realizing she wants more, the day she spots groundskeeper Daniel, is the day she allows him in on the fun.  From their first kiss, she knows he's special.  But any interactions with him in the real world leave him turning away from her.  So to keep him, she believes she has to keep up her regularly scheduled golf course rendezvous.  But soon, reality gets to be too much and the fantasy becomes the roadblock to happiness.  In the end, Lucy learns the most important lesson of all...the truth will set you free and trusting in your heart is what really leads to happiness.

While I like a story with steamy interludes, I don't like when those interludes interfere with the substance of the storyline.  The more interludes Lucy had, the less respect I had for her and what she thought she was looking for.  She started thinking that by being with both men at once she wasn't being a good girl.  And I tended to agree with her because she was basically using Robbie to be with Daniel.  We don't even learn anything substantial about Robbie until the very last chapters, he barely even talks until the end.  Daniel too is a bit of a mystery because of Lucy's manipulations.  They don't really talk until the end of the story either which leaves them feeling like strangers no matter how many interludes they had together.  Because of not knowing very much about them as individuals, you don't feel very invested in their relationship and therefore their ending isn't totally satisfying.  This one-sided feeling is mostly due to the book being written in the first person, but I think the author should've enlightened the reader to the male characters a bit more because as it stands they end up looking like props to Lucy's enlightenment.

Upon finishing this story I had hoped for a more heartwarming feeling.  Once a person reaches enlightenment you expect to feel a rush of happiness for them.  Instead, I just felt frustrated.  I was frustrated that the two male characters were used and a bit mad that Lucy didn't really feel guilty about the situation.  I had hoped for more well-rounded characters to draw me in to the story more.  At the end of the day all I got was sex, when what I wanted was substance.  This doesn't stop me from wanting to read more by this author though.  Her female character was strong and went after what she wanted while the interludes were satisfyingly steamy which leads me to feeling hopeful for the author's next book.

My rating for this is a C-

*I received this from NetGalley for reviewing purposes.

*Book cover photo courtesy of www.goodreads.com