Pictures from last week's trip!

So, yeah. I totally meant to put these pictures up on Sunday or Monday or something, but that didn't happen. Now I'm actually going to do them. You can enjoy these pictures while I'm at the beach with my best friend, soaking up some sun... You know. Also, reading lots of books. (Mom packed three books, I've got four, plus all my ebooks on my phone, and yet I'm still trying to fit more books in my bag.)

(Oh, by the way, I WON'T be getting "gorgeously tanned", I'll be burning. Like a marshmallow held too close to the flames.)

I left the house at 3 (Bleh!) to catch my flight. The sunrise was gorgeous though, and they fed me my favorite airplane fare. (Shoutout to American Air!)

First stop, after I got picked up in Boston, (Well, besides Dunkin', cause New England runs on Dunkin', not even lying!) was Mystic Aquariums. The Beluga whales were so adorable and playful. I got to touch a ray for the first time, and my sister flipped over the pings (Penguins.)

We were in the Penguin gift shop, when suddenly Jaye yells, "Look at that ping! He's sooo RICH!"

Then Tuesday we started off with Animal Adventure Park, where we got to see April, Oliver, and Taj. And the most adorable baby camels ever!!!!!!!!! Oliver wasn't too happy since no one was giving him carrots though.

This place is the awesomest (I know that's not a real word but whatever) zoo ever. You could feed literally all the animals. (Albeit, sometimes you just tossed a grape down a tube so your hand didn't get bitten.)

Then the Crayola Experience, where we all got crayons with our name on them! It was so neat.

Taylor of Jaye wanted a picture with the huge mosaic of Scarlet. Taylor's really starting to "pose" for pictures, as you can tell by her feet.

Then Colonial Williamsburg Wednesday, which silly me forgot to take pictures of. It was really nice, but super hot. The highlight of the day might have been when Jaye caused a guy to come out of character to rescue his ruler from her.

We had a great trip, and I wish I had taken more picture. Honestly though, with a kid holding each hand, it was a miracle I got what I got. Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you.

Review: Dark Deception by Nancy Mehl

Ummm.. yeah. So this time you are definitely getting the "back-of-the-book" summary. There's no way I can do this one.

Kate O'Brien's quiet life in small-town Shelter Cove, Arkansas is shaken when her past suddenly comes roaring back to life. Four years ago, she and her twin sister were attacked by an elusive serial killer. Only Kate survived, and she's been in witness protection ever since.

When new evidence arises to suggest the convicted man wasn't the murderer, she's subpoenaed to testify in the new trial. Afraid to go back into that world, Kate only agrees if Tony DeLuca, the deputy Marshal who protected her during the original trial, escorts her to St. Louis.

Tony readily takes on the assignment; Kate's beauty and inner strength made more of an impression on him than he expected. But when Kate's safety is threatened, Tony must race against the clock to keep her alive and put this ugly case to rest before anyone else gets killed.


Right.. so.. stars. 4.5!

1: Spine-tingling quality.... check. I mean really. And the needles. I mean come one guys. (Okay, technically one) but seriously, both mysteries I read today had needles. Why? I can barely stand to read the word. (Which is terrible and babyish of me I know.) But totally a scary mystery!

2: I knew it. I never felt comfortable around *********** (That's the guy's name. Not that it's the right length. Nevermind.) I just felt uneasy around him. Well, reading a scene with him in it then. Whatever.

3: So Tony and Kate were a super sweet couple. I loved that they drew strength from each other like that. *cue melting heart* Also, it wasn't a romance with a mystery. It was a mystery with a romance. If that makes sense. Does anything I'm saying right now make sense? Probably not.

4: I absolutely loved Tony helping Kate grow closer to the Lord again. And Leon helping Fred with that as well. Can't get any better than that, now can it?

5: You know I ALWAYS have to say something about the endings. This one...well... it wasn't exactly the neat bow that either I or Batterson wanted. Which means that while it may not have been my favorite ending ever, it's probably the most realistic one ever ;)

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

Series Review: Alaskan Courage by Dani Pettrey

This is a series of five books all set in Alaska (YAY!). It follows the lives of the five McKenna siblings through several spine-tingling mysteries. I'm telling you what, people are dropping like flies in this series ;) But sereiously, I loved this series. The writing was the kind that pulls you in. I love a book that transports. (Honesty, if it isn't like that, I probably won't finish it!) I loved seeing each person's struggles throughout the series. Loved watching them all grow. Each book had lots of deep Scriptural truths. I loved the McKenna family. They were perfect, because they weren't perfect. (Did that make sense?) And of course, each book had one of the McKenna siblings falling fast and hard for a special someone. It was a little too lovey-dovey for me in parts...but...anyway, I still loved the romance. It was so super sweet. I think the last one was my favorite, well... maybe not my favorite story, I couldn't pick one for that, but I loved the ending. A strong, good, complete ending is absolutely needed for me to enjoy a book/series to the fullest. (Guess what... Dani Pettrey delivered!) All in all... spine tingling goodness getting 4 stars!

Review: Playing The Part by Jen Turano

Lucetta Plum is angered when she is forced to go on the run after her step-father decides to gamble her away to an annoying admirer. Her friend, and self-appointed matchmaker, Abigail, carries her away to Ravenwood Castle, which just happens to be owned by Abigail’s grandson Bram. Abigail is sure that Bram and Lucetta would make a great match, but Lucetta is not ready to be set up. Besides, Bram has secrets. Secrets that make him look a few marbles short. So why, then, is she feeling attracted to him?

I’m giving this final installment in the A Class of Their Own Trilogy 5 stars.

1: This was the funniest one. It was HILARIOUS. But almost to the point of ridiculousness. However, it never quite crossed over. It was the perfect amount of humor. (This was the funniest but the first one was my favorite.) It’s a perfect balance of lightheartedness and weight. With a nice mysterious air thrown in there for kicks.

2: Abigail. She is the classic match-maker grandmotherly type. I love her so much. And she got the perfect ending that I’ve been wishing for since book one. Plus, she got to repair her relationship with her daughter, at least a little bit. Which I thought was very nice for her.

3: Poor Lucetta. She had so much more baggage than she gave herself credit for. 😉 I felt so bad for her, but the baggage turned her to God, so I don’t feel as bad as I could. And I think she got a little bit of that dealt with. Not all of it, but some of it for sure.

4: I loved that everyone got to come back for at least one scene in the book. Even Buford, for whom I have a soft spot as large as he is. Did I mention that this book has the most perfect ending? Like ever.

5: I totally had Mr. Grimstone and his identity pegged before the book was half over. I had to stop reading, while I just…. Processed is a good word, but not the perfect word.

I’m sorry the review was kinda skimpy. It’s 1:15. I shouldn’t be awake, much less writing a review. I promise, I read it. I loved it. I laughed. It's great. Me, not so much.

As you can tell, I wrote this during vacation, after a really long day. I read the book during a seven or eight hour drive (It didn't take me that long, I was also sleeping a tiny bit and talking some) and then wrote the review. I barely even remember writing it. Sorry. I hope it's still good.

Review: Pursued by Lisa Harris

Nikki is contacted by the FBI to find a material witness, the only witness, for a high profile case. The woman was sitting next to Nikki on the plane when it crashed, and now she's disappeared. But time is running out for Erika. Nikki needs to find her before it's too late. But things keep happening to distract her. First, the plane crash itself, and then an incident at the prison, and new information that keeps coming up. Plus there's some health and romantic distractions. Nikki is under so much emotional and physical stress. And now, she's pretty sure the FBI isn't shooting straight with her.

Well.... I'm going to go with 5 stars for this.

1: My first time reading Lisa Harris! I was not disappointed! The story had great hooks, and the style of writing was awesome!

2: This was one of the most action packed books. From the first line, until the last, it keeps moving. And it all takes place in the space of like two days. So that makes it even more action packed. And the mystery itself was pretty scary. Just the way I like them!

3: Tyler and Nikki's relationship was really something special. Their love for each other was so unconditional. And then add Liam to the mix and it's adorable.

4: I loved how Nikki realized that she wasn't strong enough in herself. She was always leaning on the Lord's strength.

5: Definitely I want to read more of these books, because I want to know if Nikki ever finds Sarah. Talk about a hook.

I received this book for free through NetGalley.

Review: Crabby the Crab by Dr. MC

This picture book (free on Amazon Kindle, last time I checked) is a great little read. It has more words than some picture books, and a sweet message. It tells the story of Crabby the Crab who feels like he's too old to play with his little sisters. In the end though, he realizes that he can enjoy their company. The pictures were a little small on my Kindle app, that is the one thing that I would change. But I feel confident that this is a great bedtime story that you can read to your kids in 5 minutes or less (depending on how good you are at "the voices") 4 out of 5 stars for this cute picture book. (Y'all noticed that I use cute a lot when describing picture books? I'm starting to drive myself crazy!)

June Update

So... I'm still on the trip. But, I think you should know what else is coming up this month. After this trip, I'm headed back to the beach in a few days. I don't remember a summer when I've been this crazy busy. Then later this month I'll be going to Summer Orientation for college. And VBS is this month. The last week I think. It shouldn't stop me from posting, but who knows. Anyway, that's the crazy hectic stuff. Here are some posts to look forward to.

June 13: Author Interview with Beth Durkee (Squee)
June 16: Celebrate Lit tour The Secret Slipper by Amanda Tero

Sometime this month I'll also be reviewing Pursued by Lisa Harris, Danger on the Mountain by Lynette Eason, Blue Skies Tomorrow by Sarah Sundin, and the books I got through Thrift Books. So be on the lookout!