Tag Archives: reading

Bout of Books 16 Update – Day 1

Posted in 2016, Bout of Books 16, Reading Challenges by

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So! This read-a-thon started out slightly slow for me yesterday. I did met my goal of reading 2 hours but I only ended up reading 85 pages. Today so far is going MUCH better but that is information for tomorrow’s update! So my Monday’s progress is below:

Updates

Monday
Number of pages I’ve read today: 85
Total number of pages I’ve read: 85
Books read: Still working on Wilde Lake as of last night,so no books finished yet
Challenges: I did the introduce yourself in six words challenge for Monday, posted it on Twitter here

Stay tuned for much better progress made in tomorrow’s post on my Tuesday update!!

Bout of Books 16 – READ-a-thon, contests, giveaways, and more!!

Posted in Bout of Books 16, For the love of books by
Bout of Books

So over the past year I’ve periodically seen fellow bloggers participating in something called “Bout of Books” and reading their posts it has always seemed interesting/fun to me. So I decided to sign up for this coming one! I am excited to try it, though I’m still not 100% sure how it works. I do know that I’m supposed to read, which works out well for me since that is one of my favorite things to do! 

For those of you who don’t really know much about Bout of Books (including me), it is basically a week-long, no pressure read-a-thon that has been going strong since 2011! Here is a description directly from the Bout of Books blog:

The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 9th and runs through Sunday, May 15th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 16 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

All in all it sounds like a great time to me! It isn’t required but I am nothing if not goal-oriented so I’ve decided to set some goals for the week. And luckily this time of year is pretty much my only slightly-slow season so I was able to take a couple days off to devote entirely to reading!! If you’d like to participate and would like to post goals (optional) they have a nifty template/help page that you can find here. Below are my TBR/Other goals for the week: 

Time Devoted to Reading

I plan to read at least 2 hours each day, with additional hours on the 2/3 days I am home during the week. Also the Saturday during Bout of Books is Goal Day for me so I can read all day (approx. 8 hours). 

My Goals

My goals for this read-a-thon are pretty much to learn the ropes. I’d like to participate in as much as I can: the daily posts plus reading every day plus whatever else there is (if there is anything else?). 

Books to Read

 

SO! That is Bout of Books and that is my plan! I am really looking forward to participating, it lined up perfectly with my busiest ARC month to date so I am really appreciative of the extra encouraged reading time!!! Hope you guys check it out and join up! If you do want to join make sure to add yourself to the page’s Sign Up Post by Tuesday, May 10th at 11:59pm! Happy reading!

2016 Book #43 – Everyone Brave Is Forgiven by Chris Cleave

Posted in Book reviews, Fiction, Historical fiction by

51jZGbaKlpL._SX330_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Everyone Brave Is Forgiven
Author: Chris Cleave
Date finished: 5/7/16
Genre: Fiction, historical fiction
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Publication Date: May 3, 2016
Pages in book: 432
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

London, 1939.
The day war is declared, Mary North leaves finishing school unfinished, goes straight to the War Office, and signs up.
Tom Shaw decides to ignore the war—until he learns his roommate Alistair Heath has unexpectedly enlisted. Then the conflict can no longer be avoided.
Young, bright, and brave, Mary is certain she’d be a marvelous spy. When she is—bewilderingly—made a teacher, she finds herself defying prejudice to protect the children her country would rather forget.
Tom, meanwhile, finds that he will do anything for Mary.
And when Mary and Alistair meet, it is love, as well as war, that will test them in ways they could not have imagined, entangling three lives in violence and passion, friendship and deception, inexorably shaping their hopes and dreams.
Set in London during the years of 1939–1942, when citizens had slim hope of survival, much less victory; and on the strategic island of Malta, which was daily devastated by the Axis barrage, Everyone Brave is Forgiven features little-known history and a perfect wartime love story inspired by the real-life love letters between Chris Cleave’s grandparents. This dazzling novel dares us to understand that, against the great theater of world events, it is the intimate losses, the small battles, the daily human triumphs that change us most.

My rating:  2.75 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. This book was about a group of young people and how their lives were affected by World War II. Mary North was born into a life of privilege, but when England declares war on Germany, she decides to sign up with the War Office to be put to good use. They assign her a teaching position, where she befriends a black student. It is through this teaching position that she meets Tom Shaw, who is an administrator for a school district. She falls in love with Tom but then she meets Tom’s friend Alistair while he is home on leave from the military for one night. Alistair stirs feelings in Mary that Tom doesn’t necessarily stir. But Mary is pretty sure that Tom is the one so she ignores her feelings for Alistair.
As we all know, war tends to bring many casualties and these young people’s story is no different. Mary and her friends both face many traumatic events, and Mary even has a sad morphine situation for a while. There were a lot of different story lines merging in this book, including the treatment of colored people in England during this time period and drug addiction and the effects of war. There was a lot going on and all of the story lines were really interesting but it almost felt for me like there was too much going on. I couldn’t really connect with the characters personally and it was just hard for me to get into. The description of Alistair’s experience during war time seemed very real and I thought that was one of the most interesting pieces of the book.

The bottom line: I found this book a little wordy but the story line was interesting. The book just wasn’t really for me, but it would definitely appeal to people who like historical fiction centered around World War II.

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Tall Poppy Book Giveaway!

Posted in For the love of books by

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So I got some very exciting news last month! I won the Tall Poppy book giveaway, which included 16 signed books and a $100 gift card to Storiarts. With the gift card I bought this Romeo & Juliet scarf and this Love is — 1 Corinthians 13 Pillow Cover.

I haven’t received all the books yet but below are pictures of the books I have received and a list of all the authors that I won books from!

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The site seems to have a large giveaway around every month so make sure to check out their site for future giveaways! You could be the next big winner 🙂

UPDATE on 5/13/16

I’ve received the other four books, picture included below!

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2016 Status Update: April

Posted in 2016, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, For the love of books, Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Challenge, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges by

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Well April was definitely a more productive month for me. Between tax season drawing to a close of my sleep budget being re-instated I was able to get a lot of reading done in the beginning and middle of the month. Unfortunately, even though I had the last week of the month off I was doing so much other fun stuff that I got almost no reading done. Still was a good month though!

Monthly Stats:
# books read this month: 12
# pages read this month: 3,832
# books read year-to-date: 39
# pages read year-to-date: 12,152

Favorite Books I Read:

The Winemakers by Jan Moran – 4.0 stars
Dead Distillers by Colin Spoelman and David Haskell – 4.0 stars
The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke – 4.25 stars

Books I Didn’t Particularly Enjoy: 

I didn’t particularly care for The Art of Not Breathing and I Know What I’m Doing and Other Lies I tell Myself.

Other Posts this month:

Best Laid Wedding Plans book giveaway (closed)
Book of the Month subscription

Status of 2016 Reading Challenges:

PopSugar Reading Challenge 2016 Checklist – 14/20 books read
Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge – 3/24 books read
Penguin Random House: Challenge Your Shelf A-Z Reading Challenge – 0/26 books read

May TBR list: 

-Because of Miss Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (The Reading Room) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-Lake of Dreams by Linda Howard (NetGalley) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-Behave by Andromeda Romano-Lax (NetGalley) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-The Good Kind of Bad by Rita Brassington (NetGalley) (rolled from April TBR – didn’t get to)
-The Blue Bath by Mary Waters-Sayer (NetGalley)
-Kill or Be Kilt by Victoria Roberts (NetGalley)
-Every Bride Has Her Day by Lynnette Austin (NetGalley)
-Wilde Lake by Laura Lippman (Edelweiss)
-Everyone Brave is Forgiven by Chris Cleave (NetGalley)
-The California Wife by Kristen Harnisch (Author)
-Troublemaker by Linda Howard (Edelweiss)
-Nobody But You by Jill Shalvis (The Reading Room)
-Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka (Fiction Lover’s Book Club)
-People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper (The Reading Room)
-Wicked Whispers by Tina Donohue (NetGalley)
-I Take You by Eliza Kennedy (The Reading Room)
-How the Duke Was Won by Lenora Bell (The Reading Room)
-Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt (purchased – need to read so can read next in series)
-Duke of Sin by Elizabeth Hoyt (NetGalley)
-The Beast of Clan Kincaid by Lily Blackwood (NetGalley)
-Lana and the Laird by Sabrina York (NetGalley)
-His Wicked Wish by Olivia Drake (NetGalley)
-Frayed by Kara Terzis (NetGalley)

I’m just not even going to think about how daunting this list is. I’m just gonna read and hope for the best this month! I do have 3 days off during the second week in May because I am participating in the upcoming Bout of Books reading challengeBout of Books reading challenge and I am looking forward to having some days devoted to reading!

Happy reading everyone!

2016 Book #36 – The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Fiction, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges, Women's fiction by

51vl1T1gaGL._SX320_BO1,204,203,200_Title: The Year We Turned Forty
Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Date finished: 4/19/16
Genre: Fiction, women’s fiction
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Pages in book: 319
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Author/publisher NOTE: I received this book for free from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

If you could repeat one year of your life, what would you do differently? This heartwarming and hilarious novel from the authors of The Status of All Things and Your Perfect Life features three best friends who get the chance to return to the year they turned forty—the year that altered all of their lives, in ways big and small—and also get the opportunity to change their future.
Jessie loves her son Lucas more than anything, but it tears her up inside that he was conceived in an affair that ended her marriage to a man she still loves, a man who just told her he’s getting remarried. This time around, she’s determined to bury the secret of Lucas’ paternity, and to repair the fissures that sent her wandering the first time.
Gabriela regrets that she wasted her most fertile years in hot pursuit of a publishing career. Yes, she’s one of the biggest authors in the world, but maybe what she really wanted to create was a family. With a chance to do it again, she’s focused on convincing her husband, Colin, to give her the baby she desires.
Claire is the only one who has made peace with her past: her twenty-two year old daughter, Emily, is finally on track after the turmoil of adolescence, and she’s recently gotten engaged, with the two carat diamond on her finger to prove it. But if she’s being honest, Claire still fantasizes about her own missed opportunities: a chance to bond with her mother before it was too late, and the possibility of preventing her daughter from years of anguish. Plus, there’s the man who got away—the man who may have been her one true love.
But it doesn’t take long for all three women to learn that re-living a life and making different decisions only leads to new problems and consequences—and that the mistakes they made may, in fact, have been the best choices of all…

My rating: 4.25 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I actually won a free copy of the ARC by entering a contest on their Facebook site and was so excited to read it! Also, this book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “a book with a blue cover” since this book has a blue cover. This book was about three best friends: Gabriela, Claire, and Jessie. In some way or another their lives all change on their fortieth birthday that affects them for the next ten years. We next meet them in Las Vegas on their fiftieth birthday when they are offered the chance to travel back in time and relive their fortieth year, thereby possibly changing things for the better by doing things differently this time around.
Things don’t go quite as they expected though. Gabriela, who always wished she had a baby, has trouble conceiving. Claire repairs her relationship with her daughter but comes close to losing her again. And Jessie has managed to hold onto her husband Grant but only by keeping a huge secret from him, and how long can she really expect to keep him in the dark? The three friends journey through their fortieth year (for the second time) hoping that the mistakes their making this time somehow turn out better for them than the mistakes they made the first time. It almost reminds me (very loosely) of when you’re taking a multiple choice test and you have the option of a, b, c, or d and you have no idea which one it is. So the first time you guess a and get it wrong so the next time you guess b and hope its right but have no way of knowing. Gabriela, Claire, and Jessie had no way of knowing how their actions would affect not only themselves this time but all the loved ones that surrounded them as well.
Overall I really enjoyed this book a lot. I thought the plot line was immensely creative. It was heart-wrenching to see the characters struggle through the challenges in their relived lives but at the same time it allows the reader to connect more with the characters and their emotions. The ending was heart-warming and moving and I didn’t want to put the book down until I found out what happened. I also thought that this book dealt well with a variety of relationship issues, including husband and wife and parent and child in many different forms. I loved one of Jessie’s “lessons” from her relived life, that you should learn to love and appreciate what you have instead of always looking for the next thing that will help you be happy. I think that is an important thought since many people are continually trying to buy the next released phone or the next gaming system or the next whatever to gain some sort of happiness. But happiness is something that comes from being content in who you are and what you have and who is in your life. An important concept for people to think on nowadays.

The bottom line: I really liked this book, this one was definitely a tear-jerker and hit me hard in the feels. Definitely have a couple tissues handy. This was such a moving book though and was such a creative plot idea. Great book and a definite must read for summer!!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

2016 Book #35 – Amazonia by James Rollins

Posted in 2016, Book Clubs, Book reviews, Fiction, Pop Sugar Reading Challenge 2016 checklist, Reading Challenges, Terryville - Fiction Lovers, Thriller by

51ErSB9e29L._SX277_BO1,204,203,200_Title: Amazonia
Author: James Rollins
Date finished: 4/16/16
Genre: Fiction, thriller
Publisher: Avon Books
Publication Date: July 2003
Pages in book: 510
Stand alone or series: Stand alone
Where I got the book from: Terryville Public Library 

Blurb from the cover:

The Rand scientific expedition entered the lush wilderness of the Amazon and never returned. Years later, one of its members has stumbled out of the world’s most inhospitable rainforest–a former Special Forces soldier, scarred, mutilated, terrified, and mere hours from death, who went in with one arm missing . . . and came out with both intact.
Unable to comprehend this inexplicable event, the government sends Nathan Rand into this impenetrable secret world of undreamed-of perils, to follow the trail of his vanished father . . . toward mysteries that must be solved at any cost. But the nightmare that is awaiting Nate and his team of scientists and seasoned U.S. Rangers dwarfs any danger they anticipated . . . an ancient, unspoken terror–a power beyond human imagining–that can forever alter the world beyond the dark, lethal confines of . . .

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I read this book for the Terryville Library’s Fiction Lover’s Book Discussion group discussion for this month (April). I haven’t ever read anything by this author and I didn’t really think that this author would be one I’d try reading, but one of my friends picked this for book club. And honestly I am really glad I read this, I will probably even try reading more by this author in the future. Also, this book will count towards my “PopSugar 2016 Checklist” reading challenge, marking off the “a book about a culture you’re unfamiliar with” since this book contains a lot of (admittedly fictional) information about the Amazon tribesman. It was really interesting to hear about the native tribes and their way of life in the Amazon jungle. In this book, Nathan Rand goes into the jungle to try and find out what happened to his father’s research team when they disappeared over four years ago. Along their journey, they encounter a number of mutant scary things and a lot of people die. Like almost everyone. Overall I really liked this book though I was a little tired of all the casualties by the time we got to the end. There were a good amount of twists and turns in the plot and a lot of excitement. I would definitely recommend giving this one a try if you like thrillers, it was definitely what I would want in a thriller.

The bottom line: I did not expect to but I really liked this book! It was fast paced and constantly kept me on my toes. There was a lot of crazy stuff going on and it was really thought-provoking. I would recommend!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

Book of the Month Club

Posted in For the love of books by

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I recently got an email that the Book of the Month Club was running a special during April for a 3 month membership for 50% off. For those of you who aren’t familiar with this site, it is a subscription site that offers 5 hot new reads each month to pick from. A normal 3 month subscription is $45 so the 50% off price was $22.50, which includes 3 books that I get to pick and shipping. Not only that but the Book of the Month site will also ship you an additional two books from either the current month or prior month’s listings for only $10 each. So for April I picked up The Nest by  Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and No One Knows by J.T. Ellison (both April picks) plus The Queen of the Night by Alexander Chee (a March pick).

These were all already on my TBR list and I’ve heard a lot of good things about them so I can’t wait to read them. Amazon retail prices of these books as of today totaled $52.97 (I’m not even considering cover price totaling $81 because no one pays cover price for hardcovers). Considering I paid $20 for the two extra books and 1/3 of my subscription cost ($7.50) I ended up with a fairly good deal! Plus each book comes with a cute knick-knack. The Queen of the Night came with a temporary tattoo and the April books came with something else. I haven’t had a chance to inspect it closely enough to decide what it is yet but its just nice to get something extra with the book! 

If anyone else is interested, here is a link for signing up for the club at 50% off a 3 month subscription. Happy reading!!

2016 Book #31 – The Rivals of Versailles by Sally Christie

Posted in 2016, Book reviews, Book Riot Read Harder Reading Challenge 2016, Fiction, Historical fiction, Reading Challenges by

91BED26SP2LTitle: The Rivals of Versailles
Author: Sally Christie
Date finished: 4/8/16
Genre: Historical fiction
Publisher: Atria Books
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Pages in book: 448
Stand alone or series: #2 in Mistresses of Versailles Trilogy
Where I got the book from: NetGalley NOTE:I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way affected my opinion of the book, or the content of my review.

Blurb from the cover:

And you thought sisters were a thing to fear. In this captivating follow-up to Sally Christie’s clever and absorbing debut, we meet none other than the Marquise de Pompadour, one of the greatest beauties of her generation and the first bourgeois mistress ever to grace the hallowed halls of Versailles.
The year is 1745 and King Louis XV’s bed is once again empty. Enter Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, a beautiful girl from the middle classes. As a child, a fortune teller had told young Jeanne’s destiny: she would become the lover of a king and the most powerful woman in the land. Eventually connections, luck, and a little scheming pave her way to Versailles and into the King’s arms.
All too soon, conniving politicians and hopeful beauties seek to replace the bourgeois interloper with a more suitable mistress. As Jeanne, now the Marquise de Pompadour, takes on her many rivals—including a lustful lady-in-waiting, a precocious fourteen-year-old prostitute, and even a cousin of the notorious Nesle sisters—she helps the king give himself over to a life of luxury and depravity. Around them, war rages, discontent grows, and France inches ever closer to the Revolution.
Told in Christie’s celebrated witty and modern style, The Rivals of Versailles will delight and entrance fans as it brings to life the court of Louis XV in all its pride, pestilence, and glory.

My rating:  4.0 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and fair review. I read the first book in this trilogy last year (also through NetGalley) and you can see my review of that one here. I really enjoyed reading the first book so I was excited when I saw the second book available recently on NetGalley! Also, this book will count towards my Book Riot 2016 Read Harder reading challenge, marking off the “read a book of historical fiction set before 1900″ since this book is set in the mid 1700’s. This book continues where The Sisters of Versailles left off, following Marie-Ann’s death. This book focuses around Jeanne -Antoinette Poisson, a commoner who is told by a fortune teller when she is young that she will someday be mistress to the king. Ever since that fateful day, her mother has focused on preparing Jeanne for one day meeting the king and becoming ensconced in his world. This means learning about this above their station, some of which Jeanne learns from her tutor Bernis after the king invites her to live at Versailles.
Unfortunately, Jeanne’s miscarriages make her sick and after 4 years of being King Louis XV’s mistress she is advised against getting pregnant again because it might kill her. Every one thinks that this means the end of Jeanne’s reign over the king’s heart but she somehow manages to stay the center of his life for the next 15 years, arranging ways for the king to exercise his lust (with others) without her losing her importance in his life. And while there are a number of threats over the years and no shortage of plotting on manipulation that must occur on her part, in the end she is the victor every time and maintains her friendship with the king. She becomes one of the most powerful women in the history of France because even though she isn’t physically intimate with the king he continues to use her as his most trusted adviser throughout their friendship.
Overall I really liked this book. I think that it is especially interesting because these books are based on real events. And I just love that the author’s site has pages talking about each of the characters in the book that reference where the information on their character came from and what historical basis exists for the events that happen in the book. Same as with the first novel, I didn’t want to put this book down. Everything that you could want in a book is in this story: sex, betrayal, intrigue, war, love, sickness, and death. The author did a great job in this novel of switching between points of view and she really brought the characters to life. I felt bad for Jeanne for most of the book, she spent her whole childhood with this idea that she would be mistress to the king and she loved him so much but she wasn’t able to be close to him in all the ways she wanted. Her character evolves in an interesting way through the course of the novel, she definitely changes and hardens over her life and the reader can see that clearly. Towards the end Louis’ tastes in girls become embarrassingly young and Jeanne is understandingly uncomfortable with the things she has to do to keep her position in Louis’ life secured but she does it anyways. I thought that was a strong example of how changed she is by her life at Versailles. Just overall an engrossing read.

The bottom line: Just an awesome read with everything a reader could want from a novel. I didn’t want to stop reading this one for even a minute, can’t wait for the third book in the trilogy to be released! Great read!

Link to author website

Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

GIVEAWAY!!! The Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin

Posted in For the love of books, Giveaways by

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Hi All! Exciting news! I have a free digital copy of Lynnette Austin’s recent release, The Best Laid Wedding Plans, available for one lucky winner! Lynnette has a new book coming out next month, Every Bride Has Her Day, and to celebrate, one lucky person will receive a free digital copy of the first book in the Magnolia series via iBooks from Sourcebooks Casablanca. I read The Best Laid Wedding Plans last year and loved it (you can see my review here)! It is a very sweet book and I would definitely encourage you all to enter/read her book! See more information on the book further down in this post (below contest rules).

Contest Rules: Contest is unfortunately only open to US Residents, sorry to any international readers. In order to enter, all you have to do is email me at rebeccabookreview17@gmail.com with “The Best Laid Wedding Plans giveaway” in the subject line and you’ll be entered to win! Contest closes April 9, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. Winner will be announced April 10, 2016 by 3:00pm EST.Good luck to you all!

Best Laid Wedding Plans coverThe Best Laid Wedding Plans by Lynnette Austin
First in the new Magnolia Brides series
ISBN: 9781492617976
Release Date: November 3, 2015
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

About the Book
SOME DREAMS ARE WORTH WHATEVER IT TAKES

Jenni Beth Beaumont left her broken heart behind when she took her dream job in Savannah. But after her brother’s death, Jenni Beth returns home to help mend her parents’ hearts as well as restore their beautiful but crumbling antebellum mansion. New dreams take shape as Jenni Beth sets to work replacing floors and fixing pipes to convert the family homestead into the perfect wedding destination. However, some folks in their small Southern town are determined to see her fail.

Cole Bryson was once the love of Jenni Beth’s life, but the charming architectural salvager has plans of his own for the Beaumont family home. As the two butt heads, old turmoil is brought to the surface and Cole and Jenni Beth will have to work through some painful memories and tough realities before they can set their pasts aside and have a second chance at their own happily ever after.

Best Laid Wedding Plans graphicAbout the Author
The luxury of staying home when the weather turns nasty, of working in PJs and bare feet, and the fact that daydreaming is not only permissible but encouraged, are a few of the reasons middle school teacher Lynnette Austin gave up the classroom to write full-time. Lynnette grew up in Pennsylvania’s Alleghany Mountains, moved to Upstate New York, then to the Rockies in Wyoming. Presently she and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida’s beaches and Georgia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. A finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart Contest, PASIC’s Book of Your Heart Contest, and Georgia Romance Writers’ Maggie Contest, she’s published five books as Lynnette Hallberg. She’s currently writing as Lynnette Austin. Having grown up in a small town, that’s where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody…and all their business, for better or worse.  Visit Lynnette at www.authorlynnetteaustin.com.

Connect with Lynnette
Website: http://www.authorlynnetteaustin.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lynnette-Austin-253370174807116
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LynnettAustin
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/romwriter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6456915.Lynnette_Austin