The Book Bag: Mistletoe and Wedding Bells

Showing posts with label Mistletoe and Wedding Bells. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Reading My TBR Piles ~ January 2022 Edition #TBR

YIKES!!

Look familiar? This is sometimes how my TBR piles/shelves feel to me. I have decided to make a more concerted effort to whittle down my TBR books. These will be books that on not on my review stack, but books that I own. These could be print, e-book, or audio-books., just books that I have been wanting to read. So, on the first Wednesday of each month I'm going to post the books that I read the previous month with the goal to clear off my TBR shelves.

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I didn't have many review books due in December and sort of took a break from blogging for part of the month. I was able to get in a lot of books that I just read for pleasure. It was a great month!

See any books here that on your own TBR pile?

E-books

Books #1-3 of the Hope Springs series.

Audio-books

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Monday, December 13, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? ~ December 13, 2021 #IMWAYR

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is a place to meet up and share what you have been, are and about to be reading over the week. It's an opportunity to visit other blogs and to comment on their reads. And ... you can add to that ever growing TBR pile! So welcome everyone. This meme started with J Kaye's Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at the Book Date. And here we are!

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Well, winter has finally set in. We really have enjoyed unseasonably nice weather so far and the first part of December was so nice. On Friday a big snow storm hit with 9-10 inches of snow being dumped just south of us. We lucked out and got considerable less but this storm closed all of the surrounding schools. Thoughts and prayers go out to all who were in the path of the recent devastating tornados.

My daughter invited me over to her house on Sunday to sit with her while we watched my son-in-law and his daughter bake Christmas cookies. And yes, we did taste test some of the cookies, I guess you could say that we were the 'quality control'. 😉 It actually inspired me to come home and make some of my annual caramel corn. We'll see how long that inspiration lasts.

Is there something that you always make or bake at Christmas time and it just wouldn't be Christmas without it?

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week.

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading

Daisy Jones & The Six

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Tea at Five

by Matthew Lombardo

Narrated by Kate Mulgrew

What I recently finished

Matters of the Heart

Hope Springs #4

by Ashley Farley

Pub date ~ January 4, 2022

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells

Hope Springs #3

by Ashley Farley

Read my thoughts here

Show Me the Way

Hope Springs #2

by Ashley Farley

Festive in Death

In Death #39

by J.D. Robb

Narrated by Susan Ericksen

What I am going to read next

My Darling Husband

by Kimberly Belle

Pub date ~ December 28

I really love my reading life!

What are you reading this week?

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Sunday, December 12, 2021

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley ~ My Thoughts #MistletoeAndWeddingBells

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells by Ashley Farley

Series: Hope Springs #3

Women's Fiction, Christmas, 275 pages

Published October 27, 2020 by Leisure Time Books

Merriment and mayhem collide for a chaotic holiday season at the Inn at Hope Springs Farms.

General manager, Stella Boor, is ready to marry her man and live in the home of her dreams. But she can do neither until she wins permanent custody of her six-year-old half sister, Jazz. Meanwhile, Jazz’s mother, Naomi, is determined to make trouble for Stella at every turn. When tension mounts, Stella results to drastic measures in order to protect her baby sister.

Event planner, Presley Ingram, is keeping the ultimate secret. She’s planning a surprise wedding for Stella and Jack for Christmas Day. As passion ignites with her new lover, Presley pauses to consider if she’s planning Stella’s dream wedding. Or her own.

Head chef, Cecily Weber, will wed the love of her life on Christmas Eve. But when her fiancé shows an irresponsible side she’s never before seen, Cecily begins to have second doubts. Is she suffering from pre-wedding jitters? Or will she be forced to choose between marriage and the success she’s worked so hard to achieve?

Join three intriguing young women in their search for happily ever after.

My thoughts about Mistletoe and Wedding Bells ~~

(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)

First lines—"The sound of bells ringing in the distance silences the crowd. Families with young children migrate to the edge of the stone terrace, looking out into the inky darkness toward the mountains."

Mistletoe and Wedding Bells is the perfect story to read right now. It's full of Christmas, weddings, friendships, and love. I just finished reading books 1-3 of this amazing series to prepare for book #4, which comes out in January. This was a wonderful way to read these books. I became totally immersed in Stella's life and the interesting world and people of Hope Springs. Stella unexpectedly inherits her father's property and we get to watch as she struggles with trying to make it a success. Friends—and enemies—are made as she pour her heart and soul into the place.

The women of the Hope Spring Inn bond together and help each other through the tough times. It was wonderful watching relationships develop, some for the good and some—not so much. I came to feel like I was a part of the group and enjoyed my time at the Inn so much.

I absolutely love this series and highly recommend it. I'm excited for book #4 to hit the shelves!

Books #1 and #2 of the Hope Springs series.

Book #4 ~ Pub date January 4!

About the author

Ashley Farley writes books about women for women. Her characters are mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives facing real-life issues. Her bestselling Sweeney Sisters series has touched the lives of many.

Ashley is a wife and mother of two young adult children. While she's lived in Richmond, Virginia for the past 21 years, a piece of her heart remains in the salty marshes of the South Carolina Lowcountry, where she still calls home. Through the eyes of her characters, she captures the moss-draped trees, delectable cuisine, and kindhearted folk with lazy drawls that make the area so unique. For more information, visit www.ashleyfarley.com ~ Goodreads

Connect with Ashley

Website | Facebook | Goodreads | Twitter | Instagram

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Monday, December 6, 2021

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? December 6, 2021 #IMWAYR

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I spent the weekend with my daughter and DIL. They live about an hour away, we get along really well, and it was nice to get away. We did some shopping and too much eating, and binge watched several Hallmark Christmas movies. I usually don't watch much tv, let alone Hallmark movies but we made a game of it and played Christmas movie BINGO. I highly recommend it! It made watching the movies fun and made me realize that there is definitely a formula to those movies.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you all have a good week.

Happy reading!

What I'm currently reading