The Monthly Herd-- Aaaaaaand We're Done With 2017!

Holy crap. 2017 is over in less than 24 hours! I still can't believe that's possible. It was an eventful year but just doesn't seem possible *that* many days have passed already. lol 

So. Things...

[meme-age] New Reads, Best New-To-Me-Authors of 2017 & Smooching!

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

Ha! Second meme post this week. I'm working to get these to just Friday. lol

Whew! What a week! There was a lot of Christmas had and then a lot of purging done. I'm working on my panicked "do all the shit you were too lazy to do the last 360 days" list. It's been a long 2 days working on it ::snort::

Anywho. Books since Monday!

3.5 stars-- The Bachelor Contract (The Bachelors of Arizona #3) by Rachel Van Dyken #QuoteTastic

I've been enjoying Van Dyken's series. They're easy reads with a fun set up. And oh so special characters. lol

Soooo a quote for today.

This scene had me laughing. #DontTouchTheOcean

4 stars-- Wolf Hunger (SWAT #7) by Paige Tyler

I don't read paranormal much these days. I totally burnt myself out on it pre-blog. But there are two exceptions. Jennifer Ashley and Paige Tyler. Damn but these ladies can write!

Tyler and her SWAT werewolves...yes! So good, yall.

So this scene things are getting steamy between the two and I had to bust out laughing. Totally tickled me.

Meme-age! It's CHRISTMAS *flails* There Are Things...

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

Merry Christmas, yall!

I'm meme-ing twice this week so here goes...

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas, yall! I hope you're all having a wonderful day whether you're having a low key Christmas or going full force with...all the things. lol

I'm taking the day off to spend with the herd (I have to put together their new scratching post for them) and then going out to Christmas brunch with Ro from In the Know with Ro. We always have a great time gabbing books and blogging and just visiting. Then I'll be rounding out the day at the USO with my regular guys and our gal that's joined us the last few months. It's the first time our regular shift has been scheduled for Christmas so will be fun seeing them.

So a super easy don't have to cook a thing Christmas (unlike my poor mom in FL who is already ready for a nap). lol 

4 stars-- His Redneck Girl (Possum Hollow Series Book 1) by Lindsey Brookes

Oh my gosh. His Redneck Girl was an absolute trip!

The Gist: Baylee Jean's tired of waiting. Jimmie Joe may have broken her heart years earlier and he may be a horn dog of epic proportions but she wants him back. Her plan? A dog training book. Mmhm. She's gonna bring that sexy horn dog to heel.

3 stars-- Hope Under Mistletoe (Seasons of Hope #1) by Jessica R. Patch

A Christmas story featuring a widowed pastor's wife falling for the town's bartender and resident 'bad boy'? I was in.

The Gist: After her church burned down Eden and her congregation were in need of a new meeting place. Something that comes from the unlikeliest of places--- her husband's best friend and owner of a bar with a perfect space. He may just be the answer to her prayers-- both spoken and unspoken. At the very least her church? Well, it's gonna be meeting at a bar for a little while. 

3.5 stars-- Cowboy, It's Cold Outside (Twilight, Texas #8) by Lori Wilde

Christmas and cowboys? Well, maybe not an actual cowboy but a sexy country singer giving back? Um, yeah, yeah that'll work real nice, too.

Cowboy, It's Cold Outside left me smiling.

4 stars-- Cowboy Christmas Blues (Gold Valley 0.5) by Maisey Yates

Damn Maisey Yates making me cry! Every blasted time. And even with a short little novella. *flails* But, yeah, Cowboy Christmas Blues got me.

The Gist: Cooper has reluctantly come home for Christmas. He does NOT like coming home especially during the holidays because it reminds him of his sister who died but his parents asked him. So drinking? Yeah, gonna happen. Random hook up? Yep. Check that right off. Accidentally doing the latter with a long lost childhood friend and not realizing it was her? Oops! #SomeonesGonnaBePissed

Book Releases & Sales! Seriously. The Number of Books...Ridiculous! But Pretty!

So many sales! I went a bit sale crazy. Oops! But really! So pretty!
And, yall, some of these ornaments! Ha!

4 stars-- Enchanted by the Highlander (A Highland Fairy Tale #4) by Lecia Cornwall

Yall. Highlanders! Or, well, kinda this time. But first a quote!

Tasty Delights-- Sweet Potato Kale Soup

It's gotten chilly here lately and I'm all about the soup. So, so good.

This time it was Sweet Potato Kale Soup with lentils. I'm doing that whole try to be healthy bit and this seemed pretty dang healthy, yeah?

[meme-age] What I'm Reading + Books I Want Santa To Bring Me *gimme*

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

This week was...busy! I've been reading and blogging like crazy (got my NG up to 97%!) and stringing Christmas lights. Painting a deck, installing shelves. Getting rid of things and cooking up a storm. It's felt pretty dang good. I'm getting around to blog but behind...as usual. Ugh. Sorry, yall! I'll get back to normal eventually. lol

Also, I'm changing the day I do memes for 2018. They're going to be on Fridays for the most part. So this week's has a few extra days of books since it had a jump from Monday to today :)

4 stars-- Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas (Happy, Texas #2) by Carolyn Brown

Cowboys! Cowboys at Christmas! Woo! Even if I did read it in August. lol

A sexy cowboy struggling with PTSD finally finding peace and comfort with a woman who sets his boots to moving and her three kids who desperately want a daddy of their own for Christmas. There might be a wee herd of sheep, too. Yall. Seriously.

Long, Tall Cowboy Christmas was a sweet romance that'll leave you believing in miracles and dreaming of a white Christmas.

Christmas Minis { Once Upon a Christmas Eve by Elizabeth Hoyt } & { The Lady in Red by Kelly Bowen }

Yall know I love me some Christmas books. And Christmas-ish novellas. <3 So I had to pick these two up since I love the series they come from. And they were a good time.


Once Upon a Christmas Eve (Maiden Lane #12.6) by Elizabeth Hoyt

---

Christmas and Elizabeth Hoyt. I was in!

BOOKS & BACON!!! #NewReleases #AndThings

I'm really curious about this series from Rachel Caine. I love her books but still haven't gotten to book one. Any of yall read it?

The Best Books of 2017!

Top Ten (or so): Favorite Books of 2017

4 stars-- The Christmas Room by Catherine Anderson

The Christmas Room was a lovely read. And one I devoured. Family, drama, ranch life and...Christmas! This book was huge but I finished it in less than 24 hours. Every spare second I was reading a little more.

The Gist: Cam and his family have moved to town and they're basically camping out until their home is built and oh that puts a spur under their neighbor's saddle. He can't stand them hillbilly neighbors and when he finds out the son is sniffing after his daughter...and she's sniffing right back? Oh hell no. He's gonna make em all sorry they moved to town. Or that's his plan. Until he gets put in his place by a sassy older lady who's not backing down to all his bluster and growling.

2018 Reading/Blogging Challenges

I host a handful of challenges each year but also join in on them, myself. These are the ones I'm personally doing in 2018 and my "official" sign up post. If you'd like to find out more about one of the challenges and wantto join in just click through to the event link up.

4 stars-- Dirty Scoundrel (Roughneck Billionaires #2) by Jessica Clare

Clare has a twist on billionaires that'll have even the most indifferent sitting up and paying attention. The Price brothers? Roughnecks that hit it big and became overnight oil tycoons. They may be billionaires but these guys are still scruffy, crass and rough around all their edges. Mmhm.

The Gist: Revenge. And fucking someone out of your system. This...is the plan. Buy the girl who broke your heart years earlier, fuck her in exchange for paying off her debt, move on. Yeah. Yeah, yall. *pinche bridge of nose* Dick move.

4 stars-- The Irishman's Christmas Gamble (Wager of Hearts #2.5) by Nancy Herkness

Yay! I love this series from Herkness and had been hoping for Frankie's story.
The series is about a trio of billionaires who make a bet to find...true love. And Frankie's the lady who owns the swanky club where they make the bet. The whole series I'd been like I neeeeeeeeed Frankie's story! And then I spotted The Irishman's Christmas Gamble. *squees of delight* lol

So I Christmased in June.

Insta-Wednesday: All the Pretties. And the Noms.

Because I love Instagram and sharing what we've been up to the last couple weeks...

Yeah. It's been a while. Here's what we've been doing...

New Book Releases! Plus Elephants Wearing Glasses! Yall!

There were a lot of pretties, yall. I enjoyed Tyler, Hoyt and Bowen.
Stop what you're doing! Grab Hoyt and Tyler's books!
LOVE them!

4 stars-- Christmastime Cowboy by Maisey Yates

Christmas. Cowboys. Maisey Yates. Could it BE any more perfect?! lol

Christmastime Cowboy was full of great characters that were a bit broken and in need of mending, some growly chemistry that turned oh-so-yummily hot. Family, friends, steamy love scenes and heartwarming moments. Add in the holiday spirit and, yep, Christmastime Cowboy was another winner from Yates.

[meme-age] New Reads, Bookish Settings I Want to Visit & a Christmas Favorite!

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

It was a slower reading week here than last week. Darn! But life has been super busy and I've been doing things other than reading so not unexpected. I managed to not buy a single book and only accepted one review book and am nearly done with it. Yay!

For those interested I have a giveaway going on that's planner related :)

2 stars-- Wicked Ride (Realm Enforcers #1) by Rebecca Zanetti

I love Zanetti but, yall, Wicked Ride was a struggle. A 2+ year struggle and I'm the odd girl out but this one just didn't work for me despite my love for Zanetti's books. 

The Gist: There's a new drug on the streets that's literally burning people from the inside out and both Alexandra-- a cop-- and Kell-- a witch enforcer-- are bound and determined to find the supplier and get it off the street. If the other would just stay out of their damn way so they could do their jobs.

PLANNER GIVEAWAY!!!! Woo!!!

Lauren messaged me a little while back and was like hey! I'm doing a planner hop...wanna co-host? And yall know I love me some planners so I joined in to share the planner squee-s.

We're sharing our favorite thing about planning and a giftie, too!

The Monthly Herd-- November-- Ahhhhh!

Woo! I got back in my blogging groove this month. And it felt amazing. I blogged more in that last two weeks of November than I did from July through October. It was crazy and such a happy thing. Reading is going great, too! I have to be careful still not to do too much with my eyes and have had a few bad days where I pushed too hard but so much better than things had been. 

So...some other things...

4 stars-- Holiday Wishes (Heartbreaker Bay #4.5) by Jill Shalvis

Yall. It's a Jill Shalvis. You know I'm gonna love it. And Holiday Wishes? Totally holiday cuteness. 

So, yes. A wedding weekend getaway to a quaint little inn in the country. How fun! And awkward when the inn keeper? Turns out to e the lady you lost your virginity to years earlier and who may be pretending to have no clue who you are because, yeah, you fucked things up right good all those years ago. Mmhm. #ShesStillALittleUpset #MaybeAnOrgasmWillFixThings

3 stars-- Barking Up the Wrong Tree (Bluff Point #2) by Jenn McKinlay

These covers are just the cutest! I've enjoyed the first two books from McKinlay's series. They aren't prefect but oh my this group of friends. They're pretty damn hilarious.

This first quote I just enjoyed the banter and the clarification. lol

So. Many. New. Releases! #MustBuyThemAll

So many books this week by so many of my favoritest authors! Yall!
And holy cow the SALES!
Let me know which cover is your favorite or if you grab anything!

Meme-age: CHRISTMAS!!!!!! And Books I Want to Read This Winter (new pretties, too)

 

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

Hey all! Whew what a week! I was pretty busy on the home front AND the blogging front. I've gotten the blogging bug again and have been scheduling posts like crazy. It's been amazing! I already have January nearly finished and posts done for Feb, April and July. It's crazy. And I'm loving it. It's so nice to be into blogging and reading again after months of hardly anything. Even got my NG up to 95%!

Other than that just eating, house projects, eating some more. It's been lovely. Sidney still isn't feeling 100% but she's much improved. So...good things.

Tasty Delights-- Gnocchi with Sun Dried Tomatoes

Yall! How pretty is this dish? I'm new to cooking with sun-dried tomatoes and have found I like them quite a bit. This one was good overall but I'll definitely make some changes and...try not to make such a blunder.

Interview w/ Sophia Rose-- A historical handful & what she accidentally baked!

Hey Guys! We've got Sophia joining us today! I think a lot of yall know Sophia as a blogger from over at Delighted Reader but she's an author, too! Which is why she's here today :) Yall give her a nice warm welcome!

4 stars-- Duke of Desire (Maiden Lane #12) by Elizabeth Hoyt

Compelling, dark, passionate. Hoyt holds no punches with Duke of Desire and her edgy Maiden Lane series.

The Gist: Mistaken identity, kidnapping, winding up the center of a debauched orgy filled with evil men of the ton who prey on women and young boys. Yes, Iris has had better days.

As has her rescuer who she kinda maybe shoots accidentally on purpose. Woosh.

OwlBeGosh! New Book Releases and CUTE Things!

Just a few books this week. I had a good time with Jessica Clare's first book in this series. So good! I'm actually reading Dirty Scoundrel now. He's a total fuck off but I think he'll wear me down. lol

[memes] New Arrivals, Bookstores & Books I'm Thankful For!

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

Whew, yall. Thanksgiving week. That just does not seem possible! It's been a semi-busy week here. I've had insanely productive days followed by days of slug imitation. They kinda balance each other out. lol

I've been doing a ton of blogging which I didn't manage during Blog Ahead and it feels amazing! I already have half my planner doodled for 2018 (months and first 2 weeks plus tracking pages) and have 11 posts for Jan finished and 1 review for April done. Woo! Plus another 3 I'm in the middle of writing for Jan. Yall! It's making me giddy. lol

The herd is doing well, too, save for one who is feeling poorly. We're likely going to make a vet visit this week for Sidney since she didn't bounce back over the weekend. But other than that everyone's doing fine.

4 stars-- Sweet as Sin (Bad Habit #1) by J.T. Geissinger

Holy dirty mouthed hero! Noms! Yall, I loved this book! Sweet as Sin lit up all my reader girl buttons and has me hooked!

Gist: These two meet. Fireworks happen. Some drama. Some scorching sexy bits. And it's magical. Seriously. I was all ohmigawd!!! I need more!!!

3.5 stars-- The Playboy Bachelor (The Bachelors of Arizona #2) by Rachel Van Dyken

The Playboy Bachelor was pretty dang fun, yall. It's so easy to fall into Van Dyken's writing and just enjoy some steamy silly fun. And, lordy these two were something.

The Gist: A terrible car accident years earlier turned best friends into, well, enemies when he abandoned her afterwards. Dick move, buddy. Dick move. And now, lordy. Now the two are being forced to spend an entire month together because of manipulative match making grandparents that gave em no choice. Yall.

4 stars-- Twelfth Night with the Earl (The Sutherland Sisters #3) by Anna Bradley

A grumbly growly Christmas averse earl arriving at his estate--one he thought was empty--to find... a Christmas party in full swing! And an oh-so aggravating housekeeper--his childhood friend-- leading the festivities.

It's really more than a drunken Christmasly disinclined earl can handle once his flask runs dry. lol

4 stars-- Once Upon a Maiden Lane (Maiden Lane #12.5) by Elizabeth Hoyt

I needed a little romance this morning.

And Henry? Oh, Henry was ready to step up give me a little shiver.

Basically, Henry's spent his whole life knowing he'd marry a family friend--their parents arranged it. But, suddenly, he's found himself engaged to someone else. Someone who's feeling a little insecure about how little time they've had to learn one another.

Books You Should Buy!

Hoyt, Bradley, Cornwall, Ashley.
Yall, it's a veritable historical smorgasbord!

SIGN UP-- Planner Blog Hop!

Soooo Lauren from Shooting Stars and I are doing a thing! We're both planner junkies and want to share our love for all things planning with a fun blog hop!

This is a real low key blog hop. Basically you host your own giveaway of something planner related-- a planner, washi, stickers, pretty pencils, etc-- and link up to the linky starting December 1st.

[meme-age] BabyG's Reading Wishlist plus Books We Got This Week

I wanted to meme. And only had one weekly post to do it. So there's a whole lotta memeage happening in this post. You might have to scroll down a bit to get the one you're looking for. 😸

It's been a busy week here. Not anything major just lots of 'round the house and blog maintenance and things to check off the list, ya know? Did some reading and went geocaching for the first time. I'm doing pretty good on the review pile despite the last few months eye troubles. As soon as they come in I've been getting them read and reviewed. NG is up to 93%. Woo! Feeling good about it.

Ed Sheeran!! Yall! OMG!

Eeee! Another "shoulda-been-posted-2-months-ago" post. Yall! LOL

But! I'm still gonna squee in your general direction because...

I GOT TO SEE ED SHEERAN!!!

4 stars-- To Marry a Texas Outlaw (Men of Legend #3) by Linda Broday

Broday has me hooked. I'm enjoying this family. Their honor, their strength, even their stubbornness. These men are something else. That's for sure.

The Gist: Luke's an outlaw trying to go straight but before he can accept being part of his newfound family he's got it in his head he needs to right all his past wrongs and, well, clear his name for a murder he didn't commit. And in the process of driving his family crazy with "I can do it myself" stubbornness he picks up a woman who's lost her memory, a kid, a dog and a kitten. And a whole herd of trouble hounding his heels.

4 stars-- The Danger of Desire (Sinful Suitors #3) by Sabrina Jeffries

#BloggerShame, yall. Blogger Shame. I read The Danger of Desire way back before it released last year and then... I forgot to review it. :facepalm: By the time I realized, yeah, I couldn't remember details so had to re-read. And, oh, I had just as much fun this time!

The Gist: Family is difficult. And meddlesome. And sometimes that lands you watching over a chit you don't even know and who's courting scandal with apparent relish! I mean, honestly, men's clothing, late night prowling, gambling in the hells?! What's a rakish Marquess to do with a woman like that?! Drive her mad and make her his, of course!

4 stars-- Falling for Tender Heart (Tender Heart Texas #1) by Katie Lane

Oh Katie Lane! Yall! I love me some Katie Lane. She does a fun giveaway post on her FB page every week and I won a little bit back. She sent a "surprise" romance book and Falling for Tender Heart is what arrived. And I loved it!

This was totally a book where a minor character stole the show.

One by the name of Dirk. A cocksure and cheeky little shit. He was... amazing. I totally snuck off to Goodreads to make sure he'd get a book after meeting him. lol

So this is him...

New Book Releases And HEDGEHOGS!!! #SoCute

The Shalvis book was cute! And I've got the Tara Sue Me, Miles, Langlais and Lane all on my list. One day. One day.