Get Over The Lies

I cried the other day.

I cried because I couldn't really afford a bottle of nail polish without breaking out a credit card.  It didn't matter that I couldn't actually find the nail polish in question (OPI's Envy the Adventure from their Nutcracker collection), but just the fact that I wanted the nail polish and couldn't get it broke me a little bit.  Which is admittedly ridiculous.

So instead I bought a book.  I can hear you all screaming now:  "You couldn't afford nail polish, why did you buy a book?!?!"  I broke out the credit card for this one.  I was walking through Walmart after I left work on Thanksgiving, feeling really sorry for myself and like I wasn't good enough.  I went for socks, but I ended up walking by the book section and Rachel Hollis' Girl, Wash Your Face was sitting there.  It's been suggested to me before, and I got it.  

I never thought I'd be the person who likes self-help or personal development books, but I've found that they really do help.  They make me think, and sometimes realize that things aren't as bad as they seem to me.  

Girl, Wash Your Face was the book I needed that I didn't know I needed.  Each chapter takes a big "lie" that we tell ourselves, or that we allow ourselves to believe.  Hollis then shares her experience with that lie and what finally made it click that she wanted to change.  That's the big thing.  You can't change your life if you don't WANT to.  Like the "Lie: I'll Start Tomorrow" chapter.  You can say that all you want (I've said it three times this week) but tomorrow will never come if you don't really want it to.  

This book definitely changed how I'm going to approach things.  I'm not going to be perfect, but accepting that is defeating one of the lies itself.  Perfection isn't necessary.

I'll get home from work tonight, wash my face, head to bed, and make tomorrow the best day that it can be!  Or so I tell myself today.

I'd write more, but this book is one you need to read for yourself because your experience will be different from mine.  It all depends on where you are in your life!

#girlwashyourface #theliethetruth #wantit #liveabetterlife #rachelhollis #bewhoyouweremeanttobe #queenvicsbookshelf #readabook #makelistsiswearithelps.

What's Life Without a Little Risk?

Guys, I laughed harder at these books than I have in a long time.  That and one of the boys is a bit of an idiot and makes some REALLY bad choices but hey.  We aren't there yet. 

Autumn Reed first came onto my radar a few years ago when she was writing the Stardust series with Julia Clarke (which is also amazing and I highly recommend).  I was super excited when I saw the first book of the Risking It series pop up, but life took over a little bit and I didn't get a chance to read the books until the third and final book came out.  In a few ways, I'm a bit glad that I did wait.  I read all three books really quickly, like usual, but the first two end on notes that make you want the next book and I'm not known to be the most patient person out there.

Emma has just finished her finals and lets her friend drag her off to a popular club in Vegas at the beginning of Raising the Stakes.  Now, we are in Vegas.  What good would life be without a bit of a gamble?  It's just not Emma doing the gambling.  Nicholas, Shane and Cole, who all meet Emma that night, are the ones who make an unorthodox bet.  Shockingly, I'm sure, I'm not going to tell you what it is.  But needless to say when Emma finds out about it, she's not the happiest camper in the forest.  But boy, oh boy, she is a girl after my own heart and gets those three back.  Leaving them with their jaws on the ground, Emma heads home for the holidays.  Cole follows her there to act as the guys' representative, and Emma forgives them.  Barely. 

In the accurately titled Playing to Win, Emma decides to go the unconventional route and date all three of the guys.  This is a risky gamble because they were all good friends before.  And there there's the question of what to tell everyone?  It's not just the four of them who are affected, but each of their families as well.  As Emma gets in deeper and deeper, she starts to question what brought the four of them together in the first place.  When everything comes to a head, is Emma going to brave enough to play her winning hand?  (Because it is totally a winning hand. I  want these three guys in my life!)

Just as Emma decided to fight for what she wants, the foursome are hit hard at another angle.  Nicholas decides stupidly that he needs to leave to support his sister, but he's sacrificing basically everyone's happiness.  Boy has some issues to work out in Defying the Odds, and it takes a life or death situation for someone Emma loves dearly to pull his head out of his tush and realize what it is that's really important. But Emma is faced with a decision.  Can the stay in her favor so she gets happily every after?

My bet would be yes (but don't take it from me.  I just read the books!)

Anyway.  These were a super quick and super fun read for me.  They were filled with just enough funny moments to balance out the drama, and I would like to claim Xavier as a best friend.  Oh, and can I have Emma's shoe collection?  I'll learn how to walk in heels!!

There are a lot of great things about these books!  For novellas, they have a great amount of character development and backstory.  You aren't just thrown in mid story,  you get all the bits and pieces.  They also don't condense a relationship down into an impossible timeline.  I know that a lot of romance and steamy books have an initial spark moment where things happen quickly and these have that moment in Raising the Stakes, but Emma also takes no shit and makes things move at her pace.  I think there's a lot of books that forget that slight detail that make me not enjoy them as much as I could.  Relationships aren't easy, and in a reverse harem book, you're dealing with multiple types of relationships all at the same time.  I also adore these covers!  They're practically perfect in every way.

Anyway.   Go read a book!  I'm already getting ready for my next caper in book land, and prepping for my 25 days of Holiday Books!  December is going to be a busy month for me!

#readabook #riskingit #playingtowin #raisingthestakes #defyingtheodds #vegas #reverseharem #shoes #shoesgloriousshoes #cactus #queenvicsbookshelf