Hi, how's it going? Are you surviving the wintry weather we're having? People back home in California always comment that I must be used to the cold after living on the East Coast for many years. Sure, I've made it through several winters in Connecticut and NYC, but that doesn't mean that …
Christmas
9 Things I Love About the Holidays
All of my friends know that I'm an absolute nut when it comes to the holidays. I can't help it- I just love Christmas so much. As we're getting into the holiday spirit, I thought it would be fun to share a few things that I love about this season. 1. Decorations: Being in the city during the …
Warm Christmas
I'm so happy to be home in CA! I made it home on Wednesday evening, after a long day of traveling, and since then I've just been chilling in my PJs and spending time with my family. My sister came back on Saturday night, so that means that now all four of us are together again for the first time …
Holiday Card Ideas
In keeping with the theme of Wednesday's post, I wanted to share a few holiday card ideas. I like to choose my holiday cards early so I have plenty of time to write and mail them out before Christmas. When I was younger, I always used to help my mom send out the family Christmas cards and now that I …
Home for Christmas
Just popping in quickly to wish you all a Merry Christmas! As you may know, I've been home in California for the last few days and it's been so wonderful to see my family and spend time with them. I've taken a step back from everything and have been relaxing, reading, watching movies, and playing …
My Holiday Cards
It took me a little while to pick out my holiday cards. Originally I wanted to do a photo card; I don't have a significant other and I thought sending a card with just my picture on it might be weird. Plus I needed to order my cards early so I could send them out for the Christmas Card …
![HOW TO FAIL AT FLIRTING by Denise Williams (thank you to @berkleypub/@berkleyromance for the free copy!)
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What a fun, engaging, and sexy romance read!
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Our main character, Naya, leads a quiet life. After splitting with her abusive ex a few years ago, all she wanted to do was fade into the background. But she’s become a shell of the person she used to be, so her friends lovingly encourage her to get out of her routine and try something new. She decides that maybe they’re not wrong and on the first night she opens herself up a little, she meets a guy in a bar. Before their flirtation can turn into something serious, she has to decide if she’s ready for a new relationship or if she wants to retreat back to her old life.
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I loved that the two main characters were both nerds that enjoyed trading cheesy jokes back and forth. Since Naya is a professor, I also liked how the author explored the struggles of being a woman in academia. I really felt for Naya and hearing about the ways her ex used to hurt her was hard to read. I definitely want to mention the discussion of domestic violence in this book so that you don’t go in thinking this is a super light read.
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To me, this book was about a woman trying to find herself again and learning to believe in herself and her worth. I also loved that Naya made a list of things she wanted to do/accomplish, along with the nods to her list throughout the book, as I am very much a list person myself. Overall, I thought this was a fun romance! I enjoyed the writing, there were some great supporting characters, and some good steamy moments as well (ooo la la).
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[CW: domestic violence, sexual, physical, and emotional abuse]](http://starcrossedsmile.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)