It's my favorite time of year- the holiday season! Now that Thanksgiving has come and gone, I can officially get into the holiday spirit. Every year, I look forward to the parties and gatherings that happen around this time of year. Sadly, this year I'll be missing a couple of work parties because …
Nordstrom
Gift Guide 2014: For the Beauty Obsessed
A couple of weeks ago, I shared my beauty wish list and today I have several more beauty-related gift ideas. Many of these are also on my list (you know the nail polish addict in me is heart-eyed over that Formula X set) or items that I think would make good gifts for people in my life. I also love …
10 Coats Under $150
We've reached that point in the year where it's time to start bundling (remind me again how we got to November so quickly?). I'm thinking about finally replacing my winter coat this season, so I've been keeping my eye out for some stylish and affordable options. Here are 10 coats that I'm loving, …
Warmer Weather
Well, these are the last of the photos that I took when I was in California in December. Sometimes I think, "Why did I ever leave California, where it's a sunny 50 degrees in the middle of winter?" As much as I wanted to hibernate this weekend, I did leave the house on Saturday to attend …
Heart You
Ahhh, it's good to be back in NYC (and to be back on the blog)! I took a red-eye from LAX on Saturday night and got back to the city on Sunday morning. It was so nice to be home and see my family for Christmas, but I'm also happy to be back here in my cozy little bedroom. Another nice thing …
Black Velvet
I absolutely love holiday party season. It's so fun to get dressed up and be merry with friends and family. My go-to holiday party look is simple- a pretty dress + tights + heels + red lips. I've had this dress for a few seasons now and it always sees a lot of action during this time of …
![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)