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Visit my blog, and read a fantastic excerpt from the contemporary Christian romance novel THE KEY TO EVERYTHING by Valerie Fraser Luesse. Enter the #GIVEAWAY to #win a copy of the book, a necklace, and a $25 Barnes & Noble GIFT CARD or a $10 #Starbucks GIFT CARD!

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Based on a true story, Valerie Fraser Luesse’s new novel takes readers on an incredible journey of self-discovery. The poignant prose, enchanting characters, and captivating settings in The Key to Everything make this a moving story that readers won’t soon forget. Peyton Cabot’s fifteenth year will be a painful and transformative one. His father, the reluctant head of a moneyed Savannah family, has come home from WWII a troubled vet, drowning his demons in bourbon, and distancing himself from his son. When a tragic accident separates Peyton from his parents, and the girl of his dreams seems out of reach, he struggles to cope with a young life upended.

Pushed to his limit, Peyton makes a daring decision: he will retrace a slice of the journey his father took at fifteen by riding his bicycle all the way from St. Augustine to Key West, Florida. Part loving tribute, part search for self, Peyton’s journey will unlock more than he ever could have imagined, including the key to his distant father, a calling that will shape the rest of his life, and the realization that he’s willing to risk absolutely everything for the girl he loves.

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2020/06/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-key-to.html

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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Movie Star by Lizzie Pepper in Books

Feb 13, 2018

Lizzie Pepper became a famous actress as a teen -- growing up before America's eyes on her TV show. Eventually Lizzie meets America's most famous movie star, Rob Mars -- and quickly their courtship and marriage becomes tabloid fodder and her life changes forever. At first, Lizzie is head over heels in love with Rob and all that he brings: romance, lavish trips, and instant stardom. But soon, her life is taken over by Rob's wealth and fame -- his constant absences, a complete lack of privacy, and a world overshadowed by Rob's total commitment to One Cell Studio, a form of study and practice that nears cult status. Once they have children, Lizzie begins to doubt everything about their relationship -- and what her husband stands for.

This was a fun book. Written by Hilary Liftin, a celebrity ghostwriter, Lizzie is a really enjoyable and insightful character. The book is clearly supposed to be based on Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes. I kept imagining Rob Mars as a creepy twist between Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe, which was a little frightening. The One Cell piece is oddly disconcerting, as it's supposed to be, and made me want to delve more into the weirdness that is Scientology. Lizzie's evolution was fun to read about (I enjoyed, on a personal level, that she had twins) and she remained a realistic and relatable character, despite being elevated to movie star status. It truly makes you think about some of the insanity that movie stars have to go through, especially those that have children. It also gets you thinking about various religious cults and the power they have over people. In the end, probably a 3.5 star book, as it's a quick, fun read, but with a surprising depth behind it in places. After all, in the end, a marriage crumbling is a marriage crumbling, even in Hollywood.

Kudos

Night Reader Reviews (683 KP) rated Beginners Cookbook in Books

Jan 9, 2020

Beginners Cookbook by K. Mortimer is a book full of fairly quick and easy recipes. While the cooking time on some of these can be a bit long, none of the recipes. in this book take very long to put together. Some readers that are not from the United Kingdom may not recognize some of the names of some ingredients but a quick google search should fix that.

This cookbook walks beginner cooks through common breakfast foods, main meal dishes, and even snacks. It has recipes. for common foods such as macaroni and cheese to things a little more uncommon (yet still simple) like prawn cocktails. The dessert selection offers some delicious recipes such as rice pudding or an apple and blackberry crumble. The cookbook also ends on a sweet note with the cakes and pastries section containing items such as fruit scones and jam jars.

One of the best things about this book is how simple all the recipes are. The chocolate brownies probably have one of the largest ingredient lists in the entire book. Also, many of the meat-based recipes gives a vegetarian option in the instructions as well. What I did not really care for was that some of the recipes seem to be in the wrong chapter. Flapjacks, for example, are labeled as a cake and not a breakfast food (this may be a UK vs. US thing I am not sure). There were also ingredients such as sultanas and salad cream that I have never heard of, along with a few unknown !!br0ken!!

This book was created directly for those who have never cooked before or who have just started cooking. It is perfect for (supervised) children who are gaining confidence in the kitchen. Adults and teens who find themselves suddenly on their own for food will also benefit from this book. It would make a good gift for a new college student as well. I give this book a rating of 3 out of 4. The recipes themselves are very beginner-friendly although there are a few things that would make it even more so. It would have been nice to see examples of less common items such as flan pans in an index-like area. Also, a list of common substitutions for things like eggs and butter would have been nice along with a conversions chart.

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