The Weekly Wrap-up post is part of the Sunday Post weekly meme hosted by the Caffeinated Book Reviewer - make sure you head over and see what other people are have been up to this week!
I have always worked hard to keep my children's minds open to all genres of music. We listen to all types in our house. Well, all types with the exception of country music. It's not banned, it's just not something that any of us have ever been drawn to aside from an occasional song every 6 or 7 years.
Anyway, I have prided myself on sharing new songs and artists with my children and their friends. My 16 year-old and I share the same musical tastes while the two younger boys like a wide variety of things. In the past year, the 16 year-old has flipped the tables and began recommending music to me. And I love it. I feel a bit like I have my own personal 'happy' dealer. It's great.
The most recent artist that he recommended to me is Kim Churchill. According to Wikipedia,
Kim Churchill is an Australian folk, rock and blues singer, songwriter and musician. He has released four albums, With Sword and Shield and Kim Churchill in 2010, Detail of Distance in 2012 and Silence/Win in 2014.
He has a completely unique voice and and incredible flair with the guitar. I love the way he tosses in the harmonica and sprinkles in the blues.
Kim Churchill - Canopy - Mahogany Session
I am mesmerized by the way he plays his guitar in this song.
Dawn Sims has made a name for herself writing romantic fiction online. When she's pushed to try her hand at publishing, she thinks she has everything figured out. The only problem? She's never been in a relationship, especially one that has led her to finding The Big O.
So much for writing what you know.
Warner Green has had Dawn in his sights since she walked into his class in seventh grade. She broke his teenage heart not once, but twice, so seeing her in his night class at the local community college was an unexpected surprise.
Accidentally reading her bad erotica on her laptop was a blessing from the Smut Gods themselves.
It's clear she has no idea what she's writing about, but Warner does. In fact, he knows so much that he's willing to offer her his services. The deal is simple: teach the good girl from high school everything she needs to know to write from experience. If he gets to live out a fantasy or two that he's been harboring for almost a decade, then there's no harm in that either.
The lessons turn more heated, and Dawn begins to question where Warner has learned his skills, but he's not ready to talk, until his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time.
It shouldn't matter when it's for authentication purposes only.
Shifting a little to look at him, I resisted the urge to kick him in the nuts and lick his neck at the same time. I mean he looked pretty hot sitting in my chair eating that muffin.
Stupid handsome face and fornication hair paired with what I assumed were dirty jeans and a plaid flannel.
“Fine. I’m going to buy a vibrator with the money you gave me. Happy?” His smile was in full force now. “Hell yeah, I’m happy. Ecstatic, even.” He chewed around the pastry in his mouth and laughed. “I’ll come with you to make sure you get the right one.” “Oh, hell no. Being with you in a porn shop is on my list of Things to Never Do before I Die.”
~~ABOUT THE AUTHOR~~
A true child of music, Amber's parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist. Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people's lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing.
A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the people who bring her inspiration.
Title: For Authentication Purposes (FAP) Author: Amber L. Johnson Publisher: The Writer's Coffee Shop Publication Date: March 5th, 2015 Source: ARC via Netgalley
Have you ever read a book that had romance scenes that were so terribly corny that you couldn't help but giggle throughout the entire thing? Well ladies and gents, For Authentication Purposes is NOT that book. It's steamy, it's witty, and it's 7 out of 5 stars fantastic! I loved so many things about this book, that it'd actually take less of your time if I told you the stuff I didn't like...hmm...I can't think of anything.
Meet Dawn Sims, she's a caretaker by day and a student by night with a quirky personality and more snarky sass than your average literary heroine. Dawn is also an aspiring writer, who spends her free time building up her "writing confidence" by publishing stories for free on fan-fiction websites. I thought Dawn was a really relatable character, and I had a lot of fun reading about her. I like her strength, wit, and her honesty the most of all of her character traits. After losing her scholarship to her chosen university, Dawn takes up night classes at the local community college where she runs into a blast from her past.
Warner Green.
Warner is the bad boy us ladies always always crushed on in Middle and High school. The only difference? Warner wasn't afraid to propose to Dawn (aka Bunny) at 14, and he can be a bit too awkwardly forward when it comes to the girl he wants. She of course freaked out, and ignored him for the better part of their childhood. Warner eventually moved away and went to college, but as fate would have it, ends up in night classes with Dawn several years later.
Dawn and Warner are paired up as lab partners for a fruit fly project, when things quickly go awry. Dawn is still hell bent on avoiding Warner (aka Wardo as she's nicknamed him for being a bit of a weirdo in their childhood), and she needs to figure out how she's going to maintain a professional relationship with him as she admits to being frustrated attracted to him. When Warner unknowingly stumbles across Dawn's most recent steamy writing project he realizes a few things:
1) Bunny isn't as sweet and innocent as she seems.
2) She is either a virgin or is seriously misguided in the sex department.
3) He's just the guy to show her the ropes, and to give her his own version of Sex Ed.
I'm not sure I can write a review to fully do this book justice. The side cast is hilarious, the main characters are loveable and relatable. This book was a breath of fresh air. It's finally a book where half of it isn't wasted on the characters getting in their own way, and I love how open and honest Warner and Dawn are.
I promise, if you take the time to read this book, you will enjoy it. It's light, it's fluffy, and it's educational (to an extent). It definitely put a smile on my face.
Amber has outdone herself once again. I'm giving this one a Seven out of Five stars.
Song Recs:
Pony - Ginuwine
Nice and Slow - Usher
You're making me high - Toni Braxton
Let's get it on - Marvin Gaye
Amber and I have spent A LOT of time talking about music over the past 5 or 6 years, so when it comes to doing blog tours, I always request a playlist from her. This is not the original playlist, but what she has come up with provides the perfect backdrop and sets the mood for this humorous and sexy story.
Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.It is a list of what books you have received over the previous week, either for review, from the library, from the bookstore, or from trades.
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Dawn Sims has made a name for herself writing romantic fiction online. When she's pushed to try her hand at publishing, she thinks she has everything figured out. The only problem? She's never been in a relationship, especially one that has led her to finding The Big O.
So much for writing what you know.
Warner Green has had Dawn in his sights since she walked into his class in seventh grade. She broke his teenage heart not once, but twice, so seeing her in his night class at the local community college was an unexpected surprise.
Accidentally reading her bad erotica on her laptop was a blessing from the Smut Gods themselves.
It's clear she has no idea what she's writing about, but Warner does. In fact, he knows so much that he's willing to offer her his services. The deal is simple: teach the good girl from high school everything she needs to know to write from experience. If he gets to live out a fantasy or two that he's been harboring for almost a decade, then there's no harm in that either.
The lessons turn more heated, and Dawn begins to question where Warner has learned his skills, but he's not ready to talk, until his past comes back to haunt him at the worst possible time.
It shouldn't matter when it's for authentication purposes only.
A true child of music, Amber's parents surrounded her with the loudest beats they could find, molding her into a girl who found inspiration and meaning in lyrics and chords. Raised on John Hughes movies, Luck Dragons, and pirate ships, she dreamed of love and adventure. When Amber began to create her own world, she envisioned a place where Happy Ever Afters do exist. Since then, she has authored several romance novels, all of which focus on songs and the way they can touch people's lives. Music may not be able to fix a broken heart, but it can provide one hell of a soundtrack for healing.
A full-time wife and mother with a full-time job, Amber finds her muse in everyday life and the people who bring her inspiration.
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