August 2014 Roundup

August is back to school month. This is the first time ever that both of my children are at the same school with the same schedule. Hypothetically, that means I only need to drop off and pick up my kids (all at the same time) and then be free the rest of the day. Realistically, that hasn't happened yet. With all of the back to school activities, I ended up at the school all day yesterday, 9am-8pm, with three stops back at home for things like lunch and kid drop offs. The kids and I are doing well with the schedule, but it's been busy these first couple weeks.

What I've been reading:
With the start of school, I feel like I haven't read much this month. Like I'm a bit out of the reading groove while I try to adjust to the boys' school schedules and get all the initial back-to-school stuff done. I managed a couple books, but I've also been writing more. I crossed 14K words on my current project, so it's getting more exciting; like something I'm actually doing instead of just messing around.

When The Lights Go Down by Amy Jo Cousins
Sweet, sexy and very witty. It was a good solid story, with characters that leap off the page and dance. Maxie was so varied and it was fun to see how she could put on any persona she wanted to. Underneath that, there were times she still seemed really young, but the rest of the time she was very no-nonsense. It was a great story with an engaging plot; some funny moments, some sweet feels, and a lot of hotness. It was a perfect story to read while I was running the boys around to after school events. (Released September 2nd in a Harlequin E Contemporary Set, so be sure to get it while it's a great deal.)

Tempting Her Best Friend by Gina Maxwell
This one was a little late night indulgence for me. I really do like the friends-to-lovers trope and since I've never been to a romance conference, this was a double-whammy. I loved seeing some of the silly situations and this book gave me a couple good laughs in addition to being really hot. It's short and sweet without a lot of external conflict, but I felt like the sexual stereotypes were a little high a couple times.

Animal Attraction
I read Maizey Yates' story a while ago, but I never got around to the other stories. Since I'm not having much reading luck anyway, I figured I'd try these ones. Each story includes pets of some kind. They're all contemporary. Not super short, but not full novels either. I liked Maisey's story when I read it, but I found the other ones so cliched. Lori Foster's story had a guy who's known the heroine for years and years, but really had to sow his wild oats before he was capable of settling down. The heroine has low self-esteem, no mentioned previous relationships, and has been pining for the hero all along. Heidi Betts' story kept the characters on more equal footing, but throws in so many overused phrases that I tended to roll my eyes. Jules Bennett's story felt like it emotionally jumped a lot. One minute they're not okay with something and the next minute it's not a big deal. Overall I'd probably rate the book a solid four stars with the caveat that you have to be in the right headspace for Harlequin-esque, cliched, alpha-light stories.

Second Chance by Audra North
Cute and short. The story is about an hour of reading and it was a very enjoyable hour. A little bit of paranormal, but with a small town feel. I wanted to know a bit more about everyone, but this was like a single snapshot into their lives. There was a time or two when the timeline got confusing, but the emotions were solid and I truly enjoyed the writing.

What I'm Watching:
The boys were out of town just before school started, so I re-watched My Best Friend's Girl. It's been one of my favorite movies of the last few years. My DH just shakes his head because it's so dirty, but it's really sweet too. Dane Cook is pretty hot and obnoxious, but he's so vulnerable and jaded.

DH and I got a date afternoon to see Guardians of the Galaxy. It was an amusing movie, but I was disappointed with the lack of world-building and character development. I laughed a couple times, in a snicker-y way, but they didn't include enough information about why each character mattered, what the point of all of it was, and there was way too much gratuitous death for my taste.

The movie I really want to see (coming out maybe in October?) is Kingsman. That one looks very awesome. Colin Firth, British accents, zany silliness in an action movie. Yes, please.

What I'm Listening To:
I've listened to this one a lot this month. Stay With Me by Nemesea. Her voice is just so awesome. I think I like the studio version a little better; there's just so much power behind it.

As an added bonus, I've been having trouble getting into other songs because I'm being lazy and I haven't bought this song yet. I really need it.