Goodreads Blurb

Mention the name “Betsey Johnson” and almost every woman from the age of 15 to 75 can rapturously recall a favorite dress or outfit; whether worn for a prom, a wedding, or just to stand out from the crowd in a colorful way. They may also know her as a renegade single mom who palled around with Edie Sedgwick, Twiggy, and The Velvet Underground, or even as a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Betsey is also famous for her iconic pink stores (she had 65 shops across the US) and for her habit of doing cartwheels and splits down the runway at the close of her fashion shows. Throughout her decades-long career, she’s taken pride in producing fun but rule-breaking clothing at an accessible price point. What they might not know is that she built an empire from scratch, and brought stretch clothing to the masses in the 80s and 90s.

Betsey will take the reader behind the tutu and delve deeply into what it took to go from a white picket fence childhood in Connecticut to becoming an internationally known force in a tough, competitive business. The book will feature Betsey’s candid memories of the fashion and downtown scene in the 60s and how she started her own business from the ground up after designing successfully for multiple other companies. She will discuss that business’s ups and downs and reinventions (including bankruptcy), and her thoughts on body image, love, divorce, men, motherhood, and her bout with breast cancer. Betsey will be richly illustrated with many of her landmark clothes, fashion sketches, and personal photos–making the book the perfect memento and gift for every girl (of any age) for whom Betsey is, as a recent New York Times profile noted, “a role model still.”

My Review: Rated 5 out of 5 stars

Betsey has been my fashion icon for many years. I truly loved her story and I am super sad I finished the book in two days. I wanted more pictures, more details, more stories. I love the 1950’s and to be able to feel like I was living those years with Betsey through her book was fantastic. Betsey wrote her story by sharing everything with us without holding anything back. She shared her good times and bad times. Betsey talks about boyfriends to weddings, family love, new career opportunities, fashion shows to Betsey Johnson stores, to health scares and happy times.

She is super brilliant, smart, unique and a hard worker. Luck was on her side and I am happy she was able to bring us her wonderful fashion. She is so down to earth and love that she lives a simple life but funky and colorful. I wish I had her skills and courage to go off and do what makes me happy. Fashion has been my best friend for many years. To be able to put pieces together that ordinary no one would wear makes me happy. It makes people smile especially when I wear my fun Betsey Johnson purses. Thank you Betsey for sharing your amazing story. I wish you all the best and looking forward to more fashion fun.

Author Biography

Known for her celebration of the exuberant, the embellished and the over the top, Betsey has been rocking the fashion industry with her unique and original designs since the 1960’s. Her commitment to remain true to her one-of-a-kind vision has afforded Betsey continued success in an industry known for its fickleness. Her ability to change with the times while keeping her designs pure has not gone unnoticed.

I was so excited when I found out Betsey Johnson was writing her story. She is my favorite funky designer. Her style is super unique and fun. I have always loved her purses, dresses and shoes. I got to meet her a couple years back. Stay tune for review.

BOOK DETAILS:
Counts of Eight
by Brynn Ford
(The Four Families, #1)
Publication date: May 31st 2020
Genres: Adult, Dark Romance, Romance

Synopsis:

All of my choices had been stripped from me except for one.

Dance or die.

Three years ago, I was taken, stolen away, far from the world I knew, far from civilization. I became a slave, forced to serve one of the four families with my talent.

I’d been abused, battered, tortured in isolation. My Master brought me men, partners for performance, but they failed to live up to the high standard of dance my Master required.

Until one day, he brought me a new man. A blonde-haired, green-eyed, dreamy new man who had no idea what was coming.

The men before him had disappeared. I presumed they were dead. I couldn’t afford myself the luxury of hoping they’d made it out alive because that would give me hope that I might someday do the same.

Hope was a dangerous thing and this new man’s spirit still thrummed with that electric spark of lightness. I would be the woman to strip that hope from him piece by tiny piece until he had none left. Only then could I control him, use him. Only then could I even consider the possibility of a predictable, complacent survival in this nightmare life.

And until that time came, I would make the only choice I was given the liberty of making.

Dance or die.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50241528-counts-of-eight
Pre-order: Amazon: https://books2read.com/u/3k1krO?store=amazon

Author Biography

Brynn Ford is an independent author of romance in all of its beautiful and sensually taboo forms. She is a lover of the dark, twisted, and playful and strives to bring the unmentionable aspects of passionate romance into her stories.

Brynn resides in the Midwest with her husband and sons, whom she expects will someday be embarrassed by their mom’s books. When she isn’t obsessively writing, you may find her binge watching favorite shows while eating far too much junk food or fanatically reading, always seeking to lose herself in the emotional roller coaster of a damn good story.

She is quite the idealist, despite her fascination with the wicked and warped aspects of humanity. Some of her stories may run out of words before a happily ever after, but she’s a firm believer that her characters continue to live on outside the pages in the minds of her readers. Stories don’t end just because there aren’t anymore pages to turn.
Author links:

https://www.brynnford.com/

https://www.instagram.com/brynnfordauthor/

https://www.facebook.com/BrynnFordAuthor/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19515242.Brynn_Ford

Goodreads Review

She’ll save him a dance…

…if he follows his heart.

Dance teacher Camile Wynn has a new student. Reclusive Rhys McGrath is learning to waltz so he can take his orphaned niece to a father-daughter dance. Camile is surprised by her connection with him, but there’s a generous heart behind Rhys’s awkward exterior. When she learns Rhys could lose custody of his niece, Camile goes behind his back to help him…but will her lies end up hurting him instead?

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Dance classes that will forever change Rhys and Camille’s life. Camille has multiple jobs, unfinished degree and debt. Rhys is antisocial and abrupt to everyone.
A long time dinner date that ended abruptly, left Camille upset and angry at the same man she will bump into a few years later. Camille gets hired to teach Rhys dance classes. This is a total nightmare, since he doesn’t remember Camille and she despises him.
They truly understand each other and are the perfect fit. He wanted to dance with Willow his niece at the father-daughter dance, since she lost both her parents. This story had strong family bonds. The love between Camille and Rhys stood after all the chaos they go through in the story. Rhys was her protector from the very beginning. A wonderful heartwarming story of second changes.

Author Biography

USA Today and national bestselling author Carol Ross grew up in small-town America right between the Pacific Ocean and the Cascade Mountains, in a place where you can go deep sea fishing in the morning and then hit the ski slopes the same afternoon. The daughter of free-range parents, she developed a love of adventure and the outdoors at a very early age. She’s grateful for the “research material” that every questionable decision, adrenaline-charged misstep, and near-death experience has provided.
Stop by her website: http://www.carolrossauthor.com/
Or sign up for her newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/bB60jr 

Goodreads Blurb

Lifelong actor-advocate Alyssa Milano tells the story of a young activist in the making. It’s the first book in an empowering and funny new middle-grade series illustrated by Simpsons illustrator, Eric S. Keyes.
Meet Hope Roberts. She’s 11 years old, and she wants to be an astrophysicist. She loves swimming, Galaxy Girl comic books, and her two rescue dogs.

Hope believes it’s always a good day to champion a cause, defend an underdog, and save the future. And most of all, she believes in dreaming big. That’s why she’s enrolled in all of the advanced classes at her new middle school. She’s smart and confident in her abilities. But though Hope seems super strong on the outside, there’s another side of her, too. She’s just a regular girl trying to survive middle school.

This first book starts with the beginning of sixth grade, and Hope’s BFF Sam made some new friends over the summer. Hope doesn’t know how to handle it. She and Sam have always been inseparable! Then Hope meets her new lab partner, Camila, and they get off on the wrong foot. And even though Camila is great at science, she doesn’t want to join the science club. The club is all boys, and she doesn’t feel welcome.

When Hope hears that, she’s determined to recruit more girls into the science club, including Camila. Hope knows that sometimes changing the world starts small. So now Hope has a mission! Can she turn the science club into a place that’s welcoming for everyone — and make some new friends along the way?

Hope’s reliability, kindness, empathy, and can-do attitude will inspire a generation of do-gooders. This new series is a response to the very palpable feeling that not only can young people save the world — they will! 

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 Stars

Hope is a smart kid who wants to become a scientist. This is Hope’s and her best friends Sam first day of Middle School. Hope was accepted to advanced classes, but Sam wasn’t accepted and they were in separate classes. This has both girls very nervous for their first day of school. Hope joins the Science club where she and a group of kids are to complete a project. They work as a team at the beginning but when issues start happening with programming, she takes over that part of the project. The project unfortunately doesn’t play out like they planned. What is great about this book is that children will learn that mistakes happen and you just need to not give up. Try to fix the problem and never give up. It also teaches kids that you can make new friends. I loved the illustrations. It was a fun book that children will enjoy.

Author Biography

Actress and activist Alyssa Milano has spent almost her entire life in the public eye. A famous child actor, she has continued to work throughout her adulthood in both television and film, most notably starring in the wildly popular television series Who’s the Boss? and Charmed.

Alyssa is also a lifelong activist and is passionate about fighting for human rights around the world. In 2003, UNICEF invited Alyssa to become a National Ambassador in recognition of her charitable work on behalf of children. Ever since then, Alyssa has been a champion of children’s rights, working closely with UNICEF to raise money and awareness and provide aid to the children who need it most all over the world.

Alyssa also speaks to kids in schools around the country about the importance of voting and teaches them how to fill out a ballot because she believes it’s never too early to be civic-minded. Most recently, Alyssa is known for popularizing the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, sparking the massive viral movement. She was named one of the 2017 Persons of the Year in Time magazine alongside other prestigious activists. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two kids.

BOOK DETAILS:
Out of My League
by Sarah Sutton
Publication date: June 16th 2020
Genres: Contemporary, Romance, Young Adult

Synopsis:

It’s all fun and games until someone catches feelings.

Sophia’s life isn’t all sunshine in rainbows. Her relationship with her parents is complicated, her favorite class at school is cut from the curriculum so the funding can go to the baseball team, and she loses all of chances of interning for her favorite newspaper in the fall. Everything is going down the drain.

And then her boyfriend publicly dumps her at a party, which is mortifying and the icing on the freaking cake. To make matters worse? Captain of the baseball team and the most popular guy at Bayview High, Walsh Hunter, jumps in, throws his arm around Sophia, and declares his undying love for her. He was faking, of course, but no one else seems to realize it.

Suddenly, she’s thrown into a world of fake relationships and undercover journalism, and Sophia realizes she’s way, way out of her league.

Good thing she’s got the team captain to teach her how to play. But faced with choosing between saving her journalism class or her newfound feelings for Walsh, will she strike out or hit a home run?

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52237961-out-of-my-league
Pre-order: Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dYyWfZ

B&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/out-of-my-league-sarah-sutton/1136767419?ean=2940163810611

iBooks: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/out-of-my-league/id1505386031?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/out-of-my-league-19

Author Biography

Sarah Sutton is a YA Romance author, bringing you stories about teenagers falling in love (sometimes with magic)She spends her days dreaming up ideas with her two adorable puppies by her side being cheerleaders (and mega distractions).

Author links:

https://twitter.com/SarahMaeSutton

https://www.sarah-sutton.com/

https://www.instagram.com/sarahmaesutton/

https://www.facebook.com/SarahMaeSutton/

https://www.sarah-sutton.com/members

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19703739.Sarah_Sutton

BOOK DETAILS:
Twisted Devil
by Lynn Burke
(Vicious Vipers MC, #4)
Publication date: April 23rd 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

Synopsis:

Hacking is my specialty, extortion my means of keeping the Vicious Vipers MC in the money. I’m a devil who thrives on forcing sinners to atone for their corrupt ways since the one who damaged my soul escaped punishment.

When a battered, too-young woman shows up at our club searching for sanctuary, finding a way through her walls becomes my obsession. She ties my stomach in knots—and I know she’ll be the key to unravelling them.

My plan to possess her abides by the law, but my thirst for her torments my restraint. I’ll risk it all to show her she has worth, to claim her as my property.

She believes she’s tainted. Stained.

I’ll move heaven and hell to make her see we can be beautifully broken—together.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/52796468-twisted-devil
Pre-order: Amazon: https://amzn.to/2wN7QaSB&N: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/twisted-devil-lynn-burke/1136753081?ean=2940164016845iBooks: https://books.apple.com/ca/book/twisted-devil-vicious-vipers-mc-book-4/id1504907471?mt=11&ign-mpt=uo%3D4

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/ca/en/ebook/twisted-devil-vicious-vipers-mc-book-4

Author Biography

Lynn Burke is a full time mother, voracious gardener, and scribbler of spicy romance stories. A country bumpkin turned Bay Stater, she enjoys her chowdah and Dunkin Donuts when not trying to escape the reality of city life.

Author links:

https://www.authorlynnburke.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LynnBurkeAuthor/

https://www.instagram.com/authorlynnburke/

https://twitter.com/AuthorLynnBurke

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13130238.Lynn_Burke

BOOK DETAILS:
Hard Truth
by Sybil Bartel
(Alpha Antihero #4)
Publication date: May 18th 2020
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Synopsis:

I couldn’t escape the hard sins of my past.

I couldn’t unsee the truths in my mistakes. 

Every breath she took was a reminder of the pain I’d caused.

Growing up at the mercy of a madman, I swore I would never give anyone that kind of power over me again. But here I was, on my knees, begging for a life I lost.

Except no amount of forgiveness would bring it back.


*HARD TRUTH is the fourth book in the Alpha Antihero Series, and it is not a standalone story.

The Alpha Antihero Series:
HARD LIMIT
HARD JUSTICE
HARD SIN
HARD TRUTH

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/51564201-hard-truth
Pre-order: Apple Books: https://smarturl.it/uq0ujo
Amazon: https://smarturl.it/3ltja5
Nook: https://smarturl.it/0e9y0l
Kobo: https://smarturl.it/sxu4la

Author Biography

Sybil Bartel grew up in Northern California with her head in a book and her feet in the sand. She dreamt of becoming a painter but the heady scent of libraries with their shelves full of books drew her into the world of storytelling. She loves the New Adult genre, but any story about a love so desperately wrong and impossibly beautiful makes her swoon.
Sybil now resides in Southern Florida and while she doesn’t get to read as much as she likes, she still buries her toes in the sand. If she isn’t writing or fighting to contain the banana plantation in her backyard, you can find her spending time with her handsomely tattooed husband, her brilliantly practical son and a mischievous miniature boxer…

But Seriously?

Here are ten things you probably really want to know about Sybil.

She grew up a faculty brat. She can swear like a sailor. She loves men in uniform. She hates being told what to do. She can do your taxes (but don’t ask). The Bird Market in Hong Kong freaks her out. Her favorite word is desperate…or dirty, or both—she can’t decide. She has a thing for muscle cars. But never reply on her for driving directions, ever. And she has a new book boyfriend every week—don’t tell her husband.

To find out more about Sybil Bartel, be sure to follow her on Twitter (she loves to hear about your favorite book boyfriend!), visit her website, like her on Facebook or join her Facebook group Book Boyfriend Heroes for exclusive excerpts and giveaways.

Author links:

http://sybilbartel.com/Home.html

https://www.facebook.com/sybilbartelauthor

https://twitter.com/SybilBartel

https://www.instagram.com/sybil.bartel/

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7893521.Sybil_Bartel

Goodreads Blurb

From mother-daughter team Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton comes a celebration of family, tradition and discovery, and an ode to mothers, grandmothers and the children they love.

Grandma Dorothy shared her love of gardens with her daughter, Hillary, and her granddaughter, Chelsea. She taught them that gardens are magical places to learn, exciting spaces for discovery, quiet spots to spend time with family and beautiful areas to share stories and celebrate special occasions. But most of all, she taught them that in her gardens, her love grew and blossomed.

In this inspiring and heartwarming mother-daughter story, Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton team up to show readers how sharing the things we love with the people we love can create powerful, everlasting bonds between generations.

My Review: Rated 4 out of 5 stars

Such a lovely book. I loved the illustrations. The story was about Chelsea’s grandma and Clinton’s mother on the love her grandmother/mother had for gardens. She taught Chelsea about gardening and how different gardens are homes for animals, insects and how you can grow your own food. This is a book of three generations of women creating beautiful gardens and now Chelsea is teaching her children all about gardens. I loved that her grandma visited many countries and she would take pictures of gardens she would encounter throughout her travels. Clinton would do the same to share them with her mom. My favorite illustrations is when Chelsea and her grandmother visit the zoo. The illustration has panda’s and flamingos. It’s a great book to teach children the importance of gardening and having an appreciation of seeing beautiful gardens throughout your day. Gardens brighten people’s days plus nourish insects and animals. They are great for our environment.

Author Biography

Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton (born October 26, 1947) was the 67th United States Secretary of State, serving in the cabinet of President Barack Obama. In 2016, she became the first woman in U.S. history to win a major party’s presidential nomination, and the first woman to win the popular vote in a presidential race – despite losing the election.

She was a Senator from the state of New York from 2001 to 2009. As the wife of the 42nd, President of the United States, William Jefferson Clinton, Hillary served as First Lady from 1993 to 2001. In the 2008 election Clinton was a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination.

A native of Illinois, Hillary Rodham attracted national attention in 1969 when she was chosen by her peers to be the first student commencement speaker at Wellesley College. As a graduate of Yale Law School, Class of 1973, she served temporarily as a Congressional legal counsel. Rodham moved to Arkansas in 1974, marrying Bill Clinton a year later. Hillary Rodham Clinton co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families in 1977, and became the first female chair of the Legal Services Corporation in 1978. Named the first female partner at Rose Law Firm in 1979, she was twice listed as one of the 100 most influential lawyers in America. First Lady of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and 1983 to 1992 with husband Bill as Governor, Clinton successfully led a task force to reform Arkansas’s education system. She has served on the board of directors of Wal-Mart as well as several other prominent corporations.

In 1994 as First Lady of the United States, her major initiative, the Clinton health care plan, failed to gain approval from the U.S. Congress. However, in 1997 and 1999, Clinton played a role in advocating for the establishment of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, the Adoption and Safe Families Act, and the Foster Care Independence Act. Her time as First Lady drew a polarized response from the American public. She is the only First Lady to have been subpoenaed, testifying before a federal grand jury in 1996 due to the Whitewater controversy, but was never charged with any wrongdoing in this or any of the other investigations during her husband’s administration. The state of her marriage was the subject of considerable speculation following the Lewinsky scandal in 1998 that spurred Articles of Impeachment to be issued against her husband, Bill Clinton.

In January of 2000, Clinton was elected as senator to the State of New York after moving to the small suburban hamlet of Chappaqua in Westchester County. That election marked the first time an American First Lady had run for public office; Clinton was also the first female senator to represent New York. In the Senate, she initially supported the Bush administration on some foreign policy issues, including a vote for the Iraq War Resolution, subsequently opposing the administration on its conduct of the war in Iraq, and most domestic issues. Senator Clinton was re-elected by a wide margin in 2006. In the 2008 presidential nomination race, Hillary Clinton won more primaries and delegates than any other female candidate in American history, but narrowly lost to Senator Barack Obama. As Secretary of State, Clinton became the first former First Lady to serve in a president’s cabinet.

Chelsea Clinton has always been interested in making the world a better place. When she was a child in Little Rock, Arkansas, one of her favorite books was 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth, and as a teenager in Washington, D.C., she led her school’s service club. While at Stanford, Chelsea worked as a reading and writing tutor and volunteered at the Children’s Hospital. Today, she is Vice Chair of the Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation where she helps lead the work of the Foundation across its various initiatives, with a particular focus on work related to health, women and girls, creating service opportunities, and empowering the next generation of leaders. Chelsea holds a BA from Stanford University, an MPH from Columbia University, and an MPhil and doctorate degree in international relations from Oxford University. She lives in New York City with her husband, Marc, their daughter, Charlotte, their son, Aidan, and their dog Soren.

Goodreads Blurb

Micaela Erlanger has dressed and accessorized many celebrities for the red carpet, now she’s sharing her hottest fashion tips for finishing any outfit with you. It’s chock-full of tips on what you really want to know: Do your bag and shoes need to match? Can you mix metals? What’s the most flattering way to tie a scarf? Whether you’re dressing for your birthday party, date night, a job interview, or just a trip to the supermarket, this book will help you look–and feel–confident and chic. You don’t need a red carpet budget to benefit from her advice. You’ll learn:

– The Sunnies Algorithm: Identify your face shape and the perfect sunglasses for you.
– A Flick of the Wrist: Learn to layer cuffs, bangles, chain bracelets, and charms.
– Your Accessory Recipe: Avoid overaccessorizing in a few simple steps.
– Steady Incline: How to choose a heel you can walk in.
– Make It Up: Select a statement lip or a smoky eye.
– The Rules of Seasonality: Know which fabrics work for which seasons, and which ones work all year round. 

My review: Rated 3 out of 5 stars

How to accessorize had some good points but mostly we all know about everything that was mentioned. I am a fashionista an truly was nodding every time. I love glitter, diamonds and tiaras. Cowboy boots are fun and everyone should own a pair. Velvet looks great any time of year. Statement earrings with matching necklace is fun. I think if you can rock the style then who cares about rules. Let’s all live a happy, colorful and glittery life. Be your own self and have fun with colors and style. You will be surprised with the outcome. Be different and embrace art with fashion. 

Author Biography

Micaela Erlanger is one of the most sought-after Celebrity Stylists in the industry. Her unprecedented ascent to power stylist has been profiled by Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper’s Bazaar and numerous other publications. Having been repeatedly named as one of the most “Most Powerful Stylists,” by The Hollywood Reporter, this is a position she has sustained since 2013.  Her diverse high-profile clients include Meryl Streep, Lupita Nyong’o, Common, Diane Kruger, Common, Lucy Hale, Amanda Hearst, and Shailene Woodley to name a few – all of whom are perennially on the best-dressed lists. Micaela is known for creating breakout fashion moments on a campaign trail with her ability to transform clients into style icons on the red carpet.   In 2019 Micaela launched her Bridal styling business focusing on styling and consulting to brides and bridal brands.

She has worked on advertising campaigns for brands including, St. Regis, Badgley Mischka, L’Oréal, Lancôme, Neutrogena, Revlon, Cadillac, Nike, Naeem Khan, and Nicole Miller. Micaela’s work has been featured in Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Vanity Fair, Marie Claire, In Style, and Town and Country as well as on shows such as “GMA,” “E!” “Rachael Ray, “ET” and “Extra.”

In 2019, US Magazine named Micaela as one of the Top 25 Most Stylish New Yorkers, in 2018, The Accessories Council honored Erlanger with their Style Influencer Award and in 2016, Marie Claire awarded her with their Image Maker Award. She is the Author of “How to Accessorize: A Perfect Finish to Every Outfit” and has written for such publications as Vogue.com, HarpersBazaar.com, TMagazine.com and Time Magazine.

A self-described glamour-girl, Micaela’s inspirations vary from modern art to classic Hollywood film. But the hallmark of her work derives not from specific reference points, but instead from her meticulous attention to detail, in-depth collaboration with her clients, and her unfailing dedication to creating fashion moments that will stand the test of time.