Book Review: The Trouble With Love by Lauren Layne

The Trouble with Love by Lauren Layne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Synopsis:

As Lauren Layne’s salacious Sex, Love & Stiletto series returns, a jaded columnist discovers a steamy way to get over an old flame: falling for him all over again.

As Stiletto magazine’s authority on all things breakup-and-heartache, Emma Sinclair writes from personal experience. Five years ago, Emma was Charlotte, North Carolina’s darling debutante and a blushing bride-to-be. Now she’s the ice queen of the Manhattan dating scene. Emma left her sultry Southern drawl behind, but not even her closest friends know that with it she left her heart. Now Emma’s latest article forces her to face her demons—namely, the devilishly sexy guy who ditched her at the altar.

After giving up everything for a pro-soccer career, Alex Cassidy watches his dreams crumble as a knee injury sidelines him for good. Now he’s hanging up his cleats and giving journalism a shot. It’s just a coincidence that he happens to pick a job in the same field, and the same city, as his former fiancée . . . right? But when Emma moves in next door, it’s no accident. It’s research. And Alex can’t help wondering what might have been. Unlike the innocent girl he remembers, this Emma is chic, sophisticated, and assertive—and she wants absolutely nothing to do with him. The trouble is, Alex has never wanted her more.

Review:

Even though this is the fourth book in the Sex, Love & Stiletto series, this book can be read as a standalone as well. Emma and Cassidy (Alex) are bright, cute, and sexy characters without being overdone.

In general, I enjoyed the book and reading it was a pleasure. Probably the best part of the book overall is that these two already have a rough past with each other and their nearly non-existent recognition of each other in the present is the biggest challenge these two have to face. There are tons of misunderstandings and a lot of untold information that resulted in Emma being ditched at the altar. How these two break through some extremely thick walls is well-written and it all makes sense. There isn't anything convoluted or unbelievable. I buy these two as being in a previous relationship. I buy how they deal with each other at work because they have to be professional.

If you like to read good, solid romance you will enjoy "The Trouble With Love."

ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Book Review: "Losing It: A Collection Of VCards"

Losing It: A Collection of VCards by Nikki Jefford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Losing It is a collection of chapters from various authors. Each chapter is either an extension, or another point of view or, an addition to a previously written book. Each one of these written chapters is about the loss of virginity of a character and in some cases, the characters.

I admit, the first chapter I read was the chapter written by the author I was most interested in reading because I'd read all of her novels. Her chapter was the couple's first time from the other party's point of view. Because I read the novel, I didn't need set up or backstory. For the rest of the chapters, the backstory or set up worked sometimes. Sometimes, it simply didn't and there were some I simply couldn't read because I didn't know enough.

One particular chapter, if I had to guess, was the first time the author had ever written a sex scene or love scene. Because the use of language by the characters was immature and a huge turnoff. From the female character's point of view, being full of cheer because her boyfriend was rubbing her "boobs" blew the mood for me. I read the whole thing just to see how many immature terms for the human body were used. You buy it and read it to find out how many times that is.

Overall, it wasn't a bad idea for these authors to join forces to create this type of book. On the other hand, there are various reasons why it might not be for everyone. For example, some don't like various genres. This doesn't mean you won't like the book. In the case of one particular chapter, where one of the characters is a newly created vampire, I got interested in an author I'd never read before and will be interested in looking into reading that particular book/series in the future.

3.5 Stars!

I was given an advanced reading copy in return for an honest review.

Star Scale:
5 Stars: Excellent! Skip all of the other reviews. Run and buy this one. Right NOW!
4 Stars: Very Good! Read a few more reviews just to see that I'm right. Then run and buy it.
3 Stars: Good! If you waited to get it on sale or was able to get it through your local library, you won't exactly die without it.
2 Stars: Fair. Read more reviews. Maybe I missed something that most others did not. If there are more good reviews than bad, give it a go.
1 Star: Poor. Don't bother. It's simply not worth your time.


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COVER REVEAL: "Wild Reckless" by Ginger Scott

Very Mature YA Contemporary Romance

Release Date: March 17, 2015

Kensington Worth had a vision for her senior year. It involved her best friends, her posh private school in downtown Chicago and time alone with her piano until her audition was perfected, a guaranteed ticket into the best music programs in the world.

Instead, a nightmare took over.

It didn’t happen all at once, but her life unraveled quickly—a tiny thread that evil somehow kept pulling until everything precious was taken from her. She was suddenly living miles away from her old life, trapped in an existence she didn’t choose—one determined to destroy her from the inside, leaving only hate and anger behind. It didn’t help that her neighbor, the one whose eyes held danger, was enjoying every second of her fall.

Owen Harper was trouble, his heart wild and his past the kind that’s spoken about in whispers. And somehow, his path was always intertwined with Kensington’s, every interaction crushing her, ruining her hope for any future better than her now. Sometimes, though, what everyone warns is trouble,
is exactly what the heart needs. Owen Harper was consumed with darkness, and it held onto his soul for years. When Kensington looked at him, she saw a boy who’d gotten good at taking others down when they threatened his carefully balanced life. But the more she looked, the more she saw other things too—good things…things to admire.

Things…to love. Things that made her want to be reckless.

And those things…they were the scariest of all.

Excerpt

I know I shouldn’t, but I turn around anyway, and I give Owen my full, undivided attention. His friends have already left, and he’s slowly walking backwards, showing me his middle finger
and smiling with that faint half-grin I’ve seen far too often over the last three days.

I don’t know what makes me do it. In fact, I don’t know why I am the way I am with Owen. I’ve been careful and timid and obedient my entire life, my only mission to please everyone—please my father, Chen, my mother, my friends, my teachers. Please, please, please, please, please. That’s all I do. And all it’s done for me is land me in Woodstock, away from my friends and the senior year I was expecting to have. I’m not pleasing Owen Harper, too. So I stand with my tray and raise my arm
slowly by my side, my eyes zeroed in on his until I’m pointing at him. I close one eye and cock my head slightly to the right, like I’m making sure I have him in my sights—and then I pull the trigger.

“Jesus H Christ, Kensi! What’s wrong with you?” Willow asks. She pulls my arm back down, but I keep my eyes on Owen, staring into his gray-blue eyes—eyes that look like a wolf’s. “What are you doing?”
“I’m starting a war, Willow,” I say, my heart speeding up and my breath growing more ragged as reality catches up with me.

I’m starting a war with a guy who doesn’t lose; a guy who doesn’t play by the rules.

A guy who scares me, and who knows where I sleep at night.

About Ginger Scott

Ginger Scott is a writer and journalist from Peoria, Arizona. She is the author of five young and new adult romances, with her sixth title, Wild Reckless, set to release on March 17, 2015.

Scott has been writing and editing for newspapers, magazines and blogs for more than 15 years. She has told the stories of Olympians, politicians, actors, scientists, cowboys, criminals and towns. For more on her and her work, visit her website at http://www.littlemisswrite.com.

When she's not writing, the odds are high that she's somewhere near a baseball diamond, either watching her son field pop flies like Bryce Harper or cheering on her favorite baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. Scott is married to her college sweetheart whom she met at ASU (fork 'em, Devils).

"The Silver Linings Playbook" and Why You'll Hate The Book!!!!!

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Since the reading of the book has primarily come down to movie vs. book, I plan to review the book with that in mind. If you saw the movie and enjoyed it as I did, you probably won't like the book. Might also depend on the order. Read book, see movie or vice versa. Since I saw the movie first, multiple times, that's my comparison and review,

In the book, with few exceptions, this book takes place in South New Jersey while the movie takes place in Ridley Park which is in PA (Delaware County). I think the movie people figured out that Pat, a huge Eagles fan, belonged in Pennsylvania.

Here's everything in the book that no one will like:

1. Pat's father is barely a character in the book, Robert DeNiro is movie magic,
2. Tiffany spends most of the book running behind Pat and never speaks to him,
3. In the book, Pat was in the hospital for FOUR YEARS for what seemed like a man who got pissed for finding his wife cheating, not for a mental illness. Who gets put in a mental institution for beating the shit out of the guy who screwed your wife?
4. Like the movie, Pat's diagnosis is never disclosed which is potentially dangerous as it can lead to people thinking all mental illnesses are the same.
5. Pat calling the mental facility "the bad place," and calling his divorce from Nikki, "apart time" has to be the most childish crap I've ever heard come out of an adult character's head. What's worse is that the author chose to use this terminology throughout the entire book.
6. Not telling Pat anything and hiding everything from him was a horrible idea. It shows the author's naiveté and lack of knowledge about mental health issues.
7. The fact that Pat worshipped the ground Nikki walked on yet, never questioned why she never showed up, made no sense.
8. Except for Pat, all of the characters are really just non-characters with names. They have no depth and they rarely speak. I would say that 95% of the entire book is Pat narrating and every other word is "Nikki."

All in all, it was an easy read. Had I not seen the movie, I think my review of the book would be the same. In a book where the main character is dealing with a mental illness and trying to live in the world with that illness, I expect to know the diagnosis, I expect the symptoms to be made known and I expect to understand why one might be having some of the troubles that come with that particular illness. This book does NONE of that. 


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Cover Reveal: "Losing It: A Collection of VCards"

Losing It: A Collection of VCards coming Feb 11, 2015!

22 Bestselling YA authors reveal what went on behind the curtain in your favorite YA novels! From paranormal to contemporary, this collection features over 200 pages of ALL NEW CONTENT full of deleted scenes, extended endings, and more from the young adult series’ you love. 

In this YA/NA crossover collection all of your favorite heroines are cashing in their VCards! YA just got steamy, sexy, and not afraid to go all the way!

Due to the graphic nature of some content, this collection is recommended strictly for mature readers. 

Stories include excerpts and extended material--ALL NEW CONTENT featuring the following YA novels & authors:

The Grimoire Saga by SM Boyce

The Death Series by Tamara Rose Blodgett

Penny Black Trilogy by Stacey Wallace Benefiel

Dirty Blood series by Heather Hildenbrand

The Mythology Series by Helen Boswell

Stories About Melissa Series by Bethany Lopez

Keegan’s Chronicles by Julia Crane

The Tate Chronicles by K.A. Last

Fragile Creatures by Kristina Circelli

The Spellbound Trilogy by Nikki Jefford

Judgement of the Six Series by Melissa Haag

A Dark Faerie Tale Series by Alexia Purdy

The Double Threat Series by Julie Prestsater

The Elsker Saga by S.T. Bende

Ovialell Series by Tish Thawer

The Runes Series by Ednah Walters

The Cornerstone Series by Misty Provencher

The Waiting Series by Ginger Scott

Forged Series by A.O. Peart

The Arotas Series by Amy Miles

Funeral Crashing Mysteries by Milda Harris

The Wolf Trilogy by M.R. Polish

1-click yours now! Preorder available for Kindle here.

The Good Girls Have Gone Wild!!

Don’t want to wait? Want a sneak peek NOW behind the curtain with these authors? Request access to the Champagne Room on FB, a private, VIP group where you’ll get excerpts, giveaways, and the dirty details about the VCards we’ve cashed in…in our stories, of course!

Request exclusive access here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/332424686965271/

*Must be 18 to enter

Book Review: Loss of Innocence by Richard North Patterson

Loss of Innocence by Richard North Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the prequel to Martha's Vineyard, (hence the #0.5). I now need to go back and read Martha's Vineyard because I wasn't as thrilled with it as I was with every other RNP novel. But then I read this and I thought it was fabulous. Like Martha's Vineyard, Loss of Innocence is not like all of the other RNP novels that are usually filled with lots of courtroom drama, crime, corruption and mystery.

If you read Martha's Vineyard, you will have no clue who Whitney Dane is but, you'll figure out how the books fit together at the very beginning of Loss of Innocence,

Whitney is young, just graduated from college, and is a summer away from getting married to the perfect college graduate guy. Her parents are rich, her sister is a model, and her future husband will work for her dad. Sounds perfect doesn't it?

Then two things happen, one immediately right after the other. Bobby Kennedy is killed and Whitney meets Ben Blaine, who worked, literally, side by side with Bobby Kennedy. Ben Blaine is an "islander" on the Vineyard. He comes from a poor family, unlike Whitney.

Whitney and Ben become friends. Great friends. Over a three month period we see Whitney's growth, Ben's growth (or deterioration), depending on how you read it and, what's really going on with Whitney's family.

I've seen the not so great reviews for this book and for Martha's Vineyard. I think it's because RNP fans are so accustomed to his usual. But RNP wanted to write books about Martha's Vineyard and life there. He also wanted to write a period piece and set it on Martha's Vineyard so he wrote Loss of Innocence.

I think I'm going to love the third book in this trilogy. TO those who've read Martha's Vineyard and thought it wasn't so great, read Loss of Innocence and then try again.

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Book Review: Private Screening by Richard North Patterson

Private Screening by Richard North Patterson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Richard North Patterson sits on my list of top authors along with Ed McBain, Ginger Scott, Debbie Macomber, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a few non-fiction writers. I hadn't realized that this particular book had gotten past me. I thought I'd read all of RNP's earlier works. As it turns out, I somehow missed this first Tony Lord novel. Private Screening tells the story of the assassination of Presidential hopeful James Kilcannon (Kerry Kilcannon, younger brother of James, is the subject of a trilogy of RNP novels).

What follows is the trial of the shooter who Tony Lord defends. That story is interwoven as a wonderfully written flashback story with a present day  abduction. Stacy Tarrant is a famous singer, and former girlfriend of James Kilcannon. She was with James Kilcannon the night he was murdered. In the present day, she is in need of a good attorney and calls on Tony Lord even though she despises him for defending James' killer.

My thoughts on this book are basically the same as all of the other Richard North Patterson books I've read: they're brilliant. If you like crime novels, mysteries, court dramas and/or a mixture of some or all of those things, RNP is the writer for you.  In this particular novel, you're actually reading two novels in one. The fist novel is told in flashback and the second is in present day. But they're also interwoven and except for James Kilcannon, all of the other characters are in the past and present.

The two stories are interwoven so well, it's easy to keep track of what's going on. Many authors don't use the flashback so well. RNP nails it in this earlier work of his.

Tony Lord, our "hero" in this case, is obviously a good looking man. But his skill as a lawyer and his adoration for his son, Christopher are the two most attractive qualities of the character. If you'd already read "Silent Witness," the second Tony Lord novel, this novel gives you a look at how Tony Lord becomes a successful and much sought after attorney. In fact, he's similar to RNP's other attorney character, Christopher Paget. They are definitely different but both brilliant.

RNP tackles topics in his books that are usually controversial like gun control, abortion, the death penalty and so on. He researches like a madman before he writes and it definitely shows. In this particular novel, the reader will see how easy it's NOT to put on an insanity defense and it also tackles the subject of Vietnam Veterans who came home extremely different men and the issues attached to them as a result.

This one is an absolute must read. Every Richard North Patterson book should be on everyone's TBR list for at least a try. Chances are highly likely that even those who do not typically read the genre will be dragged in.

Like the late Ed McBain, who is probably the best mystery and crime novelist of all time, Richard North Patterson is right up there. Definitely 5 out of 5 stars!!!!!


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Book Review: You And Everything After by Ginger Scott

You and Everything After is the second novel in The Falling Series and the sixth novel overall by author Ginger Scott. Ms. Scott hit it out of the park when she released her first novel,Waiting On The Sidelines and she has continued to do with every single novel she has released since then including You and Everything After. Both novels can be read as stand alone novels but I highly recommend that you read both novels in this three part series.

This is the gorgeous story of Tyson "Ty" Preeter, a graduate student and older brother of Nate Preeter, who we met in book one of The Falling Series, This Is Falling and Cassidy "Cass" Owens, roommate of Rowe Stanton, who we also met in This Is Falling. Ty is tough, strong-willed and refuses to allow his disability (paralyzed from the waist down and in a wheelchair) to get in his way. He'll also be the first to tell you that he can be a real a$ at times. Cass has come to college despite her disability, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and despite her parents' overprotection. Cass has come to college to start over. No more of that reputation about how easy it is to get her into bed. Nope. No more.

Even though we met Ty and Cass in This Is Falling, they were the secondary characters in the background while we read about Nate and Rowe's story. In this novel, we get all of the things that happened during the time Nate and Rowe are finding each other, but this is now focused solely on Ty and Cass. Ms. Scott has now moved Ty and Cass into the forefront, placed Nate and Rowe into the background as secondary characters, and shows us their story from both of their points of view.

Like every Ginger Scott novel, I couldn't put it down. I really did consider whether or not I could use REAL toothpicks to keep my eyes opened as I fought sleep to keep on reading. My body was falling asleep but my brain was in high gear, on full speed, and it would not rest until I finished this magnificent story.

Ty is the kind of man that women dream about finding: handsome, educated, athletic, great sense of humor, and empathy for others who suffer from disabilities like he does. And while Ty loves a party, the PITY party is the one party Ty is NEVER interested in. Ms. Scott gives us a completely realistic look at what it's like to have a disability like Ty's and how he still manages to accomplish so much. And when he meets Cass, his desire to be all of those things and be an even better man than he already is, becomes shockingly important to him.

Cass is the kind of young woman who doesn't like to be told that she shouldn't do something because she has MS. I can relate. I have a similar disability and it's painful all day long. I hate being told I can't do something because of my disability. But when Cass meets Ty and he turns out to be her personal trainer, he's positive that she could play soccer in college as she was a championship player in high school who was forced to quit by her parents and their understandable, but overprotective, worries.

Put these two together and you have FIREWORKS! They are hot, hot, hot! Yes, there are great love scenes in this entire book and you will love every single one of them. But, their clashing of souls and passion are what gives these two young lovers, regardless of their physical limitations, the ability to leap over the highest of mountains. Together, these two can do anything.

One particular scene, the one I loved MOST, is a scene when Ty and Cass are together in Cass' bed. When Ty is on top, he has to use his arm strength to hold himself up. Ty wants to be able to hold Cass a certain way but he can't because he needs both arms. He simply can't do both. It's Cass who comes up with a way to make that happen and Ty holds her. Tight. And he plays it over and over in his mind how much he loves her for everything that she is because she gets him. Like it says in the book's synopsis, "She’s about to own me…completely. And I’m about to let her." And he lets her. Yeah, sure...as if he had a choice.

Both characters are physically "broken" but together? They complement each other so well, each one repairs the other. Both characters have fragile hearts and neither wants it broken again. But together? Fragility gone, replaced with strength from each other. Both characters are young, one starting college, one starting graduate school. But they both have the maturity of two 40 year olds who've been around the block, over the mountain, through the woods, and back around the block again. I would call these two "old souls." Ty and Cass are together because the Universe knew that they needed each other. Like me and my man, Ty and Cass saved each other. Neither actually wanted to ever admit that they needed rescuing but they did. And it wouldn't have worked if either was with someone else. It had to be them for the saving and rescuing to work.

It's extremely difficult to pick a favorite from Ginger Scott's novels. They all have the ability to grab you, wrap you in warmth, make you root for the characters, and make you feel what the characters are feeling. To accomplish one of those things with a novel is exceptionally difficult to do. Ms. Scott pulls off all of those things in every novel she writes. And this one was no different. Because of these two old souls and the obstacles they have to jump over, I think this is my favorite Ginger Scott novel. Probably because I wanted to jump into this book and be one of the characters. Kind of because I could hear Ty's Louisiana accent in my head.

Beautiful. Delightfully funny! Irreverently funny! Classy. B!tchin! Crazy cool. Wild! Ginger Scott not only writes amazing novels, she tops herself with each new novel. How she tops THIS one? I have no idea what she'll do but I know she's going to do it. I've said the same thing since I first stumbled upon and requested the ARC for Waiting On The Sidelines and I'll say it again…if Ginger Scott writes it, I'm reading it and that applies for as long as…forever.

*ARC provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

Book Review: "The Millionaire Affair" by Jessica Lemmon

Kimber Reynolds owns her own vintage clothing store with her ex-boyfriend. She's trying to raise enough money to buy him out so she doesn't have to work with him anymore. Kimber has had a crush on Landon for as long as she could remember. Kimber also falls in love easy and fast and as a result, her relationships dissolve quickly when the man gets scared off.

Landon Downey is a millionaire ad executive who knows Kimber through his sister, Angel. Kimber spent summers with Angel growing up and spent one summer in particular crushing on Landon when she was a teen and he was in college. Landon's also got some relationship issues following a tragic turn of events with an ex from college years prior.

Now it's years later and Landon needs a nanny for a week to care for his nephew while Landon and Angel's brother is traveling to hone his art. Angel suggests Kimber thinking that Kimber's crush was actually on her other brother, Evan. But Landon agrees to hire her for a nice sum of money that Kimber can absolutely use so Kimber accepts and moves in for the week with Landon and his nephew.

Landon's attraction to Kimber all these years later is suddenly present and it throws him off. He can't even stop thinking about her. He can't bring himself to do relationships and she only wants to have a fling so she can prove to herself that she can without just falling heavily for every guy she dates.

So, where does THAT go? Well, you have to read it to find out.

Landon and Kimber were both extremely likable. I enjoyed how they interacted, how Kimber interacted with the nephew and how they were both open and communicative with each other about what they wanted from each other. At least what they THINK they wanted.

Kimber's "best" friend, Gloria, is NOT likable. At least not to me. I think as a best friend, you don't advise best friends to do the things Gloria advises Kimber to do and she's already confused and in a desperate situation about midway through the novel. Gloria comes off as extremely selfish. The only good part to having this terrible character is that it forces Kimber to figure things out for herself. She knows what she wants this time and Gloria is there to quash Kimber's dreams at each turn all the while thinking she's doing the right thing. Not so. Gloria does nothing in Kimber's best interest.

Overall, this is a wonderful story and I really liked the way the ending was written. This particular book is part three of the "Love In The Balance" series but each one of the books is easily read as a stand alone. Do look up the other two in the series and read those as well. They're all enjoyable.

*ARC given by NetGalley in return for an honest review*

Four excellent stars!

Book Review: "God Chose ME to Carry THREE" by Lisa Frances Penn and Aaron Madison Penn

Title: God Chose ME To Carry THREE

Authors: Lisa Frances Penn and Aaron Madison Penn

Genre: Non-Fiction, Faith-Based

Where to Buy: Click Here To Purchase NOW!!!!!

Dedication:

I have never done a dedication on a blog post/book review before. Mostly because I wasn't sure if people did that. Then I decided I didn't care what other people do. So, I dedicate this blog post/book review to the following people:

1. To my 12 angels. I will see you again someday.

2. To my beloved, late friend and brother of the author, Todd Christopher Jones. Without Todd, I wouldn't have met Lisa. All things come together for those who love the Lord. The Lord took you home but gave me Lisa. You are still missed my CAPA brother.

3. To the author herself, Lisa Frances Penn. The feat of being able to read your beautiful book finally settled the question long in my mind that I can read about such miracles without being in pain over my own losses. If you didn't write the book, I may have never known. Thank you so much for writing it and sharing this part of your life with me.

Review:

Imagine for a moment that you are a 40 year old woman and you have no children. Imagine you want children badly. Now imagine that you're concerned about having a condition in your reproductive system because your mother had it. Imagine having an ultrasound to check for that condition and you find out that you are not only PREGNANT, but that you are having TRIPLETS. No fertility drugs, SPONTANEOUSLY CONCEIVED TRIPLETS!

Now, imagine you're a man with a wife and your wife believes that she's got a reproductive condition that her mother had. Imagine that your wife is having an ultrasound to check for the condition so she can have it treated, if it can be treated at all. And because your wife is a NURSE, you have no reason to think she's wrong. Now imagine your wife comes home from that appointment and tells you she's pregnant. With TRIPLETS!

You have just received a fraction of a glimpse of what it's like to be Lisa Frances Penn and her husband, Aaron Madison Penn.

"God Chose ME To Carry Three" is the non-fiction story of The Penn's journey through learning about Lisa's spontaneously conceived triplet pregnancy, the duration of the extremely rough pregnancy itself, and what life is like raising identical triplets. 

In the interest of full disclosure, from January 2000 to December 2004, I personally went through fertility treatment and conceived a number of pregnancies. All were at least triplets. All of the pregnancies were lost. So, I have a total of 12 angels waiting for me in Heaven. 

So why in the world would I accept an invitation to read and review THIS book? Well, to see how I would feel reading about The Penns and Lisa's experience in particular. I also said "yes" to this book because when I met Lisa at her brother's funeral (he was a beloved classmate of mine) and subsequently got to know her on Facebook, I wanted to be a part of sharing this wonderful story with the world.

So, how did I feel reading this book? For starters, I was once again assured that God DOES still work miracles today. The day you doubt THAT, then read this book. There's no way one can doubt God and His ability to perform a miracle after reading this book. My own losses never really became an issue while reading this book. I didn't feel badly for ME. Faith restored, mission accomplished.

At certain times I felt badly for Lisa. Even though my pregnancies were all high-risk and Lisa and I have that in common, my experience still was not the same. After my first pregnancy failed, I was on bed rest immediately with all of the other pregnancies as soon as the tests came back positive. Lisa's bed rest experience was nothing like mine. She actually made it to having to be on bed rest in the hospital for months.

What was it like to be taken into the world of Mrs. Penn as she went through this journey, primarily left on her own by all of her doctors and nurses, with only her hard-working husband to support her emotionally? For starters, my head spun reading about it. There was a point closer to the beginning of her hospitalized bed rest where I kept finding myself in disbelief. The nurses who cared for Lisa, upon finding out she was a nurse herself, didn't tell her anything. I kept wondering things like "why didn't she push harder?" or "why not seek out a patient advocate inside the hospital?" And then my thoughts flipped. Maybe it was because I'm a nurse as well. But I began to wonder, "what the heck were these nurses thinking?" or "what was wrong with these nurses?" A woman stuck on bed rest, in a hospital during the winter, who can't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom while pregnant with triplets, has to be going NUTS. The hormones alone would make her brain more scrambled than the eggs on a Denny's Grand Slam Breakfast. Would she be thinking about pushing harder? Probably not. She's thinking about the three babies in her belly, right? 

Who should consider not reading this book? If you are a primary infertile woman who is still going through treatment, this may not be for you. If you've been through a lot of pregnancy loss and you haven't moved forward, may not be for you. Overall, if you're a female who hasn't dealt with your own inability to conceive and/or your losses, then this isn't for you. I felt I was far enough past my own losses to read this book and I was happy to find out I was right.

Now, if you do fit into any of these categories and you think you might enjoy reading a true story of someone else's good fortune, this book is definitely for you. There are those who fit into these categories who feel that reading about others having success in this area whether via spontaneous conception or, by assisted reproductive techniques (ART), makes them feel more positive. They receive a positive outlook and some feel better overall. So if you can read this type of book in order to build your own self-confidence, especially when the trying becomes difficult to handle, I would highly recommend that you read this book. It will emotionally uplift your spirit.

For everybody else, this is one of those non-fiction books that reads like a fiction novel. The story has suspense, it has some scary parts too. It's got joy. And, it's got some pain. It will most certainly get YOU. Once I got started, my picky self only stopped reading because the need to sleep won out. The only thing I wanted to see more of in the book early on was more of Aaron's point of view. However, the further I got, the more I felt that Lisa carried these three miracles and the amount that is Aaron's point of view was actually just right.

"God Chose ME to Carry THREE" is every bit as exciting as any good fiction novel. The story just happens to be true.

Cover Reveal: "You And Everything After" A Novel By Ginger Scott

Coming on December 5th, 2014…..

A Ginger Scott Novel

Book Two in the "Falling" series

I’m that teenaged girl who has MS. You haven’t met me, but you’ve seen me around. You probably know my sister. We’re twins, and she’s the pretty one. Maybe you’ve heard about my reputation, how much I like to hook up at parties—how easy it is to get me in bed, get what you want, and forget about me after.

Forget what you think you know. I’m leaving that girl behind.

College is all about new beginnings. So from now on—I’m just Cass. And the rest…it isn’t written yet. And no one else gets to write my story for me. 

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“Tyson Preeter doesn’t do can’t.”

That’s exactly what I want people to think when they see me. I am strong, invincible, confident, intelligent—arrogant. I’m the man who always finds a way around, over and through—until there’s nothing left. Since losing my ability to walk six years ago, I’ve relearned life. I don’t need sympathy. I don’t want charity. And I don’t do love. 

It’s better this way, saves my disappointments for me, and me alone, and it saves my strength for everything I want.

But Cass Owens is about to wreck everything. She’s about to steal all of my strength away from me, because she needs it more. She’s about to break all of my rules, and break down all of my walls. She’s about to own me…completely.

And I’m about to let her.

Reblogged: Ebola, A Nurse's Perspective (Please, Take This SERIOUSLY!!!!!)

This is reblogged from: 

http://dtolar.wordpress.com/2014/10/01/ebola-a-nurses-perspective/

After I sat and read this, I realized that this is how I'd try to explain it to people. So in the interest of not taking up hours to type the same ideas, I've decided to reblog it here. This is submitted exactly as it was written. There are no edits. The goal is for people to LEARN, to take this SERIOUSLY.

So a few months ago the country was enthralled with the idea of a few patients, infected with the Ebola virus, coming to the United States. Up until this point, we had been safe from Ebola due to the fact that bats can’t fly over the Atlantic. Some people were completely indifferent, while others had seen Outbreak one too many times. Most were a healthy mix, somewhere in between, but what bothered me the most was both the lack of education and the poor information that was spreading more virulently than the virus could ever hope to.

First, I want to stress that I am a nurse, not a virologist, and hopefully throughout my post you will see that I am not pretending to be one. I have a Bachelor’s in Nursing and am currently a graduate student. I have worked extensively with Infectious Disease Specialists. I have been exposed to almost every infectious disease known to the modern world. I have taken courses in Biology, Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Pathophysiology, Advanced Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and an assortment of others. However, I am not and will not pretend to be an expert, just an experienced professional. When it comes to an epidemic of any sort, my first focus is on the patient, protecting and healing them, my second focus is on protecting the community. I don’t care about which strain does what, or what we can do with in lab. As a nurse, I concern myself with the current patient and future possible patients. I feel the first thing we should examine is Ebola itself. It is foreign to the US, both literally and figuratively. What it does to people and how it harmonizes with nature are both things that most westerners have little concept of. It is a virus, not a bacteria. This means that it is not its own organism. It is actually much smaller and basic than you can imagine. It is nothing more than a few pieces of DNA/RNA and some proteins. No cell wall, no cytoplasm, no metabolic functions. This is both their advantage and their downfall. Viruses require a host. For this example I will use the HIV virus. HIV gets into the human body and invades the host’s white blood cells, T4 cells to be exact but I won’t get that involved. The proteins help get the virus into the cell and those few small sequences of DNA/RNA write themselves into the host DNA/RNA. Now instead of the white blood cell attacking invaders, it is nothing more than an HIV factory. All of its metabolic functions are redirected at producing more of the virus, which pours out of the white blood cell like a sieve until eventually the host cell dies. This is why HIV infected patients have poor immune systems. The virus re-writes the DNA of the host cells. This is not something we can stop. New viruses are pouring out of the white blood cells at a rate of millions a day. We cannot filter them out. We cannot “kill” a little chunk of DNA and we don’t know enough about the human genome to correct the DNA sequences. This is why a lot of viral infections like HIV, Herpes, and Hepatitis are life long infections. HIV invades the white blood cells, Herpes invade the nerve roots, and Hepatitis invades the liver.

Now that we have a better grasp of viruses, we will focus on Ebola a bit more. In tropical Africa, Ebola naturally lives in bats. It is nice to the bats and doesn’t cause them many issues. It is rumored that there are many viruses humans carry our entire lives and have no idea because they show zero symptoms. Therefore, they have never been studied. If this sounds crazy, just remember that it was in recent years the we discovered there was a virus behind cervical cancer. A virus that men can carry and spread without ever knowing they have it. Where the problem arises is that in tropical Africa, people like to eat bats. Sometimes they get infected with Ebola and it spreads. This process is called Zoonosis and can be true of bacteria or viruses. Racoons carry Rabies, Armadillos carry Leprosy, Birds carry the Flu, Bats carry Ebola.

When I said Westerners don’t really understand Ebola, the primary aspect that I am talking about is the patient. We don’t ever see what Ebola does. Our media is too censored, we hear how many died, and see people in haz-mat suits. Speaking of suits, we’ve all seen the pictures. Rubber gloves are adequate for AIDS and hepatitis, a simple mask (N95) stops Tuberculosis, but this requires space suits, just keep that in mind when you think its no big deal. So here is what happens when you catch Ebola, I figure you’re getting bored with reading right about now, so I’ll spice it up. First the virus gets into your system, I’ll elaborate on that later. Then, it hangs out for a few days, even up to 21, growing, multiplying at a rate of millions a day, and guess what, you’re infectious. Now at this point it would pretty much require a straight blood to blood interaction so the only real threat here is for IV drug users who share needles. Just like with the flu or hand foot and mouth disease, you can be spreading it to others before you show a symptom*(apparently not many see the *, so please read the elaboration at the bottom). Remember, nurse mind set, protect the community. At first it’s not bad, little nausea, some sweating, diarrhea, much like a stomach bug. But then the virus really starts to build up in your liver and adrenal glands, after it has saturated your blood cells, the lining of your vessel, your skin, and bones. Hepatocellular necrosis occurs, which is fancy term for your liver starts to decompose.Your liver is what regulates blood clotting. This causes your blood either clot up and turn to jelly in your veins, stay liquid and bleed profusely, or a combo of both. The adrenal glands then do the same, causing your blood pressure to drop. This requires lots of IV fluids to keep your circulating volume up. At the same time inflammatory cytokines are released which causes vascular leakage. Cells don’t do a good job of holding things together so it all becomes a bloody goop. Anywhere in your body that blood vessels are shallow, like your nose, ears, gums, throat, GI tract, urethra, vagina, rectum, all start oozing fluids and bleeding because the tissues that normally keep it contained are disintegrating. So now you bleed from every orifice, including your eyeballs. Every time someone or something touches you, your tissue gets damaged which further the cycle, so a shot in the arm can turn into a massive blood blister. Those who survive are left with massive scarring. Since the adrenals cannot keep your blood pressure up, and you are losing blood and fluids, we have to put IV fluids in to keep you out of hypovolemic shock. This in turn reduces your blood concentration, lowering your oxygen carrying capacity, which causes your heart to race. So you lay in bed, oozing fluids from everywhere, all while feeling like you just ran a marathon, with bloody diarrhea, oh and did I mention pain? Lots and lots of pain, but you can’t have any pain medicine because your liver and kidneys have failed. This why it pains me when I see this outbreak ONLY has a 50% death rate, when in Africa it is up to 90%…ONLY 50%. That is literally worse than cancer, and people are blowing it off. Imagine if cancer was infectious, and you lived in a country with zero cancer, and someone thought it would be a good idea to fly a few people in. I think there would be a different attitude.

The biggest part of the discussion is how Ebola is spread. I will say two things on the topic, no, it is not airborne, and yes, basic hygiene plays a HUGE factor. But while on the topic of whether it is or is not airborne, the definition of an airborne contagion is one that can freely float in the air, survive lengths of time, and infect someone else. VERY few things fit in this category, most have been eradicated, Small Pox, Tuberculosis, Measles. Things that are also NOT airborne, are the flu and the cold. For the flu, you have to come into direct contact with the patients body fluids. How then, do you explain why people catch it and have no idea how. Well for one, people can spread it before they show symptoms, just like Ebola, and one other HUGE factor…droplets….let that word really sink in. The virus may not be airborne, but the droplets are. I’m going to digress for a second and get back to HIV and Hepatitis, while I let droplets dwell in your mind. Everyone knows that HIV and Hepatitis are spread by blood contact, and sexual fluids, I don’t mean a drop of blood on the skin, or even a mucous membrane, it has to get INSIDE of you. This is why only gloves are required. HIV and Hepatitis are not found in urine, stool (Some forms of hepatitis are, but you have to eat the stool to get infected) saliva, sweat, tears, or mucous. This is where some viruses are different. The flu gets into your mucous and other secretions, Ebola tends to stay in the blood, but remember, every one of your bodily fluids are full of blood now. So a person with the flu sneezes, and now millions of little droplets (remember those guys?) shoot out of their nose at nearly mach 1, all across the room, same for a cough, all it takes is a little microscopic droplet to land in your eye, nose, mouth, or the unlikely scenario of an open wound, and you’ve now been infected, because you came in CONTACT with their bodily fluids. I see the word contact thrown around a lot, but most people think of mass amounts of contact with blood, but what they don’t realize is that contact also includes microscopic mucous and saliva droplets, each one chock full of Ebola. Bacteria can survive for long periods of time without a host because they are their own organism. They can feed on just about anything and be happy. Viruses lifespan without a host is much shorter. Their goal is to infect, replicate, and spread, if they cant replicate, they die. Measles only lives 2 hours. But Ebola, depending on what data you look at, can survive for several days.

So with all this information, lets have some role play, so that you can see exactly what this means, to a nurse, in the real world. Imagine it as a cheesy PSA or lifetime movie. You go to see your doctor because its that time of year, you need some blood drawn and refills of your blood pressure med. You sit patiently in the waiting room, thumbing a magazine while your 2-year-old plays with her toys. Like all two year olds, she touches everything, and everything goes in her mouth, toys, pens, her own fingers. She is a 22 lb drool factory and you love her to pieces. You see the doctor, get your goodies, and go home. A week later your angel starts vomiting blood and within 3 days she dies because her heart raced so fast it finally gave up while trying to maintain a blood pressure. Her eyes are blood red and demonic, her skin falls off in sheets. What you don’t know is that 3 days before your visit, someone thought they had the flu. It is October you see and they sneezed while thumbing through that very same magazine you thumbed through. The same thumb you grabbed her pacifier out of your purse with in the waiting room. The people caring for Ebola patients wear space suits, and burn the bodies, yet it still spreads. Here in America, we have much better protocols, and much better hygiene. So if it spreads, it will be contained much better. Still, it spreads prior to symptoms and survives will outside the body, just like the flu. Despite vaccines and good hand washing, thousands still get the flu every year. But while the flu kills 1-2% of its victims, Ebola kills 50% on a good day, and spreads the same way. So please, do not write it off as hype. It is a real thing and it is here.

The case in Dallas has been confirmed. The patient had contact with five children and adolescents prior to admission. Those five kids attend four of the largest schools in Dallas. One sneeze and we could already have thousands of people, who don’t know it yet, infected.

Thank you for reading. Please feel free to comment.

Symptoms* I have had a lot of comments in regards to this. I picked my words carefully, but I never imagined getting thousands of views an hour, or my article getting picked apart, but I will try to elaborate now. I said spread, the virus, I did not say you were contagious. What I meant by this, was the summation of two concepts. To fully explain everything I could write a book, but this is meant to be short and sweet. The first concept is that of a fomite. We have established that the virus can survive for an unspecified amount of time outside the host, and we have established that sneezing/coughing is a perfectly logical method of transmission. So if patient A is infectious/contagious, they sneeze on patient B, but then patient B goes home and picks up their sisters 1 6 month old, who rubs his face, and licks all over your shoulder, he could very well have just orally consumed large quantities of the virus, therefore become patient C. Patient B never got sick, the virus never entered their system, yet they are responsible for spreading the virus to someone else. This is why the 5 exposed kids are so important, there may only be a 2% chance or whatever that they’ll get sick, but if they went to school, and each rubbed up against 500 kids in the hallways, you now have 2500 exposed kids, 50 of which will statistically become infected, 25 of which will probably die. No I do not have a source for the 2%, that is just an EXAMPLE number used to represent the relatively low likelihood of contracting the virus if exposed, granted the R0 factor of R2 is correct. Remember, heal the patient, PROTECT the community. The second concept of this is defining “symptom”. Lets assume it means anything other than your baseline condition. That means the first signs of being contagious, are also the more mild symptoms, sneezy, achy, nausea, flu-like symptoms. So who is going to wake up, feel a little under the weather, and think, crap, I have Ebola, better get quarantined, no, THAT’S how you start fear mongering and mass panic. Again, flu season is upon us, the initial stages of Ebola are like the flu, and its human nature to be in denial, so many people, if infected, would hope its just the flu and wait it out, they are not showing symptoms indicative of Ebola, but they ARE symptomatic of something, and therefore, by the CDC definition, would be contagious. Its also normal procedure for people to be symptomatic BEFORE seeking medical care, so technically, everyone will be contagious, BEFORE knowing they have Ebola. But like I said before, I omitted this lengthy explanation because I didn’t feel it was necessary for the point of the article.

ADDENDUM: Sadly, I feel the need to point out that the title of this blog is “Ebola, A Nurse’s Perspective”, not “A Nurse’s Guide to Surviving the Apocalypse”, or “How to Become an Ebola Expert in 15 minutes”. It could just as well be “Hamburgers, A Chef’s Perspective” and no one would be hounding me over grammar, a misplaced comma, or wanting citations as to why I say it should be on the grill 5 minutes per side of 7 minutes per side. The point is those things are irrelevant to the goal of the article, this is MY perspective (a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.) I don’t have to prove anything, the point of my article is to take what the uneducated (in a medical sense) journalists say, what the talking heads on TV say, and then let you know what the people say who are on the front lines. That’s like discrediting your grandads account of what happened when he stormed Normandy beach, because its not what your history teacher told you. Have I experienced Ebola first hand? Nope, have I experienced a WHOLE lot of other things that the majority of the population has not? You bet your ass I have, and I felt the need to take the time to hopefully help other people out a little. So please keep that in mind, I’m not perfect, but my experiences are my experiences, and I wanted to share them with you, to let you inside the head of a nurse for a minute.

Book Review: "This Is Falling" by Ginger Scott

Author: Ginger Scott

Genres: Coming of Age, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 29, 2014

Availability: Pre-sales on Amazon.com and iBooks

     I have been trying to write this review for nearly a month. Rowe Stanton has been through a major tragedy. When she goes off to college, it's her decision that she is going to try and live, even though her physical scars are healed and her emotional scars are not even close to healing. I too went through a major tragedy (bullets included) and when I went to college, I decided to deal with that major tragedy. My physical scars were long healed and some faded. But my emotional scars were not, they were wide open. Our tragedies are not the same but I was Rowe Stanton at one time. I couldn't know how Rowe felt when I started This Is Falling, I only know how I felt about my own story.  However, Ginger Scott told me EXACTLY how Rowe felt. And now that I've figured that out a month later, I think I know how to write this review.

     This Is Falling is Ginger Scott's fifth novel.  Ginger Scott is the first author to ever draw tears from my eyes through the power of her writing. Ginger Scott has hit it out of the park. AGAIN.

     Rowe Stanton needs to live again. She needs to live among the living and put her past behind her and start looking to her future. She has no idea how to do that. Then she meets Nate Preeter. Handsome, All-American baseball player, Nate Preeter. When Rowe meets Nate and Nate finds out Rowe's story, he doesn't make the same big mistake that everyone seems to try and do: he doesn't try to SAVE her or fix her. In my own life, from my college fiancee to my present husband, and including all of the men in between, they've all wanted to SAVE me from my past.  People like Rowe and me don't need saving or fixing, we need a place to land when we FALL. And that's what Nate does. He gives Rowe a place to land when she's falling flat on her face.

     When Rowe and Nate meet for the first time, I swear it's love at first sight and they don't know it. But the connection is immediate even though Rowe is skittish. But Nate? He's the most patient book boyfriend I've ever read. Because Nate wants Rowe and Rowe absolutely wants Nate but Rowe is so conflicted because she has no idea how to live in the present, she doesn't even know if she should accept what Nate is offering.

     But then Rowe begins to open up a little bit. With her crazy, prankster sense of humor which matches Nate to a tee. I'm reminded of pink and Barbie and I just have to crack up like I did when I was reading the book. I was so floored at that point because I developed a quirky sense of humor and it was a MAJOR part of my own recovery from that awful time in my own life. And then I married a man with the best sense of humor in the UNIVERSE. And when he figured out I didn't need saving, the humor became part of the healing. In the end, my husband DID save me but it was after he stopped trying to do it. Nate can easily be seen as the cliche, perfect college boyfriend but he's not perfect. In fact he screws up a LOT and there's a big one courtesy of Rowe's father. I still can't believe Rowe's father asked what he did of Nate and I'm still kind of pissed that Nate was willing to do it. So no, he's not perfect. But he is perfect for Rowe even with the flaws.

     Ginger Scott was really ballsy to pick the incident that Rowe went through. When I read what happened to Rowe, I was stunned and impressed all at the same time. Then she had the guts to NOT get preachy about it, to not get political about it, and to focus on Rowe and her healing. She focused on Rowe and Nate. I loved the humor in this book because it needed to have humor in it. This could have been a real downer if Ms. Scott chose to get all "psycho-babble." She didn't.

     I could say this was my favorite book by Ginger Scott but I can't. I loved them all equally but for different reasons. I've tried to chose the one I love the most and I just can't.  This is my favorite Ginger Scott novel.  So are the other four. This I do know: I will read EVERY BOOK she writes. She can write about paint drying and I would read it. She'd find a way to make it exciting and moving all at the same time.

     Like so many who were touched by How We Deal With Gravity because of the Autism aspect of the book, I was touched by This Is Falling because I am Rowe. Well, I was Rowe. I have some idea of where Rowe will end up in her future as long as she keeps on trying. If she keeps on trying, because surviving tragedies like ours REQUIRE a lifetime of work to survive, she won't be perfect but she will have a good life.

"The Truth About Alice" (Psst…She's the School Slut)

THE TRUTH ABOUT ALICE is absolutely friggin' CRAZY. CRAZY GOOD! I received a copy of this book for free from NetGalley for an honest review but I really want to buy everybody I know a copy of this book. It should be required reading in every high school across America and the world.

Alice Franklin is the school slut. She was a popular girl at one time and now? Well now she's the school slut. Alice slept with two guys. Brandon Fitzsimmons, THE most popular boy at Healy High and the school's star quarterback. She also slept with Tommy Cray. Tommy Cray graduated from Healy and was now a college freshman home for the summer.

And Alice Franklin slept with both of them at Elaine O'Dea's party. Elaine is the most popular girl in high school and she's still holding a grudge because Alice made out with Brandon Fitzsimmons all the way back in eighth grade.

A short time after that party, Alice sexted Brandon Fitzsimmons and he died in a car crash. His best friend Josh, who was in the car, lived. Josh feels exceptionally guilty because he's still alive.

Kelsie is….was Alice Franklin's best friend. But since Alice lied to Kelsie a gazillion years ago because Kelsie was a virgin at the time, she believes being around Alice will trash her popularity. When Kelsie lived in Flint, Michigan, she wasn't popular at all. Moving to small-town Healy, Texas gave Kelsie a "do over." So she became friends with the popular Alice Franklin and climbed the social ladder.

And there's Kurt Morelli. He's the school nerd. A total loner. Not popular. A geek.

Jennifer Mathieu has created a brilliant piece of art. It belongs on the shelves of every school library everywhere. She has mastered how to tell a story from FOUR different points of view. It's easy to write such a story and confuse the hell out of everybody. It's masterful to write such a story and make four points of view work.

This book not only reveals how Alice Franklin became the school slut with no friends but it also reveals each person's knowledge about what really happened. How these characters are so shallow, they know they're shallow, and they justify it to themselves. All too easily.

I was sucked into this book from page one. I know a book is going to be THAT good when it gets me on page one. And then I only put it down once because I had to sleep at some point. One could make an argument that Jennifer Mathieu didn't really end it "right." I think she ended it how it was supposed to end: realistically. And I think you get to write your own "what happens next" when you get to the end. It's not a cliffhanger and it's not unresolved. You'll have to see for yourself.

You will see yourself or perhaps your younger self in one, some or all of these characters. I saw just a little bit of Kelsie in my younger self and a lot of Kurt minus the loner, unpopular part in myself as a whole. Do we ever hear from Alice? Does she ever weigh in on all of this? Yes. And Jennifer Mathieu knows EXACTLY where to bring her voice into the story.

If EVERY kid entering high school would read this book and do the exact opposite of what these kids did, high school would be a much better experience for so many.

I give it five stars because this book just knocked me out! I just plain old loved it.

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MOAAF: In October 2012, Raymond’s Catering did the catering for the Philadelphia High School for the Creative and Performing Arts Alumni Association’s “Reunion of the 80’s Decade.”   One of the draws for me, in addition my friendship with Chef John Licata, was the promise of “no stress, no fuss, let us handle it all-so that you can relax in the confidence that your event will run flawlessly.” All I needed to do was tell you what we wanted and then let you in the door the night of the reunion. What’s your secret?  How do consistently manage to deliver a seamless, flawless and stress-free event over and over?

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Raymond Bibbo: Well, it was all by accident that I met John. I met him through his uncle at a job we did back in the day and he showed an interest in cooking. He was raw. But, he wanted to learn so I brought him on board and we started slow, part-time and before we knew it, he was here full-time and continued his eagerness to learn. Now he’s a vital part in the machine.

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