Let's start with my 5 star review:
"Come Back to Me" by Leslie Hachtel is a quick read and if you love time travel and science fiction this is a nice light weekend book you'll enjoy. The characters are engaging and there's a cliff-hanger ending that will definitely leave you eager for the next book in the series!Bring On Lemons
Bring on Lemons is a lemons to lemonade success blog about losing focus and finding a dream! It's also where I share my thoughts, ideas, book reviews, and writerly things as well as product reviews (food & drink too) - ENJOY!!
Friday, November 24, 2023
Let Me Tell You About a Quick Engaging Time Travel Book: ""Come Back to Me" by Leslie Hachtel
Sunday, October 22, 2023
5 Star Review for Alle C. Hall's "As Far As You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back" - review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Before we get to my review, here's more information about her novel:
Nominated for The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Book Award, Alle C. Hall’s debut literary novel, As Far as You Can Go Before You Have to Come Back is a-girl-and-her-backpack story with a #MeToo influence:
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
5 Star Review of "The Writing on the Wall" by Marilyn Howard - Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Book Summary
An astounding true story of a young woman driven by her desire to escape chauvinism blazes a whirlwind path full of mystical encounters and unexpected adventures. From love to lawsuits, her business and personal life intertwine, bringing her to untold heights. Uncanny predictions at a chance encounter with a Fulbright Scholar from India follow her throughout life, as if written on the wall and fated to happen.
Chauvinism from her youth make her determined to explore opportunities. She breaks through a glass ceiling of seventy men, enjoys traveling for a year, and returns to found an innovative startup in New York City. Whether skiing the powdery snow in Aspen, or waking up on a beach in Mexico to men with machine guns, each adventure brings challenges and insights to add to an ever-broadening awareness. A lucky break merges with swirling thoughts to ignite a new business. Running a successful startup attracts ADWEEK Magazine of New York. She places first on their list of "The Dynamic Dozen." It should have been smooth sailing, but sharks were circling. A court battle followed.
Entertaining and inspirational stories are told from pivotal times in history. Readers gain skills about life and business. The narrative will make you laugh at humanity, provoke anger at infuriating situations and leave you inspired to reach goals. Stimulating questions are raised, which will generate a deeper introspection.
Publisher: Hammond Publishing (August 2019)
ISBN-10: 1733319638
ISBN-13: 978-1733319638
ASIN: B07WXTKQ1H
Print Length: 293 pages
Purchase a copy of The Writing on the Wall on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Bookshop.org. You can also add this to your GoodReads reading list.
About the Author
Marilyn Howard broke through the glass ceiling at Grey Advertising of New York to become their first female art director while in her early twenties. In 1970, she founded an innovative startup. Creative Freelancers Inc. became the first agency to connect businesses with freelance artists and writers, and operated for over 25 years in the center of Manhattan. ADWEEK Magazine of New York featured her in “The Dynamic Dozen,” those women under forty they identified as most likely to succeed. In 1997, her company became the first agency on the Internet. The author holds a B.F.A. from Syracuse University.
Visit her online at:
Her website: http://www.thewritewall.com/
Her Amazon author page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marilyn-Howard/author/B07XFPWDK2
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063965286663
*****
5 Star Book Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
This is such a fast paced book full of inspiration and adventure! Just reading the book summary is enough to draw you in and leave you wanting more more more! Marilyn Howard is unstoppable and it's so much fun to be carried along her journey. The Writing on the Wall is anything but predictable and boring and readers of all ages will find their own take-away - but each will be inspired differently. This is a great book full of adventure that will leave you reflecting on your own life choices. I ordered a second copy to give to my daughter because I feel this is a fabulous book for a young woman who is coming of age. Thank you Marilyn Howard for sharing your story! Definitely a 5 star read!
Blog Tour Calendar
October 9th @ The Muffin
Join WOW's blog at The Muffin as we celebrate the launch of Marilyn Howard's memoir The Writing on the Wall. Read an interview with the author and enter to win a copy of the book.
https://muffin.wow-womenonwriting.com
October 11th @ Stranded in Chaos
Join Sara for her review of The Writing on the Wall.
http://www.strandedinchaos.com/
October 13th @ World of My Imagination
Join Nicole for her review of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
https://worldofmyimagination.com
October 15th @ Chapter Break
Visit Julie's blog for her interview with author Marilyn Howard about her book The Writing on the Wall.
October 18th @ Bring on Lemons
Join Crystal for her review of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
https://bringonlemons.blogspot.com/
October 19th @ Knotty Needle
Visit Judy's blog for her review of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
http://knottyneedle.blogspot.com/
October 20th @ A Storybook World
Join Deirdra as she features a spotlight of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
https://www.astorybookworld.com/
October 21st @ A Wonderful World of Books
Visit Joy's blog for a guest post by Marilyn Howard about life skills and how not to trip and fall on the small stuff.
https://awonderfulworldofwordsa.blogspot.com/
October 23rd @ Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews
Join Lisa for her interview with author Marilyn Howard about her book The Writing on the Wall.
October 24th @ School Librarian in Action
Join Zarah as she reviews The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
https://lovealibrarian.blogspot.com/
October 25th @ Choices
Visit Madeline's blog for a guest post by author Marilyn Howard about palm reading and the science behind it.
http://www.madelinesharples.com/
October 27th @ The Faerie Review
Join Lily as she reviews The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
https://www.thefaeriereview.com
November 1st @ Pick a Good Book
Join Debbie as she reviews The Writing on the Wall on her Instagram page. You'll also have a chance to win a copy of the book, too!
https://instagram.com/pickagoodbook
November 2nd @ Katherine Itacy's blog
Join Katherine for her review of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
November 3rd @ StoreyBook Reviews
Visit Leslie's blog for a guest post by Marilyn Howard about daydreams and keeping your eyes open to opportunities.
https://www.storeybookreviews.com/
November 5th @ Pick a Good Book
Debbie shares a guest post by Marilyn Howard over at her blog today that talks about some good news regarding childhood disabilities.
November 8th @ The Mommies Reviews
Visit Glenda's blog for her review of The Writing on the Wall by Marilyn Howard.
http://www.themommiesreviews.com/
Sunday, October 1, 2023
Always Changing - Always Improving
Hey ya'all!
I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I remember in 4th grade someone made a comment about looking as big as my friend's pregnant mother. Let me tell you I never wore those stretchy stirrup pants again. My weight wasn't the problem. My mindset was the problem. I tried limiting what I was eating. I tried exercising. If it's out there, I've tried it. I even thought about bariatric surgery when I saw people having success with that. You know what though? Nothing worked for me long term because I wasn't changing the problem - I was only trying to change the outcome.
Just like the rest of you - I really want to be the best version of myself. That's a moving target since life is always changing and evolving. I can't tell you what next year is going to look like, but I CAN tell you that in 2023 I committed to get healthy. I didn't commit to a diet. I committed to myself that I would get my spiritual walk in check, my head in check, my emotions in check, my exercise in check, my diet in check, and my attitude. I didn't like the aching joints, the bloated belly, the negative thoughts, the frustration...and the list goes on.
Monday, September 25, 2023
5 Stars for Heather Redmond's "Death and the Sisters"
5 Star Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto
Death and the Sisters
by Heather Redmond
September 25 - October 20, 2023 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:

The tangled relationships between Frankenstein author Mary Shelley, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary’s stepsister Jane Clairmont form the backdrop for an intriguing historical mystery, set in London in 1814, that explores the complex dynamic between sisters and the birth of teenaged Mary’s creative genius.
London, 1814: Mary Godwin and her stepsister Jane Clairmont, both sixteen, possess quick minds bolstered by an unconventional upbringing, and have little regard for the rules that other young ladies follow. Mary, whose mother famously advocated for women’s rights, rejects the two paths that seem open to her—that of an assistant in her father’s bookshop, or an ordinary wife. Though quieter and more reserved than the boisterous Jane, Mary’s imagination is keen, and she longs for real-world adventures.
One evening, an opportunity arrives in the form of a dinner guest, Percy Bysshe Shelley. At twenty-one, Shelley is already a renowned poet and radical. Mary finds their visitor handsome and compelling, but it is later that evening, after the party has broken up, that events take a truly intriguing turn. When Mary comes downstairs in search of a book, she finds instead a man face down on the floor—with a knife in his back.
The dead man, it seems, was a former classmate of Shelley’s, and had lately become a personal and professional rival. What was he doing in the Godwins’ home? Mary, Jane, and Shelley are all drawn to learn the truth behind the tragedy, especially as each discovery seems to hint at a tangled web that includes many in Shelley’s closest circle. But as the attraction between Mary and the married poet intensifies, it sparks a rivalry between the sisters, even as it kindles the creative fire within . . .
Praise for Death and the Sisters:
"Death and the Sisters is a terrific blend of gritty history with a mystery that will keep readers turning pages. Impeccably researched and imaginative, Redmond’s first Mary Shelley Mystery immerses readers in the drama of young Mary Godwin and her family, as well as her budding romance with Percy Shelley, as they work together to solve a wonderfully bookish murder. I thoroughly enjoyed this series kick-off and can’t wait for the next story!"
~ Susanna Craig, author of The Lady Knows Best
"Death and the Sisters is a rip-roaring murder mystery with twists and turns that introduces teenaged Mary Godwin, not yet the author of the immortal work Frankenstein, as an amateur detective. Redmond's foray in the world of rational atheists in early 19th century London is a mesmerizing, forceful delight."
~ Eilis Flynn, author of The Riddle of Rym
"Crafted with vivid historical detail, an artfully twisted plot, and engaging characters, Death and the Sisters is an excellent start to what I hope will be a long-running series."
~ Dianne Freeman, author of the award-winning Countess of Harleigh Mysteries
"It might be the way London comes to life in all of its dark and gritty complexities, or the dynamics between Mary and her step-sister, Jane, as they set out to find the killer of the man who they discover dead in the bookshop. Everyone is a suspect—even Percy Shelley who has caught the eye of the women in the household. Propulsive and immersive, Heather Redmond is at the top of her game until the intense and satisfying end."
~ Mary Keliikoa, author of Hidden Pieces
"An intrepid cast of characters, a stunningly atmospheric 19th-century London, and a riveting murder… Highly recommend."
~ Melissa Bourbon, bestselling author
Book Details:
Genre: Historical mystery
Published by: Kensington
Publication Date: September 2023
Number of Pages: 320
ISBN: 9781496737991 (ISBN10: 1496737997)
Series: Mary Shelley Mystery, 1
Book Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads | Kensington
Read an excerpt:
“Come, Mary.” Jane flopped onto her bed. “Tell us a story about the prisoner ghosts wailing.”
“I’ll have to think it up,” Mary said and then began to quote. “‘This relation is Matter of Fact, and attended with such Circumstances as may induce any Reasonable Man to believe it.’”
“What’s that?” Jane asked. The floor creaked as she kicked off her slippers and knocked them to the floor.
“Defoe, I think,” Mary said, already considering the form of her story. If only Mother had written such fanciful tales, to give her ideas on how to construct them. “I’ll consult his works in the bookshop for further inspiration. It seems like quite a good start to a ghost story.”
Mary placed her slippers next to Jane’s and walked down in her stocking feet, hugging the wall so as not to set off the worst of the creaking stairs. If Mamma heard her, she’d be set to mending something. Her stepmother never thought about the cost of candles when she could make her daughters work themselves into exhaustion after dark.
The bookshop’s interior door hung open. Very odd, as Mamma was particular about making sure that the smells of domestic life, particularly cooking odors, did not damage the books.
Mary shrugged, glad she had come downstairs, because if Mamma had been the first to notice, she’d have no doubt blamed Mary. She lit the lantern kept in readiness for customers who wanted to browse in the dark corners.
While she knew exactly where Defoe was kept, she first went to a back corner of the shop and dropped to her knees, then pulled out a much-loved volume that Mamma kept in stock because she knew that it sold, even though it was anything but highbrow or philosophical. Ann Radcliffe’s The Romance of the Forest. Feeling a little breathless, like a Gothic heroine about to swoon, she opened the book to her favorite page. With the lantern held over the engraving, she examined the bare legs of the man removing a blindfolded girl from a house.
She bit her lip as she looked over the engraved musculature, feeling a familiar shiver dance up through her body. Did Shelley have legs so magnificent? He certainly possessed the broad shoulders and narrow waist of the figure on the page. She set down the lantern when it shook in her hand.
“Oh, to see a form like that,” she whispered to herself. None of her Scottish suitors had possessed a body she wanted to caress. As such, none of them had enticed so much as a kiss from her. After a last heated glance, she closed the book and tucked it away again.
The next shelves were in front of the bow windows. The Juvenile Library was shelved there, at the perfect height for children. Works of historical merit were on the other side. Mary rose.
Her foot twisted as she took the first step. She grabbed for the edge of the bookcase with one hand, the other gripping the lantern tightly. Her fingers were trembling by the time she righted herself. She reached down and swiped at her foot. Something sticky coated her fingers. What was on the floor?
“Honestly,” she muttered to herself. More cleaning. She set the lantern on the bookcase and walked past the windows. Slatted lines from the shutters were illuminated by the oil lamp that burned all night at the corner of the road.
Distracted by the sudden reflected light, she tripped again. “Blast,” she cried.
When she tried to take another step forward, her way was blocked by something solid. Confused, she prodded it with her foot. It felt warm, dry, and slightly yielding. She backed up to take the lantern in her hand again, then cupped the side of it with her hand to keep the illumination from the road. When she reached the mass again, she held the lantern out over the floor.
Her mouth dropped open when she saw what lay in front of her. A man, like something out of a painting of the French Revolution, was sprawled on the floor. Facedown. She swept the lantern over his body. Her hand shook as she saw first one knife, then another.
The first was impaled in his back. The other, in the mysterious recesses between his legs.
“Faith!” Wobbly, Mary blinked hard, then forced herself to kneel down beside the sprawled figure, to touch the man’s hand.
Still warm. She squeezed it, feeling that strange sensation of callused male flesh under hers, then dropped the hand. What was she doing? Molesting a corpse?
She scooted back, her eyes closed, then opened them again, feeling her lips tremble at the sight of the dark blue velvet coat, the dark stain around the knife gleaming wetly in the light. She knew that coat. Shelley! That fine figure of a man, ended so cruelly. They had just seen him leave not twenty minutes earlier. Had he been accosted in the street and dumped here?
“I could have loved such a being.” Tears sprang to her eyes, and she let them fall, keenly feeling her sensibility. Hadn’t he said he was a new father? And his poor young wife, not even twenty yet, a widow.
“Mary?”
Drat that Jane. Could she not offer up a moment’s solitude to anyone?
Her stepsister’s footsteps came closer, along with the bobbing of a candle flame.
“Don’t come any closer,” Mary warned. She set the lantern down.
Ignoring her, Jane came down the space between the bookshelves and turned in the nook in front of the windows.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Mary scrambled to her feet, hoping to block her sister’s view. The candle wavered as Jane took in the scene. She gasped loudly.
“What,” Jane asked, “is that?”
“Knives,” Mary said. “Murder has been done here.”
“What?” Jane repeated, some frantic power coming into her voice. “Papa?”
“No,” Mary said, grabbing the candleholder before the candle dropped. “Shelley.”
She saw what was going to happen and held up her other hand, hoping to forestall it. But she failed, and Jane, coming closer, screamed. Mary bent under the onslaught and grabbed her sister’s hand.
“Hush,” she begged, pulling her away. “We have to tell Papa before the watch comes.”
Though Jane resisted, Mary pulled her through the bookshop, then forced her to sit on the steps and hold the candle while she went back for the lantern. She set it on the table in the hall.
“Stay here,” she commanded.
“But,” Jane whispered. “But the body.”
“Papa will know what to do.”
“But the watch.”
“Papa should call them, not us. Do you want him surprised?”
“The bookshop,” Jane said next.
“Yes, it’s very bad,” Mary agreed.
“It isn’t S-Shelley,” Jane stuttered. “He just left.”
Mary pulled the handkerchief from her sleeve and tucked it into Jane’s unresisting hand. “It must be,” she said. “Who else? Cry quietly, please.” Hoping her sister obeyed, she picked up her skirts and ran up the steps to her father’s library.
***
Excerpt from Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond. Copyright 2023 by Heather Redmond. Reproduced with permission from Heather Redmond. All rights reserved.
Author Bio:

Heather Redmond is an author of commercial fiction and also writes as Heather Hiestand. First published in mystery, she took a long detour through romance before returning. Though her last British ancestor departed London in the 1920s, she is a committed anglophile, Dickens devotee, and lover of all things nineteenth century.
She has lived in Illinois, California, and Texas, and now resides in a small town in Washington State with her husband and son. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other retailers. Her 2018 Heather Redmond debut, A Tale of Two Murders, has received a coveted starred review from Kirkus Reviews.
Catch Up With Heather Redmond:
www.HeatherRedmond.com
Goodreads
BookBub - @heatherredmond1
Instagram - @hiestandheather
Twitter - @heatheraredmond
Heather Hiestand Redmond's Reader Group on Facebook
Tour Participants:
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Click here to view Death and the Sisters by Heather Redmond Tour Hosts
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Thursday, July 20, 2023
My Life with Ralph - Part I
I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror and whispered "this may be the day that changes your life forever; or maybe not, but brace yourself beautiful". I stopped myself from putting on deodorant and quickly applied the hydrating eye cream that helped me feel less old.
Every year since I turned 40 I've been going for a mammogram right before my birthday. It made sense to me - to associate something somewhat negative with something positive and therefore they'd even out. Kind of like having dental work done without numbing so I can get a fancy latte on the way home. Life is all about balance afterall, isn't it?
I'm a bit of what most would call an awfulizer - but in all fairness, my daddy told me "prepare for the worse, hope for the best, and you'll always be ready for whatever comes your way". So, here we are, Monday, July 10th 2023. This was supposed to be an amazing year since 23 is one of my lucky numbers - and since 7 is also... you'd think this whole damn month should be filled with glitter, unicorns, and sunshine. It has not included as much of those things as I'd hoped.
The mammogram went smoothly. I wore all the right clothes, and I was in and out in record time. I stopped at the office and got lots of things done since no one knew I was there - no interruptions and no children in tow meant I was a professional machine! Stopped and helped a friend and then on the way home, blocks from my old house, on a stretch of road I once walked with our now teenagers, I got the call. I assumed they were calling to tell me everything looked fabulous and they'd see me next year.
After pulling over, I put the new appointment on my calendar... "we need to get you back here as soon as possible" they had said. I'd be going back on the 12th for another more in-depth mammogram and an ultrasound and a meeting with the specialist who would give me more information before I left the facility. I made sure I had hung up the phone and put the van in park. I dialed my Pastor and sobbed into the phone for what felt like an eternity before I could summon up the courage to tell him what was going on.
"I can't do this - not right now..."
sob
sniffle
sob
inhale
"how do I tell Mark that I might not be okay?"
sob
sniffle
sob
inhale
sob
"I breast fed all those babies - doesn't that count for anything?"
Pastor talked me through things and reminded me that I can do hard things and I've done hard things and no matter what, Mark is the best husband and he is going to help me.
I never did turn the radio back on.
I drove around the block several times.
I needed to tell Mark before I got home. The kids would know there was something wrong if I came home with a tear-stained face. It was too early to worry them.
"Hey - can you meet me at the neighbors pole shed?"
"Sure"
He met me and held me while I sobbed into his big strong chest. He held me while the tears flowed down my face into his cut-off shirt.
I made it through the day and then we had a family meeting. By that time, I had washed dished, made dinner, vacuumed the house, and done the normal mom things and I was in control of my emotions. I could calmly and very matter of factly explain that:
"Mommy has a small - VERY small spot on her boob. It wasn't there last year, so it hasn't been there long. We are going for more testing after summer vacation. This is all going to be fine, a bit inconvenient, but fine. Ask questions and it's okay to talk about this."
Questions ranged from "is it cancer?" to "are you going to die?" and my eldest son just gave me a squeeze which says a lot from a teenage boy.
July 12th 2023
Mark came with me for the procedure(s). It was a lot of waiting for him and I felt very guilty for taking him away from the farm. Long story short - the initial reading was NOT wrong. I was in a much better mental place though... it's hard to explain, but I have 4 daughters and statistically, 1 in 5 women will get breast cancer and if I look at it that way, I'm incredibly thankful to have it. God knows I would die a thousand deaths to spare myself from having to bury a child. I am however incredibly angry. My mother refuses to have regular mammograms saying she doesn't care if she has issues or not. She thinks it's some kind of conspiracy between the medical doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Needless to say, we have NO family history. Not like, no one in our family has had breast cancer, but like no one (until my mom) has lived long enough to be tested ... I started going a few years ago because I want my daughters to have a medical history to go off.
anyway - here we were - standing in a warm dark room listening to the specialist explain the next steps. We were assigned a breast health coordinator who provided a lot of great information. We named the tumor Ralph and I looked at my husband as we walked out and said "fuck Ralph". There's of course still a chance that Ralph is just a happy little benign tumor. There's also a chance he's not. The good news is he is 4mm and my left breast was always a bit of a slacker anyway ...
The kids are being incredibly supportive and trying to look at the situation from a practical standpoint. It's not likely this will kill me, and I'm strong and healthy. I'm still eating the way I always have - and we sometimes laugh about how maybe I should have eaten more garbage and less salads... but in reality that's not how things work.
For now, we are living our best lives and as soon as I get home from vacation I'll go in for the biopsy (with my husband by my side) and we'll see what lies in front of us. A few things I've decided:
If I need chemo or radiation I'm shaving my own head instead of waiting for my hair to fall out
If anyone call pull off having just one boob, I can
I'm going to take lots of pictures of my boobs ... not to share, just for me. Because you don't realize how beautiful something is until you try to envision life without them
Thanks for being here on this journey - it's scary, but I've done hard things before God's got me through thick and thin.