The Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting - Book Review

The Good Luck Charm is a new, delightfully fun romance from Helena Hunting.

Ethan broke up with Lilah, his best friend and high school sweetheart, just as his hockey career was taking off. Convinced it was the best for both of them, he ended things, and terribly at that. Eight years later, his hockey game is not what it used to be, and Ethan is traded back to his hometown. However; he's never forgotten Lilah and how amazing they were together. Ethan wants Lilah back in his life. But is it real? Or is it just to help his game? And once his game improves, is he just going to leave again?

Told in alternating points of view between Lilah and Ethan, The Good Luck Charm brings together first loves and second chances. Early on while reading this book I wrote a note to myself that said, "Ethan needs to grovel more." I did not want Lilah to give up on her dreams just because Ethan was back in town. Even Lilah worries about this because she at one point says, "I fear my heart remembers loving him more than it remembers how he broke it."

In the end, I really enjoyed how their story came together, and I devoured this book in less than two days. It is a quick, funny, sexy read that will leave you wishing you were Ethan's good luck charm 😉!

I love that the tagline on Helena Hunting's website is "stories to get in bed with" because that is exactly how I would describe this novel. This was my first book by Helena Hunting, and my first sports romance, but it certainly won't be my last.

The Good Luck Charm is out now and available wherever books are sold!

xo
Jenn

Disclaimer - I received a complementary copy of The Good Luck Charm courtesy of Hachette Book Group Canada. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Building My Empire with Pipsticks+Workman

September means many things: cozy scarfs, pumpkin spice lattes, and, of course, new school supplies. My son begins Grade 1 next week, and we recently went shopping for his school supplies. He's still pretty little, but I think he had fun picking out the new markers and pencil crayons he's bringing to his class.

As a teacher, I also love fresh school supplies in the fall. Even if I always feel a bit nervous and frazzled about the upcoming school year, it's amazing how something small like a new notepad can make you feel like an organized rockstar! Thomas Allen & Son sent me a gorgeous set from the Pipsticks + Workman gift line, and the timing is perfect!

Pipsticks and Workman collaborated to create the funnest planners, notekeepers, and sticker books in three different themes:

1. "for the Daring...." This set is fun and bright, with energetic designs - perfect for the list-keeper.
2. "for the Dreamer..." This set is colourful and inspirational - perfect for the creative spirit.
3. "for the Driven...." This set features a more pastel colour theme and fun motivation - perfect for the goal-tracker.

When the Driven set arrived at my doorstep, I immediately felt that excited, butterfly-in-the-stomach feeling we all loved when we were back to school shopping.

The planners are designed encourage creativity, goal-setting, and fun! I still use a physical planner every year. The calendar app on my phone is perfect for checking my availability when I'm out and about, but I still find that there is a lot of power in keeping a physical planner. Not only for my family's scheduled "things" but also for making my to-do lists each day, and this planner definitely has enough space for that!

Here are a few of the characteristics in the BUILDING MY EMPIRE planner that I love most:

• The horizontal spread - I personally prefer this to vertical ones.
• The YAY circle each day is a place for you to give yourself a sticker if you meet your goal that day. I use it for exercise. 💪
• The weekly quiz question - A throwback to those magazine quizzes we used to do!
• The addtional mini weekly calendar at the bottom of each spread - This week I used it to plan out my social media posts, and I also think it is a great space for meal planning or a gratitude journal.
• It begins now! - This planner runs from Aug 2018 - Dec 2019 so you can use it right away!
• The monthly "CURRENTLY" page - I love this page! Each month you write down what you're currently watching, reading, planning, etc. I think these pages will be so fun to reread at the end of the year.
• The stickers - 6 full pages of stickers are included that will take you through all of the different seasons and holidays.

While I will keep my planner at home, this GREAT THINGS INSIDE notekeeper is coming to work with me right away. I just posted on Instagram that I have a weakness for beautiful notepads and journals, and this one is no exception. It's a nice size (5 x 7), hardcover, and comes with two pages of stickers, so you can reward yourself when you finish something from your list 😍. What makes the Driven notekeeper unique is that the pages are all colourful grids which are perfect for list-making and goal-tracking. As you can see below, mine is already getting broken in with my massive back to work to-do list for the next week....no reward stickers yet! lol

Last, but certainly not least, is the THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT sticker book. I used to collect stickers in albums when I was younger, and it's so exciting to have another whole book of stickers just for me (and not my six-year-old!) The sticker book comes with 20 pages of stickers and a handful of postcards. I use cards like these whenever I see a co-worker could use a little note, just to brighten their day :)

The whole Pipsticks+Workman line allows you to be organized like a grown-up, but tap into your creative energy and feel like a kid again at the same time. Adulting is hard enough; we absolutely deserve to have some fun while we do it! And if you'd like to get ideas and see how others are using their planners, you can do a quick #pipsticksplanners search on Instagram!

To check out the whole Pipsticks+Workman gift line of planners, notekeepers, and stickerbooks, and peek inside each, you can visit their website.

Each item is sold separately from Amazon (and shipping is free!)

For the Driven

  

For the Dreamer

  


For the Daring

  

xo
Jenn

Disclaimer - I was sent these items courtesy of Thomas Allen & Son for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Passionflix - Netflix for Romance Novels

Passionflix is a film company/streaming service that is bringing your favourite romance novels to life on the big screen! Founded by Tosca Musk, Passionflix creates original movies based on best-selling romance novels. The movies are then available on their website to stream exactly as you would any Netflix movie or series.

So far, Passionflix has filmed four movies, one "quickie", and one series. I've seen three of the movies and the quickie and loved them all. They are so much fun to watch on your own and especially fun to watch with your girlfriends.

I'd also say that the movies are totally a blast to watch whether you've read the book or not. I had read Hollywood Dirt by Alessandra Torre, so it was exciting to see that book come to to life on my screen; however, I hadn't read Afterburn/Aftershock by Silvia Day or The Matchmaker's Playbook by Rachel Van Dyken, and my girlfriends and I had so much fun watching these movies together anyways.

Passionflix just released their first original series for the book Driven by K. Bromberg. I have read this steamy novel, and I am super excited about seeing Colton and Rylee's story unfold. Here's the trailer!



In addition to their original content, Passionflix offers a curated library of romance-themed films. While all of the original Passionflix content is available to viewers worldwide, unfortunately, this library is only available to viewers in the US.

The cost is $5.99 US/month.

Since I live in Canada and only have access to the original content, here is what I do to make it worthwhile. When I know I want to watch one of the Passionflix movies, I sign up and pay $5.99. Then, the next day, I cancel/pause my account. It's super easy to do on their website. I still have access for 30 days to watch my movie(s). Then, when a new movie is available I want to watch, I activate my account again. Again, this is easy to do online. I figure paying $6 for a movie is really reasonable. It's like a throwback to renting movies! Anyways, this is how I make it work for me, so I can still see their great movies but don't commit to paying each month when there is nothing new for me to watch.

Passionflix also just announced that it is now available on AppleTV which will make watching it on my tv beaucoup easier than hooking up my laptop.

To explore their current content, see what books to movies are coming soon, and watch trailers for free, visit the Passionflix website. I hope something fun catches your eye!

xo
Jenn

PS - This is not a sponsored post. I just love Passionflix and hope you will too!

An Interview with Romance Author Stefanie London

Here's a book blogging secret. Free books from publishers are great, but my favourite part of blogging is meeting authors. Each and every time I chat with one, I feel like I'm talking to a celebrity.

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of meeting Stefanie London at a romance-themed trivia night hosted by Harlequin, and we recently met up again for coffee. It was so much fun chatting about books with her, and I can't wait to read more of her novels.

Stefanie and I talked about her current projects, the influence of the #metoo movement on romance novels, and more. I hope you enjoy our interview!

1. You're currently working on your Bad Bachelor series. Can you tell us about this trilogy and the inspiration behind it?

Bad Bachelors is a sexy contemporary romance series about an app that allows the women of New York to rate their dates. Think of it as Yelp (or Goodreads!) for men. Obviously this kind of idea causes a world of trouble, and each book focuses on a hero who's caught up in the drama caused by the app. The three heroines are also best friends. The series is funny and sexy, but it also takes a look at the effects of social media and how we treat one another online. I wanted to create a series where I could explore the affects of technology, not only on modern dating but also on how we behave as a society. It's a subject I find endlessly fascinating, and since technology and apps (like Tinder, Bumble etc) are such a huge part of dating, I thought it would be fun to incorporate that element into this series.


2. How do you select the names of your characters?

Baby name websites! Which means Facebook thinks I'm pregnant and it continues to show me ads for baby things. I have a very "intuitive" way of picking names, in that I read through lists and when one jumps out at me I know that's it.

3. One of my favourite "literary" places to visit is the real Inn Boonsboro that was the inspiration for Nora Roberts' Inn Boonsboro trilogy. Do you have a favourite "literary" travel destination?

I love reading about fantasy or made-up worlds. There's something about fictional kingdoms and historically-inspired worlds that always captures my attention. I love details that writers provide and the way they create something from nothing. They might not always be the kind of place where I'd want to live, but I do enjoy falling into a good book to "visit" a new and exciting fictional world. One that springs to mind is the Kingdom of Ravka from the Grisha trilogy by Leigh Bardugo which is inspired by Tsarist Russia from the 1800s.

4. How has the #Metoo movement changed romance writing?

For me, the main change is that the things I did intuitively before are now done with much more mindfulness and consideration. My books have always featured two people engaging in consensual sex as part of a loving relationship, even if it starts out as something purely physical. When I write now, however, I consciously include enthusiastic consent as part of my sex scenes. I also think a lot more about the power dynamic between the hero and the heroine, especially if I'm writing a workplace romance which is a trope I continue to love, though I now approach it differently. It's important for me to show the heroines in my novels making an active, informed decision to have sex with the hero and expressing their consent throughout the course of the scene, not just at the beginning. And consent is sexy! It doesn't take away from the heat or the strength of the hero to have the characters checking in with one another.

I'm noticing that readers are focusing on this element of romance novels more, as are publishers. This is a great development, and I hope we continue to see writers representing healthy sexual relationships and healthy attitudes toward sex in their novels.

5. For someone who is new to your books, where should they start?

I actually have a page dedicated to this exact question on my website right here! The Bad Bachelor series is something very close to my heart and it definitely represents what I love to read and write (i.e. funny and sexy stories with a hint of the real-world peeking through.) If you're looking for a purely escapist read that will be sure to have you giggling, try my romantic comedy Trouble Next Door. If you prefer your reads with a little more steam, Unmasked is a book I adore with all my heart.

6. What have you been reading lately? Any favourites you can share?

I just finished Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning, which is an urban fantasy set in Dublin with lots of fae lore and dark magic. So much fun! I'm looking forward to working my way through this series. I also LOVE a good zombie book, and FEED by Mira Grant hit the spot when I read it earlier this year.

In terms of some romance recommendations, my top picks so far for 2018 include two Harlequin Presents books: Son of Scandal by Dani Collins and The Virgin's Shock Baby by Heidi Rice. They have everything I love about the Presents line (high glamour and old-school romance tropes.) I also loved Forbidden Pleasure by Taryn Leigh Taylor (I was lucky enough to read an advance copy) which is out next month with Harlequin's sexy Dare line.


Thanks so much, Stefanie!

For more from Stefanie London, be sure to check out her website and follow along with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or join her Facebook reading group.

xo
Jenn