Daydreaming Butterfly Partial Relaunch

The Bibliophile Sweater Tag

Jameson from Lovely Whatsoevers tagged me for the Bibliophile Sweater Tag! Thanks, Jameson!


Here are the rules:

1.) Give the person who tagged you a never-ending supply of cookies (or just thank them - either works).
2.) Answer all the questions and use the blog graphic for this tag somewhere in your post (the original graphic is above).
3.) Pass along the tag to at least five other people wear a sweater (okay, this is optional...but why wouldn't you want to??)

Okay, here we go!

Fuzzy Sweater

(a book that is the epitome of comfort)

There a lot of books that could fall under the comfort category, but if I have to choose just one it would be Echoes. This is the third book in The Glenbrooke series (all of which are comfort books), and I'm choosing it as the epitome of comfort because it was the book in the series that introduced me to Irish Breakfast Tea. I mean tea pretty much goes with comfort, right?

Striped Sweater

(book which you devoured every line of) 

I've mentioned it before, but I adore Harlan Coben's books. If I'm being completely honest, I devour every line of pretty much all of them. They are addicting. But since I have to pick one, I'm going with The Stranger. It's not my favorite novel of Coben's, but it is one of the ones I've read the fastest.

Ugly Christmas Sweater

(book with a weird cover)

I don't really own many books with weird covers, so this was a hard one. Ultimately, I'm going with Gone for Good. It's yellow and the title is embossed (it's like that on the spine as well), so it's not always the easiest to read from a distance. Is it the weirdest cover out there? No, but it's one of the weirdest that I own.

Cashmere Sweater

(most expensive book you've bought)

Yeah, there's no contest here. Hardcore Twenty-Four is the most expensive book I've bought.

Hoodie

(favorite classic book)

Treasure Island is one of the few classic books that I've read, so it's kind of my favorite by default. Thanks to Pirates of the Caribbean, I was kind of obsessed with pirates for a while (they still fascinate me to this day), so I think it's pretty fitting that this is one of the classics I've read.

Cardigan 

(book you bought on impulse) 

The Lacemaker and the Princess is a book I bought on impulse years ago when I was on vacation. It takes place around the French Revolution and is about a girl who befriends Marie Antoinette's daughter.

Turtleneck Sweater 

(book from your childhood) 

I've always had a fondness for fairy tales (thanks Disney!), so I think it's fitting that one of my favorite books from my childhood is Fairest, which is a Snow White retelling. It's by the same author as Ella Enchanted, and I've read this one multiple times.

Homemade Knitted Sweater

(book that is indie-published)

The vast majority of the indie-published books that I own are e-books, so the only ones that I have physical copies of are my own book and Dragon Lyric.

V-Neck Sweater & Argyle Sweater

(book that did not meet your expectations and book with a unique format)

Two in one! While Black Widow Forever Red is a book that I enjoyed for the most part, it definitely didn't meet my expectations. When I heard about this book, I expected more Natasha Romanoff and less Ava and Alex. I'm also choosing this as my book with a unique format, because I don't have many books with unique formats. In this one, on occasion, you have transcripts from where Natasha is having to give a debrief about the events of the book, so I thought that was pretty unique.

Polka Dot Sweater

(a book with well-rounded characters)

This was a hard one. I really don't know which books have the best well-rounded characters, because it's been a while since I've read a lot of them. I'm going with Heist Society though, because I did really enjoy all of the characters that are in this book and the ones that follow it.


As far as tags go, I'm not tagging anyone in particular. If you see this and want to have a go at it, feel free! Here are the questions:

Fuzzy Sweater (a book that is the epitome of comfort)
Striped Sweater (book which you devoured every line of)
Ugly Christmas Sweater (book with a weird cover)
Cashmere Sweater (most expensive book you've bought)
Hoodie (favorite classic book)
Cardigan (book that you bought on impulse)
Turtleneck Sweater (book from your childhood)
Homemade Knitted Sweater (book that is indie-published)
V-neck Sweater (book that did not meet your expectations)
Argyle Sweater (book with a unique format)
Polka Dot Sweater (a book with well-rounded characters)

Six Month Anniversary Giveaway

Today marks six months since I first published Iridescent, and I believe that calls for a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway?

In honor of Iridescent's six month birthday, I'm hosting a giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a copy of Iridescent, and a $10 Amazon gift card. All you have to do is enter below. The giveaway will end on January 19, so don't forget to enter!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Oh, What Fun! Christmas Blog Party: Week 2

I can't believe that it's almost Christmas! And since it's almost Christmas, I need to do week 2 of the Oh, What Fun! Christmas blog party hosted by Jameson C. Smith. You can join in on the fun here: 🎅. Here we go!

Do you make any special treats during the holidays? Which are your favorites to make? Your favorites to eat?

Cookies, peanut butter fudge, and sausage balls are some of the treats that I make during the holidays. They're also my favorites to make and my favorites to eat.

Do you leave out the traditional milk and cookies or something else?

It's been a few years since we've done it, but we used to do the traditional milk and cookies. Although one year, I think it was cookies and Mountain Dew. 

Favorite holiday flavor/scent (peppermint, sugar cookie, cinnamon, etc.)?

In general, it's a toss up between gingerbread and peppermint. 

Decorating: Keep it simple or go all-out? Do you have any favorite decorations or ornaments?

My family usually keeps it pretty simple as far as decorating goes. I have a lot of favorite ornaments, but the one that means the most is an angel ornament with a picture of my grandma who passed away years ago. Having that ornament on the tree makes me feel like she's still always with us at Christmas.  

What is your can’t-miss Christmas special?

It is pretty much a family tradition that we watch A Christmas Story at least once during the holiday season. 

Show off your Christmas tree! 

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Oh, What Fun! Christmas Blog Party: Week 1

This week, I'm participating in the Oh, What Fun! Christmas blog party hosted by Jameson C. Smith, which you can find more about here: 🎄. After all, what better way to celebrate Christmas on this blog than with two weeks of Christmas themed questions? So let's begin!

What’s your favorite holiday (it doesn’t have to be one from the “holiday season”)?

Christmas, of course!

How do you know when the holiday season has officially begun?

Right after Halloween. Christmas decorations are in stores, people are starting (or in some cases finishing) their Christmas shopping, people are getting ready for Thanksgiving. It just feels like everyone is starting to get into the holiday spirit.

What is your favorite part of the holidays?

The traditions, Christmas lights, music, holiday treats. Really, I love just about everything about the holidays!

Have any holiday wear? Show off those hats, socks, and ugly sweaters!

Unfortunately, no holiday wear here. I do want to get a Santa hat sometime though. 

Some friendly controversy: When is it appropriate to listen to Christmas tunes?

Whenever you want to. :) I usually start wanting to listen to Christmas music around the beginning of November, though there are a few songs that I'll listen to year round. 

Speaking of Christmas tunes: Share your favorites!

Essence of Heroes Character Aesthetics

A while back, I had some fun and made some character aesthetics for the five central characters in my Essence of Heroes series. I had shared these on Twitter, but I never got around to putting them up here on the blog until now. Along with the main aesthetics for the characters, I'm including links to their aesthetic boards on Pinterest in case you ever want to check them out. I've found that these are a pretty useful way to learn new things about your characters, because it really made me think about the things they liked and what they would be associated with.

Aly's Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/kspangler95/character-aesthetic-aly/

Riley's Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/kspangler95/character-aesthetic-riley/

Leo's Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/kspangler95/character-aesthetic-leo/

Becca's Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/kspangler95/character-aesthetic-becca/

Vanessa's Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/kspangler95/character-aesthetic-vanessa/

Book Review: Rose by Another Name

Today, I will be reviewing Rose by Another Name by Melanie Thurlow.

Here's the synopsis:

“Her worth decided over a game of cards, Lady Rosalyn Hayes has accepted her future. She will marry a duke she doesn’t know to protect her sisters’ reputations. But when a year of preparation for her debut vanishes in the blink of an eye, Rose flees her gilded cage in search of unrestrained adventure.

Lord Robert Phillip Clarence, Duke of Brighton, lives a life of debauchery far from his country estate, and even farther from the lady he must marry in order to restore his family’s ancestral lands. But when he is summoned home to meet his future wife, he realizes he hasn’t lived at all.

Rose and Robert do not meet when their eyes lock across a ballroom swathed in candlelight. They do not meet amid fine clothes, genteel manners, debonair charm, and chaperones. They meet, alone, upon Rose’s near death. It is this near-death experience that catapults the two nobles, disguised as servants, towards a romance that seems destined for failure.

They think they know each other. But when their true identities are revealed at a house party, will they live happily ever after or will the ton be shocked to see a lady run?”

My rating: *****

Even though I don't read them a lot, I love a good historical fiction. Rose by Another Name is the first regency historical romance that I've read, so I personally don't have a lot of books that I can compare it to in this genre.

I will say that the story had a bit of a slow start, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It's good, because it gave the story time to immerse the reader into the world of the story. It also helped the reader to learn more about Rose and Robert and see their romance unfold. The one downside to a slow start is that it took me a little longer to really get into the story.

But once I did get into the story, I kept looking forward to seeing what would happen next.

I loved the characters of Rose and Robert. They were interesting and intriguing, and had great chemistry with each other. From the moment they met, I was looking forward to when they would realize who the other was. I was rooting for them to be together and to live happily ever after. Something I felt Rose really deserved, because she does not have an easy life.

I thought I knew exactly where this story was going and how it was going to end.

Boy was I wrong.

I have to give Melanie Thurlow some major credit, because she provided a twist that I did not see coming and ended this story in a way that I wouldn't have expected from a historical romance.

This is the first book in a series and I look forward to seeing what will happen with Rose in the next book. If you're looking for a regency novel to read, I would recommend checking this book out!