One of the great mysteries of the universe is that some people can go through their entire lives without much of anything too terribly difficult happening to them. They are born to a mother and father who longed for them. Aunts and uncles who cherish them. Grandparents who deposit loving wisdom between fishing trips and knitted sweaters. Cousins to run around with while the Turkey bakes. Family traditions and recipes. A connectedness and belonging to generations before and after them. A family tree with their name carefully penned. Was it a trick of birth that I’m not one of them? Was I unluck ..read more

I have not been in my mother’s keeping since I was seven years old. I can count on one hand the brief encounters I’ve had with her since that time. It’s been twelve years since my last actual look at her person and eleven years since I’ve heard the rasp of her voice. I remember though. I remember the olive of her sun damaged leathery skin and the forest green with a starburst of honey at the pupil of her eyes. I remember the inky black shine of her hair and the gravel in her voice. I remember the angular lines of her face and the snub of her nose. She’s as clear as a picture in my mind. It’s n ..read more

I’ve recently seen a large increase in book bloggers reviewing audiobooks. I love reading all the reviews and am more than a little jealous that so many people get so much enjoyment from something I just can’t. I’ve tried y’all. I’ve tried to listen while I do laundry. Which I spend way too much of my life doing since I have three children who feel they absolutely must change their outfits at minimum three times a day. I digress… I think of all the time I could have for reading if only I could just listen while doing chores and I could weep for all those missed stories. Friends of mine have b ..read more

One of the greatest benefits of reading is that you get to see the world through someone else’s eyes. I’ve made it a goal this year to read and review a wider variety of stories. I have reviewed books written in a few countries other than the U.S. in the past but, I would really like to pick the pace up on that a bit this year. So, I figured the best way would be to use a random place generator and wherever it dropped me is where I would pick a book from. The first place that popped up was in the U.S. so I hit next and this beautiful street in France popped up. I went back through some of my ..read more

If you haven’t read the Outlander series or haven’t seen the show do not read further. I’m warning you! There will be spoilers! Don’t ruin it for yourself. Just back away now. To the point! In the first book, when Frank and Claire are in their cute little B & B in Scotland he basically accuses her of cheating when they were separated during the war. I’m now on book three and have a much better idea of who Frank is. BUT! When I read that, I was like well he’s cheated for damn sure. I have been side eyeing that slimy bastard since then but it’s so good to know that my initial suspicion wasn ..read more

I’ve been trying to stick with one book at a time this year. My ADHD wants to read all of the books all of the time but I’ve got to get a handle on it. I know I’m a bit late to the Outlander party but I’m here now and holy Brendanawicz I’m hooked. I’ve been so wrapped up in reading them that before I knew it I was on book three and hadn’t even reviewed the first two. I’m working on that now and you should see some reviews pop up here soon. As a historical fiction fanatic, I am exactly the target audience for this series. In addition, I am rather fond of a series anyway. It’s rare when one book ..read more

Summary from Amazon #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts begins a new trilogy of adventure, romance, and magick in The Awakening. In the realm of Talamh, a teenage warrior named Keegan emerges from a lake holding a sword―representing both power and the terrifying responsibility to protect the Fey. In another realm known as Philadelphia, a young woman has just discovered she possesses a treasure of her own… When Breen Kelly was a girl, her father would tell her stories of magical places. Now she’s an anxious twentysomething mired in student debt and working a job sh ..read more

Here at AlliesOpinions, we love words! We especially love when those words are carefully selected and wove together to create the best stories of our lives. Language is important and words have meaning so we’ve decided that adding to our vocabulary is a must. There are a million ways to communicate so why not do it in the most vibrant way you can? We hope you enjoy our selections! countenance Definition 1a: LOOK, EXPRESSION… a countenance which expressed both good humor and intelligence …— Sir Walter Scott b: mental composure… startled, and also somewhat out of ..read more

Today, I’m going to share a wee little secret with you. I re-read books. I do it a lot. A whole lot y’all. Way more often than I’m proud to admit. I’ve re-read some of my books so many times I’ve had to replace them due to spine wear. I’ve read some of my books so many times my fingers rubbed parts of the cover off from my holding it. There is absolutely no feeling like diving into the stack of ol’ faithful. I know these stories so well I could probably quote the pages from memory. You’re probably thinking these have got to be some ground breaking, mind-bendingly amazing books. They actually a ..read more

Here at AlliesOpinions, we love words! We especially love when those words are carefully selected and wove together to create the best stories of our lives. Language is important and words have meaning so we’ve decided that adding to our vocabulary is a must. There are a million ways to communicate so why not do it in the most vibrant way you can? We hope you enjoy our selections! Preeminent Definition 1 : exhibiting eminence especially in standing above others in some quality or position : prominent 2 : standing out so as to be readily perceived or noted  ..read more