Sunday Post #172

Posted April 3, 2016 by Lola in Sunday Post / 42 Comments

sunday post

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer.
It’s a chance to share News. A post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up for the week on our blog.

What happened this week?

This week was still plenty of busy, but no new sign-up posts went live, so that meant I had some more time to put into other work. I worked on the two tours that started this week, it’s always so much fun to finally see the tour start where I’ve been working on for weeks. I Sent out 3 media kits for the cover reveals next week. I made a headstart on the marketing assistant work of this month. And I got some blog posts written, so I am a bit more ahead with my Lola’s Ramblings posts again, which feels great. And I received an awesome swag pack that I won during a twitter party during the Coyer reading challenge, so that was a fun surprise.

This also was a bit of a difficult and stressful week, as some things are changing and it’s just making me feel stressed. My boyfriend is struggling with his master’s degree, my mom had some big change on her job and it’s just making me feel out of balance and uncertain. I hope we’re back on more stable ground soon and we know how things are going to play out.

Daylight saving time started here last weekend and the first few days were quite difficult, I just felt off and tired. But I am adjusted to the new time now and I like that it stays light a bit longer.

Random Picture(s) of the Week

Stroopkoekjes
I am really fond lately of these Stroopkoekjes, they are tiny round cookies with syrup in between them. They are similar to Stroopwafels, which are pretty common here, but these cookies taste different. I really like them. A few years ago I often took these cookies with me to university or school, but I had forgotten about them, until I recently saw them in the supermarket and bought them again. And now I buy them almost weekly as they are so good!

Swag-pack-giveaway-prize
This is the swag pack that arrived this week that I won during the Coyer reading challenge. A big thanks to Berls from Fantasy is More Fun for sending this to me. I was really impressed by the originality of some fo the swag items. There was even a measuring spoon and a recipe from one of the authors. And a cute bracelet with the books in a series and other sea related items attached to it.

What did I cook for dinner this week?

  • Sunday: leftover Veggies in saté sauce and noodles
  • Monday: Vegetable Coconut Curry
  • Tuesday: leftover Vegetable Coconut Curry
  • Wednesday: Fried Rice
  • Thursday: leftover Fried Rice
  • Friday: Store bought soup with french bread
  • Saturday: Couscous with vega meat balls and cumin spiced pointed cabbage

This week I blogged about:

Review: Nobody bu You by Jill Shalvis
Book Blitz: Saven Deception by Siobhan Davis
Reading Challenges: First Quarterly Recap
Lola’s Kitchen: Aioli Recipe
My To-Be Read List #20: poll

What to expect next week on the blog:

– Lola’s Advice: Need Help with Goodreads?
– Blog Tour: The Daydreamer Detective by SJ pajonas – Interview
– Cover Reveal: Forever and One Week by Caroline Cairn
– Review: Book Blog Tours by Barb Drozdowich
– Lola’s Kitchen: Apple Pie Recipe
– My To-Be Read List #20: the winner

Tours open for sign-up on Lola’s Blog Tours:

Review Opportunities:
Maisy and the Mystery Manor by Elizabeth Woodrum
Indestructible by Emma L Adams
Saven: Deception by Siobhan Davis
Summer Haikus by SJ Pajonas
Dominic’s Nemesis by D. Alyce Domain
Secret Baby Scandal by Joanne Rock
Check the full list of open review opportunities here.

Cover Reveals:
Sonar the Surge by B Truly – 5 April
Forever and One Week by Caroline Cairn – 7 April
Tuned Into You by Cindy Dorminy – 8 April

Tours:
Blog Tour: The Daydreamer Detective by SJ Pajonas – 4 till 8 April
Blog Tour: Amanda Lester and the Blue Peacocks’ Secret by Paula Berinstein – 18 April till 1 May
Book Blitz: Landry in Like by Krysten Lindsay Hager – 18 till 24 April
Book Blitz: The Urban Boys by K.N. Smith – 25 till 29 April
Book Blitz: Sonar the Surge by B Truly – 25 till 29 April
Blog Tour: Micah by Lee DuCote – 3 till 16 May

Book Haul:

Saven DisclosureSaven: Disclosure (Saven #2)
by Siobhan Davis

Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find Saven: Disclosure on Goodreads

Blurb:
HE TRUTH CAN’T HIDE FOREVER

To protect Logan, I have no choice but to deceive him.
But I’m not the only one hiding the truth.
Will our love survive all the secrets and lies?

Enemy alien ships crowd the skies over Earth while the world waits with bated breath. The Saven have been exposed, and where once they were abhorred, they are now championed as our greatest ally and our only possible savior.

Logan and Sadie have been separated, and the longer he is gone, the more their love is tested by duty, doubts, and deception.

Sadie and Jarod have infiltrated the highest levels of government, but they are playing a dangerous game. Surrounded by people with conflicting agendas—hell-bent on using her for their own aim—Sadie is confused when the lines between good and evil are blurred. It’s impossible to tell friend from foe, and no one can be trusted.

When the full extent of the experiments taking place in Sector Twenty is disclosed, Sadie can no longer sit back and watch as the lower classes face a horrific fate. Racing to save her loved ones and mankind, she risks her own safety and the love she’s waited a lifetime for to do the right thing.

But no one thought to save her from herself.

JuneJune (Calendar Girl #6)
by Audrey Carlan

Format: e-copy
Source: lended to me by Berls
You can find June on Goodreads

Blurb:
Politics, phallic statues, and pretty women.

Literally everywhere you look, you see an old man and a gold-digging, cling-on wrapped around their wrinkly arms.

Looks as though my hot streak ended when Warren Shipley, one of the nation’s wealthiest men, hired me to play arm-candy to save face with the other one percenters he did business with. At least that’s what I thought when I arrived in Washington, DC, until I was met by old man Shipley’s debonair and insanely handsome son. The Senator from California, Aaron Shipley. Youngest senator in the history of politics, single, beyond rich, and the face of every political magazine around the US. Women everywhere wanted a taste of that power.

Me, I’d always thought politics were boring…boy was I wrong. Democracy had never been more exciting.

***
In the sixth book of the Calendar Girl serial, Mia is sent to our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. Still on her mission to save her father, she embraces the life of a gold-digging mistress in order to get a life-saving project off the ground.

Each installment in the Calendar Girl Serial will release every month throughout 2015. The stories will feature Mia’s journey as an escort to twelve clients in twelve different locations.

Warning: This book is designed for audiences 18+ due to language and graphic sexual content.

Secret Baby ScandalSecret Baby Scandal (Bayou Billionaires #4)
by Joanne Rock

Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find Secret Baby Scandal on Goodreads

Blurb:
His proposition: pretend they’re a couple to end a scandal. But she has secrets of her own…

Tatiana Doucet has dealt with sexy, arrogant athletes most of her life. But Jean-Pierre Reynaud is a whole different animal—in bed and on the field. Unbeknownst to him, their one amazing night produced a son. Now her family’s biggest football rival is back, offering a seductive wager she can’t refuse.

Jean-Pierre despises the media. When rumors fly, he knows a fake relationship is the perfect diversion for the tabloids—and Tatiana’s unbridled passion is the perfect diversion for Jean-Pierre. But when she drops a baby bombshell, the scandal will rock them both!

I Do Believe in Faeries
by Erin Hayes

Format: e-copy
Source: for review
You can find I Do Believe in Faeries on Goodreads

Blurb:
Abby knew that life wasn’t fair.
That’s why she turned to the Fair Ones.

Abby thinks she’s a disappointment. Even though she’s grown up in a family of powerful witches, she can’t use magick, she can’t connect to nature, she can’t do anything special – she’s just a normal human.

And normal isn’t good enough for her.

When a hot fairy prince offers her one wish, she doesn’t hesitate to wish for magick of her own. But wishes require a sacrifice. And that sacrifice is her friend Alaina’s unborn baby.

Magickal or not, Abby has to make things right. She ventures into Tír na nÓg to rescue the infant before it’s too late. There’s only one problem. Once she’s there, she may never want to leave.

** I Do Believe in Faeries is a tie-in with How to be a Mermaid and I’d Rather be a Witch. It uses some of the same characters and can be read as a standalone or as a complement to them. **

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42 responses to “Sunday Post #172

    • I had forgotten about the win, so it was such a nice surprise when it arrived. The uncertain ness probably will last for a little longer, but I hope things will settle down a bit soon.
      I wish I could send you some stroopkoekje, they are really good!

  1. I hope the next week is better for you and less stressful 🙁 stress is never fun, but it’s also never permanent!

    Stroopkoekjes sound like they’re really good! Mhm, I think I need a snack now 😛
    Wattle recently posted…State of the Whimsy #9My Profile

    • Yes usually stress doesn’t last permanent, so let’s hope things settle down soon.

      I just ate a few stroopkoekjes, they are really good!

  2. How do you pronounce Stroopkoekjes? Just wondering lol. That pack you won looks amazing. Since I live in a different country from my mother, so when she send me a parcel full of surprises and goodies, I love it. Receiving a swag pack must feel the same: like Christmas morning!

    • Ask google translate to pronounce it? They pronounce it pretty well. I can’t really explain how you pronounce it, you just have to hear it.

      Receiving goodies from another country is the best! That’s great your mom would sent you surprises and goodies from her country.
      Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #172My Profile

    • Yeah I wish we could stop with the whole daylight saving time, it doesn’t help and is just annoying. It’s probably just hard to change it even though it’s proven it doesn’t work.

    • The goodreads posts is mostly aimed to how authors can get help. I find it hard to give advice about how to use goodreads, as it’s like most social media, you have to find a way that you’re comfortable with. I do have a short piece about how I use goodreads, I used to be pretty active on it, but lately I don’t make much time for it anymore. But I still hope you enjoy the post 🙂
      Lola recently posted…Sunday Post #172My Profile

    • It’s a bit better already, but I hope things will settle down soon. I don’t really do much more on Goodreads than add books, I used to be pretty active there, but not anymore. I rather spent my time visiting other blogs nowadays.

  3. Sometimes change can be stressful or excited however I always get stressed. It’s the unknown that makes me so nervous. I hope things settle for you soon.

    I am trying to be as productive as possible but I need to come up with a few more posts and haven’t had any alone time to really get that moving forward. I am hoping so soon.

    Those cookies look yummy!

    Have a great week, Lola! Happy Reading!
    Michelle@Because Reading recently posted…Crazy but productive ~ WIR & TSPMy Profile

    • It’s the stressful kind of change so far, although it might turn into exciting, but that’s unsure at this point. I just baked a pie, which always helps me relax a bit, so I feel a bit more relaxed now.

      I was so glad to get a bunch of Lola’s Ramblings posts written this week and get a bit more ahead with those. Now let’s hope I can do some Lola’s Kitchen posts soon. I hope you’ll have some time to work on blog posts soon!

    • So far this week already is a lot better, still busy, but not as overwhelming anymore. Change really messes with me, I don’t deal well with change and it will be nice when everything settles down again. And I can imagine how something like a two week graveyard shift can mess up your whole groove.

    • The swag pack was awesome :). I hope things settle dow a bit soon, two big things changed this week, so I hope things will move in a good direction now.
      It’s so nice to be ahead and stay there as it helps me stress less about that at least.

  4. It sounds like you had a lot of work done this week. It’s awesome to get ahead with your posts. I’m really hoping to get ahead a little myself this upcoming week. It always makes me feel way more relaxed when I have post ahead ready.
    Congrats on winning the swag pack. It looks awesome.
    I hope everything will get more stable for you soon.
    Have a great week and happy reading! 😉
    Maureen Hinten recently posted…The Sunday Post #12My Profile

    • Same here, being ahead makes me feel relaxed and it was nice to be able to get a bit more ahead this week. I am also doing well with being ahead for review posts, which is rare as that’s usually the only type of post where I am not much ahead.

      I was happy to have won the swag pack, there were some great items in it.

  5. Glad it was a good blog/ tour week, sorry to hear about the stress. That’s a hard thing, best of luck to your boyfriend and mom both. And congrats on the swag pack! 🙂

    Those cookies looks pretty good. Will watch for your Goodreads post, I suck at Goodreads lol.
    Greg recently posted…Sunday Post #136My Profile

    • It was a good tour and blog week and I am glad with everything I got done. Stress is always hard to deal with, I am feeling a bit better at the moment, but hope things will settle down soon.

      I also suck at Goodreads nowadays, but I used to be much better at it. the post is mostly aimed at authors, but there’s also a small part about how I use goodreads as a reader/ blogger.

  6. I’m sorry things are so stressful for you right now! I hope they calm down really soon. We switched over to DST a few weeks ago and it was a tough transition for us all. I was off for a whole week. I can’t wait for the blog tour to start tomorrow! Yay!
    S. J. Pajonas recently posted…Sunday Update – April 3, 2016My Profile

    • It’s a bit better now, but I just hope things play out well. I always hate the switch to daylight saving, it always takes me awhile to adjust. I am really excited for the start of the blog tour tomorrow :).

    • I hate the clocks changing, I would be happy if they cancel the daylight saving time altogether. I always feel off for a few days.

    • Yes it sure was a productive week. This week is going to be more busy with tours that are taking place, so it felt nice to work ahead with some things last week so this one is less stressful

    • Thanks! Those first few days after the daylight saving time started were really rough. I hope things settle down soon, it was a stressful week.

  7. Must give you a warm feeling to see your work pay off like that when the tours go live. Ah, it is hard when big things in life are unstable. Hope it settles soon at work for your mom and your boyfriend works through the tough part in his classes.
    Those cookies sound good. Love caramel flavor.
    Good pile of fun stuff there. It is neat to see what authors put together for swag. I love the more practical items because I use them.
    Glad you got ahead with your posts and look forward to them.
    Nice haul with books by familiar authors for you.
    Have a good week!
    Sophia Rose recently posted…When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris #ReviewMy Profile

    • The preparation for a tour is fun, but seeing all the work pay off and the tour go live gives me always a warm and happy feeling.

      My boyfriend is also considering alternatives to his study at the moment. It’s a bit of a difficult situation. And with my mom I hope things will settle, but I am not sure how. It will take some time to see how both things will play out.

      I love stroopwafels and stroopkoekjes, the combination of cookies with caramel sauce is so good.

      I already used the new measuring spoon. I was fun to see what authors use for swag. There aren’t many book cons here, so it was fun to get some swag and see what they distribute there.

      I didn’t even realize all four books this week where by familiar authors, but that’s true indeed. And it was nice to work on getting ahead a bit more.

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