Tag Archives: therapy

Mr. Opposite Billionaire Grump by Cameron Michaels (Book Review)

I couldn’t have run into a bigger jerk. And, of course, he’s loaded with cash and attitude. I’m fine…until I run into him again…and again.

My new client has issues, and my job is to figure them out and fix them. She didn’t tell me that her big brother would become my issue…one I’d have to fix.

Whether I like it or not, I’m going to fall for someone whose first words denigrate my profession.

Fine…it seems like I can make it work. Until his past comes back to take him away.

Book Funnel Link

 

 


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Mr. Opposite Billionaire Grump is a romantic comedy you can’t help falling in love with and won’t want to see end. 

Natalia and Declan each made the mother of all bad first impressions. In Declan’s defense, he didn’t know Natalia was his sister’s therapist when he said disparaging comments about her profession. She didn’t know he was her next patient’s brother when they butted heads in the elevator. Insults flew, but we all know what that means in a rom-com. Sparks! 

Natalia was drawn to Declan, and it had nothing to do with the size of his bank account. She saw the man behind the fortune. He was kind not only to his baby sister Jillian but also to his employees as well. He had known them since he was a teen, and many current employees had a hand in raising him. He treated them like family because they were. 

Declan was confused about his reaction to the fiery therapist. He couldn’t stop thinking about her and found himself driving past her work, hoping he would catch a glimpse of her. It was one such drive-by that changed their dynamic forever. 

Declan and Natalia found reasons to spend time together. They also found reasons to drift apart. As with any rom-com, there is a pivotal moment when a misunderstanding causes the couple to take a break to think things through. Since Natalia was a therapist, I found it ironic how communication issues caused them to spend weeks apart. 

As you’d expectedly, there was the ah-ha moment when the two lovebirds realized they loved each other and rushed into each other’s arms. Natalia and Declan didn’t have the perfect start, but their ending (scene) was quite sweet. 

As much as I loved this novella, several noticeable editing mistakes occurred. Most readers will overlook the indention errors, but using the wrong character name in dialogue won’t be ignored as easily. It happened once, but reviewers note the small things when critiquing and calculating a score. 

If Mr. Opposite Billionaire Grump were longer, I would’ve liked to see the writer dive more into Declan and Natalia’s family history. The author gave us a glimpse into their separate lives but quickly moved on. Too quickly. 

Cameron Michaels left me wanting more, and that’s the sign of a good story. I look forward to reading more of their books. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 1/2

Book Funnel Link

 

 

Meet the Author 

As a romance author, I am passionate about crafting stories that capture the intricacies of love and human connection. My writing is characterized by vivid descriptions of emotions and settings, dynamic characters, and captivating plotlines that keep readers engaged from start to finish.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

SURRENDER – How To Break Free From Addiction by Julian Morgan (Book Review)

Do you want to break free of the shackles of alcoholism or addiction? If so, then this is the book for you. Compelling, brave, and strong, ‘Surrender’ tells the true story of how Julian Morgan recovered from crippling alcoholism, and how he stays recovered on a daily basis using a simple, straightforward process. This moving, authentic book details his journey, from his near-fatal struggle with denial, helplessness and anxiety, to a whole new commitment and faith, paving the way to years of sobriety. ‘Surrender’ is no harrowing drinking memoir – it outlines a strong, positive self-care plan for optimum recovery, including tried and tested tools and skills to keep sober, centered and calm. It also offers advice on dealing with triggers and relapses. A sequence of heartfelt and humorous poems offers further explanation and hope. Written from the heart, ‘Surrender’ will open locked doors and show a new path to freedom.

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Reedsy Discovery.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.

 

Surrender – How To Break Free From Addiction was born during the first COVID lockdown in the UK when Julian Morgan (the author) watched a documentary featuring interviews with inmates where they were questioned about the underlying root of their incarceration. The majority claimed their predicament was due to alcohol or drug addiction and their helplessness to fight its control over their body. 

Addiction can and will sink its teeth into anyone at any time. It doesn’t care about gender, skin color, social class, or where you call home. Surrender tells the true story of how Julian Morgan recovered from crippling alcoholism and how he stays recovered using a simple, straightforward process that he is now sharing with you.

Part one begins with the author opening up about his struggles with alcohol, everyone’s opinion regarding his drinking, and what led up to his time in rehab. He admitted he pretended to listen in group therapy sessions while secretly counting the hours to another sip of the ambrosia. His life became a recurring cycle of drinking, rehab, withdrawal, release, recovery, and back to drinking, each time more heavily. His addiction and the inability to keep the beast at bay caused an emergency room visit. Many readers who fight battles like Julian can empathize with every emotion the writer felt while lying alone for a week in the hospital. 

Julian had hit rock bottom and was ready for change. He was now prepared to seek help and actively participate in the process. He was all in! The healing process makes you look inwards, acknowledge weaknesses, and find ways to combat them. It’s imperative in the healing process to make amends and find a support system when you graduate from rehab. 

Those who have ever suffered from addiction will agree with Julian’s statement, “Addiction was my life, my daily existence, totally smothering me and dictating whatever I did, wherever I went, and poisoning every person I met.” Like many others, Julian reached out to a higher power to help him battle and control his addiction. However, his journey wouldn’t have been successful without going through rehab, discovering his triggers, setting boundaries, and not ignoring the three stages of relapse: emotional, mental, and physical. 

Relapses can and will happen, and feelings that arise from them can cause many addicts to give up, thinking, “What’s the point?” There might be those around you, family and friends, who feed into your self-doubt, shame, and guilt, causing you to sink further into the abyss. Julian gives sound advice on this situation, “Please do not forget that their opinion has no value at all unless you decide to give it any.”

Addiction will never completely vanish from our society. With that said, Surrender – How To Break Free From Addiction does give addicts the tools and hope that they will reach a stage where their addiction is not controlling their life, but instead, they are controlling it.

If you are suffering or have suffered from any form of addiction, I recommend you read the book. Sometimes seeing other people’s struggles and success propels a person in motion to try what they think is impossible. 

I wish everyone reading this review the best of luck! 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

Meet the Author

I travelled extensively overseas and have had a highly successful career in the security industry. I now concentrate on writing and poetry reflecting my journey with alcohol addiction, as only one in seven people worldwide suffering from alcohol and drug use disorder receive treatment.

Reedsy Author Link

 

 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Rose: Future Heart by Jazalyn (Book Review)

A socially underprivileged rose witnesses unpleasant events and behaviors that threaten Her inner peace and is determined to set life and love aside in order to find Her true, pure and moral parts of character.

30 petals of MOOD and STATUS.

A society full of INJUSTICES and UNFAIRNESS.

A ROLE She doesn’t want to play.

A RAGE. A RAVE.

A PAST that leads to HATE.

A RARE SOUL.

A wishful CHANGE of HEART.

She AROSE and She ROSE.

From IGNORANCE to STRENGTH.

A FUTURE that should lead to LOVE.

But can there be LOVE?

A dark fantasy magical realism poetic novel that endures urban social issues and inequality, and challenges self esteem, self help, self improvement, self development, healing.

I never knew how to have
I’ve learned to live without love
And I can’t change all of a sudden
Something’s got to happen

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)

 

Reading Rose: Future Heart was like riding on a merry-go-round that never stops. You go up (I want to love and be loved) and down (love escapes me, no one will ever love me). 

Jazalyn’s poetry speaks of love in different intensities, which usually piggyback on jealousy, tears, pain, feeling of shame and humiliation, and reasons why love eludes them. They speak of not becoming a lover until they find their “perfect fit” (“No Lover”). There is no perfect fit; we all have flaws. You might see these flaws as you date or move in together. Eventually, the imperfections will surface. Saving yourself for perfection is a goal that’ll be difficult to obtain.

The author discusses other reasons they can’t have intimate relations: OCD, mysophobia, and germophobia. I have OCD and am a germophobe, but “mysophobia” was new to me. Upon a quick internet search, I discovered it meant having an extreme or irrational fear of dirt and contamination. They feared disease entering their body. I get that, but unless a person with mysophobia wants a sexless life, they need to seek counseling for this condition.

 

Favorite poems:

“Entertainment Made Me Love Like That” – People indeed use many forms of creative outlets to help them cope with internal and external pain. I hope writing brings the author comfort and peace. 

“Sleeping Beauty (Life Back)” – I thought it was interesting writing about what’s going on inside the mind of the sleeping beauty. I’ve watched the movie many times, and not once did I stop and wonder what she was thinking or dreaming about. 

 

Overall impression: The collection was not my cup of tea. I was going to score it two, but upon reflection, I decided to score it based on how it would be received by others who struggle to find or retain love in their life – for those who are looking for their “perfect someone” to make them whole. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: 

Amazon Purchase Link

 

 

About the Author

With 150,000+ engagements and 20,000+ followers that grow more and more across 7 social media platforms, Jazalyn is among the most-promising newcomers authors-poets.

Her books have sold in 4 Continents and have been featured on best-seller category-based lists on Amazon US, Amazon UK and Amazon AU. Soon she will expand in every corner of the Earth.

Jazalyn attracts all cultures and traditions with an audience from all walks and stages of life as a consequence of the universal atmosphere that encircles her themes.

Her innovative and versatile writing style stemming from abstraction and absurdness captivates mystery and suspense with words swimming in surrealism and magical realism.

Her imaginative and inventive narration unites the philosophical with the psychological and the scientific elements of both fantasy and fiction that create and solve riddles and puzzles.

In what results as a contemporary genre of cinematic (epic) poetry in slice of life-vignette expression which provokes thinking and eyes new horizons.

Her latest books vViIrRuUsS, Rose, Hollow signify Jazalyn’s transition towards literary magnificence.

 

Website Link

Twitter Link

Amazon Author Page Link

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

The Art of Traveling Strangers by Zoe Disigny (Book Showcase)

THE ART OF TRAVELING STRANGERS by Zoe Disigny

 
It’s the 1980s, and art historian Claire Markham reels from a series of heartbreaking losses. Desperate to escape her shattered reality, she becomes an art guide in Europe for quirky stranger Viv Chancey and embarks on a life-changing journey through the art-filled cities of Milan, Venice, Ravenna, Florence, Siena, Rome, and Paris.

Once abroad, Claire tries to hide her woes by focusing on Viv’s art education, but Viv—who is not who she seems—has a different learning experience in mind. Frustrated and wanting to reimagine her life, Claire embraces the idea of reality as illusion and finds herself slipping into the tales of art and history.

When threatened with one more crushing loss, Claire must learn from the spirit of her eccentric companion and the lessons from the art they encounter to take charge of her life or lose the most precious thing in it.

The Art of Traveling Strangers is a journey of self-discovery and personal empowerment inspired by the great art masterpieces of Italy and France. It’s a tale of female bonding and the amazing powers of perception. After all, reality, like art, is just an illusion.

 
 
Buy the Book:
Amazon ~ B&N ~ Bookshop.org
Mascot
add to goodreads
 
 
 
 
 
MEET THE AUTHOR:
THE ART OF TRAVELING STRANGERS by Zoe Disigny
 
Zoe Disigny holds a master’s degree in art history and has taught at the college level throughout her career. She has led numerous art tours in Europe and established a business in Paris offering art history adventures for American tourists. 
 
 
connect with the author: 
website ~ twitter facebook instagram ~ goodreads
 
 

 

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Espoused by Jean Marie Davis (Book Review)

Picture
Espouse: (v.) to take in marriage; to make a marriage permanent by court decree; the court-approved process by which couples may stay together beyond the legal 15-year term.

In the contemporary world, fifteen years is considered the legal life cycle of a marriage. If a couple wants to stay together (married), they must hire a lawyer and petition the court to become Espoused.

After 14 years of marriage, Sara and Thomas Healy are still in love. Their decision to go to court to be espoused permanently is a source of great embarrassment for their children. Avery is ready for the benefits of uncoupling, and Sam really doesn’t need the social stigma of parents who decide to stay together, on top of everything else. Lame! Their espouse attorney, Gwen Stevens, has other problems. The judge for the Healy case is her nemesis, Carly Abraham, also known as “the Wicked Witch of the Bench.” Judge Abraham was previously married to Gwen’s husband Dennis, from whom she uncoupled after the allotted 15 years. She hates espouse lawyers on principle, and seems to have an extra dose of dislike for Gwen personally.

While the Healys struggle through the espouse experience—trial separation, uncouple counseling, and ongoing financial burdens—Gwen has to deal with the judge and her own struggles at home. In this fight for love, who has the answers?

Buy the Book
Amazon
add to Goodreads
 
 
 
I received a complimentary copy of this book from iRead Book Tours.  I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
 
 

In the real world, married life has no time limit. Some people stay together for decades, months, weeks, or even a few days. No one dictates how long you have to stay married. It’s all in the hands of a couple. However, Espoused by Jean Marie Davis has changed all the marriage rules. In this novel, couples stay married only fifteen years. Then, they must start the process of becoming uncoupled. I mean, it’s the law. Of course, they could choose to remain married, but the process is lengthy and a royal pain in the keister. There’s a trial separation, counseling for the kids, couple counseling, and TONS of paperwork. Plus, court check-ins — all in the name to stay joined. See, A PAIN IN THE BUTT! 


Unlike in real life, the majority of children in Espoused want their parents to become uncoupled. They want the two Christmases, parties, and separation gifts. In a conversation between a child and their parents, the child thought it was his fault the parents wanted to stay married. WOW, talk about a bizarro world! 


Espoused stated parents who stay together are considered “freaks.” Children of espoused parents are the laughingstock of the school. 


Espoused uniqueness is what drew me in and kept me turning the pages. It’s a book I will be recommending to others! 
 
Content Rating: PG for the subject matter of adult relationships/marriage/divorce, but there is no bad language or explicit sex scenes. For those who have cancer or have lost someone to cancer, some scenes might be a trigger for you. 

 

Heart Rating System:
1 (lowest) and 5 (highest) 
Score: ❤❤1/2
 
 
Meet the Author:
Picture
Jean Marie Davis was born and raised in Huntington, New York. After graduating from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale, she moved back to Long Island where she worked in the Marketing Research industry for over 30 years. She currently lives in Centerport, New York close to her daughter and son.

Connect with the Author 
Website 
Twitter Facebook  ~ Goodreads

 

 

 

 

 

7 Comments

Filed under Uncategorized