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Erin Condren Life Planner Review

My review is coming way late, but I recently made another purchase with Erin Condren Design, so I knew I had to let you know how my Life Planner from her worked out for me. As some of you may know I got married this past September, and my schedule was filled with parties and fittings and things-to-do, on top of my regular work schedule, so my sister-in-law referred me to Erin Condren Design. What an adorable site! I wanted to buy one of everything upon getting to the home page. I was able to reel it in and only purchase what I needed –a life planner. And let me tell you, if you are looking for an excellent calendar to help you stay organized, this one is for you.
First, you can customize it to make it truly your own. On the cover (hard, plastic laminate – love because I carry in my purse) I chose to write down a few of my favorite things: notice my name, names of my nieces and nephews, and hobbies I enjoy such as dance and yoga. They have simpler patterns to choose from too if that is more your style. It’s a large calendar, “7.25×9.25” and you will have plenty of space to fill up the pages. You have a few different calendar options, such as a month at a glance and weekly, and I utilized both. You also get a ton of awesome add-ons, which I think makes the planner really special. You get a special dates section, important contact info sheet, a snap-in ruler, fun labels, and 20 pages of simple notebook paper, which I used to make my grocery/shopping lists.
All in all, my planner came in great aide for me in planning my wedding. I recently purchased a desk pad to help with my daily calendar now that I’m going full-time books and have a lot of deadlines to meet, and I was so bummed to see the life planners were out of stock! The will be available for pre-sale in June, and I have it on my reminder list to check into getting one!
5 stars

In My Mailbox: Week of June 16

Title: When Girlfriends Let Go
Author: Savannah Page
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: A novel about love, self-discovery, and realizing sometimes you have to let go.

Jackie Kittredge is the consummate drama queen living the charmed life. She’s enthusiastic, outspoken, and is always looking for a good time. At twenty-seven she’s got a swanky Seattle townhouse, a wealthy husband, a designer wardrobe, the best of girlfriends, and a calendar filled not with meetings and deadlines, but spa appointments and happy hour reminders. On the outside, she’s got it all.

On the inside, though, Jackie’s charmed life isn’t as it seems. She’s seeing a therapist, battling the demons of coming from a broken home and a past of promiscuity and heavy drinking. She can be selfish and demanding, sometimes even wearing her best friends thin. And now her marriage—what she thought could be her solid foundation—is on the rocks. Her husband Andrew spends nearly all his time at the office (and possibly with his secretary), and apologizes for his absence with lavish gifts and empty promises.

Miserable and desperate, Jackie questions if her marriage is worth fighting for. Then a string of events begins to put things into perspective…into a perspective she didn’t quite anticipate. With her best friends by her side and some tough love, Jackie finds herself not only asking if she’s where she belongs, but if she’s who she’s supposed to be.

This is a passionate story about having to answer some of life’s most important and difficult questions. It’s a story about fear, courage, and personal growth. About what happens when girlfriends let go.

While this Women’s Fiction novel is Book #6 in the When Girlfriends collection, it can be read as a stand-alone.

Title: The Hope List
Author: Chrissy Anderson
Received: Chrissy Anderson
Synopsis: When she was just sixteen, Chrissy Anderson made a life list…

…It’s been long forgotten and replaced by one filled with hope. But with all of Chrissy’s lies, a lover she’s horribly betrayed, and an ex-husband with secrets of his own; it might be too late to rely on her new list for happiness. In fact, it might be too late for Chrissy to ever have the truly, madly, deeply love she has always craved. Follow Chrissy as she hits rock bottom, dusts herself off, and fights harder than ever to finally have her wedding cake and eat it too.

In book THREE of The List Trilogy, Chrissy Anderson is confronted with her worst fears; a fatherless child, the pointless “death” of another friend, and a bump in the road at her beloved business that could destroy all of her hard work. Unlike Chrissy’s challenges in the past, there’s no longer a choice between love and obligation. It’s too late for that. In The Hope List, the only thing that can put Chrissy on the right path is honesty.

Everyone makes mistakes, but all will pause as they follow along on Chrissy Anderson’s new journey to ask, “Is she worthy of forgiveness?”

The Hope List picks up where book TWO, The Unexpected List left us hanging on the edge of our seats. The long-awaited conclusion finally reveals the outcome of a married woman’s chance encounter with her soul mate that took place many years ago in book ONE of Anderson’s romantic saga, The Life List.

CHRISSY ANDERSON spends her life doing exactly what she always wanted: doting on those she loves. A former fashion executive, she is a writer, wife, and mother whose own life events inspired The Life List. She lives in Portland, Oregon, with the love of her life and her beautiful daughter.

Title: Autumn Getaway
Author: Jennifer Gracen
Received: BookTrope
Synopsis: Author Jennifer Gracen brings together a colorful cast of friends and family in Book One of the Seasons of Love series, Autumn Getaway. Newly divorced mom Lydia is just getting back on her feet. Her college roommate’s wedding promises a much-needed getaway weekend with old friends, at a beautiful manor in Connecticut.

When she meets Sam, a handsome friend of the groom, she’s nearly overwhelmed by a confusing mix of hope and trepidation. Their instant connection feels intensely real, to both of them, but the ink is barely dry on her divorce decree. It takes all her nerve, and more than a little prodding from her girlfriends, to convince Lydia to give her heart — and Sam — a chance. But when the magical weekend comes to a close, Sam must return to Chicago, while Lydia heads back to her complicated life and young son in New York. Can their newfound connection survive the trials of physical distance and years of emotional baggage?

Written with an appreciation for the day-to-day struggles of a newly single mom, Autumn Getaway explores the burdens and blessings of family, revels in the spirit of friendship, and celebrates the power of romance and hope as Lydia and Sam take a second chance at love.

Title: After I Do
Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
Received: BookSparks PR
Synopsis: From the author of Forever, Interrupted—hailed by Sarah Jio as “moving, gorgeous, and at times heart-wrenching”—comes a breathtaking new novel about modern marriage, the depth of family ties, and the year that one remarkable heroine spends exploring both.

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

Author Q&A: Whitney Dineen of She Sins at Midnight

CLP is happy to host Whitney Dineen, author of She Sins at Midnight, for the Fictionella Blog Tour today! When did you know writing was for you?…

Book Giveaway: Save the Date by Mary Kay Andrews

A Savannah florist is about to score the wedding of a lifetime—one that will solidify her career as the go-to-girl for society nuptials. Ironically, Cara…

Cover Reveal: Please, Pretty Lights by Ina Zajac

CLP is proud to host the Cover Reveal for Ina Zajac and her debut literary novel Please, Pretty Lights. Check out this cover cover designed by the…

In My Mailbox: Week of June 9

Title: Love Me Anyway
Author: JL Redington
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: There is a serial killer loose in America’s National Parks. Greyson Beauchene, Head Ranger of Alaska’s Denali National Park is certain he will never have to deal with that because his park is too ‘out of the way.’ However, Ranger Beauchene soon finds out he is dead wrong.
Greyson and his two assistants are flown by helicopter into a remote section of the park where hikers have found a casket, one of the biggest indicators the serial killer has found Denali. Greyson’s team is joined by one incredibly irritating and extremely demanding FBI Profiler and her two Agents. Very good at what she does, Aspen O’Connell sets out to take control of the crime scene and everyone involved in it, and Greyson is having none of it.
Greyson, Aspen and their teams must work together to find this killer before he kills again. Events move quickly as the group pieces together clues from the crime scene and a profile is established. As they work through abduction attempts and visible threats, Greyson and Aspen struggle to put their growing feelings for each other in a place that will keep them focused on finding an evil, evil man and bringing justice to innocent victims.

Title: Not Quite Dead
Author: Lyla Payne
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: A broken engagement sends Graciela Harper crawling back to Heron Creek with her tail between her legs, but finds the sleepy little town too changed to set her life right. Not even her budding drinking problem can obscure her Gramps’s failing health, or erase the mental picture of her first love happily married to her childhood best friend. To top it all off, she’s having a heck of time convincing the town’s dashing young mayor of her unfit-for-dating status.

When the ghost of 18th century lady pirate Anne Bonny starts insisting on a near daily audience, Graciela has to confront something else she never expected—being certifiably nuts at twenty-five years old.

Her brand new “I don’t give a crap” attitude makes it easy to dismiss the mysterious threats that seem to be tied to her search for more information on the long dead pirate, but when her family becomes a target, Gracie knows she needs to find out why the ghost insists on being a constant, reeking companion.

If Graciela can put aside her prejudice against people without a pulse, she may discover that Anne Bonny’s problems are intricately linked with her own. The past harbors answers could help the cantankerous spirit find closure, but she is, after all, already dead. If Graciela doesn’t move fast, she might find herself doing the haunting, instead of the other way around.

Title: Aqua Alaskan Nights
Author: Amanda S Jones
Received: CLP Blog Tours
Synopsis: After losing her job, Hayley struggles to make ends meet and allows her career status to define her. She finds inspiration in successful photographer Trevor Tott, but their professional aspirations clash when she experiences his questionable ethics along with unwanted advances from her overbearing boss. With the help of the ship’s crew, stunning Alaskan backdrops and a leap of faith, they might find business can be mixed with pleasure.

With cameos from favourite Aqua characters Harry and Casey, Amanda Jones weaves a plot that keeps the pages turning.

Love happens on The Aqua…

Have you jumped in yet? The Aqua series is the ongoing story of the cruise ship Aqua, where crew members such as Chef Amber and Captain Hallmann appear frequently, and other favourites, such as Harry and Casey, make cameo appearances. With each book in the series, the familiar characters and their stories grow and weave cleverly together. You’ll meet Hayley and Trevor again in books for the upcoming Alaskan and Caribbean series as well. Read along the entire series to get to know and understand the cruise ship, its passengers and regular crew members.

Title: The Revealed
Author: Jessica Hickam
Received: BookSparks PR
Synopsis: Lily Atwood lives in what used to be Washington, D.C. Her father is one of the most powerful men in the world, having been a vital part of rebuilding and reuniting humanity after the war that killed over five billion people. Now he’s running to be one of its leaders.
But in the rediscovered peace in this new world, a force has risen. They call themselves The Revealed, an underground rebel organization that has been kidnapping 18-year-olds across the globe without explanation. No one knows why The Revealed is taking these teens, but it’s clear something is different about these people. They can set fires with a snap of their fingers and create wind strong enough to throw over a tree with a flick of their wrist. They are unstoppable, and they have targeted 18-year-old Lily as their next victim.
Lily is too close to breaking free from her father’s shadow to let The Revealed ruin things, especially her developing relationship with the mysterious Kai Westerfield the son of her father’s rival. Lily isn’t about to lose her future just when it’s starting to look promising. Not without a fight.

Title: Roastmaster
Author: Janice Lierz
Received: Janice Lierz
Synopsis: The seventh sister is over the moon for a Costa Rican coffee farmer…In the spring of 1984, John Mallory, the seventh sister in a coffee family dies a legend when she is uprooted from Kansas City and travels to a coffee farm in Costa Rica to become a Roastmaster. Now, eighteen years later, Capri is connected to her dead aunt through a surreal sense of smell. When Capri runs away with her boyfriend, she unearths John Mallory’s story and the myth of the Pleiades, a cluster of blue stars known as the Seven Sisters. But her quirky mother, grandfather and five aunts fear love will also lead Capri to an early grave. A tale for those who know magic can be found in the bean of a fruit…

Cover Reveal Sign Up: Six Strings by Jen Sanya Williamson

CLP will be hosting a cover reveal for Jen Sanya Williamson and her debut YA novel Six Strings on Wednesday, June 18. To participate, please use the…

June 2014 New Book Releases

Contributor: Allie Okay friends, clear your calendars and skip the time you’d spend at the movie theater this summer, because there’s a plethora of cool…

Beauty Review: Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo

Contributor: Michelle While rushing into Rite Aid last week I stumbled upon Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Shampoo. I’ve tried their hair spray before…