Author: AK-Abi

What Has Abi Been Reading Now?

On By AK-AbiIn Book ReviewsLeave a comment

Hello! It has been a while since I’ve posted. Live has gotten BUSY! Here is what I have been up to lately:

Since my last post in 2023 (wow… it’s been a WHILE) I’ve become an avid reader! I am absolutely shocked that I can confidently use the phrase avid reader as a description for myself. As I have said before, I didn’t start consistently reading for fun until I turned 30. It has actually been a huge confidence boost for me because, when I was in school, I was always embarrassed about my reading speed. I always read slower than my classmates and had to reread the same paragraph multiple times before I could remember what I was reading. Now that I am thinking about it, I think that was probably my ADHD popping up to say hi. I still find myself having to reread a paragraph to make sure that I read it correctly and followed what was being said. It’s especially hard when I am reading somewhere that has a lot of noise. 

In 2025 I’ve challenged myself to read 20 books by the end of the year, which last year I did but, by the skin of my teeth. This year, at just over 3 months into the year, I have already read 10 books, which is a surprise to me but I’m here for it! Within the 10 books, I’ve included 2 books I’ve read to Natalie from The Campground Kids series which I am 50/50 on if I would recommend. The stories are good enough but, at some points, the flow of the writing is hard to follow, and they do have a religious undertone which I’m meh on. 

With that, let’s get to it; What have I been reading so far this year?

I started off my 2025 reading challenge by reading a few books from my tried-and-true murder mystery writer Lee Strauss by reading: Ginger Gold Murder Mystery – Murder at the Olympics book number 25. I have been reading this series for a couple of years now and since Murder at the Olympics was the latest book in the series, I had to figure out what to read next. So, since I like the consistent plot points Lee writes her books with so much that I continued reading the first 2 books of her next series: Rosa Reed Murder Mystery Series – Murder at High Tide and Murder on the Boardwalk. This series follows Ginger and Basil Reed’s Daughter Rosa as she follows in the family trade by becoming a WPC (Woman Police Constable) in London.  After Rosa ended an engagement she ran to live with her Aunt Louisa in California where she helped her former flame, Miguel Belmonte, an Officer with the Santa Bonita Police Office, solve mysterious deaths among the Santa Bonita elite. 

I was ready to read something a little different I followed a recommendation of one of my best friends, Sonya, to read one of her favorite authors, Rober Dugoni. In keeping with my historical murder mystery theme, I chose to read A Killing on the Hill. This book takes place in Seattle Washington during the great depression and follows young reporter William “Shoe” Shumacher’s first homicide which turns into the Trial of the Century. I absolutely loved this book! There were times when I could not put this book down. Since the Kindle Unlimited version came with the audiobook, I was able to finish this book in 7 days! Like I said… I could not put this book down! 

After reading 4 murder mysteries I was on the lookout to read something a little different. Normally I would read some sort of romance novel but, I had finished the available books in the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore I had been reading before, and nothing was jumping out at me. So, as any good reader does, I jumped on TikTok and fell down the hole of the Romantacy BookTok; and with the validation of my best friend, Katy, started to read Fourth Wing, book number 1 of the Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros. And OH MY GOD… What did I do? I am now truly OBSEST with Romatacy. I finished all 3 books in the Empyrean series, totaling 2,181 pages, in 2 months and now I have to wait with the rest of the Empyrean readers until FALL of 2026 for the next book which I cannot wait!  

Of course, since TikTok was spot on to the books I liked to read, I went and started watching the “If you like Fourth Wing you should read Blank” book recommendation videos and Quicksilver by Callie Heart kept popping up so… what do I do? Convinced Katy she needed to read the book with me, so I had someone to talk to about it. TikTok was spot on! I would definitely say if you liked reading the Empyrean series you would love reading Quicksilver. I also found out that Callie Heart also wrote 3 additional chapters from Kingfisher’s point of view posted on her website: www.callieheart.com. I cannot wait for Book 2 Brimstone to come out in November 2025. 

Now what am I currently reading? The Strawberry Patch Pancake House book number 4 of the Dream Harbor series by Laurie Gilmore. I found this series during my deep dive on TikTok before I found Fourth Wing. If you’re looking for a lighthearted romance series with some good spicy scenes that take place in a town like Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls, then you’ll like this series. 

What have you been reading lately? I would love to know and I’m always looking for new recommendations! 

Follow me on Goodreads to keep up on what I have been reading in real-time. 

Until next time! 

ADHD Update

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Now that I am a few months into my ADHD journey I wanted to share some things that I found that worked and didn’t work for me so far.

I’m still in search of the medication that works for me. For the first couple of months after my diagnosis, I was on Strattera which is a non-stimulant ADHD medication. It did help with my focus but not a whole lot. One of the side effects was nausea which hit me hard. I felt like I was having morning sickness without being pregnant which absolutely sucked! I would have to make sure I was eating breakfast as quickly as possible after taking my medication and then about an hour to an hour and a half later I would just feel sick and couldn’t eat anything. I had the added benefit of not snacking as much which resulted in an 8 pound weight loss. I’m not saying it was a good way to lose weight, but the fact that it happened was good for me. I am currently on a low-dose stimulant which has been working well for me. 

Like I said before, one of my biggest struggles with ADHD is my time management. While researching techniques to help I found one of the techniques that worked the best for me was time blocking. I’ve found it’s been really helpful to keep motivated during my day both at work and at home. At work, I have been putting 1hr time blocks on my calendar for subjects I need to work on. At home, I’ve found the app structured on the Apple App Store. I have my daily tasks like cooking dinner set to recur every day at the same time so even if I’ve gotten distracted with some other thing I’m reminded to stop and get dinner going. This helps keep the evenings going and helps with getting myself and my children to bed on time. The app also has an option to include my calendar events. Just being able to schedule my evenings and weekends makes the anxiety of everyday life a little less. Now, just to put a little disclaimer I did purchase the lifetime membership which includes more features than just downloading the free app. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and I can honestly say that it is totally worth it. 

As always I hope you’ve enjoyed reading and maybe found some comfort in the fact that you’re not alone in your struggles. Also, take this reminder to take a deep breath and with patient with yourself. Things will get better!

Diagnosed, Now What?

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This is probably one of the hardest posts I’ve decided to write, mainly because of the comments I could receive on the decisions I’ve made but, honesty on my mental health journey is part of the reason why I started this blog in the first place. Please remember though, I am not a medical professional and only speak from my personal experience.

Within the last couple of months, I have been diagnosed with ADHD. I’m still early on my journey but I wanted to share how it’s been going so far. 

For years I’ve dealt with anxiety and depression. I have been regularly going to therapy for almost 10 years trying to figure out how to manage my mental health. With more and more information coming out about how ADHD affects women I’ve found myself wondering if I had it. Some of the symptoms I had were: 

  • My mind was constantly going. The best way to explain it is my mind was loud all the time. There was never a moment of calm and quiet. Even when I was relaxed random thoughts would pop up either about my to-do list, a random observation about the room around me, or even just a daydream. 
  • I am very easily distracted either by notifications on my phone, or email and teams messages at work. Also, when I would be in a public place and if anything was mildly distracting for a neurotypical mind I would be completely distracted even if I was mid-sentence. 
  • I get overstimulated easily.
  • I am constantly exhausted even when I would have a good night’s sleep. Even a couple of days of good sleep wouldn’t be enough to feel rested. 

As time went on I would have honest conversations with my husband and my therapist. The first person to suggest I might have ADHD was my husband since he has ADHD and we also have a child who has been diagnosed. Since there have been links to show that ADHD is hereditary, he had to get it from somewhere. I was diagnosed by going through the diagnostic criteria in the DSM V with my therapist and an appointment with my primary care provider. 

There have been a few things that have come out with my diagnosis, during a phone call with my mom it came out that there was speculation I had ADHD when I was in elementary school. She didn’t get me tested because she was doing what she believed was best for me; she didn’t want me to be put into a box with limitations. I hold no hard feelings about her choice because I had to make the same hard decision with my own child and we had more information on what it would mean for our child. In the late 90s, there was very little information. And mom if you are reading this, I know you did your best and I love you for that. 

Now, what does this mean now? I have decided to go on medication because managing my ADHD without medication has become an issue and something has to change. I personally started with a non-stimulant option first. This is mainly because I wanted to start myself off slow. I am already on an SSRI for my anxiety and depression, and I wasn’t quite ready to go the stimulant route. So far it’s been working. Some of the changes have been that my mind is quiet and staying focused has been a lot easier. Also, writing has been a lot easier from this blog post, text conversations, and long emails at work has been so much easier. 

Let me know in the comments what your experiences have been and if this post has helped you! 

What I’ve been reading lately: Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah

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Hey there! It’s been a while so I thought it would be a good time for another book review. This year I made a goal of reading 25 books this year; Winter Garden was #15. I was recommended this book by a family member based on other books I’ve read. I enjoy reading books that have some sort of historical context. 

What is Winter Garden about? 

This book takes place during the early 2000s in Washington on the Whitson family apple orchard. Some of the main characters are Evan Whitson (father), Anya Whitson (mother), Meredith Cooper (oldest daughter), Nina Whitson (youngest daughter), and Jeff Cooper (Meredith’s husband). As adults, Meredith stayed home and helped her father run the orchard and Nina traveled the world as an award-winning photojournalist. The two sisters are complete opposites. As children, Nina and Meredith had a strained relationship with their cold and distant Russian mother. The only time they felt any connection to her was when she would tell her Russian fairy tales. 

When their father becomes sick the family is reunited and on his deathbed he makes each of the girls make a promise to get to know their mother. 

Months after his death Nina comes back to the orchard to spread her father’s ashes and she decides to not take no for an answer and keep her promise to her father and insists her mother tell her the fairy tale The Peasant Girl and The Prince which brings a whole new light of their mother’s life and why she was always so cold and distant. 

3 Things I liked about Winter Garden 

  1. You never knew what was going to happen next.
    1. Personally, I think this is mainly because even though I enjoy American history I know very little about the World Wars outside of what was taught in my world history class in high school. 
  2. I loved the dual storylines throughout the book.
    1. It’s not a true dual storyline exactly because one storyline is what’s happening and the other is the fairy tale Anya is telling. 
  3. The writing was absolutely captivating.
    1. How Kristin Hannah describes the characters, their emotions, and the settings gave a clear picture of the story to your mind’s eye. 

Things I didn’t like about Winter Garden: 

  1. Russian names are hard
    1. This is totally a personal thing. I’ve always had a hard time with anything besides American English names. 
  2. Parts of this book are heavy.
    1. I like to read to escape the stresses of day-to-day life and parts of this book take place during battles in World War II.  When I would read before bed sometimes I would have to stop reading and do something else to ensure I wouldn’t dream about the book. 

Would I recommend this book? Absolutely yes! It’s captivating and insightful. I completed this book in 24 days. As a mother, it puts being a parent in perspective. Also, I enjoyed the audio version of this book as well. Because I subscribe to kindle unlimited, I was able to read when I could but also listen while I was driving or doing something else. 

Follow me on Goodreads to see what I am reading next!

What I Learned While Remodeling Our Bathroom

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If you follow me on Instagram you know that my husband Daniel and I remodeled our full bathroom in our 1983 2-bedroom home. Here are a few things I have learned while going through this process.

Constitution Timetables

These pictures range from March 21, 2022, to July 24, 2022.

Keeping on a schedule during construction is super hard! Especially when you are doing all of the work on your own, you have 2 young children, and work full-time jobs.

This project started as a simple facelift to help sell the house. We were planning on only replacing the caulk around the tub, painting, and replacing the bathroom vent. Well, as Daniel was removing the caulk around the bathtub, rotten drywall started to fall out. We could not in good conscience just seal it back up for the next owner of the house to deal with. So, we gutted EVERYTHING! What was supposed to be a 1-weekend project ended up taking us 5 months. Part of the reason it took 5 months was because we ended up taking a 2 month break initially because our kids’ birthdays were coming up but then, we got COVID, and then we had AMAZING weather that we couldn’t waste.

Drywall Texturing is an art!

Putting up drywall wasn’t too hard but, we spent a few weeks trying to figure out the drywall texture. Before this project I had never textured drywall. After 3 attempts trying to match the swooping texture that is throughout the whole house, we decided to sand, then mud the walls flat, and apply a simple orange peel spray texture.

Not everything was hard

Some of the easiest things about this project were painting and flooring. When we moved into this house 9 years ago we had primed and painted the kitchen, living room, and the 2 bedrooms. We also replaced the 1980’s brown calico carpet with laminate flooring in the living room and 2 bedrooms. Needless to say, both Daniel and I have some experience painting and installing flooring. Also, because of that experience and how small the bathroom is I was less intimidated by painting the entire room.

In the end, both Daniel and I were very happy with how the bathroom turned out. Now that we are in our new home we are planning on remodeling the 2 bathrooms because we miss our old one.

Just a Little Life Update

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So since I have been super quiet for the last couple of months and May marks 1 year of blogging I think it’s time for a life update. 

As I write this we just celebrated both Natalie and Jason’s birthdays. They are now 5 and 10 years old. Like every year I’m always a little bit nostalgic. It has been a really interesting transition because when Jason turned 5 I was 39 weeks pregnant with Natalie. So experiencing Natalie tuning 5 without being pregnant has been very different. On the other hand, my mind is blown that I have a 5-year-old and a 10-year-old. One of the best things has been watching the kids experience the outdoors through all-new eyes. They are old enough to roast their own marshmallows, and explore on their own. They are also able to play games together collaboratively, and not just Jason playing “baby” games because it’s the only thing Natalie can play that has been pretty rad. 

In March and April, we have also been working on renovating our main bathroom which has been an adventure, to say the least. There will be a full post about it once we have completed the remodel but, as of right now it has been 3 months since we started the project and we are not done yet. I’m hopeful that we can get this project done soon so that we can get other things around the house put back together. There have been quite a few delays in May on this project. First, we had 2 birthday parties back to back, and once that was done the family got COVID. We are still dealing with recovery and I have hopes we can get back to this project and get it done! But, of course, our health is our number 1 priority. 

Since we are close to the 6-month mark let’s take a look at my new year’s goals I posted about in January:

  1. Read 25 books – this is the goal I am doing good at… I am currently reading book #12. Follow me on GoodReads! 
  2. Post a blog post each month! – I’m not doing too good of a job with this one. The last 3 months have been absolutely CRAZY and being able to sit down and write was a luxury I couldn’t afford. The next 7 months will be better! 
  3. Rekindle connection with my husband Daniel. – Daniel and I have been spending a little more time connecting as a couple in the last couple of months. I think working on the bathroom project has been good for us overall I think.
  4. Reconnect with my children one on one – As for connecting with the kids, I have been trying to do something small with them a little more frequently. This would be painting nails with Natalie and having a good conversation with Jason as we drive into school.
  5. Close my move ring 25 times each month. – Overall I have done a pretty good job. There have been months where I have closed all of my rings and months where I only closed 23 rings but, I am super happy to just keep up with moving my body most days! 

All in all, I think life has been good for our little family. Let’s hope we can enjoy the Southeastern Alaska summer and have some adventures! That’s all for now! 

High School Sweethearts – Then and Now

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So here we are, Valentine’s Day! Ever since I started this blog I have been planning to write about Daniel and I’s story. At this point, we have been together for 15 years and married for 12 this year in June. I honestly didn’t know what I was starting when Daniel asked me to be his girlfriend in the high school parking lot but, I am glad I did!

2006 – high school sweethearts

Daniel and I met while I was dating his best friend Caleb my freshman year. Now it’s not as bad as it sounds, Caleb was the one to push Daniel and I together. My sophomore year both Daniel and I had free periods at the end of the school day so we would drive around until school got out when Daniel would drop me off back at the school where I could catch my bus to go home. During the drop-off on December 12th, 2006, Daniel asked me to be his girlfriend and I said yes.

2009

We had planned that we would both move out once I graduated so that neither of us had to deal with the roommate situation. In 2009 I graduated and I’m the same day Daniel and I moved in together after dating for 2 ½ years. There were definitely some major bumps along the way since neither of us had been on our own. There was a lot for us to learn both about having our own household and living with someone else that’s not your family.

2010 – Here come the wedding bells!

Daniel and I were married on June 26th, 2010. It was completely unplanned & spur of the moment. Honestly though not for any reason but impatience. We ended up having a 1-week engagement and couldn’t have gotten the wedding together without the help of our parents and amazing friends who helped. For years now we have thought about having a big blowout for one of our anniversaries but that has yet to materialize. We’ll see if that happens one of these days.

2012

We welcomed the birth of our son Jason on April 27th, 2012. He has been such a joy to our lives, and I am truly grateful to be his mom. After his birth, we had a huge adjustment and I struggled with postpartum depression and the physical recovery of both laboring for 24 hours and an emergency c-section. It took some rough times, but I was able to pull myself out of my postpartum depression with tons of help from my family and friends. Jason was an amazing baby and he helped to pull me through.

2013

At the start of 2013, Daniel and I had the crazy idea that we should buy our first house. This all started because the attached home connected to Daniel’s parents’ house went up for sale but, then we decided it would probably be a bad idea. So, we kept on looking and found our starter home only 3 streets away. We honestly shouldn’t have bought it because it was only a 2-bedroom house and Daniel and I knew we wanted more than one child and this house needed some work! But we bought it anyway and it has been such a good place to continue and grow our family for the past 9 years.

2017

We welcomed our daughter Natalie into the world on May 5th, 2017. Due to the complications of Jason’s birth, we decided that a planned c-section was best for our family. I am so glad that we decided to do that. My recovery was much easier this time since I didn’t labor at all and Daniel was able to be home for a couple weeks until I was healed enough to easily get around on my own.

2022 – Where are we now?

This year we will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary. Jason will be 10 and in 4th grade. Natalie will be 5 and headed into kindergarten in the fall. Not to say we haven’t struggled through the past 15 years together and 12 years of marriage but, we have chosen each other through it all and for that I am truly grateful. 

Our Next hurdle will be selling our current home and hopefully buying our forever home. I am determined to make this year the best year Daniel and I have spent together yet. 

Until next time, 

AK-Abi 

2021 – A year in review

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I keep trying to write about this year to try and review it and try to make this post not completely sound fake as all get out. I am having a hard time with that… This year has been a lot of small things that didn’t go as planned and dealing with the day to day of everything. Yes, there were a ton of things that did go well. Like my children were able to have normal birthday parties with their friends from school. Both Daniel and I were able to take trips on our own and enjoy a long family vacation to Washington and Arkansas. As well as the start of this blog, which has been a true mental health saver. 

So, here are the top 3 experiences that sum up my 2021:

  1. Human interaction! – the best thing about this year is that we were able to send Jason back to school full time! We had birthday parties for each of the kids which included friends from both school and daycare. We were able to get together with friends and family which I truly missed and needed for my mental health. 
  2. Natalie got COIVD – Natalie’s daycare had an exposure to COVID in early October and Daniel and I thought almost nothing of it because Natalie was acting completely healthy, not even a stuffy nose. We got her tested and BAM Natalie was positive, and we were in quarantine. Daniel and Jason did not get it but, I was not so lucky. I received a presumptive positive and had to isolate myself in Dan and I’s bedroom for 3 days. I was so glad to be able to test out of my isolation! I’m not sure that I would have made it through the whole 10-day isolation in the same house as my family. 
  3. So much traveling! – just like everyone else we hadn’t done any traveling since November of 2019 which was only a quick 3-day trip to celebrate Thanksgiving with Daniel’s extended family. This year though we had the ability for each of us to do a solo trip and then the whole family to go on an extended vacation to both Washington and Arkansas. 
    1. In early September I went on a girl’s trip with my best friend Katy and her mom to Vegas! 
    2. The next week after I got back from my trip Daniel went to Green Bay with his parents and his uncle to watch a Packers game at Lambeau Field.
    3. The day before thanksgiving we started our family trip
      1. Washington – This was our traditional every 2-year trip to see Daniel’s extended family for thanksgiving! This year was a crazy year where we had around 45 people come to thanksgiving dinner and all of them were family! This trip always does my heart so much good. On top of my kids being able to connect with their dad’s side of the family this trip always reminds me of how truly grateful I am to have married into such an amazing family. A couple of the highlights of this time was when I made 2 chocolate satin pies with my niece Kali (5), Jamie’s daughter Rachel (5), and Natalie (4). Although making the pie was stressful, the connection I felt to each one of them was totally worth it and the pies weren’t half bad either. The 2nd highlight from this part of the trip was Natalie got to ride a horse for the first time! She absolutely loved it! 
      2. Arkansas – Saturday after Thanksgiving my little family (Daniel, Jason, Natalie and I) along with Kelly and Roger traveled to Northwest Arkansas where my family lives. I hadn’t been to Arkansas to see my family in over 15 years and this time was so much sweeter because I was able to bring my own little family. There were a couple Pinochle games played which is a game you learn in my family when you’re about 13 years old because that’s when your hands are normally big enough to hold the hand of 20 cards you’re dealt. The big points in this trip were that we got to spend the entire time with my grandmother, explore Silver Dollar City in Branson MO, explore my parent’s new house since their move from AK to AR in 2019, enjoy my aunt’s bunkhouse in Gilbert (Kelly’s Bunkhouse), and finally I got to visit my grandfather’s grave. My grandfather passed away 18 years ago, and it was really good to reconnect with his spirit while I was there. 

So, overall, 2021 wasn’t all too bad. I have hopes that 2022 things will be more normal, and we get to enjoy more of what life is truly meant for. Time with family that doesn’t involve quarantining, the great outdoors, and our health both mental and physical. 

Left to right – Kali, Natalie, Me, and Rachel

In the Heart of Paradise – Book Review

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Today I am reviewing the 3rd book in the Rainier Series by Jamie McGillen. I was graciously accepted by Jamie to be part of her launch team and I am so glad that I was, because I can read and review this book before the book is available! Now on to the review

Synopsis

Jamie continues the writing style of the second book In Light of the Summit by switching between two stories. This time she of course continues Anna’s story but, also expands on Elizabeth Grayson’s story. Those of you who have read the previous book “In Sight of the Summit” would know that Elizabeth Grayson is the woman who Anna’s brother, Levi, was courting before ultimately marrying Anna’s childhood friend Emily. 

Elizabeth’s Story

In the beginning, Jamie comes out with the heavy-hitting topic of mental health. She enlightens the reader on how women who had what we now know to be OCD, manic episodes, or any other mental illness would be at the mercy of either her husband or father. Due to the ever-present threat of being admitted to an insane asylum women had to keep their mental health struggles a secret. In this story, Elizabeth is one of those women. Throughout the book, we follow Elizabeth’s journey and struggles of becoming a nurse in the late 1800s with the added struggles of having “doubting disease”. We also watch her deal with the heartbreak of her courtship with Levi ending and the prospects of the bud of new love.

Anna’s Story

Now, moving on to Anna’s story. To recap at this point Anna has attempted to summit Mt. Rainer twice. The first time she fails due to her ill-fitting equipment. The second time she succeeds but, not without surviving an attempted murder. 

During the third book, she has plans to hike to base camp to meet with Fay Fuller to discuss the women’s mountaineering group they plan to assemble. But, once she finds out she is pregnant she is confronted with the reality that climbing her beloved mountain may be harder than she thought. We also follow Anna’s rough pregnancy and her struggles with the timing of becoming pregnant. As a mom myself I can relate to what Anna has to endure with her pregnancy and how hard it can be when things don’t go as planned. 

Of course, I knew I would love this book like I loved reading the rest of the series but, I have never read any book in 4 days! I quite literally could not put it down. I would sit while Natalie watched her shows, Daniel and Jason would play video games, and just read. I want to thank Jamie for fostering a love of reading with her amazing books. If you have not read this series you should. 

In Light of the Summit Book Review

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Welcome! Today I will be reviewing the second book of the Rainier Series by Jamie McGillen; In Light of the Summit. If you haven’t read the first book of the series, In Sight of the Mountain, you can read my review here. Both books are really good reads! Now on to the review!

One of the things I liked about the book was that it was written differently than the first book. What I mean by this was that two stories were being told; of course the continuation of Anna’s story, and a more detailed story of Anna’s childhood friend Emily. I also enjoyed the determination of both Anna and Emily, they worked through their struggles with grace. This book was such a joy to read, each time I picked up the book I didn’t want to put it down.

Were there things I didn’t like about the book? Honestly, there wasn’t much. The only thing at the beginning was the switching between the two stories, there definitely were some frustrated sighs along the way. Jamie kept the momentum of the stories of both women going throughout the whole book in tandem which now as I re-read the book I understand and really enjoy. 

Synopsis

Anna’s Story

The book starts with Anna dealing with the reticule of Seattle society being less than thrilled about her secret attempt to summit Mt. Rainier. Her family bookstore is vandalized on multiple occasions; once with a brick being thrown through the window. She also has to manage the disapproval of her soon-to-be father-in-law who believes Anna should not be attempting to climb mountains but at home keeping house and raising a family. Through all of the challenges and doubt Anna is determined to attempt the summit once again but, this time with her new husband along for the adventure. 

Emily’s Story

Moving on to Emily’s story; as stated in the first book, Emily is one of Anna’s close childhood friends. She grew up in poverty on her family farm. Though her father made a modest living as the Seattle police chief, they were barely able to make ends meet due her mother’s illness. This is part of the reason Emily decided to marry an established man of society, Charles, instead of marrying for love. When Charles falls ill the doctors decide to use a modern method of anesthesia for frontier medicine which turns disastrous for Emily and she finds herself in the depths of poverty once again.

What’s coming next?

Jamie isn’t done yet with the Rainier Series; the 3rd book in the series In the Heart of Paradise will be released on November 2nd! It is currently available for pre-order on Amazon. I hope you all have enjoyed reading this series as much as I have and I cannot wait to hear what you think.