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 |  Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 28 MAY 2024: Just a little about me. I've been married for 32 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. This is me. I am a Gemini. Pure, Raw, passionate. The NEW focus of this blog is to share my adventures, travels, random thoughts, book reviews, thoughts, opinions, and writing adventures from actual writing, writing/editing tips, marketing, research. I'll get there. BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive~doingNaNo'24   for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman  for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee Previous GRATITIOUS Warning, that I decided to keep in case I post about something that might offend.  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| Book Review for: The Viscount Who Loved Me Note: Just catching up on some reviews I've meaning to post for a while...
B00UG8RP22 Author: Julia Quinn Published by: Avon Books, 2006, 2015, Overall rating: 4.5 Stars PLOT: (4.5 Stars) Anthony Bridgerton is a young, attractive viscount who is feeling the urge to settle down and find a wife. He’s not worried about his reputation – in fact, he’s rather proud of being a rake and a rogue. He has absolutely no intention of beginning in love with the woman he picks for his wife, so he sets his eye on the lovely Edwina Sheffield, the belle of the ton. Kate Sheffield is Edwina’s older sister and is also making her debut season in the ton. She finds Anthony’s reputation despicable and is mortified to discover he’s set his eye on Edwina. She has no intention of allowing Edwina to marry a rake and a man who doesn’t love her. When Anthony and Kate meet, the sparks fly. Both are so much alike – stubborn, full of pride, and quick-witted. As Kate runs interference for her sister, she finds herself more and more attracted to the handsome viscount. Dare Anthony fall in love with perfect woman for him? CATAYLIST: (4 Stars) I was shopping at Costco when I found the book. I hadn’t read book #1 (The Duke and I) yet, but I was ready for a historical, regency romance. This cover, for me, was more in line with what I had envisioned for the story. THOUGHTS: (4.5 Stars) For me, both characters were easy to like. Kate made a determined heroine, but her fear of thunderstorms is deep seated. When Anthony finds her in a vulnerable position due to her fear, he strives to help, proving he’s more gentleman than a rogue and allows Kate’s feelings for him to grow. Anthony, too, has a deep-seated belief – he’s convinced he’s not going to live to an old age, dying young as his father did. This fear drives his decisions, and yet when he meets Kate and discovers the power of love, he learns he is the master of his own destiny – but what choice should he make? The safe one or the risky one? WHAT WORKS: (4.5 Stars) The witty banter. The plot moves a nice clip and I found myself rooting for Kate and Anthony. WHAT DIDN’T WORK FOR ME (WHAT WAS ‘OFF’): The ending seems a little forced and rushed. Anthony has his epiphany and rushes to find Kate. Good. BUT the scenario where Kate was in danger felt a little, well, forced. WHY 4.5 STARS: I enjoyed the setting and the escapism of the novel. Both main characters were well fleshed out with their flaws and vulnerabilities which made them very relatable. WILL I WATCH THE NETFLIX SERIES: Not at this time. I love a good regency romance and the Bridgerton book series could very well be that, but I appreciate more the realism of the escapism, than the reimagining of it. The TV Series itself would stand much stronger on its own if it was its own world and not the reimagined world of the ton. EXTRA COVER SIDE NOTE: As I usually do with a review, I download the cover and share it with the review. Well, I discovered the book had more than one cover. I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised, as it had a different color when it was published in 2006 and 2015. |
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