Visual Effects - Book Review

A great read!

I was immediately drawn to the characters in Joyce Holmes latest romance, Visual Effects. The story begins as Drey starts her new life in Hollywood and meets a handsome, if somewhat reprehensible, man from her past. Will he remember her? This is just one of many questions the reader will have as they travel along with Drey in her new career.

Sharing an apartment with her best friend Carly, Drey demonstrates just how good a friend she can be as Carly goes through the ups and downs of romance. Not that Drey is a stranger to heartbreak herself as we find out along the way. Will she continue to shut herself away from love? Or will the right man break through her defences.

And Drey isn’t the only one with a past. Her handsome co-worker, Jesse, has a history of his own. As we move through the story, it becomes clear that these two star-crossed lovers will have to overcome a lot before there is even a chance of a happily-ever-after for either of them.

Then, just when you think things are getting hot in the romance department, there is yet another twist in the plot to keep things interesting. Will a lover from Drey’s past ruin everything before it has a chance to begin?

Bring in additional family members with their own troubles and a proposal for Carly and you have a terrific story that is a must for your summer reading stash.

I was recently provided with a preview copy of this book for review.

Using Grammarly Helps Free-up my Time

I don't know about you but in my house, I seem to have been elected editor. Whether my girls are working on a post or my husband is putting together a letter for his union position, they inevitably send it to me to "look over." Most of the time this isn't an issue, but there are some days when I just can't squeeze in one more minute on the computer without letting something of my own go by the wayside. I think I may have discovered some help.

I've been using the free version of Grammarly for over a year. I find it very handy when I'm working directly on Blogger or for my online classes on D2L. I was recently provided a month of Premium Service for the purpose of this review. I have to tell you I am quite impressed.

My husband had just sent me a somewhat technical document so I thought I would put Grammarly to the test. Right away, it flagged over 50 critical issues ranging from errors in verb agreement to problems with spelling. It was quick to scroll through and have Grammarly make the corrections. Much faster than me reading and poking through the whole report and getting frustrated. Now I'm not saying that my husband is a terrible writer but I find a lot of this type of issue can creep into a document with multiple people working on it as it goes through many revisions. Once I had this all done it was relatively easy to edit for readability and understanding. Grammarly even flagged the passive sentences and overused words for me.

One of my favorite things about Grammarly is how it explains grammar rules and gives vocabulary enhancement tips. These are helpful for writers of all levels but can be of great assistance to students who are still learning the craft. The plagiarism checker would be handy for all those school reports as well.

Before writing this review, I read some of the research provided on the Grammarly site. They have some interesting infographics, including my personal favorite A Grammar and Style Guide to #Yodify Your Language.

I've also enjoyed receiving my weekly progress reports from Grammarly. Highlighting various areas of my writing for the week, these reports help pinpoint my most common issues as well as provide writing tips. This feature would make another great addition to a student's writing toolbox.

I'm happy to say I recommend this program to all of my friends.

The New Cricut Access - Review

**This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

We've had our Cricut® machine for about two years now and have had a lot of fun with it. We've made birthday party cupcake holders, party invitations, gift boxes, greeting cards, gift tags and many more projects. Cricut makes it easy and saves countless hours of cramped fingers from cutting out all of the individual pieces! It's perfect for making personalized gifts like this cute coffee mug cut-out too.

Now with Cricut's new Access™ subscription, we can have access to over 30,000 images and over 1,000 Make It Now™ projects and 370 fonts. I just love this baby romper project. They're perfect for a baby shower gift. Practical and cute!

I love being able to personalize my planners and journals with Cricut Access™ patterns like this one for an important dates project planner. It's so much nicer to make my own than to try and find one that suits my needs in the store.

Starting at $7.99 a month, Cricut Access™ members get exclusive benefits, including 10% off all orders on Cricut.com and in Cricut Design Space™. You'll also be the first to access new images, projects, and exclusive designs. This subscription sounds like a terrific deal for people who love to craft. Sign up for Cricut Access™ and get unlimited access to images, fonts and projects today!