The first time around I was charmed. The second time around I was emotional. The third time I fell in love. Laura Chapman makes every time feel like a new experience. Counting on You is hard to put down, no matter how many times I read or listen to it. Less than perfect proved to be the perfect match for the romantic in me. I loved it.

 

 

What Happens at Midnight by Laura Chapman

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Audiobook Review: What Happens at Midnight by Laura Chapman (Author), Kay Heart (Narrator)

What if your heart was stuck on repeat and had to relive the same heartache all over again? Will there ever be the chance to finally get love right? Chapman will most certainly own a piece of any heart with What Happens at Midnight. Natalie is a combination of hopeless romantic and heartbroken dreamer. When fate presents her with the opportunity to get her happy ending, nothing will keep her from taking a chance on forever. From the charming dialogue, captivating story and angst filled narration Chapman and Heart ring in the new year with a bit help from the ghost of Christmas past and the magic of a Happy New Year.



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Take the story of the birth of Jesus and skip to the evening when Mary is attempting to lull her (in this version) fussy baby to sleep while animals and visitors are causing various levels of chaos, and you have the premise of this hardback picture book.  Written in verse and illustrated in earthy tones, heavy on the orange, this is the most visually active bedtime storybook I have ever seen.  The only real criticism I have (well, other than the fact that Mary is having a pretty bad hair day) is the depiction of the angels.  

 

I think this would be a great bedtime choice for the holiday season, and a fun supplement to the traditional telling of the Nativity story.  If, however, you prefer your Nativity story to always be completely serene and reverent, this is perhaps not the best choice.  

 

3/5 stars for well done rhyming text and dynamic illustrations.  Had the angels been depicted in a less "Godspell" way, I would have rated this as 3.5 or 4 stars.

 

An expanded version of this review can be found on my Wordpress blog at http://wp.me/p5Tcfi-7X

 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I couldn't finish. The book made me feel exhausted; the poor heroine was constantly stressed it seemed. And the hero was bland.

There is a picture of Dog about midway through his book, a picture of Dog adorned in white, with his long flowing hair standing with his preacher Tim Storey on a canoe as he makes his way to meet Beth on their wedding day in 2006. This picture epitomizes Dog as I believe he sees himself as a kind of avenging righteous angel or the reincarnation of Jesus..yep the myth as he would have us believe is certainly bigger than the man.

There is another chapter or should I say capture described in great detail, the ultimate bounty for Dog where to prove himself to the world as "The greatest ever Bounty Hunter" he must capture and bring to justice a man with a high price on his head...Andrew Luster. This makes for some exciting reading as our hero (for hero he must surely be) after months of frustration and false leads and hope finally makes the capture only to find himself held prisoner in a stinking Mexican jail. Dog has always believed that God (dog backwards....get it) has a clear vision and purpose in life for him and is with him everyday...every step of the way.."Until that moment, it hadn't really sunk in that I was now searching for one of the most wanted fugitives in America. It was time to put my money where my mouth was. I had a lot of stake. By joining the hunt for Luster, I was gambling on my future, my name, and my reputation. But I knew this was my chance to show the Lord I am worthy of His plan, His will. If this was the big one we'd been waiting for, the time had come".

I cannot help but love Dog! a man who see himself as a latter day Billy the Kid wrapped up with a little Wyatt Earp and a smidgen of the avenging preacher from Pale Rider!! Dog's life story is a hard knuckle ride from a harsh upbringing with a brutal father "Flash" through his many years of addiction to drugs, a prison sentence for complicity to murder, the many women who had the privilege of knowing him and being loved (albeit for a short time) and the resulting offspring. All through this adventure it would appear that a greater power than Dog (is there such a thing?) was guiding him on his life's mission and always ready to lift him from the depths of depression when the need arose "I turned my head to the sky and said "Lord , I know my mum is with you" And then I heard, "No Duane, she walks with you. Look straight out, my son. You will find what you are looking for." I cocked my head and stared straight out into the vast sea, wondering, hoping, praying, that the Lord was sending me a message about my mother"......

Please do not misunderstand me and do not take my flippancy as a lack of respect for Duane "Dog" Chapman I actually really enjoyed this book, Dog the man and Dog the TV series lives through every word in this fun and highly charged adventurous read. A story of a hard life but one filled with guts, determination and hope and even though the author may suffer from a narcissistic personality disorder that does not stopping me loving the man and the myth...and in his own words.."My name is Duane Lee Chapman. My friends call me Dog - Dog the Bounty Hunter. For more than twenty-seven years , I have made a living hunting down more than seven thousand fugitives. I wear that honour as proudly as my shiny silver fugitive-recovery badge that hangs around my neck".... Dog you are the man...you are truly on heat!!.....