Relit Yourself Candles, Hopeless Romantic Bookshop, Toronto, ON

Gord, Dawn (our pal and neighbour) and I attended a scented candle workshop this evening at Hopeless Romantic Bookshop (Queen Street W/Dovercourt Road). 

It was led by Jen, owner of Relit Yourself Candles (of Brooklin, ON). Jen is a fellow scented candle addict and her passion and knowledge was obvious. It was a fun time! 

We each took home an 8oz candle and 6 melts/tarts. 

Book ~ "Three Single Wives" (2020) Gina LaManna

From Goodreads ~ Three beautiful women. Two wedding bands. One dead husband.

When Anne Wilkes, Eliza Tate and Penny Sands arrive at book club bearing bottles of wine, none of them are plotting to kill. But when the subject of a philandering husband arises, revenge is in the air. By the end of the night, someone is dead.

Two women with rings on their fingers and one with stars in her eyes. All of them are hiding something. All of them are lying.

What really happened that night? Only the guilty knows. Did one woman take everything too far, or is the truth really more twisted than fiction?

Eliza and Anne have been friends for years. Eliza works in PR promoting authors and has just started her own firm. Anne is a housewife, married to a police officer and has four young children. Penny is younger and has just moved to LA from Iowa with dreams of becoming an actress. She started taking acting lessons from Roman, Eliza's husband, which is how she gets to know Eliza and Anne.

Eliza has organized a book club meeting and the book they are discussing is by Eliza's famous client, who is attending the meeting along with Anne and Penny. The discussion turns to how they would hypothetically murder their husbands. Eventually one of the husbands ends up dead and we don't find out who until later on and who dunnit until the end (which I thought was a bit of stretch).

I thought this story was okay. The writing style was interesting as each chapter told the story in third person perspective but mixed in were the witness testimonies in court. I didn't find any of the characters likable. I found it hard to believe the women would still hang out with each other because there were secrets among them and they were all unhappy. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Book ~ "Merit Badge Murder" (2014) Leslie Langtry

From Goodreads ~ When CIA agent Merry Wrath is "accidentally" outted, she's forced her into early retirement, changes her appearance, and moves where no one will ever find her - Iowa. Instead of black bag drops in Bangkok, she now spends her time leading a young Girl Scout troop. But Merry's new simple life turns not-so-simple when an enemy agent shows up dead at scout camp. Suddenly Merry is forced to deal with her former life in order to preserve her future one. 

It doesn't help matters that the CIA sends in her former, sexy handler to investigate ... or that the hot new neighbor across the street turns out to be the local detective in charge of her case. And when Merry is forced to take on a roommate in the voluptuous form of a turned KGB agent/bimbo, things become trickier than wet work in Waukegan or cookie sales in the spring. Nothing in the CIA or Girl Scouts' training manuals has prepared her for what comes next.

Merry is a former CIA agent who loved her work and was very good at it. After her identity is exposed, she’s forced into retirement with a severance package and a brand-new life. She alters her appearance and heads back to her small hometown in Iowa, where her best friend, Kelly, still lives. They lead a Girl Scout troop  and during a troop training session, Merry stumbles across the body of someone from her past. Soon after, she accidentally runs over and kills another. Then a third body turns up in her kitchen. It’s obvious this isn’t random so Merry reaches out to her former handler, Riley, and the two start piecing things together while protecting her secret identity. Meanwhile Rex, the police officer who has just moved in across the street, is assigned to the case.

This is the first in the Merry Wrath mystery series (there are currently 36) and I enjoyed it. It's written in first person perspective in Merry's voice so we can to hear her thoughts (and she has a lot!). I liked the writing style ... it was conversational as if Merry was speaking to us. It was a quick fun read and I look forward to continuing on with the series.

El Beso, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I spent the last week at Ocean El Faro, in Uvero Alto (Punta Cana), Dominican Republic, and had a fun time!

I stayed at El Beso, the adult side.

Route 66, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

It's my last night here and I had supper at the restaurant I enjoyed the most ... Route 66, an à la carte restaurant specializing in American BBQ.

You can’t make reservations. I got in line about 7:30pm and though the restaurant was only half full, I was told my table would be ready at 8:30pm. Huh?! People ahead of me went for drinks or ice cream elsewhere to kill time to come back. It was raining so I hung around. I was seated at 8pm and drop ins after that were seated right away. What a crazy system! 

Blue Moon, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had supper this evening at Blue Moon, a "romantic" à la carte restaurant with gourmet cuisine.

Book ~ "Pretty Guilty Women" (2019) Gina LaManna

From Goodreads ~ Four Women. Four Confessions. One Murder.

Something has gone terribly wrong at the Banks wedding. A man is dead. Four different women rush to offer confessions, each insisting that they committed the crime ... alone.

Ginger is holding her family together by a thread, and this wedding weekend is not the fabulous getaway she anticipated.

Kate has enough money to buy her way out of anything. Well, almost anything.

Emily can't shake her reputation or her memories, and she's planning to drown this whole vacation in a bottle.

Lulu's got ex-husbands to spare, and another on the way -- as soon as she figures out what the devil the current husband is up to behind her back.

Why would they confess to the same murder? Only they know -- and they're not telling. This page-turning novel explores the depths of friendship and the truths we love to ignore.

This story takes place during a wedding weekend at a luxury California resort. What begins as a reunion for a group of former college friends changes when a man is found dead. Shortly after, four women each confess to the murder and claim they acted alone ... Ginger, a busy mom trying to juggle family life; Kate, a successful lawyer who is trying to get pregnant with her boyfriend; Emily, struggling with grief and alcohol; and Lulu, an elegant older woman with a string of past marriages.

This is the first novel I've read by this author and I liked it. The writing style was interesting as each chapter told the story but mixed in were the individual police interviews from each woman’s perspective. It's written in third person perspective. The ending was unexpected but I was okay with it. I didn't mind the characters but found Elyse, Ginger's teenage daughter, annoying with her constant surly attitude. As a head's up, there is swearing.

Pez Dama, El Beso, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had lunch today at Pez Dama, an à la carte restaurant that specializes in Caribbean flavours and is the El Beso adults' only restaurant.

The sangria was a fun surprise when I came in. I’d love a glass, thanks!

Steakhouse, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had supper this evening at Steakhouse, an à la carte restaurant specializing in grilled meats. It’s one of the three restaurants where you have to make reservations. The reservation system opens at 8am every morning and reservations go pretty quick. Mine was for 8:30pm.

I started with tomato soup.

I ordered New York Steak as my main, which arrived before I was finished my soup! The steak was okay, though it had a weird taste. The mashed potatoes had a funky texture.

 I ordered a brownie for dessert and it was really dense.

La Dolce Vita, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had supper this evening at La Dolce Vita, an à la carte Italian restaurant. It’s one of the three restaurants where you have to make reservations. The reservation system opens at 8am every morning and reservations go pretty quick. Mine was for 8:30pm, later than I’d like but I was happy to get it. 

I was seated in a far corner of the restaurant. No thanks! I saw there was space on the terrace so asked to be moved outside. Much better!

I started with Mozzarella Cheese Fingers. They were like frozen mozza sticks I can get at home. 

I got Parmesan Chicken as my main. It was okay. The chicken was hot but the spaghetti was cold. 

Snack El Beso, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had brunch today at Snack El Beso, a snack bar between the pools on the El Beso side (adults only). All they serve are salty or sweet waffles and crepes. 

I just had a Strudels waffle (apples, cinnamon, walnuts, whipped cream, toffee) and it was yummy.

Route 66, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had supper this evening at Route 66, an à la carte restaurant specializing in American BBQ.

Pez Dama, El Beso, Ocean El Faro Resort, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

I had lunch today at the terrace of Pez Dama, an à la carte restaurant that specializes in Caribbean flavours and is the El Beso adults' only restaurant.

I had BBQ chicken and seasoned fries.