Boots and Bedlam by Ashley Farley

November 11th, 2016 Kimberly Review 57 Comments

11th Nov
Boots and Bedlam by Ashley Farley
Boots and Bedlam
by Ashley Farley
Series: Sweeney Sisters #3
Source: Purchase
Purchase*: Amazon *affiliate
Goodreads
Rating: One StarOne StarOne StarOne Star

‘Tis the season for chaos.

Wedding bells will soon be ringing in the Lowcountry. All Sam Sweeney wants is to marry her man on Christmas Eve surrounded by family and friends. But emerging complications, some humorous and some not so humorous, threaten to converge and derail the best-laid plans during the busy stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Amidst the chaos—dealing with real estate, planning a wedding, running a seafood market, honoring traditions, and contending with teenagers—even the weather rears its head when the weatherman forecasts a white Christmas. Never has family support been more needed, but will it be enough to restore order and save the day?

Escape to the Lowcountry this Christmas where romance, intrigue, and holiday merrymaking await you.

Holiday Family Small-town well written

Today I am delighted to share my mini review of Boots and Bedlam, the third book in the Sweeney Sisters series by Ashley Farley. Ashley is here today with a holiday guest post and giveaway as we all take part in the HoHoHoRAT. Grab a cup of cocoa and enjoy!

Boots and Bedlam by Ashley Farley the third novel in her Sweeney Sister’s series set in Lowcountry will get you in the holiday mood. Wedding bells, real estate, the busy season and teen drama quickly pulled us back into the lives of the Sweeney sisters and the small town community we have come to love.

Boots and Bedlam delivered a realistic tale, with everyday chaos mixed with the excitement of a holiday wedding. It’s the perfect read to get you in the mood for the holidays as you catch up with the girls.

Farley hit on a serious problem surrounding youth today while emphasizing the strength of family and the power of love. While you could read this as a standalone, I think those who have followed the series will appreciate it more.

The tale wraps up beautifully until Farley shocks us with a one-line zinger setting us up perfectly for the last book, expected to release in early 2017.

Guest Post from Ashley Farley

Surviving the Post-Holiday Blues

I’ve spent a lot of time recently talking to readers about the things they like and dislike about the holidays. Hands down, everyone’s favorite aspect of Thanksgiving and Christmas is spending time with family and friends. Most love the cooking and decorating, but few enjoy the shopping. Nearly everyone wishes we could take the commercialism out of Christmas. It saddens me to hear how many of my readers feel depressed after the holidays. I understand that melancholy feeling that comes on Christmas afternoon when the gifts have been opened, and the celebrating with family members is over, and I’m left with a great big mess. For a month, we focus our attention solely on preparing for this one event—bringing our families together, showering them with gifts, and feeding them good food. It is normal to feel let down when it all passes in the blink of an eye. I’d like to share with you some of the ways I survive the post-holiday blues.

  •  The takedown. Taking down the decorations is the first step toward getting your life back together—because getting our lives back together is exactly what we have to do after we’ve put everything on hold for a month. There’s nothing more depressing than to have a dead tree sitting in the corner or dried out wreath on the door. I’m one of those obnoxious people who drags their tree to the curb two days after Christmas. Leave a few of your favorite decorations up until New Year’s Eve, but don’t let them linger longer than that. Once you have the responsibility of the takedown off your back, you can relax and embrace the new year.
  •  Don’t procrastinate. If you neglect your other responsibilities during the holidays, they’ll mount up and overwhelm you come January.
  •  Don’t overspend. Stick to your holiday spending budget so as not to be taken by surprise when the bills arrive in January.
  •  Plan for next Christmas. If you’re pining for days gone by, get a head start on planning for next Christmas. Purchase that special ornament or decoration you’ve been admiring now while it’s on sale and you have gift money to spend.
  •  Get your calendar out. Plan your next event, whether it’s a Super Bowl party, a mid-week chili dinner for friends and family, or Valentine’s getaway for your significant other. Having a new adventure on the horizon will give you something to look forward.
  •  Start a project. Find a new hobby. Learn to knit or take a sewing class. Get creative with those boxes of photos stored beneath your bed. Make iMovies or upload them to an online photo service like Shutterfly where you can create bound photo books, coffee mugs, calendars, and wall art. Master a new software program. I recently tackled Photoshop. I’m amazed at the different ways I can manipulate images and the cool graphics I can create.
  •  Take time for yourself. Finally, but most importantly, take time for yourself. You’ve earned it after the stress of the holidays. I love winter. The cold days. Snuggling up in front of a fire with a good book. Binge watching TV series. Drinking hot tea and red wine. All of the above at once. Whatever that thing is you enjoy doing, do more of it!

 

Boot and Bedlam guest post and giveaway with author Ashley Farley Share on X

 

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About Kimberly
Kimberly is a coffee loving book addict who reads and listens to fictional stories in all genres. Whovian, Ravenclaw, Howler and proud Nonna. She owns and manages Caffeinated PR. The coffee is always on and she is ready to chat. BlueSky | Facebook | Instagram

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57 Responses to “Boots and Bedlam by Ashley Farley”

  2. Linda Romer

    My favorite thing about the holidays is getting the family together and sharing love, food and good cheer. No blues, I’m usually happy when it’s all over ♡ Thank you

  3. Lover Of Romance

    oh this book sounds so wonderful here!!! I love those small town themes, especially with realistic undertones.

    Great tips for the holidays!!! We definitely let the stress get to us sometimes.

  5. Jane

    I think for me the worst part about the holidays being over is the fact that there’s nothing here but grey skies and endless rain all the way until May!!! :'(

  7. Angie

    No blues really, just nice to be able to settle in to a regular routine again. Lots of time to read. 🙂

  9. Mary Preston

    What fun. There is always such a high expectation leading up to Christmas.

  10. Jess Fairday's Blog

    Sounds like a fun read! I love spending time with family and friends over the holidays. There are also a lot of foods and treats I look forward to each year. Seeing all the decorations always makes me feel happy. I don’t get depressed after the holidays, but I know how common it is. Great advice!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I don’t experience the blues either and while I love the holidays, traditions, food and festivity I am always thankful to return to my normal routine.

  12. rae

    Thanks for the great advice about handling the holidays! My friends get very involved with their families, and I have to admit to getting down sometimes. Your words inspired me to plan a new semester party or something between New Year’s and the start of the new semester the middle of Jan. You are just full of ideas, girl!

  15. Ashley Farley

    Thank you, Kim, for such a lovely review. And it’s nice to meet you all. Happy early chaos. Ha. It’s hard to believe Thanksgiving is less then two weeks away. Remember . . . the most important thing about the holidays is spending time with the ones we love. ~Ashley

  16. lisa thomson

    This looks like a fun read, Kim. I will have to start with the first one, though. I’m adding it to my GR TBR shelf. Plus, I’ve entered the giveaway. Yay. Nice to meet you, Ashley. Good tips for getting over the end of the holiday season.

  17. Lily B

    ugh we tend to over spend >.< but it happens when you are giving presence to like 25 people a year. I am hoping that this year we can..downsize
    This book look so super cute. I'll have to take your advice and look up the first in the series

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I hope you try it. Yeah, we try to budget, and always end up going a tad over, but not so much that we are crying come January…lol We only do children under 18 or extended family.

  18. kindlemom1

    For some reason that I can’t even explain, I love this cover! 😛
    Great review, this sounds like a good weekend holiday read. Have a wonderful weekend Kim!

  19. Myra Ball

    I get a little blue after the holidays but my youngest kids play basketball so we jump right back in to basketball season after Christmas which helps. This year we are going to Universal and Sea World, Orlando in January so the kids are looking forward to that trip. I hope to take time and enjoy so good books in all the activities that December brings.

  20. Kimberly

    This one is by another new to me author but it sounds adorable. I don’t do a lot of my holiday reading until December so this one may just make it into my amazon cart. Cute mini review!

    • kimbacaffeinate

      I use to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to crack open holiday reads, but as a blogger it had become impossible, So now I read books from my own shelves in December..lol

  21. Danielle Nolan

    Love the guest post and tips. Holidays can be rough before, during, and after for a lot of people. And I so do wish we could do away with the commercialism.

  22. Diane Sallans

    Best thing is getting together with family – we switch off holidays so this Thanksgiving will be very hectic and Christmas will be quiet (which is fine with me).

  24. Debbie Haupt

    Great post and suggestions and too many of them I don’t follow LOL
    Thanks for the review and giveaway I think I’d like this one!
    There are too many things about the holidays that i love to mention just one and I do get the blues after, but I also always love the less is more look after I put all the ho ho ho stuff away!

  25. Melissa

    Sounds like a cute series and I love the advice! Especially about planning the next event! I think that keeping the focus on family time and making sure that it happens on more than just holidays is key!

  26. Bookworm Brandee

    Maybe I’ll treat myself to The Sweeney Sisters – you know, as part of that taking time for me after the holidays?!? 😉 Or maybe it needs to be read prior to so I can get in the holiday spirit. Hmm. Well, I think I’d love to meet these sisters at any rate and I appreciate the post-holiday tips on keeping the blues away. 😀

  27. Cyn

    Oh my gosh, holiday wedding. I can already imagine the chaos haha. This sounds like a fun read and I do love awesome one liners! Great review, Kim!

  28. Lexxie

    This series sounds fantastic! I love books that show us some strong family ties, and strangely, I’ve read more with brothers than with sisters! Some chaos before getting married sounds pretty much par for the course, but I’m sure it’s nice to read about it (and actually be able to find the humour in it that way) than living it 🙂
    Great review, Kim!
    Have a fantastic Friday and happy reading 🙂 xoxo

  29. Sophia Rose

    I really need to get this series started. No excuse since I have book one. 🙂

    Those are good tips for getting through the blues.