Working Mommy Journal

September 4, 2014

“Love & Cupcakes” Kindle Giveaway and Facebook Party from @BetsyStAmant!

Don’t miss Betsy St. Amant’s latest fiction release, All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes. A “sweet” tale of two best friends and the choices they make between dreams and a possible “sure thing,” St. Amant’s novel is sure to satisfy your romantic-fiction craving.

Betsy is celebrating with a fun Kindle giveaway and a Love & Cupcakes Facebook party! One winner will receive:

A brand new Kindle
All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 18th. Winner will be announced at the “Love & Cupcakes” Author Chat Party on 9/18. Betsy will be hosting a “sweet” book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at her next book project!

So grab your copy of All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes and join Betsy on the evening of September 18th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

September 4, 2014

Claudine by Barbara Palmer

Suspense and erotica combine to create one of the best novels I have read in a long time in Claudine by Barbara Palmer. Claudine is a sexy and thrilling escape that you will not be able to put down!

I love my books – they take me to a far away place, removing stress and connecting me to the characters that I grow to love. This was my first erotica novel and I was thrilled that I was given the chance to read and review this novel!

Claudine

Our main character, Maria Lantos is a post graduate student who is writing her thesis on erotic literature at Yale. Maria also goes by the stage name, Claudine. Maria has learned to balance the life of a top class courtesan and a graduate student. Claudine is a high demand escort who specializes in sexual role play for the elite and rich.She maintains this top spot with her anonymity, discretion and strict rules.

Slowly the separate worlds she has created begins to crack and blend. It begins with the murder of a stranger and leads to two men who test Maria’s limits of control and awaken her own sexual desires that she has always hidden.

Her private and secret nights begin to clash into her days and Maria discovers that the dangerous places that extend beyond the imagination and secrets are no longer consigned to the dark.

My Thoughts

From the first glance that I took at the cover I knew I was going to love this book. It was sexy, exotic and yet dangerous all at the same time. Barbara Palmer delivers all of this and more.

Claudine brings out the confident and powerful woman that so many of us want to be. She commands attention, trusts in herself and knows what she wants and how to get it. She is fun, sexy and full of life. At the same as Maria she is more vulnerable and open. Maria is not as trusting and has had a difficult history. Her childhood was marked with death and pain. While she was adopted and saved from the horror that surrounded her, her relationships with her adopted mother never seemed to really work. Maria has worked hard to be where she is at Yale and wants to trust and let go but finds it hard.

Maria has two men in her life that love her or appear to. As the book progresses you witness these relationships develop and you want Maria to find happiness but at the same time not let go of the Claudine in her. When the threats on her life start you begin to wonder about the true affections these men hold for her. Barbara spins this web that includes Claudine and the men in both her personal and professional life and leaves you guessing, wondering and clueless as to who could possibly want to harm her.

The best part of Claudine? I love the way Barbara blends the erotica with the mystery so neither part took over the novel. It was exciting, thrilling and kept me reading right through the night. I literally started reading the book after I received it in the mail in the afternoon and could not put it down until 2 in the morning! It was that good!

You will not be disappointed with Claudine. It definitely pays to reach out of your comfort level and find a novel that will truly blow you away. This is a definite must read!

Rating: 5/5

You can check out Claudine on the Penguin Canada website or on Amazon.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

September 3, 2014

Kinder at the CNE #WW w/linky

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending the CNE to witness Kinder Canada break a world record – the most people unwrapping chocolate at the same time! Pretty awesome right?!

Here are a few photos from our special day!

The live entertainment was fantastic – we were all dancing and singing in our benches. We had a little bit of rain but the sun came out to shine in time for the big unwrapping!

We each received our own delicious Kinder chocolate egg to unwrap.

Then we hit the Midtown rides! The air show was also running at the same time which was pretty incredible.

Make sure to link up below! Looking forward to seeing your posts!

September 3, 2014

Hideaway Cove by Anna Sullivan #review

Hideaway Cove, a Windfall Island Novel, features Jessi Randal a woman who has just walked away from her last relationship with a child and a broken heart. Years later the last thing this single mother wants is to give Windfall Island anything more to gossip about. Yet the moment she lays eyes on the tall, sexy stranger with the slow Southern drawl she knows that she is in trouble.

Holden Aboot is on the island to find the missing heir to the Stanhope family fortune. It is his job to charm as many secrets out of the town residents as possible. If he can charm Jessi even better. When all of the evidence points to Jessi as the heir a dangerous enemy sets his sights on Jessi and her son. Now Holden will have to risk everything to protect the family he has come to love.

Hideaway Cove is a suspenseful novel that had me stumped and guessing who the heir is and who is trying to hurt Jessi throughout the novel. The plot line was intense at times and although it is a romance novel the romance is only one factor in this lovely story. I loved how the relationship between Jessi and Holden develops over time as Jessi protects her child from being heart broken. The bonds that Holden forms with her and her child is incredible to read (he becomes a strong father figure in their life something he never pictured for himself!).

Rating: 4/5

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 28, 2014

DK Math Boutique: Build Up Those Math Skills for BTS #review

Math can either be the easiest subject for your child to master or it can cause frustration and tears. We have seen both in our house. Some units are easier while other units can take a lot to master – I still have nightmares of calculus and I am dreading the day when I have to help my son with this!

We were sent the DK Canada Math Made Easy. Each Math Made Easy book is divided up by grade and you choose the correct grade for your child.

For our son we chose the grade he was entering into in September. It started off with the easier math problems and slowly advanced as he made his way through the book. We had to help a little bit but it was a great confidence booster. It also helped to give him a glimpse into what the math program will be like this year. He hasn’t made it through the book (it is quite big!) but we are working on two pages a day. It has helped to reinforce all the lessons that were taught (and beginning to fade!) since last year.

Math skills are so important to practice on a daily basis as each lesson is based on the previous and a child can quickly become lost. Supplementing short lessons at home is so important and these books made it easy for us as parents!

For a limited time, DK Canada is offering 30% at the Making Math Fun! Boutique.

How do you help your child at home with math skills? Do you have your own program? Or do you use resource books?

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the above mentioned books. All opinions expressed are my own.