Month: February 2016

February 2, 2016

The Greatest Prospector in the World

In The Greatest Prospector in the World, the death of her Father transports Laura to Chicago where she uncovers secrets about her Uncle and family.

About The Greatest Prospector in the World

Laura Dunagan, was born in the gold prospecting days of rustic Alaska in the early 1900’s. When Laura was 14 years old, her father was trapped under a mudslide while prospecting in a nearby river and died. Laura was forced to move to Chicago in the care of her rich Uncle Joe. Laura hated Uncle Joe because he forced her to leave the river, but also because he had left the family prospecting business to move to Chicago years before she was born.

Laura discovers that Uncle Joe made his fortune selling insurance and was the owner of the largest insurance company in Illinois. While wandering through the mansion one day, she found Uncle’s Joe personal den. In it, she discovered an entire new life that would lead her to heights that she would never had realized panning for gold in Alaska. Uncle Joe used the 6 gold prospecting rules for safety to prospect new clients for his insurance company and in doing so, discovered the secrets to wealth in selling.

My Thoughts

A very unique book that not only tells a tale but also six keys to success not only in sales but in life.

This book came to me at a very important time in my life. As I made the decision to push myself further in my career these six goals were essential in rediscovering myself and pushing myself out there to attain my goals. Sometimes it can be difficult to read books that are “self help” or work related but with the unique angle this novel took of tying these six rules into a heart warming story that puts the rules into action you will not want to put it down. We are able to witness the direct results of the six rules and how they help Laura in her own goals and dreams (especially during a time when women were not encouraged to own their business’). We are part of Laura’s fears, hopes, dreams and aspirations. I am positive you will find some of your own hidden in there too!

This is a fantastic book not only for those in sales but also for those who want to make a change in their personal and professional lives. You will not be disappointed!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Ken Dunn is one of the leadership training world’s up and coming great speakers and trainers. An incredible hunger to learn and teach others has led Ken successfully through five different professional careers in the past 25 years.

Ken began a policing career at the age of 18. He was involved in the policing world’s most exhilarating and challenging disciplines, including undercover drug and surveillance work, S.W.A.T. teamwork, aggravated child abuse, frauds, aggravated assaults, illegal weapons smuggling and homicides.

Today, Ken regularly speaks to groups in the direct sales, mortgage, insurance and banking industries. He uses humor and his own experiences to inspire audiences around the world. Ken lives in Toronto, Canada, with his wife, Julie, and children Matthew and Laura. Connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

February 1, 2016

Pound Puppies: A Rare Pair Review and Giveaway

The Pound Puppies are back! And this time, it is It’s raining cats and dogs and an alligator at Shelter 17.

About Pound Puppies: A Rare Pair

On January 19th, 2016, The Pound Puppies gang will be coming to DVD courtesy of Shout Factory and Hasbro.

In A Rare Pair, Lucky, Niblet, Cookie, Squirt and Strudel are back for five more adventures of the Pound Puppies! From trying to get a kitten and a puppy adopted into the same home, to trying to place an alligator named Rover(!), to sneaking into the Kennel Kittens’ compound to retrieve a stolen gadget, this team of determined canines will do whatever it takes to find the perfect loved ones for each and every pet at Shelter 17.

Winner of the 2012 Humanitas Prize in Children’s Animation, the Pound Puppies series stars the voices of Eric McCormack, Yvette Nicole Brown, Michael Rapaport, John DiMaggio, Alanna Ubach, René Auberjonois, and M. Emmet Walsh.

The titles in this DVD include:

Catcalls
The Really Weird Dog
The Call Of The Squirreldog
Kennel Kittens Return
Once A Ralph, Always A Ralph

My Thoughts

A fantastic spin on a family favourite! This series was a unique blend of comedy and animation that reminded me of a cross between Johnny Test and Paw Patrol. The older audience will appreciate the animation and humour while the younger audience will love the adorable characters and heart warming stories. A valuable lesson is told in each series and I think the sweetest part is when the puppies (or kittens!) fall in love with their perfect human match (or hey maybe even a squirrel!!). You will definitely have to watch the DVD to learn how a puppy may be the ‘human’ for an incredibly smart and loving squirrel!

The Giveaway

My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win a copy of Pound Puppies: A Rare Pair via the Rafflecopter below.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

February 1, 2016

Worst Laid Plans Book Review

In Worst Laid Plans, all Maddox wants to do is hide from the storm of life but this is not in her near future as her plans soon go awry.

About Worst Laid Plans

All Maddox Storm wanted was to come home and hide from the world in peaceful solitude for a few short weeks. Oh, and give her soon-to-be ex cheating scumbag husband a fat headache while she’s at it. He hates all small towns, and Silver Firs in particular, with the kind of passion most men reserve for the bedroom.

So call it revenge, or poetic justice, but investing his savings in the town’s founding inn seemed like the perfect plan for all her needs and more.

But everything goes out the window when Maddox finds her arch-nemesis dead in the kitchen downstairs.

Before she knows it, she’s embroiled in a murder investigation and tangling with the smoky-eyed detective on the case. Not that she doesn’t trust him to do his job, but he may not be quite as motivated as she is to bring the guilty party to justice. After all, she’s the one who unwittingly incriminated upstanding townsfolk and worse, she may be living under the same roof as a pair of unlikely murderers.

My Thoughts

Murder, mystery, suspense and an absolutely hilarious main character in Maddox mixed in with an ending that you never see coming! I loved every moment of Worst Laid Plans. From the get go, I knew I was in for a treat with her spunky humour and sense of adventure. She literally made me laugh out loud at times! Especially when it came to her small home town life.

She comes up with the sweetest revenge to get back at her soon to be ex-husband but who would have ever guessed what would happen when she arrived there? While still recovering from the drive to her ‘new’ home, she discovers a murder! This murder throws quite the wrench in her plans as she works to uncover the murderer (much to the displeasure of the police on the case!).

I fell in love with Claire’s easy writing, quick humour and unique plot line. I could not put this novel down – I just had to know what was going to happen to Claire. The ending made me crave even more – I can’t wait for the second book to come out!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Claire loves to write mystery, romance and adventure, cause sometimes one life really can have it all (between the pages of a book, at least.) When she is not thigh-deep in laundry, shopping, cooking and general crowd control, you’ll find her head-and-heart-deep in the tangled lives of her characters.

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