Month: April 2016

April 22, 2016

The Inheritance

In The Inheritance, the death of the clan patriarch has thrown the tiny Shetland Islands community of Whale’s Reef into turmoil.

About The Inheritance

Everyone assumed MacGregor Tulloch’s heir to be his grand-nephew David, a local favorite, but when it is discovered that MacGregor left no will, David’s grasping cousin Hardy submits his own claim to the inheritance, an estate that controls most of the island’s land. And while Hardy doesn’t enjoy much popular support, he has the backing of a shadowy group of North Sea oil investors. The courts have frozen the estate’s assets while the competing claims are investigated, leaving many of the residents in financial limbo. The future of the island-and its traditional way of life-hangs in the balance.

Loni Ford is enjoying her rising career in a large investment firm in Washington, DC. Yet in spite of her outward success, she is privately plagued by questions of identity. Orphaned as a young child, she was raised by her paternal grandparents, and while she loves them dearly, she feels completely detached from her roots. That is until a mysterious letter arrives from a Scottish solicitor.

My Thoughts

A wonderful, historical novel based in the Scotland Shetland Islands. A remote location that is beautiful and harsh in its existence for the people of this small community that has not quite been touched by time. I love the beauty of Scotland and its people, their heritage that they carry with them. Throughout the novel, we have constant glimpses of this strong and proud culture. What I found the most amazing was the continuance of the Chief and Laird titles – I first thought I was reading a moment in the past but was pleasantly surprised to see us in the future. We get a wonderful glimpse into the daily lives of the people and how the Chief David plays a strong role in keeping the people united and well taken care of. Even if this mean supplementing their own income from this own!

When the titles and estate comes in question, their small world is thrown upside down. You have a family member, Hardy, who never cared (and still doesn’t) who emerges on the death of MacGregor. Everyone does not want him to be the leader but the courts are leaning towards him until a distant closer relation in Loni Ford is found.

Loni has no knowledge of her relations and has always grown up feeling alone. I love that she discovers this whole new family and community to belong to.

I loved the history, the characters and the way the story evolved. The ending left a little bit wanting and unsure if this is how the story ended, but it was still a great story from start to finish that anyone can get into. The Scottish language may take a while to get used to though! But I love reading it and imagining the accents as I read it.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Michael Phillips is a bestselling author with more than 70 of his own titles. In addition, he has served as editor/redactor of nearly 30 more books. He is known as the man responsible for the reawakened interest in George MacDonald of the last 30 years. In addition to the MacDonald titles adapted/edited for today’s reader, his publishing efforts in bringing back full-length quality facsimile editions also spawned renewed interest in MacDonald’s original work. Michael and his wife, Judy, spend time each year in Scotland but make their home near Sacramento, California.

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

April 21, 2016

Breaking Free

In Breaking Free, sometimes it takes losing everything to grab hold of what really matters.

About Breaking Free

Women’s ministry leader and Seattle housewife, Alice Goddard, and her successful graphic-designer husband appear to have it all together. Until their credit and debit cards are denied, launching Alice into an investigation that only leads to the discovery of secrets. Meanwhile, her husband is trapped in a downward spiral of lies, shame, and self-destruction. Can they break free from their deception and turn to the only One who can save them? And will it be in time to save their marriage?

My Thoughts

WOW – an emotional roller coaster that takes you through moments of love, honesty, pain, addiction, healing and forgiveness.

First, we have Alice who lives in the picture perfect world of a housewife from a rich neighbourhood. She has built up her wealth and has friends around her that while she may not always like, she lives in fear of their judgement. She constantly felt the need to portray the perfect life, even as she was crumbling on the inside. When her husband has been exposed with an alcohol and gambling addiction, this sets their world upside down. Everything that was the picture of perfection before is shattered and their family is left spinning. Nothing lands the way it should once the spinning stops.

My heart broke for both of them, they are so lost and torn but found it hard to reach out to each other in their moments of need. If they could have spoken to each other more, tried not to hide their faults and discuss them instead, maybe some of the cascading events would not have happened. But, as like many of us would do, we block off the one person we need to reach out, and search instead for other ways to fill the pain. I also love how her best friend tries to reach out to her with the teachings of their faith. She keeps trying to remind Alice she is never truly alone, she can reach out to God, her friends and even her husband. That while he may have let her down, he is still her husband.

Breaking Free is a truly amazing, emotional book that you will not be able to put down. Alice’s life takes over, pulls you in deep and leaves you wanting more. The ending made me cry and made my heart so happy!

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Jennifer Slattery is an inspiring contemporary novelist whose stories of hope, love, and grace resonate with real people. She is the author of compelling contemporary romance novels such as Beyond I Do, When Dawn Breaks, Intertwined, and Breaking Free. She also writes for Crosswalk.com and devotions for her personal blog, JenniferSlatteryLivesOutLoud; Internet Cafe Devotions; and Takin’ It To The Streets, a ministry serving Omaha Metro’s working poor and homeless. When not writing, she enjoys hanging out with her teenage daughter and real-life hero husband, as well as serving in her church.

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

April 20, 2016

A Dream of Miracles

In A Dream of Miracles, Amish widow Mattie vows never to love again until a suspicious outsider with a shadowy past comes crashing into her fragile world.

About A Dream of Miracles

Mattie Diener can barely keep it together. A young Amish widow and mother of two young children, she faces the lingering heartbreak of lost love, her son’s mysterious illness, and a torrent of accusations that threaten to undo her.

Bo Lambright is a fast-rising social services investigator whose high-society mother won’t rest until she finds his Mrs. Right. Despite Bo’s worldly success, the raw ache of a shadowy past and a series of unsettling dreams have left him reeling.

When Mattie and Bo cross paths, all signs point to disaster. Yet as they face a crucible of trials and tragedies together, longings begin to stir that seem destined only to end in more heartbreak. Is a miracle possible, not only of healing but of forbidden love? What secrets lie in Bo’s dreams? And will Mattie find the courage to face her uncertain future or will she simply run away?

My Thoughts

A Dream of Miracles if full of raw emotions, love, fear, forgiveness and pain. Both of our main characters, Bo and Mattie, must learn to open their hearts to forgiveness and healing to move forward. Two individuals, whom from outward appearances seem very different, have very much in common in their past.

I love how Bo’s story slowly unfolds as he looks into Mattie’s open case. We see glimpses of his past at certain times throughout the novel and we can feel his pain that he has closed himself off too. It is his meeting with Mattie that opens his heart up completely. He learns that he has to heal that pain, to forgive the pain in order to be the person he wants to be. In turn, Mattie faces similar steps. She has lost her husband at a young age and left with two young children. When a social investigator begins looking at her parenting skills and home life, she is heartbroken. My heart broke for her, when some of the investigators could not look past her Amish beliefs and lifestyle to find the truth about her son’s mysterious illness and instead take the easy route by blaming her.

In a story where many of the events could have shattered the two main characters, we instead find healing, perseverance and hope. A Dream of Miracles is a truly beautiful story that all readers will love.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA bestselling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life.

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

April 19, 2016

Stop The Sibling War In Its Tracks

“It’s my turn!” “You picked last time” “I hate that show” “I’m telling, MOM!!!”

How many of you have heard these lines during a sibling war with what feels like a continuous struggle when it comes to picking something to watch, either a movie or television show? For our family, it feels like a constant struggle to balance what I lovingly refer to as the sibling war.

Our two boys are seven years apart, which was not really by choice. We tried for many years for a second child and it just didn’t seem to be happening. When we finally fell pregnant, it was such a surprise! Our eldest was so excited to be a big brother finally and when that day came, he was definitely (and still is) the best big brother.

The balloon popped when our youngest learned that he too gets to watch all of the shows he wants to watch and learned how to choose them using the remote (like seriously how do kids learn how to use that remote so quickly?!!). The problem? He wanted to watch preschool theme shows and his older brother was horrified at the thought, which I can’t quite relate to as I love cartoons and give me Paw Patrol and cartoons any day!

So how do we make this work?

We have tried many methods which includes rotating movie nights, keeping track of who chooses the next movie on a calendar and even rock, paper, scissors! Sometimes, it doesn’t matter how fair you keep it someone always ends up with tears.

The only good thing out of this is that Netflix gets the sibling wars (I wonder how many of them struggle weekly at home with their own kids??) and have created a unique way to bridge the age gap and make everyone happy. With three unique playlists that are geared to a broad age group, you will find movies and shows that will make every child happy.

These three unique playlists are:

A Tale of Two Distant Ages (our number two choice)
Sugar and Spice
Meet in the Middle (our go to playlist)

While it will never be perfect, coping with these tricks sure does make life that much easier at home (especially since summer break is around the corner!). How do you tame the sibling war?

Disclosure: I am a Netflix StreamTeam Member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.

April 18, 2016

Spring Into $260 Cash Giveaway

Spring Into Cash Giveaway

Who is ready for spring?

We sure are! Jen from Ninjamommers.com, Kelly from Citymom.ca and a group of fabulous Canadian bloggers have come together to bring you a chance to win $260 PayPal cash! Because what better way is there to celebrate the beautiful weather than with some extra spending money in your pocket. Maybe update the patio sets, a new barbecue, new clothes – the possibilities are endless. I know I would definitely upgrade my non-existent patio set in order to lay out in the backyard more (hint-hint hubby dear!).

So if you are ready to win $260 USD cash, scroll a little bit lower to the entry form and get those entries in.This giveaway is open worldwide so spread the word using the hashtag #SpringIntoCash and let’s celebrate together the coming of the nice weather with a giveaway. Good luck friends!!!

Entry -Form

Giveaway is open to Worldwide. All entries will be verified. Winner will be contacted via email when giveaway has ended. Winner will have 48 hours to respond, or a new winner will be chosen. Once winner is confirmed, the winner will be announced via this form. This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter, or any other social media Network including PayPal.