June 27, 2016
Kelli Stuart’s ‘Like a River from Its Course’ Blog Tour and Kindle Prize Pack
Travel back in time in Kelli Stuart’s new novel, Like a River from Its Course, as the city of Kiev is bombed in Hitler’s blitzkrieg across the Soviet Union. This sweeping historical saga takes the reader on a captivating journey into the little-known history of Ukraine’s tragedies through the eyes of four compelling characters who experience the same story from different perspectives. Based on true stories gathered from fifteen years of research and interviews with Ukrainian World War II survivors, Like a River From Its Course is a story of love, war, heartache, forgiveness, and redemption.
Celebrate the release of Like a River from Its Course with Kelli by entering to win a Kindle Fire Prize Pack.
One grand prize winner will receive:
- A copy of Like a River from Its Course
- A Kindle Fire
- A Kindle Fire case (winner’s choice)
- A $30 Amazon gift card
Enter today by clicking the icon below, but hurry! The giveaway ends on July 18th. The winner will be announced July 19th on Kelli’s blog.
June 24, 2016
School Is Out For The Summer: Top Netflix Picks!
School is officially almost done for us here in Southwest Ontario and the kids are ready to tackle the summer months. Can you blame them? I am excited for them! Between camps, hiking and swimming, there is always so much to do in Ontario during the holidays.
But what about those inevitable rainy days? Or those super hot humid days where the kids just can’t go out? With one child with asthma, we have had to learn to be creative on indoor days. That is where Netflix steps in to become my number one sanity saver during the holidays.
Here are my Top Summer Sanity Saver Picks on Netflix:
For the Kids:
Check out these fantastic titles for keeping the kids entertained during their downtime this summer:
- The Good Dinosaur
- Home
- Voltron
- Glitter Force
- Mr. Peabody and Sherman
- Dinotrux
- Paw Patrol (I honestly think our youngest has watched both seasons multiple times but he still can not get enough)
For the teens:
Here are my top choices for the teens in your home:
- Switched at Birth
- Pretty Little Liars
- Glee
- Degrassi: Next Class
For the adults:
Because let’s be serious, we know we will need a bit of a break in the summer too. Check out my top picks for the parents to take some comic and dramatic relief:
- Grace and Frankie
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
- Call the Midwife
- Orange is the New Black
- Daredevil
How do you spend your down time during the school-free months? Do you have your own top picks on Netflix? Share them with me!
Disclosure: I am a Netflix #StreamTeam member and receive perks with this affiliation. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 23, 2016
Beauty and the Highland Beast
Sometimes we suffer so badly from the circumstances around us that we seem broken and lost to those around us. In Beauty and the Highland Beast, two broken souls must help guide each other to find forgiveness and acceptance for things that they can not change.
About Beauty and the Highland Beast
Powerful and dangerous Highlander Dair Sinclair was once the favored son of his clan, The Sinclairs of Carraig Brigh. With Dair at the helm, Sinclair ships circled the globe bringing home incredible fortune. Until one deadly mission when Daire is captured, tortured and is unable to save his young cousin. He returns home breaking under the weight of his guilt and becomes known as the Madman of Carraig Brigh.
When a pagan healer predicts that only a virgin bride can heal his son’s body and mind, Daire’s father sets off to find the perfect wife for his son. At the castle of the fearsome McLeods, he meets lovely and kind Fia MacLeod.
Although Daire does his best to frighten Fia, she sees the man underneath the damage and uses her charm and special gifts to heal his mind and heart. Will Daire let Fia love him or is he cursed with madness forever?
My Thoughts
I LOVE historical romance, even more so when you throw in a Scottish hero (those accents!!). In this story, we have a young man in his prime who is torn over the loss of his cousin. He takes full responsibility and turns to alcohol to help him deal with his grief and nightmares, except they make this all the worse. His Father is desperate to help him and calls in a pagan healer. The healer knows there is nothing she can do but instead tries to tell the Clan leader, that only a virgin bride could heal his son.
Here is where we enter Fia, she is not the bride that Daire’s Father pictures for him. Instead he sees her gentle nature, kindness and compassion with others and hopes that this too will heal Daire. We watch Fia struggle with her own fears and desires to help this man who is hurting so much on the inside. The two of them are drawn together but Daire fights it at every chance to avoid hurting her. He doesn’t want to hurt her the way his cousin was hurt.
The ending blew my mind! It definitely was not what I expected to happen from the beginning but about half way through you get the sense that something is not quite right with the nightmares that plague Daire. I can’t tell you too much as it will spoil it but it was definitely the ending that you want and need!
Beauty and the Highland Beast is a sweet, simple story of forgiveness, healing, hope and love. A great summer time read.
Rating: 4/5
About the Author
Lecia Cornwall lives and writes in Calgary, Canada in the beautiful foothills of the Canadian Rockies, with five cats, two teenagers, a crazy chocolate lab, and one very patient husband. She’s hard at work on her next book. Come visit Lecia at www.leciacornwall.com, or drop her a line at leciacornwall@shaw.ca.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
June 22, 2016
The Ringmaster’s Wife
In The Ringmaster’s Wife, an ounce of courage and a split-second leap of faith changes two women. Together, they propel two young women to chase a new life–one that’s reimagined from what they might have become.
About The Ringmaster’s Wife
In turn-of-the-century America, a young girl dreams of a world that stretches beyond the confines of a quiet life on the family farm. With little more than her wit and a cigar box of treasures to call her own, Mable steps away from all she knows, seeking the limitless marvels of the Chicago World’s Fair. There, a chance encounter triggers her destiny–a life with a famed showman by the name of John Ringling.
A quarter of a century later, Lady Rosamund Easling of Yorkshire, England, boards a ship to America as a last adventure before her life is planned out for her. There, the twenties are roaring, and the rich and famous gather at opulent, Gatsby-esque parties in the grandest ballrooms the country has to offer. The Jazz Age has arrived, and with it, the golden era of the American circus, whose queen is none other than the enigmatic Mable Ringling.
When Rosamund’s path crosses with Mable’s and the Ringlings’ glittering world, she makes the life-altering decision to leave behind a comfortable future of estates and propriety, instead choosing the nomadic life of a trick rider in the Ringling Brothers’ circus.
A novel that is at once captivating, deeply poignant, and swirling with exquisite historical details of a bygone world, The Ringmaster’s Wife will escort readers into the center ring, with its bright lights, exotic animals, and a dazzling performance that can only be described as the greatest show on earth!
My Thoughts
An incredibly powerful story of hope, trust, family and forgiveness. In this wonderful story from one of my favourite authors, Kristy Cambron, we have a tale that spreads throughout the years. This is all set in the thrilling backdrop of the Ringling Circus!
We start off with a young girl who is forced into a life that she does not suit. She wants and needs excitement and doesn’t fit into the typical role of young women during this time period. When a young man, who is scouting for the Ringling Circus, he sees so much potential in her to be so much more. He offers her the opportunity of a life time but only if she is courageous enough to take it on.
It is in the circus that Rosamund shines. She takes a leap of faith and finds out who she truly is. She puts her trust in the circus and finds a new family. The circus is a strong family unit that defend, protect and help their own. When she meets the mysterious, Mable, she finds the courage to become who she could really become. Mable’s story is told throughout the novel and I love watching how her story unfolds. Both women are so brave and put so much trust in their faith and dreams. This trust is what keeps them moving forward.
I loved how this story unfolds, both Rosamund and Mable’s stories make you cry, laugh and warm your heart. It is a tender book full of patience, love, hope and forgiveness. A novel that you can cherish and that you will not want to put down!
You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Kristy Cambron fancies life as a vintage-inspired storyteller. Her second novel, A Sparrow in Terezin, was named Library Journal Reviews’ “Pick of the Month (Christian Fiction)” for February 2015.
June 21, 2016
Interlude to Sentimental Me Book Spotlight
In this book spotlight, we have two books from author Michael Judkins: Interlude to Sentimental Me and Sentimental Me.
About Interlude to Sentimental Me: Volume Two
A collection of emotionally driven poetry that covers the story of pain, tribulations, happiness, self-esteem and self discovery through love and heartache. The Interlude will take readers on a journey of determination and imagery, which leads to the formation of short stories and performances.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Google Play, Smashwords, Kobo and Aois21market.
About Sentimental Me: Volume One
Sentimental Me – displays his ability to wrest good from bad, to display the courage to dig deep within himself to help others. Through an inspired melding of his unique voice and inspiring photographic images of nature, Michael provides the reader with a unique perspective of the human condition, inspiring others to follow their own creative paths without boundaries.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.
Poetry Lyric Video
About the Author
Michael Barry Judkins was born in the Bronx, New York, along with his four brothers and sisters. Michael’s childhood memories, although bittersweet, provided a rich foundation for him to draw upon later in life as an accomplished author.
Delightful memories of trips to the zoo or picking apples with his mother contrast greatly to daily reminders of what any hard-working family must battle in building a life in an urban setting. Domestic violence. Drugs. Gangs. All play their part in shaping a person – whether for good or bad is often an individual’s choice.
After spending years immersed in typical, reactive adolescent behaviors like skipping school, smoking and drinking, Michael began experimenting with other alternatives to developing new relationships and helping resolve social issues. As he took these first, proactive steps to be part of the solution, and not the problem, the germ of the idea for his first book – Sentimental Me – was born.
Graduating from high school a year early, and after a foray into the music business, Michael completed a BS degree in Human Services and MS in Mental Health Counseling. A daydreamer for as long as he can remember, Michael’s inability to forge a relationship with his beloved father before he passed when Michael was only two years old still haunts him today. His mother’s cherished memories of his father’s spirit and honored Armed Forces service, while providing some solace, also serve to make Michael wonder what might have been, if only.
Today, with several poetry collections and short stories in the works, Michael’s first release – Sentimental Me – displays his ability to wrest good from bad, to display the courage to dig deep within himself to help others. Through an inspired melding of his unique voice and inspiring photographic images of nature, Michael provides the reader with a unique perspective of the human condition, inspiring others to follow their own creative paths without boundaries.
Michael now resides in Allentown, P.A., and welcomes all readers to feel free to contact him at judkins_michal@yahoo.com to discuss your reaction to his work, or learn more about upcoming releases. You can connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.
The Giveaway!