Author: cvegnad

The Price of Truth

iRead Book Tours

In The Price of Truth, shocking betrayals surface and long-buried secrets claw their way to the light, Karis realizes the price of truth may cost more than she’s willing to pay. 

About The Price of Truth

Seventeen-year-old Karis Russo is no stranger to pain. Still reeling from her father’s death, she’s weighted down by grief she can’t seem to outrun. But nothing prepares her for the night that upends her life once again.

After attending the grand opening of The Aragon Luxury Resort and Spa, Karis wakes up bloody and bruised with no memory of what happened. Determined to find the truth, she embarks on a relentless quest for answers.

Her investigation takes a surprising turn when she learns Mason Whitman, practically Duncan High “royalty”, has harbored a crush on her for years. His charm and their undeniable chemistry throw her into a tailspin. Caught between piecing together the night she lost and embracing the possibility of love she never saw coming, Karis convinces herself she can juggle both worlds. 

But the deeper she digs into the mystery of that fateful night, the darker the truth becomes. As shocking betrayals surface and long-buried secrets claw their way to the light, Karis realizes the price of truth may cost more than she’s willing to pay. 

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

You can enter to win a signed copy of this book (US only) here.

About the Author

The Price of Truth is Michele Clarizio’s first book in the Chasing Peace series. Michele is a near-native of Denver, Colorado, where she’s fortunate to have her adult children, Mackenzie and Matthew, nearby. 

For more information and to stay informed about the next Chasing Peace novel, please visit MicheleClarizio.com and be sure to join her email list.

Connect with Michele on her website, Instagram, and Facebook.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Beyond the Light of the Willow Tree

iRead Book Tours

In Beyond the Light of the Willow Tree, with each new generation, precious souls are called upon to serve a higher purpose. But each calling is forged in challenge and fear, and every journey hinges upon the choices made.

About Beyond the Light of the Willow Tree

In the deepest dark, there is only light.

With each new generation, precious souls are called upon to serve a higher purpose. But each calling is forged in challenge and fear, and every journey hinges upon the choices made.

In present-day North Carolina, Gabriel is devoted to his wife, Jennifer, and their five rambunctious kids… until the day tragedy strikes the Connor household, setting in motion a chai of events that will transform humanity.

In ancient Rome, young Gabrielus leaves his humble village to become a protector of the emperor. He dreams of bringing glory and wealth to his family and returning a hero to his love, Jennamine. But the path ahead is steeped in grief and vengeance, and Gabrielus will be forced to make a choice that echoes through the ages.

One soul. Infinite journeys. A universe of possibilities.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Enter to win a signed copy of this book (US/CAN) here.

About the Author

At the base of a mountain in Connecticut sits a peach orchard in a quiet neighborhood. Here, hawks soar high as coyotes slink among the trees, leaving trails of wisdom and mystery. In the early hours, the veil between worlds is as thin as the morning mist. This is where Daniel E. Chambrello sits and thinks. As the youngest of five, Daniel is a born observer, preferring solitude as he questions everything from consciousness to Catholic doctrine. While journeying and experiencing love, heartbreak, and so much in between, Daniel’s knowing has expanded, and his questions have grown deeper. When a good friend handed him a book by a spiritual teacher, it was a life-defining moment, confirming all Daniel had known as truth and further kindling a story that he’d felt called to write since childhood. In this ethos, Daniel’s first novel sprung forth—a spiritual guidebook weaving together love, adventure, and truths that are best felt rather than described.​

Disclosure: This post is part of a spotlight tour, I received no compensation. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Red Sun Rising

iRead Book Tours

Red Sun Rising is a sweeping epic fantasy series, perfect for fans of political intrigue, morally complex characters, and dynastic power struggles.

About Red Sun Rising

Power is not inherited. It is taken—by blood, by fire, by force.

The Empire is rotting from within. Corruption festers in its courts, rebellions simmer at its borders, and old gods whisper in the shadows. Amid the chaos, one family sees opportunity.

House de Bordeaux has long stood on the fringes of power—noble in name, forgotten in legacy. But when a mysterious death fractures the imperial line, a brutal new game begins. As alliances crumble and enemies multiply, the de Bordeaux heirs must decide what they’re willing to sacrifice in their pursuit of the throne—and what darkness they’ll awaken along the way.

From the first clash of voltedge swords to the final echo of betrayal, Red Sun Rising is a gripping tale of ambition, treachery, and the high cost of empire.

The first installment in a sweeping epic fantasy series, perfect for fans of political intrigue, morally complex characters, and dynastic power struggles.

You can pre-order this book on the website and Amazon.

Enter to win a signed copy (US only) here.

About the Author

Allen Lyle lives in Athens, Georgia, (GO DAWGS!) where he shares his home with his wife, four cats, a sweet pup, and several hundred books. A lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, he fell under their spell at a young age and never looked back. Allen considers himself a lifelong devotee of science fiction and fantasy, He has always been drawn to the intersection of history and the speculative—asking questions like, “What if the Byzantine Empire had rockets?” or “What if Tolkien’s world had pirates?”

An avid gamer, Allen has spent countless hours orchestrating dynastic dramas in Crusader Kings III, an inspiration for his debut novel. His fascination with history extends beyond pixels and pages—he’s an enthusiastic collector of antiques, a lover of travel, and a devoted fan of minor league baseball. When he’s not writing, Allen can be found painting miniatures or reading. His debut novel takes readers thousands of years into a post-apocalyptic future where the kings and queens of Europe—now called Yuropa—rule once more. It’s sure to hit the sweet spot for fantasy, scifi, and history lovers alike…just like Allen.

Connect with Allen on his website and Goodreads.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Pei’s Pineapple Cakes

iRead Book Tours

Pei’s Pineapple Cakes is a charming story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.

About Pei’s Pineapple Cakes

While visiting her grandmother in central Taiwan, Pei finds herself in the middle of a mystery. The pineapple cakes from her grandmother’s bakery have disappeared! Soon Pei is collecting clues as she embarks on a quest to find the missing pineapple cakes.

From traditional Taiwanese artisan craftsmanship to picturesque villages of central Taiwan, Pei discovers the beauty of her grandmother’s hometown. This is a charming story of courage, adventure, and the love between grandchildren and grandparents.

Pei’s Pineapple Cakes is an elaborately illustrated picture book that makes an ideal gift:

  • -Real locations from central Taiwan make for an inspiring geographical, historical and cultural reading experience
  • -Storyline sparks dialogue around kindness, empathy, courage, and resilience
  • -Exquisite illustrations of Taiwanese artisans’ craftsmanship foster appreciation for heritage and traditions
  • -Bilingual text in English and Mandarin encourages learning in both languages

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, BAM.

Enter to win a signed copy of Pei’s Pineapple Cakes (US only) here.

About the Author

Crystal Z. Lee is a bilingual writer who divides her time between the U.S. and Asia. Crystal grew up in Taipei and later returned to live there in her adult years. Some of Crystal’s fondest memories in Taiwan include boating at Sun Moon Lake, chasing butterflies in Maolin, making pineapple cakes and eating her way through night markets with her family. Besides children’s books, Crystal’s other published works include poetry and a novel. Her other book about Taiwan is titled Kai the Dancing Butterfly. She is also the author of Mei’s Mermaid Mission, A Unicorn Named Rin, and Love and Other Moods.

You can connect with the author on their website, Instagram and Goodreads.

About the Illustrator

Allie Su grew up in Yunlin county, Taiwan. She often finds her illustration inspiration from the great outdoors. One of her favorite places to hike in Taiwan is Sun-Link-Sea Forest in Nantou. She adores Taiwanese cuisine and night market foods, such as stinky tofu, vegetarian noodles and taro pastries from Taichung. Allie also illustrated Mei’s Mermaid Mission and Kai the Dancing Butterfly.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Why Won’t You Sleep?!

In Why Won’t You Sleep?! researcher and sleep coach Macall Gordon and the Sleep Lady, Kim West, offer a tried-and-true approach to shifting sleep behavior that actually works . . . even when nothing else has.

About Why Won’t You Sleep?!

A tsunami of modern sleep training methods promise “easy” and “quick” results and for many parents and children, these methods work as intended. However, there is a large, exhausted group of parents whose children have sleep problems that are not responsive to those crying-based methods.

These children tend to be more reactive, persistent, and perceptive than their peers. And when it comes to sleep, little ones with this kind of temperament put up a much, much bigger fight. They need a different approach. That’s where Why Won’t You Sleep? comes in.

Based on extensive research and proven methods used with thousands of families just like yours, this guide gives you strategies tailored to your child’s unique temperament. Readers will learn:

  • Why popular sleep training techniques don’t work for some children
  • The strengths and challenges of your child’s temperament traits
  • Simple changes to your child’s routine and environment that set you up for success
  • How to create a plan for your child, using the time-tested approach that doesn’t require leaving anyone alone to cry
  • Tips, tricks, and workarounds for bedtime shenanigans, night wakings, co-sleeping, and more
  • How to confidently push past plateaus and setbacks

Along the way, Gordon and West provide much-needed encouragement, validation, and insights to bolster parents’ self-confidence and resilience. Why Won’t You Sleep?! gives you concrete answers to why sleep has been more challenging for these kiddos—and offers parents a much-needed dose of “I’ve got this!”

Our Thoughts

My husband and I are the proud parents of three children – 20, 13 and 3 months. I feel it is safe to say one of the hardest things you will have to do as a parent is establishing a sleep schedule and feeding. I also feel that these two areas are likely where you will receive the most ‘feedback’, advice, criticism, comparison and everything in between. Most of this comes from a positive place, but when you are struggling and tired as a parent it can be that breaking point for you. On top of this, add the constant bombardment on social media about the newborn who sleeps 12 hours, the wonderful sleep schedule that has ensured that their child sleeps through the night on their own, etc.. The best thing I did with my third child was to delete one of my social media accounts and then limit my usage on another to help with my anxiety and comparison to others. While I am happy that others may have had success with their methods, I did not find that they were helpful for the majority of parents and it added a layer of anxiety that I did not need at such a vulnerable stage of parenthood.

I was excited to read this guide, but also hesitant to see their approach. Most parenting guides, that I have read, take a one way only approach, don’t always feel right for my parenting style and tend to avoid looking at the unique personality traits of the child (children are all born different and it is hard to just lump them in one category). They can sometimes make you feel like you are failing (not their intent) but the guides just doesn’t work for your own little one for a variety of reasons.

I am not going to lie, I cried when I started reading the guide. For the first time, I felt heard as a parent, felt that it was okay to fail and have to start over again, that it was okay to revert back if needed but mostly I cried because of the non-judgmental tone and understanding approach. I have had three kids and this is the first time I didn’t feel like a failure. Those sleepless nights on the floor beside their bed, rocking them to sleep, bouncing (the list can go on), and the way that other parents made me feel bad for doing (I have heard so many times, ‘just put them down when they are drowsy’ and ‘let them cry it out’) were finally recognized. I felt that I wasn’t completely losing my mind and that I wasn’t failing, I just wasn’t taking the right approach to match what my child needs at night.

My children were (and are) a livewire, and each of them is slightly different. My eldest was labelled colicky and struggled with sleep, needing to be held or to hold on to my husband or I, but during the day he was the most social butterfly – he loved talking and playing with others. My middle child was slightly more shy, preferring to watch the action during the day but at night, again like his brother, preferred to be held, and rocked to sleep. Our youngest, while it is still early, has a completely different temperament and loves to sleep, she is quieter and prefers to watch the action and be held during the day. After reading through this guide, I realized that all the stress and anxiety I went through when they were younger was because I was trying to force them into following a routine that would never work for them because of their own unique personality.

The guide takes a great approach for preparing you to understand and create a sleep schedule that works for your family. It starts off with recognizing where you are at, providing reassurance that you are doing a great job and then helping us understand our little ones. Then we dive into recognizing is everyone ready to start working on their sleep. Which also comes with important checklists, symptoms/items to watch out for and ensuring you as the parent are ready to (a good check in with our emotional and physical state is just as important before we start tackling the sleep schedule!). We then dive right into four important strategies to tackle the most common sleep issues, the what if scenarios and then most importantly – what is progress and what does this look like. Sometimes as parents, if we don’t see an immediate change then we may be worried it isn’t working but this isn’t realistic for little ones.

The approach, tone and check ins are so important for parents. Why Won’t You Sleep?! reads like a conversation, versus a one size fits all approach. I felt no-judgement, reassurance for my fears, and understanding of the unique struggles that are being faced at such a vulnerable point in a parenting journey. We are armed with checklists, what to watch out for, examples and what to do if ‘x’ happens. Why Won’t You Sleep?! is a definite parent must have, I would recommend it to all parents regardless of where there child is at. It is not a read once and put it back on the shelf, it is definitely one of those guides that you should and will take back down, make notes, bookmark pages and reread again.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Macall is a researcher, advocate, and certified pediatric sleep consultant specializing in non-cry-it-out approaches. She has deep expertise in the sleep training research literature and parenting advice and she advocates for a change in how we think about sleep training. . .especially as it relates to children who are alert, sensitive, intense, persistent, and perceptive (“livewires”).

She has a B.S. in Human Biology from Stanford University and an M.A. in Applied Psychology from Antioch University, Seattle where she worked as a Senior Lecturer in the graduate Counseling Psychology program. She has conducted and presented research worldwide on sleep training advice, parenting, and the effect of temperament on sleep. She is also a certified Gentle Sleep Coach trained by co-author Kim West (aka “The Sleep Lady”). She comes to this work because she had two sensitive, alert, intense children, and she didn’t sleep for 18 years.

KIM WEST, MSW, is a mother of two daughters and a Clinical Social Worker (which is a child and family therapist) for over 25 years. Known as The Sleep Lady® by her clients, she has personally helped over 20,000 tired parents all over the world get a good night’s sleep without letting their children cry it out alone.

Kim has appeared on the Dr. Phil, Today Show, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, TLC’s Bringing Home Baby and CNN, and has been written about in a number of publications including The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Baby Talk, Parenting, The Baltimore Sun, USA Today, The Telegraph, The Irish Independent and the Washington Post.

Kim is the author of three books: “The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight: Gentle Proven Solutions to Help Your Child Sleep Well and Wake Up Happy”, “ The Good Night, Sleep Tight Workbook” and “The Good Night, Sleep Tight Workbook for Children with Special Needs”. Her first book “The Sleep Lady’s Good Night, Sleep Tight” is in its third edition and has sold over 140,000 paperback copies.

Dedicated to providing tired parents with excellent sleep advice and coaching while knowing Kim could not help everyone herself, she started the Gentle Sleep Coach® Training and Certification program in 2010–the first and most comprehensive training program in the world. This program was the start to what is now a now a global industry- Baby and Child Sleep Consultants. To date, the Gentle Sleep Coach Training and Certification program is available in 2 languages.

You can find her free sleep guides and resources at Sleeplady.com.

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

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