Author: cvegnad

July 9, 2018

Boy on the Beach Book Review

In a Boy on the Beach, a strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.

About Boy on the Beach

Andrew Foster, a real estate developer in San Diego, is a man suddenly haunted by his past. Memories, like specters from his former life of sex, drugs and rock and roll have come crashing into his current world of business in this sunny coastal city. The ominous, repeated appearance of a black SUV at the beach where he meets his sister each week, has triggered fears that it’s payback time for a bad choice he made years ago.

To add to his frustrations, his hopes of a big breakthrough in the San Diego real estate market haven’t come to pass. He’s starting to wonder if his visions of success will ever come true when an investor offers to finance his dream project. Soon things start to fall into place for Andrew in business, life, and even love. He starts dating the beautiful and business-savvy Nicole but even with her at his side he can’t seem to shake the ghosts of his past. As the relationship with Nicole deepens, Andrew opens up to her about the many loves and adventures that have taken him from the crazy days of living in Big Sur and Joshua Tree to business success in San Diego. Her wise insights help him face the character flaws that have caused him to fail in his past relationships.

Rounding out his social life is his once-a-week task of assisting his sister with her nanny job watching a young boy named Chandler. They build sand castles on the beach and enjoy the beauty of nature together. But the now ominous weekly appearance of a strange car at the beach has awakened Andrew’s fears. Is the boy in danger? Or worse, has an enemy from Andrew’s past come seeking revenge and now Chandler’s caught in the middle?

A strange twist of events threatens to destroy Andrew’s dreams, but as he searches for answers, a sudden revelation offers hope of a future he never imagined.

My Thoughts

Boy on the Beach takes an interesting angle of both past and present and how our past actions can sometimes come back to haunt us.

Andrew had a very interesting and unique past, with the carefree lifestyle of casual sex and drugs. At that point in his life he was selfish and at times uncaring. His actions were done in the moment with little thought to the future and to others. While at times, this served him well he did make a few enemies this way. One in the form of the woman he had thought he was going to marry at one point and the other in the form of a man who claimed he had spiritual powers and could lay curses on others.

In our present view of Andrew, we see a man who has struggled with his personal business and the demons that haunt him from his past. He has made a few business deals but not enough in the building industry to make a name for himself. When the dream job lands at his feet, he is cautious at first but throws that all to the wind for the chance to complete his dream job. What he didn’t know were the lies, betrayal and revenge that were hidden behind this dream job that left me as the reader reeling.

This was an intense story of betrayal and revenge. As we flip from his past to his present, we are presented with a complete story of how Andrew made it to where he was and we find out more about why someone would want to hurt him with his business. When we find out the connections between our characters, my mind was blown – I never saw it coming! While it was a shock, the ending left me with a sense of hope and maybe some peace for Andrew. That he could finally forgive his own actions and move forward, making better choices for his future and those who he loves.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

R.D. Maddux has story telling in his blood. Since he was young he’s always loved a good tale. He’s been writing seriously since he was in high school and college. His novels range from Mystery and Intrigue to Sci-fi/fantasy. With Boy On The Beach he’s set the story in modern America, to be exact, on the West Coast of California. He’s a native of the golden state and has been a resident of San Diego since 1987. Before that he grew up in northern California and lived in the Sacramento Valley and Bay Area with sojourns in some of the beautiful parts of our state.

Living in California for over 60 years he couldn’t help but watch the way things have changed in our culture and the impact this coast makes on the rest of America and the world. So even though Boy On The Beach is fiction, like most serious novels, it is not without a context and comment on issues we all face in our changing world. It takes place in real locations that are very familiar to him and its characters, which are fictional, no doubt have their counterparts in the real world. Boy On The Beach is a story of intrigue, suspense, revenge, love and redemption with flashbacks to the era when sex, drugs and rock and roll set our culture on it’s inevitable journey to our present day. This idea has been rattling around in his heart and mind for a decade and it’s finally coming to the page.

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Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

July 3, 2018

Love Beneath the Mighty Dome Book Spotlight

Turn the pages of Love Beneath the Mighty Dome and discover what happens to those confronted by just this dilemma, how it affects their lives, their ability to function, their ability to love.

About Love Beneath the Mighty Dome

What if you felt that Almighty God had called you personally to devote your life exclusively to His service only to discover that those in charge of your training were people not worthy of your respect? Would you stubbornly stick to your path? Would you rebel and try to change the institution from within? Would you begin to doubt yourself and your own integrity? Or would you question whether the institution itself was actually what its founder, Jesus of Nazareth, had intended so many hundreds of generations before you?

Turn the pages of Love Beneath the Mighty Dome and discover what happens to those confronted by just this dilemma, how it affects their lives, their ability to function, their ability to love.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Jet.

Book Trailer

About the Author

Ronald J. Wichers was born in Lake Ronkonkoma New York in 1947. He attended Catholic School until 1965, studied History and literature at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas until being drafted into the United States Army in 1970. He was assigned to a rifle company in the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam and, after sustaining severe wounds in a gun battle, including the loss of his left am, was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, the Army Commendation Medal for Heroism and the Bronze Star Medal.

He later studied theology full time at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley California. He has published several short stories about the Vietnam war. The Fear of Being Eaten/A Biography of the Heart is his fifth novel.

You can connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

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

June 30, 2018

Explore and Learn with Junior Maker by DK Canada

Create, discover, play and learn with Junior Maker brought to you by DK Canada.

About Junior Maker

Little ones will love to get in on the maker fun with this cool book that supplements and complements the subjects they learn at school, while also encouraging hands-on interactivity and play.

With clear step-by-step instructions and photos, young children will learn about a given subject through interactive activities, crafts, and experiments. There are a huge variety of projects to choose from–from watching a homemade volcano erupt or building a storm in a jar to taking a trip back in time to see how the Roman legionaries conquered their enemies. In addition to nature and history, the book also covers wildlife and space, so there’s something for animal lovers and future astronauts alike.

Our Thoughts

Children have a natural curiosity of the world around them. They want to touch, feel and ask questions. It is so important as parents that we support this and actually encourage this behaviour as it will serve them well in the long run.

Junior Maker is a fantastic resource for parents and children who love to make experiments and ask questions in order to learn more about the world around them. It is roughly letter sized with a hard cover and uses bright, bold illustrations that are appropriate for this age group. It excites them and draws them into the learning.

This book covers important topics like: space, nature, history, animals and science. The alien invasion pages were my own personal favourites! This wide range of topics is age appropriate and uses humours and illustrations to make learning fun (a win win for parents!). The experiments and crafts are easy to follow and contains a full list of what you will need (and most you will find in your own home or maybe even outside. We made a series of stone creatures for our own garden and had a blast creating our little animal friends (although a few of those creatures definitely came from someone’s imagination!). Our next craft for this summer? Bird feeders, Roman shields and a lion mosaic!

This is an excellent summer time learning book that both you and your child will have a fantastic time learning and creating together. It gets them away from electronics (a must in the summer) and having fun together as a family.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and DK Canada.

Rating: 5/5

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

June 28, 2018

The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius

In The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius, two bickering turtles manage to solve a very real crime without ever leaving their tank.

About The Case of the Pinched Stradivarius

From their aquarium in the window of an apartment in a New York high-rise, two bickering turtles manage to solve a very real crime without ever leaving their tank. They are pets, limited to swimming and fighting over the right to sit on the one rock in their tank. One day, while looking out the window, they see a crime committed: a little girl’s violin is stolen by a bad man who grabs it and runs away. The turtles are the only witnesses, and because they are turtles, nobody can hear them call for help. This is the story of how they manage to solve the crime and bring the thief to justice and thus become: Miles and Fargo, turtle detectives.

Our Thoughts

This adorably illustrated children’s book follows the tale of two inspiring and curious turtles in New York. They adore their Mom but are annoyed and a little confused by their two dog siblings. They watch the world around them, both inside and outside, from the comfort of their tank. One of these days, they witnessed the robbery of a very special violin, a Stradivarius, from a young girl. They know exactly who the thief was but what they couldn’t do? Tell anyone! They tried to explain it to their Mom but she doesn’t speak turtle (of course). When they try to enlist the help of their furry siblings, they learn that dogs sometimes aren’t the best listeners!

They do manage to trick their furry siblings into helping them solve the mystery with the easiest trick in the book to get a dog to listen – treats! While super creative and really the true heroes behind the story, it is their dog siblings that get all the credit at the end of the story for solving the crime.

This was a well written children’s book that was engaging and full of humour. You can’t help laugh at Miles and Fargo and fall in love with them. The same goes for their furry siblings, we laughed out loud at the bichon part not taking orders because we have a bichon and it is true they are definitely not good at following orders (she is the queen bee in our house!). The illustrations helped to bring the story to life. What I liked the most was that in front of each sentence had a picture of the character who was speaking, it helped to make us feel as though we were a part of the story. This is a great story from start to finish that all children will enjoy.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

ELAINE LOESER is a fiction writer, reformed lawyer, and enthusiastic Chicagoan. While living in Los Angeles, she wrote for the long-running NBC drama Law & Order, as well as other television dramas. She taught television writing at the University of Michigan. She is the owner (the accurate, but not preferred term) of two 21-year-old red-eared slider turtles who inspired the events in this book. They were brought home one day from downtown L.A. by her husband, Jerry, for whom this was and still is, standard operating procedure. This story is ripped from the headlines. The events depicted here are fictional, and not based on any actual people. The animals, however, are very real indeed. These are their stories.

About the Illustrator

GREG ARVANITAKIS started drawing at a young age, mostly on the walls in his house. His first illustrated book was completed while in second grade. It won an award and placed in a state-wide young author s contest. Thirty some years later, he illustrated this book. In between, he grew up drawing pictures, going to school for art and design, and becoming an art director. When not drawing pictures, Greg spends time with his wife and two children, who have been excited about and supportive of this project as well as valuable critics. They provide creative inspiration for him on a daily basis. Sincere thanks go to David Robson and Suzie Isaacs of Ampersand, Inc. for their input and assistance; Elaine Loeser for this wonderful story and opportunity; Lauren B. for introducing Greg to Elaine in the first place; and Mom, who always bought crayons, markers, colored pencils and paper for drawing.

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

June 27, 2018

One for the Rogue Book Review

In One for the Rogue, love is the greatest discovery of all.

About One for the Rogue

Geologist Gemma Hastings has no interest in pursuing romance and no patience for Lord Cameron Lisle, an esteemed fossil hunter who has a way of always honing in on her territory as handsome though he may be. But when a shocking attack puts Gemma in very real danger, she may have to accept Lisle’s offers of protection. Even if that means entering into a dangerous flirtation.

Lisle was once amused by Gemma’s dedication to her work. But now that he understands how much he’s underestimated her a woman whose beauty is matched only by her genius―Lisle is desperate to prove his respect…and prove himself worthy of her. But is he too late? A bitter rival, desperate to steal Gemma’s scientific findings, is still at-large. Can Lisle help uncover the culprit and keep her safe forever, in his loving arms?

My Thoughts

I loved this series of novels from Manda Collins! She takes a time period that didn’t encourage women to educate themselves but instead place the focus on their dowry and their ability to be quiet and defer to the men in their lives and she creates independent, strong, educated female characters ready to take on the world.

The focus of this novel is on Gemma, who is well-educated in the area of fossils – more so than many of the males she comes in contact with. But despite being so educated and knowledgable she is not welcome in this field where only men are deemed to be leaders and educators. Instead of letting this discourage her, she continues on her road – learning, recording and educating herself. She has setbacks but she never lets this stop her. She is a force to reckon with!

Enter her brother in law (who also happens to study in the same field) who unknowingly had rejected one of her articles and sparks begin to fly. He finds himself attracted to her intelligence, strength and independence. But Gemma is not looking for love and neither is he, so it was amusing at times watching their interactions.

Throw in a special fossil that is coveted by many in her field, murder and theft and you have one incredible novel! Gemma and Cameron need to solve who is behind the murder and trying to harm Gemma before they take her life and steal the coveted fossil that was left specifically for Gemma.

This was a great, well written novel with a great plot and even better characters. I loved Gemma’s strength and intelligence but also her openness to change throughout the novel. A great read from start to finish – I would love to see more in this series!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Manda Collins is the author of The Lords of Anarchy series, The Ugly Duckling series and the Wicked Widows series as well as several other Regency-set romances. She spent her teen years wishing she’d been born a couple of centuries earlier, preferably in the English countryside. Time travel being what it is, she resigned herself to life with electricity and indoor plumbing, and read lots of books. When she’s not writing, she’s helping other people use books, as an academic librarian.

Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.