Author: cvegnad

June 2, 2017

Celebrate the DVD Release of Kuu Kuu Harajuku: Music Baby Giveaway

On June 13th in the US and July 4th in Canada, the animated series KUU KUU HARAJUKU following the fun-filled adventures of the band HJ5 – Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G – through their super kawaii (cute) world of music, fashion and style will be released on DVD. Get ready to explore the world of music and fashion with this amazing hit!

About Kuu Kuu Harajuku: Music Baby

The animated series KUU KUU HARAJUKU follows the fun-filled adventures of the band HJ5 – Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G – through their super kawaii (cute) world of music, fashion and style. The inspiration for this popular animated series came from Grammy® Award-winning musician Gwen

Stefani who wanted to create an animated series for girls that encourages and celebrates creative self-expression, imagination and individuality. The show’s setting is inspired by the exuberant street fashion and creative youth culture of the Harajuku district but it takes place in a magical fantasy world like nothing you’ve ever seen before.

G is the lead singer of HJ5. She’s a natural leader and an amazing friend. She’s positive and enthusiastic, and fond of saying “Tick tock, time to rock!” Love is a fashionista, a great dancer, and cute as a button. She’s also a genius who often saves the day with her inventions. Angel is super chic, fun and enthusiastic. This fashionista has 325 pairs of shoes, and even her accessories have accessories! Music has a tough girl attitude, and is brutally honest. She brings a hint of edge and attitude to the group, and is fiercely protective of her friends. Baby sees the kawaii in all things: babies, puppies, rattlesnakes… She sees the good in everything, and also knows how to take care of herself. As G says, “Baby can charm the fire out of a dragon.”

Then, there is Rudie Rhodes, HJ5’s well-meaning but semi-incompetent manager. He books the band on all sorts of gigs, and they are happy to play anywhere, but dealing with villains, aliens and general Harajuku weirdness makes it impossible for them to ever finish a concert!

Episodes Include:

Totally Teen Genie
Angel’s Flight
Music, Baby
Wanted Audience
Game Over
Phony Ponies
Hello Puppy
G, This is Awfully Deep
Baby’s Birthday
Labour of Love
Bad Boy and Little Girl
Yummy Bear Nado
Drums of Doom
Adventures in Housesitting
BONUS: Bringing the Band to Life!

Trailer

Kuu Kuu Harajuku is a wonderful new series celebrating a young girls ability to be who she wants to be and celebrate their difference and uniqueness. They are funny, special, confident, brave and full of life. This is the perfect animated series to empower young girls to love themselves and be who they were meant to be. From the graphics to the music to the personality, you can’t help but fall in love.

Make sure to download the Kuu Kuu Harajuku band and Kuu Kuu Harajuku rainbow colouring pages to continue the music fun. You can also help your child take the Kuu Kuu Harajuku quiz to see which member they are most like!

You can pre-order a copy of this DVD from Shout! Kids Factory here as well as on Walmart, Target and Amazon.

The Giveaway!

My American and Canadian readers can enter now to win their own copy of this special DVD series from award winning Gwen Stefani. Enter via the Rafflcopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

June 1, 2017

The Lady Who Cried Murder

In The Lady Who Cried Murder, fame comes at a price. Some pay with their privacy. Others pay with their pride. Khloe Everest paid with her life.

About The Lady Who Cried Murder

Determined to get her pretty face in front of the cameras, Khloe Everest fakes an abduction only to make a grand entrance in the midst of a press conference held by Spencer’s Police Chief David O’Callaghan.

Three years later, after failing to catapult her notoriety into a long-lasting celebrity, Khloe Everest returns to Spencer upon her mother’s sudden death and seemingly finds another weapon to propel herself into the spotlight. Unfortunately, someone kills her before she can make this entrance.

In Lauren Carr’s sixth Mac Faraday Mystery, Mac and his friends come up against reality stars, politicians, has-beens, and wannabes. Mac also finds himself face-to-face with an old foe from his past who had managed to escape arrest during their last encounter. Now, Mac sees that his adversary has only become more powerful, and dangerous, with the passage of time.

Intent to not let this killer escape again, Mac and his friends need to put all of their talents together to put a stop to a cold-blooded lady killer.

My Thoughts

This Mac Faraday mystery is just as exciting and suspenseful as you have come to expect from Lauren Carr! She is an amazing author that draws you into the story, makes you fall in love with the characters (they feel like family!) and keeps you guessing right to the very end.

In this novel, we start off with a wanna be celebrity faking her abduction in order to make the news. Several years later, she still hasn’t found her fame and returns home to Spencer when her Mother dies. This is when she uncovers a secret that would propel her into the spotlight permanently but she pays for this secret with her life.

After the murder is discovered, Mac and his gang uncover layers of murders, politicians, lies and cover ups. Mac uncovers a tie to an old foe that he couldn’t arrest and this motivates him to solve this new mystery. He needs the help of his entire gang (including his furry members!) in order to solve these crimes that are twisted and hidden in cover ups.

This novel is amazing – you are left guessing right to the very end. It was an ending that I did not see coming at all! The plot is fast moving, unexpected and well written. The characters fully come alive in this novel – they are relatable, funny and ready for anything.

Lauren has another winner in The Lady Who Cried Murder – a definite must read in the Mac Faraday series.

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Lauren Carr is the international best-selling author of the Mac Faraday, Lovers in Crime, and Thorny Rose Mysteries—over twenty titles across three fast-paced mystery series filled with twists and turns!

Book reviewers and readers alike rave about how Lauren Carr’s seamlessly crosses genres to include mystery, suspense, romance, and humor.

Lauren is a popular speaker who has made appearances at schools, youth groups, and on author panels at conventions. She lives with her husband and three dogs (including the real Gnarly’s klutzy nephew Sterling) on a mountain in Harpers Ferry, WV.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

May 31, 2017

More Than a Soldier Book Review

More Than a Soldier is Angelo DiMarco’s powerful story of survival, resilience and courage.

About More Than a Soldier

Feeling a patriotic duty to defend his country after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, seventeen year old, Angelo J. DiMarco, enlists in the U.S. Army. Severely short of frontline fighters, the Army rushes Angelo through Ranger training and sends him to Italy as part of the 1st Ranger Battalion. Their objective: stop the German invasion.

Fighting on the front lines in Italy, the German’s teach Angelo a sobering lesson on life when they capture him during the bloody battle of Cisterna. Against insurmountable odds, Angelo miraculously escapes in a way that stretches the imagination. He survives behind enemy lines for over five months, hiding from the Germans and trying to outmaneuver them. He begs for food, sleeps in barns and suffers from many ailments, including dehydration, malnutrition, malaria and exposure to the elements.

My Thoughts

More Than a Solider is a truly powerful story of a young man who is determined to survive and fight for what he believes and knows is true. It is a story full of bravery, grace, resilience and leaves you feeling humbled, sad and hopeful. While a true story about Angelo’s experiences during the war, it does not glorify war. It shows us the real pain, the hopes and frailness of life.

Angelo enlisted in the US Army and was soon off to fight at the front with the very important battalion, the Rangers. They are trained in a physically demanding manner that makes you cringe but once they are out in the field, you truly understand why they had to be so physically, mentally and emotionally prepared. When they are captured and many of the men in battalion are killed, you worry that the end is near. Somehow he manages to escape but is then out in the open behind enemy lines. This begins an even greater struggle for food, shelter and survival.

Through this novel we are exposed to the real sides of war – the brutality, the illness, the friendships, the hopes and fears. Everything is laid out bare for us in this novel. You feel sadness, hope and pray for him throughout his journey. More Than A Soldier should be a must read for young adults and adults a like. It is a truly special story that I feel blessed to have had read.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Daniel M. Annechino, a former book editor, wrote his first book, How to Buy the Most Car for the Least Money, while working as a General Manager in the automobile business. But his passion had always been fiction, particularly thrillers. He spent two years researching serial killers before finally penning his gripping and memorable debut novel They Never Die Quietly. He has written and published five novels—all thrillers. But his latest work, More Than a Soldier, is a Historical Biography set in Italy during WWII.

A native of New York, Annechino now lives in San Diego with his wife, Jennifer. He loves to cook, enjoys a glass of vintage wine, and spends lots of leisure time on the warm beaches of Southern California.

The Giveaway!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

May 30, 2017

Watch Netflix When and Where You Want It #StreamTeam

“If you don’t like how the table is set, turn over the table.” – Frank Underwood

I don’t think my children can ever truly appreciate how far technology has come in the last twenty years (I would even say ten!). I remember growing up having to record on video tapes to be able to watch a show later or just being out of luck if you were not at home at the right time from school or work to watch your favourite show. I used to race home from school in order to watch Saved By The Bell! If you missed a scene on the television, there was no rewind button and you couldn’t just pause a show in order to get a refill or go to the bathroom. I still remember when we received the TMN guide every month and I would plan out my month based on when the movies I wanted to watch would be on!

Netflix has changed the way we watch television. Gone are the days when you were limited to watching series and movies at certain times of the day and month, gone are the days of being unable to rewind and pause and welcome to days of flexibility and watching what we want when we want it.

While Netflix gives us the opportunity to watch television like never before, it the viewers that are determining a whole new schedule for television viewing. Thrillers for breakfast, comedies in bed and learning at night? All of this is possible now!

In our home, it is Power Rangers and comedies before school, documentaries after school (the kids LOVE Growing Up Wild and all of the amazing animal documentaries) and action and thrillers at bedtime, for the big kids – hubby and I – of course! Of course the best part is this can change anytime because we have the ability to watch a wide range of shows, even though our youngest is currently making us watch Power Rangers Super Samurai the entire season for about the twentieth time.

BONUS: Are you in Ontario and traveling this summer? Check out the new download zones before you hit Cottage Country! Now you can stop the tears and frustration during the long drives up to the cottage by stopping in one of the download zones to load up on some great hits. The download zones can be found in these spots and dates:

Canada Day weekend

Friday June 30 at the Bass Pro Shop at Vaughan Mills – 1 Bass Pro Mills Dr
Saturday, July 1 and Sunday, July 2 at Gravenhurst – 101 Centennial Dr

Civic Holiday weekend

Friday, August 4 at the Bass Pro Shop at Vaughan Mills – 1 Bass Pro Mills Dr

Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6 in Huntsville – 37 Main St E

Labour Day weekend

Friday, September 1 at the Bass Pro Shop at Vaughan Mills – 1 Bass Pro Mills Dr

Talk about taking streaming to a whole new level!

How has watching television in your home changed? How do you stream?

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

May 29, 2017

Get On The Move with Go! Go! Smart Wheels from VTech

Little ones have a fascination with cars and wheels. Both of my boys loved to play hours on end with anything that had wheels that they could zip around the floor and the walls (especially the walls!). They were in even more awe when those same cars lit up and made noises.

Knowing that little children are fascinated with the movement, noises and lights of cars, VTech designed the Go! Go! Smart Wheels collection that helps children learn about the world around them while feeding their desire to play with cars that move and make noise. The collection of vehicles sing songs and can even zoom off on their own with the touch of the button.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Press and Race Fire Truck helps your child explore the world of fire safety and emergency response. Many children want to learn more about these trucks and the heroes that are aboard, and what better way to introduce them to their heroes than through play. Children can learn about firefighting, the letter ‘F’ and even perform their own rescues with their own fire truck. With the press of a button, their fire truck is quickly off to the rescue and your little one becomes the hero in an important rescue mission.

The fire truck fits perfectly into your child’s hand and is geared to children aged 1 to 5. The fire truck will also respond to Smart Point locations on Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets and Go! Go! Animals tracks, which is a definite win-win in my mind.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels Press and Race Race Car introduces your child to life in the fast lane – in a fun way! This tiny but powerful race car lights up, sings songs and helps your child learn about the letter ‘R’ – you can even add in fun sound effects. Press, hold and let go and your race car is off to win the championship! This race car is the perfect gift for the child in your life that loves to be on the move and make cars zoom fast. Like the Fire Truck, the Race Car also responds to Smart Points on Go! Go! Smart Wheels playsets and Go! Go! Animals tracks.

The Go! Go! Smart Wheels collection also includes a dump truck, runway airplane and a trot and travel royal carriage. All of these VTech products can be purchased at Toys R Us or Walmart.

Make sure to follow VTech on Facebook and Twitter to keep up to date with all the latest news and products for your little one.

Disclosure: I received the above products in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.