Author: cvegnad

June 28, 2019

Once Upon a Bad Boy

Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting love?

About Once Upon a Bad Boy

Sadie Gold is ready to take her career to the next level with the role of a lifetime. Finally, she can shake her reputation as a pretty face with more wealth and connections than talent. But Sadie is not prepared for the wild turn her own life is about to take. The man in charge of training Sadie for her most demanding role yet is none other than her first real boyfriend—the one who took her heart and ran away.

Bo Ibarra is as good-looking and irresistible as ever. Maybe even more so, now that everything once worked against them—Sadie’s pampered and privileged upbringing and Bo’s childhood in a family struggling to make ends meet—is in the past. But the future is still unwritten…and getting there, together, means coming clean about painful secrets and slashing through nasty tabloid rumors while trying to control the attraction that crackles between them. Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting love?

My Thoughts

Once Upon a Bad Boy is a lovely story of forgiveness, healing and second chances.

Our two main characters were once young and in love. They had a bright future and couldn’t be separated. All of this changed the night of the prom when Bo breaks up with Sadie and never explains why.

Sadie was heartbroken and left their town to pursue a career in acting. She never had an easy go at her profession even though she was immensely talented – every one would brush her off as the rich girl who got the job because of her parents. She manages to score the role of a life time that will help boost her career. The only problem? She will be filming back near her hometown where her heart was broken so long ago. To top that one off – her stunt trainer is the one who broke her heart!

Sparks immediately begin to fly in this story as the two have an electric chemistry that they can not deny. They try to remain professional but it becomes clear that they are far too attracted to each other. The only problem? How do they clear up their past – Sadie wants and deserves answers. Do they have a future together or is this relationship purely physical? This peels off quite the scab for the couple but also brings with it understanding and forgiveness.

This is a beautiful story of second chances that you will fall in love with. It is honest, loving, sexy and more. A fantastic summer time read!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie Johnson―aka #thewritinglush―taught high school English and Theatre for several years. An award winning author and a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin. She lives happily ever after with her husband, two redheaded daughters, a dog that’s more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. She is the author of the Sometimes in Love series which includes Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy.

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

June 28, 2019

Rogue Most Wanted

Rogue Most Wanted is the next book in the sparkling, romantic Cavensham Heiress series by Janna MacGregor.

About Rogue Most Wanted

There’s one creed all Cavensham men subscribe to: they fall in love completely and decidedly. But what happens when the woman you fall in love with swears she’ll only marry you as a last resort?

Lady Theodora Worth needs to marry fast in order to keep her estate. It’s been her heart and home for years, and she’ll not lose it to anyone. There’s just one problem—as a woman who was raised in isolation by her grandfather, she’s completely incapable of pouring a cup of tea, never mind wooing a man. She’ll need a little matchmaking help from her sprightly next-door neighbor in order to find a convenient husband.

Lord William Cavensham’s heart was broken years ago, and since that day he vowed to never love again. But his spirited Great Aunt Stella is determined he’ll marry or not inherit a single penny from her. And she’s got just the woman in mind—her beautiful and completely hapless next-door neighbor, Thea.

Thea and Will agree there’s no sense in marrying each other. Will wholeheartedly believes he’s incapable of love, and Thea refuses to marry the first man she’s practically met. But Will may be the rogue Thea wants the most after all.

My Thoughts

I fell in love with this beautiful story that made me laugh, cry and at times made my heart so sore.

Thea has a beautiful soul, she did everything she could do take care of her Grandfather and protect him from society especially as he declined in his later years. This took quite a toll on her and prevented her from being a part of society or securing a husband but this never stopped her from caring for him. It did however mean that she was lacking in terms of social graces. When her Grandfather passes and she risks losing her title and home to a greedy cousin, she must act quick to save her future.

Will, who was once full of passion and wanted nothing more than a home full of love and happiness, had his heart broken terribly and never recovered from this incident. He feels he can never love nor trust again. He becomes the victim of his Great Aunt’s match making plans, which at first upsets him but then he finds he wants to help Thea.

While the pair seem to be mismatched, their friends and family have different plans for them and would love to see them married. We get to follow along as Will introduces Thea to society, protects and guides her through some awful experiences as well as watching the two of them open up again to love and hope. This is a beautiful story with excellent characters and an even better plot – I finished this novel in one sitting.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes stories where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes, and her novels include the Cavensham Heiresses series. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and two smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pugs.

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

June 21, 2019

The Big Book of Knowledge

A whole world of discovery awaits in the Big Book of Knowledge, and it will keep curious kids endlessly captivated.

About Big Book of Knowledge

The perfect encyclopedia for any information-hungry kid who would like to boost their general knowledge, this pocket-sized book is packed full of facts.

From earthquakes to Marco Polo, magnets to how the brain works, this fully updated six hundred page book covers just about every topic that a curious child will want to learn about.

The perfect resource for school-aged children, this book will be a reference point for years’ worth of homework, research, and school projects.

Updated photography and illustration are combined to show what others only tell you. Annotation points out the details that you might miss at first and gives you a detailed overview of every subject that you can think of.

Our Thoughts

This small but mighty book is jam packed with everything and anything you would ever need to know (or didn’t even realize you wanted to know).

The book covers four chapters: earth and space, the natural world, our world and science and technology. Each chapter is further broken down into additional sections such as, plant life, people in the past, food and farming and so on.

You can start off reading this book how ever you want – you do not have to read it from the front cover to the back and I encourage you not to. Instead open up that table of contents and choose a chapter and section that appeals the most to you. We started with the natural world as our kids love animals. Of course the very first page we stumble upon – Plankton! It was not the Plankton that our youngest had imagined (thank you Spongebob) but he really did enjoy learning about this creature before moving on to the mammals section.

Each topic has two dedicated pages to it (i.e. apes will span both pages) and each page is just slightly larger than a 4×6 photo and easily fits into the palm of your hands. The book contains beautiful images but the words take prominence in this book which I loved but also makes it suited to an older child or young adult.

This is a fantastic book to get your child (and you) learning in the summer months. Read as much or as little as you want each time, bring it to the beach, enjoy it at a soccer game – the possibilities and learning are endless. You will truly treasure this special small book that is jam packed with knowledge.

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

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

June 21, 2019

DKfindout! Space Travel

This children’s book on space travel is packed with inspiring stories and facts about space exploration, astronauts, and the first moon landing.

About DKfindout! Space Travel

DK findout! Space Travel is ideal for children who love to learn about adventures in space. From the first astronaut in space to the Apollo Moon landings, this book is full of exciting facts about the astronauts who explored space, including Yuri Gagarin’s first journey into space and Neil Armstrong’s moon landing.

Learn about the sun, our solar system, the International Space Station, how to be an astronaut, the Space Race, and new worlds discovered by space-exploring probes.

This children’s book is packed with amazing facts that will delight young readers. It is written by experts and checked by an educational consultant. Part of the award-winning DKfindout! series, this exciting book includes amazing photography and illustrations that help children understand the wonders of space travel.

Our Thoughts

Do you have a little Astronaut in the house? Someone who loves space, rockets and space travel?

Then this book is for that special child in your life. This soft cover book explores the world of space travel and is packed full of interesting facts, incredible photos and more. The coolest fact we learned? In 2001, Dennis Tito became the first space flight participant – he paid more than $20 million to spend a week on the ISS! I had no idea that a regular person had already gone up in space nor that it could cost that much money (I guess my plans are now out the window!). This book also features fun games – want to play a game of space quest? Check out page 44 for some fun to break up the reading.

This is a fun book for children of all ages who want to be an astronaut, love space travel or maybe love Star Trek or Star Wars. It gets them thinking about the world around us, what it would be like to travel in space, is there life outside of our planet and what does space travel have the potential to look like in thirty, fifty and even sixty years from now. They will enjoy and appreciate the bright, bold photos and the amazing amount of cool facts found within its pages. A definite must read for children this summer – maybe even get them started on building their own space rocket in the backyard?

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

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

June 19, 2019

Okko’s Inn Review and Giveaway

Kitaro Kosaka’s stunning anime feature Okko’s Inn from the famed studio Madhouse will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on July 2, 2019 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.

About Okko’s Inn

Kitaro Kosaka’s stunning anime feature Okko’s Inn from the famed studio Madhouse will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on July 2, 2019 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. Nominated for the 2019 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, the filmcomes to home video following its nationwide theatrical release earlier this April.

After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional inn near an ancient spring said to have healing waters. Okko soon discovers there are spirits living there only she can see – welcoming ghosts who keep her company, play games and help her navigate her new environment. Okko strives to be a gracious host, and this is soon put to the test by a string of challenging guests with different stories. But ultimately Okko discovers that dedicating herself to others becomes the key to taking care of herself, in this beautiful tale from Kitaro Kosaka, who was a key animator on numerous classic films at the venerable Studio Ghibli.

Bonus Features

Interview with the Director
Interview with Seiran Kobayashi (Okko)
Q&A with Directors and Producers at Japanese Premiere
Trailers

Our Thoughts

This is an excellent movie for young children as it touches on some pretty important topics that may be difficult to discuss in an age appropriate manner.

Okko loses the people who are the most important to her, her parents. She must learn how to cope with her loss and grief. This is never easy for anyone to do, let alone a child. She moves in with her Grandmother after their deaths and we are with Okko as she learns ways to cope and move forward.

After the accident, she develops a rather unusual talent – she is now able to see ghosts! One of these ghosts was there with her on the fateful day her parents died. Many enter and exit her life but she learns many valuable lessons from them.

Okko learns to deal with her grief through service to others and finds joy in this. She discovers that being there for others helps her feel as though her parents are still with her.

You can order a copy of this DVD here.

The Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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