Author: cvegnad

February 6, 2018

The Napping Princess DVD Review and Giveaway

Napping Princess is a film that shows that following your dreams is sometimes the best way to discover your past.

About Napping Princess

From visionary director Kenji Kamiyama (Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex and Eden of the East) comes a sci-fi fantasy that weaves together the rapidly evolving technology of today’s world with the fantastic imagination of the next generation. The Napping Princess was nominated for Best Animated Feature – Independent, at this year’s Annie Awards.

The year is 2020, three days before the opening of the Tokyo Olympics. While she should be studying for her exams, Kokone Morikawa often dozes off, entering a dream-world called Heartland that is full of fantastic motorized contraptions. But when her father, a talented but mysterious mechanic, is kidnapped for stealing technology from a powerful corporation, it is up to Kokone and her childhood friend Morio to save him.

Together they realize that Kokone’s dream-world holds the answers to the mystery behind the stolen technology, uncovering a trail of clues to her father’s disappearance and ultimately a surprising revelation about Kokone’s family.

Bonus Features:

Interview with Kenji Kamiyama
Special Interview with Cast
Intro at Japanese Release
Okayama Scenery
Special TV Program
Trailers and TV Spots

My Thoughts

I couldn’t wait to pop this DVD in as I fell in love with the cover image. I was (and still am) a huge fan of the Sailor Moon series and something about the cover brought back such great memories! This film is set in Japan in the future where technology is beyond what we could currently imagine.

Kokone is your typical teen, she has strong beliefs, a bit cheeky at times, loves to dream and has a tendency to drift off to sleep at the worst of times (which almost seems to be a joke between her and her friends) and enters her own magical dream world (which at first I thought was real!). Like many films similar to this genre, she also does a lot more than your typical teen would – she cooks for her Father (she almost seems to run the house!) and when her Father disappears she takes matters into her own hands. Along with her best friend, they set off with a stolen tablet, bike and begin on the journey to find her Father and to discover why he was taken in the first place.

I love the animation, it suited the film and plot. You can’t help but fall in love with Kokone. She has a huge heart and while her Father may drive her crazy at times, she would do anything to help him.

The film was roughly of two hours. I loved the theme of believing in yourself and chasing your dreams and never allowing the past to define the future.

The Napping Princess can be purchased on Amazon and Shout! Factory.

The Giveaway!

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

February 6, 2018

SNAP! Change Your Personality in 30 Days Spotlight Tour

In SNAP! Change Your Personality in 30 Days, New York Times bestselling author Dr. Gary Small’s breakthrough plan to improve your personality for a better life!

About SNAP! Change Your Personality in 30 Days

Experts in psychiatry and psychology have long believed that our personalities are essentially set from early childhood and remain consistent throughout life. However, the latest scientific research contradicts this long-held assumption. New compelling evidence indicates that we can change our personalities – either on our own, with the help of a therapist, or a combination of the two – and meaningful personality change can be achieved in a snap! – as quickly as 30 days. These groundbreaking findings have shattered the false belief that we are locked into our negative personality traits – no matter how much they hinder our potential happiness and success.

As you read SNAP! you will gain a better understanding of who you are now, how others see you, and which aspects of yourself you’d like to change. You will acquire the tools you need to change your personality in just one month – it won’t take years of psychotherapy, self-exploration or re-hashing every single bad thing that’s ever happened to you. If you are committed to change, this book will provide a roadmap to achieving your goals and becoming a better you.

From New York Times bestselling author, head of the UCLA Longevity Center, and expert in neuroscience and human behavior, Dr. Gary Small, a practical look at the key components of personality development and tools and techniques for bringing the positive aspects of your personality to the forefront so you can become more successful, attractive, happier, and psychologically healthier.

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

About the Authors

Dr. Gary Small, (Los Angeles, CA) is a professor of psychiatry and director of the UCLA Longevity Center* at the Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior. His research, supported by the NIH, has made headlines in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. Scientific American magazine named him one of the world’s leading innovators in science and technology. Dr. Small lectures internationally and frequently appears on the Today show, Good Morning America, PBS, and CNN. He has written six books, including the New York Times best seller, The Memory Bible.

Gigi Vorgan (Los Angeles, CA) has written, produced, and appeared in numerous feature films and television projects before teaming up with her husband, Dr. Gary Small, to co-write The Memory Bible, The Memory Prescription,The Longevity Bible, iBrain, The Other Side of the Couch, and The Alzheimer’s Prevention Program. She lives in Los Angeles with Dr. Small and their two children.

The Giveaway!

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Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour. I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

February 5, 2018

Tribal Affairs Spotlight Tour

In Tribal Affairs, Dahlia, a centuries old genie, lies hopelessly trapped in a damaged golden locket charm attached to an ankle bracelet. When Liana wears it for the first time, strange things begin to happen.

About Tribal Affairs

Dahlia, a centuries old genie, lies hopelessly trapped in a damaged golden locket charm attached to an ankle bracelet. Its owner, sixteen-year-old Liana, wears it for the first time during her father Jamison’s opening night illusion spectacular. Not only does its presence cause Jamison to folly his performance, but it also starts a chain of bizarre events that lead to a showdown with Dahlia’s mortal enemy, Stefan, and an unsuspecting romance between Liana and his son.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Matt Dallmann has a background in acting and holds a BFA from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. His films and screenplays have been featured at film festivals across the United States including Cinequest, Big Apple Film Festival, Seattle’s True Independent Film Festival, DragonCon and Zero Independent Film Festival. His piano compositions have been published for commercial use and he is a member of ASCAP. Matt is also the Co-Founder and Vice President of the boutique medical billing firm VGA Billing Services, Inc. in New York City. He lives in New Jersey with his wife and two daughters.

You can connect with Matt on his website and Pinterest.

The Giveaway!

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

February 1, 2018

Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies Book Review

In Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies, can the lessons she learned from her mother about cooking and life help Gina survive and thrive in this other world of privilege, pleasure and unexpected danger?

About Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies

Cooking a wonderful meal is an act of love. An act of grace. A gift that affirms and gives life—not only does it nurture those who partake of a meal; it also feeds the soul of the person who creates it. These are lessons Gina learns from her mother.

Gina is a young woman born to poor parents; a nobody (her words) who wants to taste life outside the world she was born into and her passion for cooking is all she has to help her do so. She gets lucky when she’s chosen to cook at a Michelin-starred restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area where she finds a world of a privileged class with money to spare for dinners that cost hundreds of dollars. A world of new friends and new challenges—one that exposes her to fascinating people who’re also gripped by dark motives.

Amidst her culinary adventures, she becomes good friends with pastry chef Marcia, and falls in love, in different ways, with, two very different men: Leon, a rich regular client who has been dating Cristi, her friend from childhood, and Brent, a brooding homicide detective. This other world, it turns out, is also one of unexpected danger that eventually threatens her life.

Can the lessons she learned from her mother about cooking and life help Gina survive and thrive in this other world of privilege, pleasure and unexpected danger?

My Thoughts

Romance, lies, jealousy, revenge and amazing cooking – Sugar and Spice and All Those Lies has a little bit of everything!

I think we can all agree that for so many of us cooking is an expression of love – we put our time, effort and creativity into cooking healthy meals that our family will love and devour. Cooking is at the heart of this brilliant, well written story that stars Gina as our main character. Gina grew up poor and this has influenced her in many ways. She wants to see how the other world lives but never gives up or forgets her past. She makes incredible and exotic dishes at a very famous restaurant for the rich (and more than likely famous!).

It is here where she meets an incredibly interesting (and extremely rich) man who is coincidentally on a date with one of her friends from her primary school years. While she feels attraction to this man (and we know he is definitely attracted to her!), she feels an obligation to her friend to not date him. Especially as her friend constantly blames Gina for her boyfriends leaving her.

On the advice of a colleague, she decides to give this man a chance and enters a world of privilege, romance, lies, murder and jealousy. At times, Gina’s own life is put on the line!

This is an excellent book with an amazing plot line. I loved every moment and never saw the ending coming! I loved how strong yet compassionate Gina was. While she was hurting herself (both physically at time and emotionally), she was always there for others even if they did not treat her the best. She denied herself happiness several times throughout the book and you just wanted nothing but for her to find a bit of light and joy.

This is a definite must read novel that you will not be able to put down!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Evy Journey, writer, wannabe artist, and flâneuse (feminine of flâneur), wishes she lives in Paris where people have perfected the art of aimless roaming. Armed with a Ph.D., she used to research and help develop mental health programs.

She’s a writer because beautiful prose seduces her and existential angst continues to plague her despite such preoccupations having gone out of fashion. She takes occasional refuge by invoking the spirit of Jane Austen to spin tales of love, loss, and finding one’s way—stories into which she weaves mystery or intrigue.

The Giveaway

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

February 1, 2018

Blood Awakening Book Review

In Blood Awakening, worlds collide, marking the beginning of the end to an age-long battle warring between the forces of darkness and light in the universe.

About Blood Awakening

A war has been brewing in the shadows.

Kaelyn Hamblin never felt particularly extraordinary, growing up in a strong Irish household in the heart of Boston for most of her young life. Her humdrum routine remained markedly unchanged for longer than she cared to remember; until that day. The day when a beautiful stranger drifted into her hole-in-the-wall bookshop and changed her life forever.

Tyrian knew from the moment he locked eyes on her that she was the one. His one. The singular being within all of time and space that was made for him and him alone. His world was not one of niceties and pretty things; bringing her into it would be dangerous. But he would protect her. He had to. After all, it was foretold.

Worlds collide, marking the beginning of the end to an age-long battle warring between the forces of darkness and light in the universe. The fate of all rests on the shoulders of a lone druid and her band of human hunters to quell the rising tide of evil threatening to overtake everything and plunge the connected realms into eternal darkness.

My Thoughts

I have always loved stories about vampires and the supernatural, the war in the shadows and the battle between good and evil. Blood Awakening puts a new and exciting twist on the familiar.

In this story, Kaelyn and Tyrian have a very interesting connection. Tyrian is a hunter, one who was chosen to protect humans from the vampires that crossed into our realm to cause havoc. Kaelyn is tied to him not only through their growing intense love and sexual attraction but through a much deeper bond. She is his Medium, woven into his soul for them to protect, love and support each other.

Their bond is woven into an even greater foretelling – the coming of a great evil. It is up to the group of hunters and their leader to fight the darkness that has risen. At the centre of this battle is Tyrian, Kaelyn and the vampire realm.

This was a definitely intense and sexually charged novel (It is geared to the slightly older teen and adult due to the mature content). I loved that the plot was so much different that your typical supernatural novel as it creates excitement and suspense. I loved the balance between the romance, battles and history of the supernatural. It was well written and the author has an excellent way of pulling you into the story. I also loved the cover design – it attracted me instantly to the book and the plot hooked me into reading all night long. I cant wait to see what she comes up with next!

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

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Miranda Nichols enjoys her too short-lived moments in Boston visiting family. That’s why her stories tend to travel there. She’s had years of professional experience perfecting detail-oriented work and it shows in her writing. A current student working towards her MFA, she’s following her lifetime calling. She’s a loyal friend who’s not afraid to tell it like it is. Like the smell of fresh popcorn, her fantasy romances tempt you and keep you coming back for more.

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