Category: book review

January 28, 2016

Beyond The Silence Book Review

In Beyond The Silence, the shadows over this olive grove hide more than just the truth.

About Beyond The Silence

Lillian Porter has always wanted to fulfill her mother’s dream of going west, so when she hears about a nanny position in Angels Camp, California, she defies her grandfather and takes a chance on a new future. But she quickly wonders if she made the right choice. Murky rumors swirl around Woodward Colton, her new employer, but the gossip doesn’t match the man Lillian comes to know.

Still, something dark did happen in the family’s past. Lillian’s seven-year-old charge hasn’t spoken in over a year. Gently, Lillian tries to coax him out of his shell, hoping he’ll one day feel safe enough to share what scared him. But the Colton olive farm is no longer a safe place. Lillian encounters suspicious characters on their land and mysterious damage done to the farm. When the housekeeper is brutally attacked, the town once again suspects the worst. Will discovering the truth help Lillian clear the name of the man she has come to love–or will it endanger her even more?

My Thoughts

In this story we have several key characters and stories woven around them. We have Lillian who yearns for independence and freedom – to follow her parents dream. This dream forces her to defy the only family she has known and head out on her own (something not heard of much in those days!). She is forced to learn about herself and simple life skills she never had to deal with being from a wealthy family.
Woodward Colton her new employer has been plagued by vicious rumours and a terrible tragedy. The small town he lives in is awful to him and we witness this through out the story and how he holds his head above it all. The worst tragedy for him is that his son will no longer speak due to the family’s past tragedy.

It is this history that is brought to the forefront of the story as the novel progresses. We learn more about the past and how it is woven into the future. We watch our characters grow in emotional and spiritual strength as they cling together in order to make it through the most difficult times that they have ever faced. Beyond The Silence was a fantastic story from start to finish, that I just could not (and did not want to!) put down.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About The Authors

Kimberley Woodhouse is a multipublished author of fiction and nonfiction. A popular speaker/teacher, she’s shared her theme of Joy Through Trials with over 150,000 people at more than a thousand venues across the country. She lives, writes, and homeschools with her husband of twenty-plus years and their two awesome teens live in Colorado.

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling, award-winning author of more than 100 novels. Tracie also teaches writing workshops at a variety of conferences on subjects such as inspirational romance and historical research. She and her family live in Montana.

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

January 22, 2016

Rodale Celebrates a New Year, New You Review and Giveaway

The new year is a great time to sit down and focus on what you want and need to accomplish during the year. Whether it is to focus on clean eating, getting active or leading a more natural lifestyle.

Books are a great resource for gathering ideas, recipes and encouragement to accomplish these goals. I was recently invited to review two new books from Rodale, The Year of Cozy and The Detox Prescription. Keep reading for my thoughts and enter to win your own copies of these two books!

About The Year of Cozy

From the author of the popular blog, A Cozy Kitchen, comes a beautifully photographed one-stop-shop book with all the recipes and projects you’ll need for some cozy inspiration this holiday season and all year-long. You’ll love Adrianna Adarme’s easy-to-follow instructions and will enjoy getting lost in her warm and comforting photographs. Organized by the months of the year and by categories as “Live,” “Do,” and “Make, ” this book offers ideas for activities, recipes, and DIY projects that make the little moments in life just as exciting as the big. Adarme gives us special (but totally doable) things we can do for others and ourselves. From quick recipes to easy crafts, she focuses on simple, inexpensive undertakings that have a big reward: happiness. The Year of Cozy will surely inspire you to march into your kitchen and craft closet to make something you can truly be proud of.

My Thoughts

Adrianna has excellent writing skills and truly reaches out to her audience in a unique way to speak to them in a manner that we can relate to. The book contains 125 recipes, crafts and other homemade items that are divided by season.

The imagery is incredible, the recipes make you want to drool while the other images are breath-taking. All of the recipes and crafts are simple to follow and with items that you most likely have at home (so no going out having to stock a pantry!). Adrianna also includes easy notes and suggestions to help you with her recipes and crafts.

The Year of Cozy will be a great addition to your craft and recipe books in your home library.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About The Detox Prescription

The human body has an extraordinary ability to detoxify itself. However, we live in a world that is increasingly polluted, exposing our bodies to thousands of harmful chemicals that lead to obesity, diabetes, arthritis, allergies, and heart disease. The good news is you can optimize your body’s natural cleansing system for weight loss, greater energy, and better health.

In The Detox Prescription, Mary Beth Augustine, MS, RDN, and Woodson Merrell, MD, offer more than 100 delicious and nutrient-rich recipes incorporating juices and whole foods, broken into 3-, 7-, and 21-day cleanses. Dr. Merrell’s holistic system of light yoga, meditation, and other stress-reducing practices will help reset your body, mind, and spirit–and allow for control of genetic destiny.

My Thoughts

I tend to be hesitant with any book that proclaims or uses words like detox, mainly as many times the detox is based on starving the body. What I loved most about the Detox Prescription is that this was one of the first topics it addressed, a detox should not be about starving the body! Instead it should focus on eliminating toxins from your environment and nourishing with healthy, nutrient rich foods. This is far more in line with my own beliefs that we need to feed our body nutrient rich items and to cherish our body.

The book spends several chapters going over toxins in the environment, how to eliminate them and what to look for before diving into the ‘prescription’. The prescription comes in three forms: three, seven and twenty-one day cleanses. Each one of these cleanses prescribed in the book comes with recipes, suggestions and meal preparation guides. This made it easy to follow and understand. Meditation, cherishing and even yoga are prescribed as well!

The Detox Prescription is a great resource to start you off on the path to eating clean and nourishing your body with the food that it needs.

You can purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

The Giveaway!

My Canadian readers can now enter to win these two books from Rodale! You can enter via the Rafflecopter form below – GOOD LUCK!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

January 18, 2016

Mermaid Moon Book Review

In Mermaid Moon, Mallory’s Mom may have died fifteen years ago but her Father’s last words to her were, “find your Mother”.

About Mermaid Moon

Shame and confusion have kept Mallory Davis from her home for the last fifteen years, but when her dad mysteriously dies on his mail boat route, she doesn’t have any choice but to go back to Mermaid Point.

Mallory believes her father was murdered and childhood sweetheart Kevin O’Connor, game warden in Downeast Maine, confirms her suspicions. But Kevin is wary of helping Mallory in her search. She broke his heart and left without a word, years ago.

When Mallory begins receiving threats on her own life and her beloved teenage daughter, Haylie, their search intensifies. There’s a tangled web within the supposed murder, and it involves much more than what meets the eye.

As answers begin to fall into place, Mallory realizes her search is about more than finding her father’s killer, it is also about finding herself again and possibly about healing what was broken so long ago with Kevin. She just has to stay alive long enough to put all the pieces together.

My Thoughts

Exciting and spine tingling adventure awaits you in Mermaid Moon! I could not put this book down once I started reading it because I did not want to miss anything!

The novel starts off slower as we find out about Mallory’s Dads passing and how her relationship was somewhat strained between Mallory and Kevin as well as her family. Mallory had left Mermaid Point with no intention of ever coming back. Her Father’s death opens up almost a can of worms! Some were so shocking that I couldn’t stop reading because I just couldn’t believe how the story was developing. Every turn of the page was exciting and adventure full! This novel does not disappoint at all. It is full of suspense, adventure, romance and more.

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse Blog Tour page. You can purchase a copy of the book here.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

USA Today bestselling author Colleen Coble has written several romantic suspense novels including Tidewater Inn, Rosemary Cottage, and the Mercy Falls, Lonestar, and Rock Harbor series. Her books have sold more than 3 million copies.

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

January 8, 2016

Make Bedtime Memorable with Lost My Name

Books take us on an adventure, teach us valuable lessons and sometimes they can create memories that last a lifetime. With a personalized story tailored to your child’s name, Lost My Name, makes bedtime stories fun, memorable and precious.

The Story Behind Lost My Name

This is one of the best parts about the Lost My Name books, they were developed by a group of Dads and an Uncle who wanted better books for their kids. This simple dream started back in 2012 and with the help of their understanding families, they grew and eventually they began to sell their books. They rocked The Dragons Den, they gained investment and have continued to grow. But the heart of their company still lays in bringing magical moments to bedtime.

The Little Boy Who Lost His Name

Creating a personalized story for our youngest son was beyond easy. We visited their site, entered his name and the magic began behind the scenes. We were quickly able to flip through the images that would accompany his story. One of the neatest parts of this process is that the story is developed using the letters of your child’s name. This means that each child’s name creates a unique story from over three hundred variants, awesome right?

Our book arrived in under a week (just in time to read Christmas eve!) and our son was delighted that his book had an extra special message written to him inside the front cover. The illustrations were bright, colourful and adorable. They almost reminded me of a hand painted water-colour story. The story line was fantastic and had us giggling and guessing the whole way through. It was a beautiful story even more so knowing how much thought and time goes into each and every story. We have read The Little Boy Who Lost His Name every night for the last two weeks! It has become a huge hit in our home. The book also makes a fantastic keepsake for our son and an even better gift if you are attending a birthday party, shower or just because you want to spoil that special person in your life!

Interesting Facts

Over 500,000 copies sold in over 150 countries.
2014 top-selling children’s book in the UK and Australia.
The books are available in seven languages.
Lost My Name is one of the world’s first full stack publishers based in Hackney, east London.

Make sure you follow Lost My Name on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest to keep up to date on titles and more.

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

January 8, 2016

Framed and Burning

Lisa Brunette is gearing up for her new release of Framed and Burning: Book Two in the Dreamslippers Series.

Framed and Burning, Book Two in the Dreamslippers Series

Published by Sky Harbor LLC

November 27, 2015 pub date

Genre: Mystery

Book Synopsis:

The Dreamslippers are a family of private investigators who have the ability to “slip” into your dreams. The first book in the series, Cat in the Flock, was published to critical acclaim and is trending at 4.5 stars on Amazon with 35 reviews. In Framed and Burning, someone sets fire to Mick Travers’s art studio, killing his assistant, and Mick won’t give an alibi. His dreamslipping sister–the eccentric Amazing Grace–is convinced he’s innocent, but her granddaughter and the police aren’t so sure. Was it Mick, or is something darker behind the fire?

ADVANCED PRAISE

“Framed and Burning is the second book in the Dreamslippers series. It’s easy to follow and hard to put down, making readers who may not have read the first book race back to give it a try!” – InD’tale Magazine

“Lisa Brunette continues to develop vibrant characters in a stunning story that will keep you reading well past your bedtime!” – On My Kindle

PRE-ORDER ON EBOOK NOW FOR $1 OFF!

Only $2.99 if you order before November 27, 2015 – price goes to $3.99 afterward.

In the U.S. – Amazon – Apple iBookstore – for all iOS devices – Barnes & Noble – for the Nook – Kobo – numerous devices – Smashwords – for Kindle, Android, and most other formats

Outside the U.S. – pricing and discount varies – Amazon Australia – Amazon Canada – Amazon UK – Nook UK – Kobo International

About the Author:

Lisa Brunette is the author of the Dreamslippers mystery series. Book One, Cat in the Flock, is an indieBRAG honoree title that has been praised by Kirkus Reviews, Midwest Book Review, Readers Lane, and others.

Brunette is a career writer/editor whose work has appeared in major daily newspapers and magazines, including the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle Woman, and Poets & Writers. She’s interviewed a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, a sex expert, homeless women, and the designer of the Batmobile, among others.

She has story design and writing credits in hundreds of bestselling video games, including the Mystery Case Files, Mystery Trackers, and Dark Tales series for Big Fish and AAA games for Nintendo and Microsoft platforms.

She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from University of Miami, where she was a Michener Fellow. Her short stories and poetry have appeared in Bellingham Review, The Comstock Review, Icarus International, and elsewhere.

She’s also received many honors for her writing, including a major grant from the Tacoma Arts Commission, the William Stafford Award, and the Associated Writing Programs Intro Journals Project Award.

She blogs at www.catintheflock.com and has been a guest-blogger for Author magazine and Dr. Chris Michaels’s blog.

Brunette is a member of Mystery Writers of America and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association.

Book Excerpt

Chapter 11

While her grandmother was puzzling over Ernesto’s dream that morning, Cat was trapped in a hoarder’s house with a battalion of beagles underfoot.

Maysie Ray Duncan had thirty-three of her great-uncle’s paintings. That is, if you could find them under the detritus accumulated over however many decades Maysie had occupied the cinderblock home. It was set down on a canal in a quiet section of Miami suburbia. The beagles, which seemed to number at least twenty, had the run of the place, and judging by the odor that hit the back of Cat’s palate the minute she set foot inside, the dogs had quite possibly never been bathed.

Unable to shake the feeling that they’d missed something about that first fire at Mick’s place, Cat was still investigating. Sure, maybe crazy Candace did set both fires. It was hard to argue with a confession. But Cat felt she owed it to her uncle to make sure.

She’d combed through a digital catalogue of Mick’s art and decided she needed to talk to some of his regular buyers, people who made a point of collecting his paintings. One of them could have a grudge against him, she reasoned, or maybe they only wanted to destroy some of his work so the pieces they owned would go up in value.

Which is how she got to Maysie Ray Duncan, apparently one of her uncle’s biggest fans.

Behind a tower of newspapers dating back to the Sixties, Cat found a piece with Mick’s tell-tale signature on it—a wide M followed by a scribble followed by a cursive T followed by more scribble.

“Oh, that’s Blue Shift Number Seven,” said Maysie with delight. “One of my favorites! Number Nine must be nearby. I wanted to get Number Eight, but I was outbid. Imagine that.”

Maysie wore a velvet housecoat over a long silk dress. Her arthritic feet were stuffed into velvet-trimmed slippers. Her face was made up as if she were about to do a curtain call. Her hair was wrapped in a silk scarf tied above her painted-on eyebrows, the fringe falling down over her forehead.

“When was the last time you purchased one of Mick’s pieces?” Cat asked, trying not to topple a tower of washed-out dog food cans.

“Let me see… I attend so many of the gallery openings, you know,” she said, as if wanting credit for her society status. “I suppose it was three or four years ago. I like to get them before they really make it big.”

Cat had to hand it to her; that was some shrewd collecting. If Maysie put Mick’s work out to a gallery or auction house now, she’d surely see a huge profit.

“Do you sell the work you acquire?”

“Oh, heavens, no!” Maysie shrieked, reaching out to stroke Blue Shift Number Seven. “They’re my babies. Even more than you guys, eh, Melvin?” She picked up one of the beagles and kissed him square on the mouth. Melvin seemed unfazed by the gesture.

“So you’ve kept them all.”

“Of course!”

Cat told Maysie about the fires in Mick’s studio and beach house, and the woman broke down and wept, clutching her chest. “It’s horrible, my dear! That poor man. His precious things.”

Cat left Maysie’s house gasping for fresh air. That had been a bust, but at least her mental picture of who collects art these days got more rounded out.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by LegitLit Books. I did not receive compensation for this post.