Category: book review

September 4, 2014

Claudine by Barbara Palmer

Suspense and erotica combine to create one of the best novels I have read in a long time in Claudine by Barbara Palmer. Claudine is a sexy and thrilling escape that you will not be able to put down!

I love my books – they take me to a far away place, removing stress and connecting me to the characters that I grow to love. This was my first erotica novel and I was thrilled that I was given the chance to read and review this novel!

Claudine

Our main character, Maria Lantos is a post graduate student who is writing her thesis on erotic literature at Yale. Maria also goes by the stage name, Claudine. Maria has learned to balance the life of a top class courtesan and a graduate student. Claudine is a high demand escort who specializes in sexual role play for the elite and rich.She maintains this top spot with her anonymity, discretion and strict rules.

Slowly the separate worlds she has created begins to crack and blend. It begins with the murder of a stranger and leads to two men who test Maria’s limits of control and awaken her own sexual desires that she has always hidden.

Her private and secret nights begin to clash into her days and Maria discovers that the dangerous places that extend beyond the imagination and secrets are no longer consigned to the dark.

My Thoughts

From the first glance that I took at the cover I knew I was going to love this book. It was sexy, exotic and yet dangerous all at the same time. Barbara Palmer delivers all of this and more.

Claudine brings out the confident and powerful woman that so many of us want to be. She commands attention, trusts in herself and knows what she wants and how to get it. She is fun, sexy and full of life. At the same as Maria she is more vulnerable and open. Maria is not as trusting and has had a difficult history. Her childhood was marked with death and pain. While she was adopted and saved from the horror that surrounded her, her relationships with her adopted mother never seemed to really work. Maria has worked hard to be where she is at Yale and wants to trust and let go but finds it hard.

Maria has two men in her life that love her or appear to. As the book progresses you witness these relationships develop and you want Maria to find happiness but at the same time not let go of the Claudine in her. When the threats on her life start you begin to wonder about the true affections these men hold for her. Barbara spins this web that includes Claudine and the men in both her personal and professional life and leaves you guessing, wondering and clueless as to who could possibly want to harm her.

The best part of Claudine? I love the way Barbara blends the erotica with the mystery so neither part took over the novel. It was exciting, thrilling and kept me reading right through the night. I literally started reading the book after I received it in the mail in the afternoon and could not put it down until 2 in the morning! It was that good!

You will not be disappointed with Claudine. It definitely pays to reach out of your comfort level and find a novel that will truly blow you away. This is a definite must read!

Rating: 5/5

You can check out Claudine on the Penguin Canada website or on Amazon.

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

September 3, 2014

Hideaway Cove by Anna Sullivan #review

Hideaway Cove, a Windfall Island Novel, features Jessi Randal a woman who has just walked away from her last relationship with a child and a broken heart. Years later the last thing this single mother wants is to give Windfall Island anything more to gossip about. Yet the moment she lays eyes on the tall, sexy stranger with the slow Southern drawl she knows that she is in trouble.

Holden Aboot is on the island to find the missing heir to the Stanhope family fortune. It is his job to charm as many secrets out of the town residents as possible. If he can charm Jessi even better. When all of the evidence points to Jessi as the heir a dangerous enemy sets his sights on Jessi and her son. Now Holden will have to risk everything to protect the family he has come to love.

Hideaway Cove is a suspenseful novel that had me stumped and guessing who the heir is and who is trying to hurt Jessi throughout the novel. The plot line was intense at times and although it is a romance novel the romance is only one factor in this lovely story. I loved how the relationship between Jessi and Holden develops over time as Jessi protects her child from being heart broken. The bonds that Holden forms with her and her child is incredible to read (he becomes a strong father figure in their life something he never pictured for himself!).

Rating: 4/5

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

August 28, 2014

DK Math Boutique: Build Up Those Math Skills for BTS #review

Math can either be the easiest subject for your child to master or it can cause frustration and tears. We have seen both in our house. Some units are easier while other units can take a lot to master – I still have nightmares of calculus and I am dreading the day when I have to help my son with this!

We were sent the DK Canada Math Made Easy. Each Math Made Easy book is divided up by grade and you choose the correct grade for your child.

For our son we chose the grade he was entering into in September. It started off with the easier math problems and slowly advanced as he made his way through the book. We had to help a little bit but it was a great confidence booster. It also helped to give him a glimpse into what the math program will be like this year. He hasn’t made it through the book (it is quite big!) but we are working on two pages a day. It has helped to reinforce all the lessons that were taught (and beginning to fade!) since last year.

Math skills are so important to practice on a daily basis as each lesson is based on the previous and a child can quickly become lost. Supplementing short lessons at home is so important and these books made it easy for us as parents!

For a limited time, DK Canada is offering 30% at the Making Math Fun! Boutique.

How do you help your child at home with math skills? Do you have your own program? Or do you use resource books?

Disclosure: I received a free copy of the above mentioned books. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 27, 2014

Home To Chicory Lane by Deborah Raney #review

Family, home and the first year of marriage – all of these are important aspects of our life but can cause great stress as well. Especially that first year of marriage! All of these combine to make a wonderful, heart warming story of family and love in Home to Chicory Lane.

Audrey Whitman’s dreams are starting to take root. Now that their five kids have grown and left the family home, her husband Grant and herself are turning their beloved family home into a cozy bed and breakfast just a mile outside of Langhorne, Missouri.

Opening weekend makes Audrey anxious with friends and family coming from all over to help celebrate the occasion. When Audrey’s daughter, Landyn, arrives with the U-Haul making it clear she is not just there for a couple of days. Audrey immediately has questions. What happened in New York that sent her daughter running home? Where was her daughter’s husband Chase? What else was her daughter not telling her? The only thing she knew for sure was that Chicory Inn was off to a rocky start. Can Audrey still realize her dream and at the same time provide comfort of home to her daughter that she desperately needs.

While reading this novel I felt an almost instant connection with Landyn – it was like that was me in my undergraduate years, struggling with the pressures of “real” life, learning that money doesn’t grow on trees as well as balancing a pregnancy. I loved how their faith in God helped Landyn and Chase through the darkest moments of their life. Many times when I am scared or nervous about starting something new praying or attending mass is the most calming experience for me. It helps to clear my mind and see the path that God wants me to follow. Many readers will be able to connect both with Landyn and her Mother, Audrey. It is a wonderful story of family and the struggles we all go through on our journey – at the end of the day we are all the same and on the same path!

You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour here.

Rating: 4.5/5

Deborah Raney’s books have won numerous awards, including the RITA, National Readers Choice Award, HOLT Medallion, and the Carol Award, and have twice been Christy Award finalists. She and her husband, Ken, recently traded small-town life in Kansas—the setting of many of Deborah’s novels—for life in the (relatively) big city of Wichita.

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

August 25, 2014

Starting the School Year Right with DK Readers #review

Reading is one of my favourite past times. It is also an essential skill that I want my children to master and feel comfortable with while still loving it. Sometimes children can become frustrated with their reading, not knowing a word, the material may not be something that they like or the book itself is too complicated.

DK readers are designed to allow readers to find their current reading level and gain confidence as they develop their reading skills. Readers will progress through simple to read sentences, simple words to more challenging story lines and vocabulary. The image below is the how their levels are determined as well as the corresponding descriptions of how each book is set up (vocabulary and sentences).

The books in this boutique range from historical to science to nature all the way to super heroes and Star Wars! With such a great selection your child will have plenty to chose from without being bored.

Our youngest chose Little Dolphin and Stars Wars A New Hope. Both of these books were a Level One and had short, simple sentences (although the names in Star Wars were a bit tougher for him to grasp). The illustrations were large and kept him entertained while we read the story together. The books are light weight and easy for him to hold. Our eldest got in on the fun and read the stories to his brother (made my heart melt watching them!).

DK Canada wants to help your child get back into the reading routine the right way and is offering a special deal in their DK Readers boutique – buy two and get one free! Make sure you head over there and get a look at their full collection.

Disclosure: I received the above mentioned books free of charge. All opinions expressed are my own.