Category: book review

August 27, 2019

How To Love a Duke in Ten Days Book Review

Love takes no prisoners in How To Love A Duke in Ten Days.

About How To Love a Duke in Ten Days

Famed and brilliant, Lady Alexandra Lane has always known how to look out for to herself. But nobody would ever expect that she has darkness in her past―one that she pays a blackmailer to keep buried. Now, with her family nearing bankruptcy, Alexandra strikes upon a solution: Get married to one of the empire’s most wealthy eligible bachelors. Even if he does have the reputation of a devil.

Piers Gedrick Atherton, the Duke of Redmayne, is seeking revenge and the first step is securing a bride. Winning a lady’s hand is not so easy, however, for a man known as the Terror of Torcliff. Then, Alexandra enters his life like a bolt of lightning. When she proposes marriage, Piers knows that, like him, trouble haunts her footsteps. But her gentleness, sharp wit, independent nature, and incredible beauty awakens every fierce desire within him. He will do whatever it takes to keep her safe in his arms.

My Thoughts

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days is an excellent story from start to finish – I could not put it down!

We follow the story of Lady Alexandra Lane – who is strong, independent and fearless. She also holds a secret that she fears getting out, although it is a secret that is not her fault and that she should not be ashamed of. It is a secret that has followed her and has negatively affected her relationships and confidence in herself. On top of all of this, she is being blackmailed about this secret! She would do anything to keep this a secret – even marry one of the richest bachelors – who also has quite the reputation of being evil.

Piers is a misunderstood character – where people see a monster, Alexandra sees him for who he truly is. He may be a bit dark and damaged but he is also kind, compassionate and sees Alexandra and loves her for who she is. Their chemistry in this story is incredible and leaves you craving more. They have such an intense spark!

This is a well written, exciting novel that I could not put down. I loved the two main characters – they find forgiveness and healing through their love and this allows them to put their past behind them and move forward. It is also a story of survival – Alexandra may have been a victim and this changed her view and the way she interacts with the world but it also made her a fighter. I loved how she grew and developed throughout the story.

How to Love a Duke in Ten Days 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: 4.5/5

About the Author

Whether she’s writing about Celtic Druids, Victorian bad boys, or brash Irish FBI Agents, USA Today bestseller Kerrigan Byrne uses her borderline-obsessive passion for history, her extensive Celtic ancestry, and her love of Shakespeare in every book. She lives at the base of the Rocky Mountains with her handsome husband and three lovely teenage girls, but dreams of settling on the Pacific Coast. Her Victorian Rebels novels include The Highwayman and The Highlander.

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

August 13, 2019

Big Breath Review

Calm your worries and build your bravery — or relax during a busy day or wind down before bed.

About Big Breath

All day long, you breathe — in and out, in and out — without even thinking about it. But did you know that you can play with your breath, use it to take you on an adventure? All you have to do is find a comfy spot and close your eyes.

Does your breath sound like ocean waves? Like the wind before a storm or a breeze at the start of spring? Can you feel it all the way down to the tips of your toes? By the time you open your eyes, you might just feel a little lighter, calmer, more relaxed.

Our Thoughts

I did not start mediating until I began yoga roughly four years ago. I remember being in my first yoga class and unable to truly unwind and relax enough in order to be present in the moment. It was in that moment that I realized I was letting life take over, I was not present, I was stressed out and not appreciating the tiny moments. It took a lot of practice but eventually I was able to learn how to breathe properly, how to turn my mind off and be present in the moment. This is a skill that I can not stress enough – life is too hectic and busy to not know how to calm the mind. It can be done anywhere, at any time when needed.

This book is beautifully written and illustrated. I read it alone at first and I loved the calming tone of the words. It felt natural, easy to follow, easy to read and fell in a natural progression. I was so excited to practice it with our youngest, who participates in mediation at school but it is not something we do at home on a regular basis. If I am being honest, this is mostly because I don’t know how to help him through the process.

After work and soccer practice, we found a quiet space in our basement and sat across from each other. I read the book aloud to him, slowly and with purpose – giving him the time he needed to follow the directions. We did this without any noise but I do remember how much I loved listening to my class instructor walk me through a guided meditation with the sounds of nature in the background. If you think this would be distracting for your child, this may not be the best idea but if you think it will help – go for it.

This book was incredibly helpful for me as a parent, it helped give me the skills and words to use to help my child through his meditation. He found it relaxing and helped calm his mind and focus. It also helped bring us closer together, as we spoke about his day and his feelings. This is a definite must have book for parents and their children as we look for ways to bring calm and clarity in a rather crazy busy world!

You can purchase a copy of this book here.

About the Author

William Meyer is a high school teacher, longtime meditator, and author. The author of the newly released Three Breaths and Begin: A Guide to Meditation in the Classroom, he is currently working to augment his MA in education from Harvard with a PhD from NYU. He lives in Mamaroneck, New York.

About the Illustrator

Brittany R. Jacobs is a librarian and the author-illustrator of The Kraken’s Rules for Making Friends and other children’s books. She lives in Westminster, Colorado.

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

August 2, 2019

The Fighter’s Kitchen

Real training starts in the kitchen – get ready to be inspired and learn 100 muscle building, fat burning recipes with The Fighter’s Kitchen.

The Fighter’s Kitchen

100 muscle-building, fat-burning recipes, with meal plans to sculpt your warrior body.

Ever wonder how professional MMA fighters in the UFC prepare their bodies for fights? The real training often starts in the kitchen, where the right meals at the right times can give fighters everything they need to be ready for their next match.

Fighters fuel their bodies with precise nutrients delivered at specific times to achieve their functional physiques–and now you can too. The Fighter’s Kitchen provides expert guidance on what and when to eat, and it helps you understand how our bodies use what we eat to burn fat and build lean, strong muscle. Through phased weekly meal plans, expert insight on how and when to take full advantage of your body’s muscle-building capabilities, and 100 delicious recipes, you’ll find yourself looking ring ready even if you have no plans to step into one.

Our Thoughts

There really is a science to eating well and gaining muscle mass and losing weight. When I lost the majority of my weight, I had to really watch my macro nutrients – I kept track of how much protein, carbs and fats (as a percentage of my total calories in a day) and needed to ensure I kept in a very specific ratio for both losing weight and maintaining muscle. It worked really well for me.

This book dives into a greater knowledge of those macro-nutrients, why they are so important and how to use them to achieve your body goals. You can choose from one of four plans: maintenance, strength, muscular endurance and power and explosion. You are told your total calories for the day and the percentage of carbs, protein and fats. For example – the strength plan sees your carbs at 40%, protein 30% and fats at 30% of your daily caloric intake (when I was losing weight my protein was 40%, carbs 30% and fats 30% for example). The key is in counting and keeping track. While this book has a breakdown for each recipe – if you don’t track everything you intake, it wont be helpful.

After a sound background into the meal plans, nutrition, sample meal plans – Chris gives us 100 recipes that are easy to make, full of nutrients and help you meet your goal. There are sections for: breakfast, entrees, salads & sides, sandwiches & steaks and smoothies, shakes & desserts (my favourites!). Each recipe is on its own page and also comes with its own nutritional break down for calories, fat, carbs and protein. The recipes are for the most part very simple to follow (usually only a few steps), some items you will have to purchase specially but if you follow a healthy diet you should have many of these items at home.

This is an excellent resource and recipe book for men and women, who are looking to improve their health, increase their nutrition knowledge and focus on giving their body the fuel it needs to meet their goals. While easy to follow (mostly because of the fantastic writing) – it is jam packed with knowledge and tools that you need to succeed with your goals. A must have for every health conscious individual.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About Chris Algieri

Chris has over 13 years of professional fight experience – the Former World Boxing Organization Jr. Welterweight Boxing Champion, ISKA World Welterweight Kickboxing Champion and WKA World Super Welterweight World Kickboxing Champion.

Chris has a Bachelors of Science in Health Care Management and a master’s degree from the New York Institute of Technology. He is a certified Sports Nutritionist through the International Society of Sport Nutrition and speaks at conferences, seminars and summits on various topics of human performance and nutrition.

From his website:

“Aside from the performance and sports science aspect of food, I love to cook and share meals. I come from backgrounds (Argentinean on mother’s side and Italian on father’s) that stress the importance of food culture and community. I grew up with a sense that the food we prepare and share is more than just macros and micros. My passion and understanding of food preparation comes across in my cooking. Anyone who enjoys cooking, loves to share their creations with others!” “ – Chris Algieri http://www.chrisalgieri.com/about-2

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

July 26, 2019

I Don’t Like to Eat Ants Book Review

Calling all picky eaters and their parents! This book is for you as we tackle trying new foods, food dislikes and more in I Don’t Like to Eat Ants.

About I Don’t Like to Eat Ants

Anteater One is one adventurous eater. He’ll try anything – a grilled cheese sandwich, a nice salad, or a chocolate cake – but he’s eaten his last ant. Anteater Two only wants ants to eat. Anteater Three has the perfect solution: a reservation at his world-famous Peanut Butter & Jelly Deli, where the anteaters can discuss the very important question of what to eat for lunch.

Our Thoughts

Hands up if you have a picky eater. I know we do! It can be a challenging time at home when you fight over meals, snacks – it feels like a constant uphill battle. There are no words to describe the frustration when you have offered every item in the fridge and cupboard as a snack, it is turned down and then ten minutes later you are asked “I’m hungry – do you have anything better to eat?”.

This book tells the story of two adorable anteaters – one who likes the traditional menu of just ants (yuck!) and the other who is willing and wanting to try anything and everything. Variety is the spice of life, right? They argue back and forth their reasons why they should either stick to ants or why they should try something new. They decide to meet in the middle and go for lunch, where shockingly there are no ants on the menu! Our anteater friend has to try a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich, and what is his reaction? You will have to buy the book to find out! But trust me – it is worth it.

This is an adorable book with beautiful, simple illustrations and easy to follow text. The wording had a great rhythm to it, making it easy to read aloud. We loved these two characters and the simple but ever so important message they deliver. It is so important to just try something new – you will never know what you are missing, if you don’t just try.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

The family of authors known as JTK Belle—father Jeffrey and his children Tommy and Katie—founded Picklefish Press in 2017. Their previous works include Freeda the Cheetah, Katherine’s Bike was Wonderfully Strange, and Tommy O’Tom in a Tub O’ Trouble. Katie and Tommy both are passionate about nonprofit work, as Katie raises funds for pediatric cancer research, and Tommy focuses his philanthropic efforts toward wildlife conservation. Jeff currently works for Amazon Publishing. The family resides in Seattle.

About the Illustrator

Sabine Mielke started her career as a master advertising technician. She then studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin and worked as a graphic designer for almost 20 years, before deciding to pursue her life long dream as a full time illustrator. Sabine lives with her three dogs in Berlin, Germany.

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

July 22, 2019

The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids

I love to draw and paint. As a child and into my teen years, it was a way to calm the storm and refocus. I could spend hours hunched over a water colour making sure each colour was perfect and the right amount of shading. I strongly believe that each child should be encouraged from a young age to paint, make a mess with markers and paints – it does so much for them!

About The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids

Make art and memories with the special kids in your life! Packed with how-to drawing and painting projects, creative prompts, and original crafting activities, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids will inspire hours of creative fun together.

This book includes drawing and painting projects featuring popular, kid-friendly subjects—like dinosaurs, pets, flowers, and robots—that adults and kids can create together. Guided practice pages invite interactivity and allow children and adults to draw and paint the same subjects, side by side. The book’s artwork is colorful, approachable, and done using ordinary, easily available art tools, including markers, crayons, colored pencils, and acrylic paint.

In addition to drawing lessons, The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids also includes projects and ideas for using artwork created from the prompts in the book to make crafts, including a map, pop-up art, and paper dolls.

The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids teaches valuable drawing, painting, and crafting skills to both kids and adults; inspires creativity; and encourages family togetherness. What better way to avoid screen time than by drawing, painting, and creating together with your kids?

Our Thoughts

This fun book is a great resource for those who want to teach and create art with their child but just not quite where to start. I know for myself, I love to paint and draw but if you had to sit me down to teach my kids, I wouldn’t know where to start. I would just give them the pencils or paint!

The book starts off with a great introduction into the art world with a great reminder that you are learning to create with confidence and in a way that is fun and appealing to younger children. You will learn the basics of the art supplies that you should keep stocked (there is nothing worse then planning a craft and not to have everything on hand). You learn the basics of the colour wheel and how to make secondary, tertiary colours as well as mixing and tones.

The book follows the format of a tutorial, followed by a step by step project. The tutorials are incredibly easy to follow and really get you back to the basics. I had completely forgotten all of my initial drawing lessons when I was fourteen and you broken down figures and animals into basic shapes. A person would become a series of circles and ovals with lines. You would then move on to add detail and change these shapes but it is these initials shapes that help you create the overall picture. It is these basics that are a must for developing art skills later on in life. The follow up projects are very fun and Lee provides you with a wide variety of crafts that you can complete to keep your child entertained and having fun. The instructions are easy to follow and for the most part, you will have the majority of the supplies at home.

The book itself is large, with easy to follow instructions and child friendly font. While it is fun to work with your child on the activities, if they are adventurous and want to work on their own, they will have no problem (if they are a bit older) following the instructions. The book also has pages where you can practice what you are learning right there.

The Grown-Ups Guide to Making Art with Kids is an excellent tool for parents looking to help their child explore their creative side and encourage confidence in their artistic skills. A great addition to your family home craft library, especially during the summer months when kids can be spending too much time in front of the electronics.

You can purchase this book on Amazon and Indigo.

About the Author

Lee Foster-Wilson is an artist and a designer in Cornwall, England. She worked as a graphic designer before becoming a full-time artist with her own business called Bonbi Forest. Lee’s artworks and prints have been featured on Design Sponge and in Vogue, Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, NYLON, and The Guardian. She is the author of Creative Marker Art and Beyond and The Grown-Up’s Guide to Making Art with Kids, both from Walter Foster Publishing. Learn more about Lee at www.bonbiforest.com.

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