Category: book review

Hilarious and heartbreaking, Eat Cake. Be Brave is one woman’s inspiring journey of learning to stand up for herself in a world of naysayers, by the creator of the “Red Ribbon Week” video, which has over 150 million views.

Eat Cake. Be Brave.

My name is Melissa Radke, and there is a very real chance you have no idea who I am or why I wrote a book. But admit it, you’re curious!

Even though millions of people seem to like watching my videos bemoaning the trials of parenting, marriage, French braiding, faith, and living life as an anti-aging female, you may still be wondering who let me write a book.

I mean, books are written by people who have been interviewed by Gayle King and say things like, “You see, Gayle, I was having a root canal and I literally died in the chair. I saw heaven. Also, when I came back to earth I could speak Mandarin.”

Yeah, that didn’t happen to me. No Mandarin. Though I have been known to break out in song! (My voice was once described as a “ray of light in a dark world” . . . but I think my dad was being a little dramatic.) Although if Gayle King were to ever ask me I would tell her: “I wrote this book between taking my kids to the local pool and picking out flip-flops at Old Navy, and the only metaphysical moment I experienced came right after I looked directly into one of those mirrors with 10x magnification.”

I wrote this book because when I turned 41 I made a decision to be brave. To live brave, bolder and freer. You see, I thought our lives were supposed to change when we turned 40…but mine didn’t. Yet every piece of it changed when I turned 41; when I set out to prove that it wasn’t too late for me, that careless words wouldn’t stunt me and rejection would not stop me. And maybe, just maybe, it will take you reading about the journey I took to finding my sense of self-worth in order for you to rightfully believe in yours. This book is about how all the years of my life led up to the one that changed it. So, cut a big slice and raise a fork.

Here’s to bravery.
Here’s to courage.
Here’s to cake.
(And not the crappy kind, like carrot.)

My Thoughts

Have you ever been in that moment of change, feeling scared and nervous, questioning whether you have made the right decision or not? Then something falls on your desk or in the mail, and justifies every decision that you made?

That. This book was that shining moment for me. Melissa had me laughing, crying, heart sore and at the end so full of hope and inspiration it was unbelievable.

Melissa is a truly gifted writer – this story is told in such a manner that you feel as though it is a conversation with your best friend. The friend who leaves you in stitches and makes you laugh so hard you worry you have peed your pants. Her brilliance, honesty and kindness shows through each word and page.

Like so many of us, she didn’t have the easiest time in life. She was made fun of for her weight (by her peers, by those in the music industry and by those who should have known better), she felt betrayal and she felt loss. She suffered with depression, infertility, financial insecurity, marital problems and still has come out with this positive outlook on life. I am sure it wasn’t easy to make it to that point that she is at now and as she shows us throughout the book, it wasn’t a clear path. She had to make conscious decisions to love herself, be kind to herself, to forgive and to give herself the power to be brave. So many times throughout her story, I felt that it mirrored my own in so many ways. I felt her pain as my own – she is honest, real and raw. You feel every emotion, every decision as if it was your own.

Eat Cake. Be Brave. is the definite must have book of this year for all women – whether they are in their teens or adulthood. It is that reminder we all need to love ourselves, to forgive others for their own unkindness, to be strong when we feel we can not and to push ourselves every day. One of the lines that stood out to me the most as at the beginning of the book, when she spoke about inhaling. That every inhale is the start of a new opportunity and new chance to be brave. That has become my motto and has encouraged me to push my own comfort zones – accept the job that I never would have prior, to sign up for different courses that are not what I am good but to also love my family deeply and to let them know how much I love them. This was a beautiful story from start to finish by an inspiring woman who I wish I could just call up and have a cooking/baking afternoon with her and her family!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Melissa Radke‘s online videos, at print, have reached over 57 million people on her Facebook page alone in a little over a year. Radke’s “Upside Down French Braid” video has close to 10 million views and her “Red Ribbon” video has been viewed over 100 million times across multiple websites and media outlets. A Texan born and bred, Radke spent 15 years of her life in Nashville, Tennessee, where she worked as a studio session singer for Recording Artists after graduating from Belmont University. Since becoming a parent, she moved her family back to her East Texas hometown because the barbecue is better and the babysitting is free.

You can connect with her on her website.

Book Trailer

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

In The Warrior of Clan Kincaid, love takes no prisoners.

About The Warrior of Clan Kincaid

Derryth MacClaren is on the run having been sent from her castle home to avoid capture by the vicious nobleman known as the Wolf, who has vowed revenge against the Clan Kincaid. When a surprise attack leaves her vulnerable, Derryth ends up in the hands of an enemy warrior who claims her, with the Wolf’s blessing, as his prize. But her captor’s gentle words and touch seduce her heart and body completely and when she discovers the tattoo on his arm that proves him to be the legendary, long-believed dead son of the murdered Laird of Kincaid, Derryth knows she must find a way to alter his fate and her own

Cull has no memory of his family or past, all he knows is the life of a warrior, trained to fight on behalf of the Scottish king. But now that Derryth has informed him of who he really is: Cullen Braewick, the youngest son of the slain laird, he is torn. If Cull exacts revenge against the Wolf, who executed his father, he stands to lose the precious lass who he has come to love. What is he willing to sacrifice for Derryth to keep her safe. . .and in his arms?

My Thoughts

My favourite historical time period! Set in Scotland with some rugged warriors and tough as nails females, this novel will have you falling in love!

Fearing for Derryth’s safety, her family sends her away thinking to protect herself from the Wolf – a noble in the local area who has vowed revenge on the Kincaids (a history that we don’t fully appreciate until about halfway through the story). The only problem? Her family sends her right into the hands of the enemy and his faithful warrior, Cull. Cull is a legend in his own right – fierce and savage in  many minds but what we see in him as a captor makes us realize there is more than meets the eye. He is kind, gentle and thoughtful to Derryth (even when she pushes every button possible!). They get off on a rocky start but as Derryth begins to learn there is more to his harsh exterior, she slowly opens up to him. That is when she finds the tattoo on his arm. Cull who has always believed him to belong to no one – no family, no clan and who was rescued from a slave ship finds this hard to believe. How could he of all people have a family? A life? A home?

The plot begins to thicken even more as we realize that the man he has protected his whole life is the reason he grew up without a family – the Wolf killed his Father, denied him his heritage and fully knowing who he was – he never told him of his past.

This is a story of betrayal, revenge but it is also full of hope, family bonds and love. We feel Cull’s pain and disbelief. His lack of understanding that he could have a future with people he loved, something he felt he never deserved and struggled with this acceptance. It is a story of survival and pushing forward – we need to let go of our past in order to embrace our futures. This was a definite fantastic read from start to finish!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Since her earliest days, Lily Blackwood has found a friend in books. Raised an Army brat, her family moved often, and books were constant companions who always smoothed the transition to a new location and a new set of friends. Now, Lily lives in Texas where she writes sexy historical romance novels about fierce Highlanders while looking out over a garden tended by her own handsome, dashing husband. She suffers endless (fun and always welcome!) interruptions by her two children. And like many authors, she writes with a cat-or two-wrapped around her legs. She is the author of The Beast of Clan Kincaid, Single-Minded, and other books.

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

In Circumvent, life is perfect – until all memory is erased.

About Circumvent

Life is too perfect.

Imagine living in a quaint, beach front cottage on the Hawaiian island of Maui. You have an amazing job, combined with the pleasure of working from home. Lunch breaks become a daily picnic on the sand. Dessert is always included because of your marriage to a famous pastry chef. Life could not be any better. Or so it seems.

The writer falls in love with the baker.

When French-born, Nikki Sabine Moueix travels to Hawaii for a special work assignment, her job of writing an article about a famous Swiss pastry chef generates more than a magazine piece. They fall in love, get married, and Nikki Moueix becomes Mrs. Ruggiero Delémont.

The perfection turns to panic.

When another assignment calls for Nikki to spend three weeks in France, Ruggiero’s schedule prevents him from joining her. She travels alone, advancing straight into danger. After a threatening confrontation, Nikki wakes up in a French hospital with no knowledge of her past. When she fails to check in, Ruggiero panics and pushes for an immediate investigation. But as he closes in, Nikki’s new-found friend moves her to another city. It becomes a game of hide and seek with Nikki as the prize.

My Thoughts

Nikki has the perfect life – she is married to a man who adores her and whom she loves with all of her heart. She has the job we all dream of and even better she is able to fulfill her work duties from the beaches of Hawaii! She receives a dream assignment to head back to her beloved France for several weeks but unfortunately her husband can not join her.

Despite her husband’s nervousness (he loathes using technology!), Nikki plans her assignment back to France right down to a shuttle to the airport. It was this off-chance decision to take the shuttle to the airport that alters her future. She is targeted by a ring of criminals (due to her lone female flying status) to transport something that we assume is of great value and illegal into France. This is only the beginning of the nightmare that Nikki and Ruggiero must endure.

When Nikki doesn’t respond to multiple calls and texts, Ruggiero pictures the worst possible situation and his suspicions are confirmed when all traces of Nikki have been wiped clean – no record of her on the flight out of the US, no passport usage and no arrival in France. She has literally been erased. I can’t even begin to imagine the fear Ruggiero faced – no only was he in a different country all together, no one could explain how his wife could just “disappear” from flight records when it was clear that she went on the plane. He turns to his friend in local authorities and the pressure to find Nikki ramps up.

While Ruggiero is desperately trying to discover what happened to his wife, Nikki finds herself in a hospital with no memory of who she was or how she even got there. She turns to her physician and rescuer – the only person she does have a memory of. But not everything is quite what it seems. Our rescuer may not be the knight in shining armour we are originally led to believe he is and may have some ulterior motives up his sleeves.

This was a novel that I could not put down – I had to see what happened to Nikki (does she remember, do the criminals hurt her further) and Ruggiero (can he discover what happened to Nikki and where she is, and if he does find her – can he adjust to her loss of memory). It was an intense story full of surprise, hope and love – I loved every moment of their story!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Born in the United States, S.K. Derban moved to London within the first three months, and remained in England until the age of five. Her mother was involved with the London Royal Ballet Company, and a great fan of the arts. Even after returning to the United States, S.K. Derban’s life was filled with a love of the theatre and a passion for British murder mysteries. Her personal travel and missionary adventures also help to transport readers virtually across the globe. S.K. Derban has smuggled Bibles into China, and has been to Israel on seven missionary trips. When writing, she relies on all aspects of her life, from a strong faith in the Lord, to her unique combination of professional experience. The many personal adventures of S.K. Derban are readily apparent as they shine through into her characters. Circumvent is the third mystery novel for writer S.K. Derban.

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