iread Archives - Page 4 of 14 - Working Mommy Journal

August 16, 2021

The Art of Time: A Mother – Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time Spotlight

The Art of Time offers concepts and images that introduce readers to a new—and wonderful—realm of being.

About The Art of Time: A Mother-Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time

In The Art of Time: A Mother-Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time, Martine Therese and her daughter, Martina Franca, invite you into a lush world where time has no limits. Consisting of paintings, meditations and poetry, The Art of Time merges maternal & youthful wisdom into a one-of-a-kind artistic showcase with a powerful message: humanity’s experience can be enhanced by developing our minds into sensual thought.

A gorgeous book to be treasured by everyone from art connoisseurs to children, The Art of Time offers concepts and images that introduce readers to a new—and wonderful—realm of being.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

About the Author

Martine Therese was a practicing Certified Public Accountant when she became pregnant with her daughter, Martina Franca. She decided to leave her accounting job and focus on her daughter instead. The transition, while “brutal,” completely transformed Martine’s life, and opened up a whole new world of possibility.

For Martine, who has been writing poetry all her life, motherhood expanded her creativity, and she finally felt the courage to bring her work to the world. Martine and her daughter discovered a love for painting, and their artwork, combined with Martine’s poetry, form the basis of The Art of Time; A Mother-Daughter Sprezzatura on the Spirit of Time. The book is a token of their shared loves and talents.

Martine and Martina Franca are putting together a follow-up collection on the topic of what it means to be human, exploring the theme of building the potential of humanity. Martina Franca embraces her maternal side on a daily basis, be it with caring for her baby dolls or her puppy, Marcello. She gets a kick out of tailgating with Mom and watching people’s reactions, and playing practical jokes like hiding Daddy’s shampoo bottle, and she loves having conversations. She regularly chills out with Mom during yoga in their special “rainbow room,” a room just for the two of them to recharge. On sunny days, gorgeous rainbows fill the wall of the Rainbow Room, and Martina and Mom bask in those colors—which is why Martina loves infusing her art with rainbows.

You can connect with her on Facebook and Instagram.

Giveaway!

Enter to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card here.

Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I did not receive compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

August 3, 2021

The Shade Under the Mango Tree

The Shade Under the Mango Tree is an epistolary tale of courage, resilience, and the bonds that bring diverse people together.

About The Shade Under the Mango Tree

After two heartbreaking losses, Luna wants adventure. Something and somewhere very different from the affluent, sheltered home in California and Hawaii where she grew up. An adventure in which she can also make some difference.

Lucien, a worldly, well-traveled young architect, finds a stranger’s journal at a café. Though he has qualms and pangs of guilt about reading it, they don’t stop him. His decision changes his life forever.

Months later, they meet at a bookstore. Fascinated by his stories and adventurous spirit, Luna goes on a Peace Corps stint to a rural rice-growing village in Cambodia. There, she finds a world steeped in ancient culture and the lasting ravages of a deadly history. Will she leave this world unscathed?

My Thoughts

I fell in love with this powerful story of finding yourself, your history, forgiveness, hope and so much more.

Our two main characters, Luna and Lucien, are brought together over the loss and found of a special journal. A journal that describes a young woman’s journey dealing with family, love, loss and change. We watch as Luna’s grows from a youth to a bright young woman with fears and emotions that we can all relate to. We are witness to her vulnerability, her hopes and her dreams. How she grows with each change in her life and her courage to put herself out there and to want more. We are also witness to Lucien’s past, his fears and how he has arrived to where he is today. It is this journal that will change his life together – especially after he meets the author of the powerful words.

I fell in love with this story – I could not put it down. I loved Luna, she felt like a close friend as I read each page. Your heart hurts for her at times and at other times you are praying for her to fly and chase the dreams and the future that she deserves. I loved how the two came together at such an important time and turning point in each others lives. They give each other the hope to dream again, to reach for the stars and to have faith in love and soul mates. This is a definite must read novel!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N, Kobo and iBooks.

Enter the giveaway here.

Rating: 5/5

Book Trailer

About the Author

Evy Journey writes. Stories and blog posts. Novels that tend to cross genres. She’s also a wannabe artist and a flâneuse. Evy studied psychology (Ph.D. University of Illinois) so she spins tales about nuanced characters dealing with the problems and issues of contemporary life. She believes in love and its many faces. Though she has traveled to many places, she has one ungranted wish: To live in Paris where art is everywhere and people have honed aimless roaming to an art form. She visits and stays a few months. Connect with her on her website and Twitter.

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

July 6, 2021

Road to the Breaking Book Review

Nothing survived “The Breaking” unchanged; lives and fortunes, love and hate, freedom and slavery.

About Road to the Breaking

It’s early 1860, and war hero Captain Nathaniel Chambers, commander U.S. Army Fort Davis in the west Texas wilderness, has received shocking news – his father is dead. He must return home to Virginia and claim his inheritance before a maniacal neighbor can murder his widowed mother and seize the family plantation.

But he’s torn by a terrible dilemma – to stay in the army and turn his back on his fortune, his mother and his beloved childhood home, or become the thing he despises; a slave master! Is there no other choice?

An epic journey across a young nation seething with debauchery, brutality, corruption, and political intrigue, unwittingly on the brink of an unimaginable disaster; the American Civil War. Nathan Chambers has left the violent army life behind in Texas, never imaging he’s on the very Road to The Breaking.

My Thoughts

In Road to the Breaking, we are introduced to Captain Nathaniel Chambers – a stubborn man with quite the past who also struggles with his own demons and keeping them at bay.

Nathaniel struggled with an anger inside of him most of his life – when he allowed his anger to get the best of him, he could not hold it back. But he wasn’t a mean person – this was always in retaliating to others bullying or hurting him or others around him. He never appeared to get along with his Father or have much of a relationship with him (keeping in mind that this was during a time period when those relationships were not strong, instead children were taught more to fear a parent). His Mother sensed this and sent him away to boarding school and from here he never returned home to a place that he felt he does not belong. His Father had a successful family farm but this success came on the backs of slaves, something Nathaniel despises.

Near the beginning of the story, Nathaniel receives a telegram from his Mother notifying him of the death of his Father. It is followed up by two more telegrams requesting him to return home with what appears to be secret messages contained within that something is not quite right at home. Is his Mother being taken advantage of being a widow on a farm all on her own? As Nathaniel sets on his journey to return home after choosing his family over the army, we are introduced to a bit of his history through a series of flashbacks to various stages.

This is a well written story following the story of a young man during a very troubling time. The story jumps through several time periods but it did not make it hard to follow as the story flowed well. It covers a time period in American history that was marked with slavery, plantations, war and the fight for freedom and what is right. A great read from start to finish.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, B&N and Bookshop.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

Chris A. Bennett grew up on the shores of Klamath Lake in southeastern Oregon. For a young boy it was a dream world of water, hills, forests, and abundant wildlife. His love for action and adventure morphed into a lifelong love for books when his Mom read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings to the family on a long road trip.

Chris’s thirst for adventure never faded and he began to live out his love of history onto the pages of his first book, Road to the Breaking. Once he started writing he just couldn’t stop and the result is The Road to the Breaking series; an epic journey across a young nation seething with debauchery, brutality, corruption, and political intrigue, unwittingly on the brink of an unimaginable disaster: the American Civil War.

Chris currently lives near Seattle with his wife Patricia. His three adult children Nick, Rachel, and Josh also live in the Puget Sound area.

You can connect with him on his website.

The Giveaway

You can enter to win the giveaway here.

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

June 24, 2021

Taking Notes on Murder Book Review

Can Fiona crack this cold case, and what will it take to get Detective Landry involved? Don’t miss taking notes on this murder!

About Taking Notes on Murder

Mysterious notes are showing up in Fiona’s kindergarten classroom, claiming a suicide from 2005 was actually a homicide. Detective Landry maintains the messages are too vague, possess no integrity, and do not warrant a review of the old case.

Fiona’s not convinced. She’s determined to find the author of the enigmatic notes and uncover the truth about a man who had many secrets and countless enemies, including Fiona’s mother and former suspect Nancy Quinn!

Can Fiona crack this cold case, and what will it take to get Detective Landry involved? Don’t miss taking notes on this murder!

My Thoughts

Taking Notes on Murder is a whirlwind murder mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Fiona is back at it again in this novel, this time the case is an old cold case that was deemed a suicide but had the makings of murder written all over it. Fiona is receiving mysterious notes in her kindergarten classroom eluding to the possibility that James Arnold did not commit suicide but was murdered instead. At first, the notes are not enough to open the case but when someone physically threatens Fiona, Nate quickly steps in to ensure the case is opened and investigated fully. The only problem? James Arnold was quite the hated man – with so many potential murder suspects, how will they solve the case in time?

I enjoyed every moment of this novel – it keep me constantly guessing who the murder suspect could possibly be and I loved how each story was connected. James’ life crossed many pathways with others in this novel in very different ways (and so many times in a negative manner). He was very much a hated man at the time of his death (to the point his wife was celebrating his death instead of mourning him!). So many of those people are still around when the case reopens and the bigger question is who disliked him the most and who could have murdered him. And why were they going to Fiona for help?

This is a well written novel, whose characters I have grown to love (Fiona is just the kindest, funniest and clever young woman that you can’t help but love). The plot, while serious, has flares of humour that make the story a bit lighter. This was a great read, I kept reading right through the night as I had to know who was the murderer and why they committed the crime (I have to admit, I was a bit shocked at the end and I did not see that coming and the reason why he committed the crime). This is a definite must read novel!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Audible.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries has nine books.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Cindy resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

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

June 23, 2021

Bon Voyage to Murder: A Fiona Quinn Mystery #8

It isn’t long before they discover a boatload of suspects, who have motives deeper than the ocean for wanting the victim out of their lives.

About Bon Voyage to Murder: A Fiona Quinn Mystery #8

Hooray! Fiona has finally convinced her boyfriend detective Nathan Landry to go on a romantic Caribbean cruise. Unfortunately, their fun on the high seas is interrupted by murder. It isn’t long before they discover a boatload of suspects, who have motives deeper than the ocean for wanting the victim out of their lives.

My Thoughts

This was a fun and adventurous novel with a twist of murder and years of grudges and hate.

Fiona is a kind, loving school teacher who has a flare for uncovering secrets. Her boyfriend is a detective and the two of them together are quite the pair at solving mysteries. She convinces him to go on a cruise even though he is terribly sea sick and not a fan of cruises. What should be a relaxing vacation for them, full of laughter and drinks, quickly turns in to a case. Especially when you throw in two previous country superstars who both hold grudges against each other. First it looks just like mischief is at hand but this quickly changes to murder. The problem? The victim has quite a few enemies, and they are also on the cruise! The two are working against time, lost murder weapons and a plot to silence possible witnesses.

I loved this fun novel and while it contained some serious topics (murder and dementia), I found the read was light and humourous. It made for a great summer time read – it had twists and I loved learning about the characters history, but it never left you feeling lost or having to re-read chapters to better understand the history between the characters.

If you are looking to add to your summer time reading list, this is the book that you want to keep on your radar.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Audible.

Rating: 4/5

About the Author

For twenty-six years C.S. McDonald’s life whirled around a song and a dance. Classically trained at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School, The Pittsburgh Dance Alloy, and many others, she became a professional dancer and choreographer. In 2011 she retired from her dance career to write. Under her real name, Cindy McDonald, she writes murder-suspense and romantic suspense novels. In 2014 she added the pen name, C.S. McDonald, to write children’s books for her grandchildren. In 2016 she added the Fiona Quinn Mysteries. Presently, the Fiona Quinn Mysteries has nine books.

Cindy’s newest venture is The Owl’s Nest Mysteries. Once again, she has set her cozy mystery in Pittsburgh. The Owl’s Next Mysteries has a little grit, a little time travel, a little romance, and a whole lot of cozy!

Cindy resides on her Thoroughbred farm known as Fly by Night Stables near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Bill, and her poorly behaved Cocker Spaniel, Allister.

You can connect with her on her website, Twitter and Facebook.

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