Category: reviews

The Berlin Package

iRead Book Tours

In this fast-paced sequel to Murder on Safari, The Berlin Package, finds Pero in Berlin on a brand new assignment.

The Berlin Package Book Review

About The Berlin Package

Film producer Pero Baltazar thought he was taking a Berlin filming assignment. He needed the work, needed to get back in the saddle after fighting off a life-threatening experience in East Africa—alShabaab had attacked his crew, intent on a much larger terrorist attack. Suddenly he finds himself under orders from his part-time employers at the State Department and the CIA when he is handed a mysterious package. It’s an assignment he doesn’t want. The problem is, it’s a job contracted by mysterious patrons who are prepared to kill him if he doesn’t deliver.

Pero—now in far too deep—turns to friends, old and new, to help him unravel the mystery of the package, uncover connections to Nazi concentration camp gold recently sold by the US Treasury, and thwart the ex–Stasi chief, now head of a powerful banking group.

In this fast-paced sequel to Murder on Safari, Pero calls on Mbuno, his friend and East African safari guide, to anticipate the moves of his enemies as if they were animals—dangerous vermin—who have kidnapped both the film star and director. Mbuno’s tracking skills may keep them from getting killed—provided Pero can rope in more help and keep the CIA at bay.

My Thoughts

Wow – this novel was just as stunning and fast paced as Murder on Safari, I fell in love with this novel and could not put it down. While it is a sequel to Murder on Safari, you don’t necessarily have to read the first novel to understand this one (but trust me you will want to because the first novel is just as great!).

The plot line is incredible and slowly unfolds piece by piece, only giving you what you need when you need to know (which I love!). Pero after his experience in Africa felt he was done with the CIA and their missions. He wants to get back to his film producing so he jumps on a story based in Germany. It is only when he is there, that he becomes trapped into a mysterious assignment that he never wanted.

As he tries to deliver the package, he finds out unbelievable truths about Nazi concentration camp gold, individuals in power and his mysterious package. He must use his skills to thwart an enemy that he is never too sure who they are, to discover the details of the package and to ensure it remains out of the hands of his enemy (not to mention save his friends!).

The Berlin Package is beyond exciting, full of surprises that you never quite see coming and an exciting plot line that will have you unable to put the novel down. Peter Riva writes exceptional novels that are fresh, thrilling and full of adventure. I can not wait to see if we have another novel featuring Pero!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Chapters.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Peter Riva has spent many months over 30 years travelling throughout Africa and Europe. Much of this time was spent with the legendary guides for East African hunters and adventurers. He created a TV series in 1995 called Wild Things for Paramount. Passing on the fables, true tales, and insider knowledge of these last reserves of true wildlife is his passion. Nonetheless, his job for over forty years has been working as a literary agent. In his spare time, Riva writes science fiction and African adventure books. He lives in Gila, New Mexico. You can connect with him on his website, Twitter and Facebook.

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

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Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

Three years ago marked an extremely difficult time in my life. I was in my first (and only – knock on wood) car accident. It was a cold and icy day and my car spun out on the on ramp to the highway. My car was a total write off, I had a concussion but even worse my confidence was shattered. I was scared of driving and felt too exposed in the larger cars that I used to love, like my husband’s Explorer.

My husband took me to Ford to let me sit in different cars to see if this could help me overcome my fear (God bless him he was a saint that day with his patience and the man who was helping us). I sat in a Focus and I fell in love. I felt safe again, as if the car was keeping me close and protecting me. This was exactly what I needed at that time to build my confidence in my driving skills, the highways and winter driving.

My only fault? I never pushed myself again to get out of this comfort zone. I would cry when my husband would try to encourage me to drive his Explorer (and when I mean cry, I mean huge donkey tears!). I was scared that I wouldn’t see other cars, I was scared that I couldn’t see far enough in front of me to stop in time and I felt too exposed. I knew this was irrational but I could not get over this fear, isn’t it funny how we let our emotions take over our mind?

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

This last week, I challenged myself out of my comfort zone when we picked up a 2016 Ford Flex to drive to the BConnected Conference in Ottawa. My husband was beyond excited to hear this would be the car we were driving as when we were picking my replacement car he had really wanted to go with the Flex (he loved the space). I was anxious with the size of it as it is quite bigger than my Focus but I was curious and really wanted to challenge myself out of my comfort zone.

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

The Ford Flex itself is a beauty of a car with clean, straight lines and lots of interior space that gives the whole family a sense of comfort and relaxation, especially on long trips. This was our first trip that there was not one complaint that their legs were sore, kicking each other or fighting over space for their toys. My back truly treasured those heated seats the whole way back. But the Flex is so much more than a beautiful, spacious car. It makes you a confident driver with the many added safety features.

So what made me so comfortable with the Ford Flex? These were the safety features that I fell in love with:

Side mirror blind spot warning lights that light up when a car is in your blind spot. This is especially useful on the highways (especially the 401 in Toronto!) as people can quickly come up into your blind spot sometimes undetected. This is one of my biggest fears in a large car that I won’t see a smaller car in my blind spot, this takes all the guessing out of it.

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

Collison warning with brake support where the car will alert you if it senses a potential collision with the car in front of you. A heads up display will light up on the windshield and if you don’t react in time the brakes will pre-charge and start to slow you down. It also does this one cruise control, which is a pretty neat feature we tested on the drive back from Ottawa.

Active park assist is one of my favourite features on Ford vehicles. I am not the best at parallel parking and I am not afraid to admit it. The Active Park Assist takes the guess work out of it by steering the wheel and guiding you through applying pressure to the accelerator and brake pedals. The centre console also has a screen that shows you the rear camera with tracking lines that show you the car’s trajectory if you continue on the current path as well as making a beeping noise when you get to close to an object/car/curb.

The large windows make a huge difference for lane changes, parking and just confidence in general, especially for someone like me who had a fear of driving larger cars. You can see all around you at any given time.

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford FlexThe bonus features?

The Ford Flex drives like a luxury vehicle, it actually reminded me of my husband’s Lincoln sedan he owned four years ago (and later I found out that the Flex is made in the same factory that produces the Lincoln models!). It was a smooth ride even on the bumpiest of roads and hugged every turn very well.

The powerfold third row seats were quite the hit in our home. With the push of one button, the seats would fold into stowing so we could pack all our bags in the trunk and another push of a button turned them into tailgate seats. How awesome would that be for the drive in theatres?! You can watch the seats in action here. I really liked that they were automatic because I just don’t have the time to fumble and try to yank seats down. This made the whole process simple and efficient – my two favourite words!

Challenging Myself with the 2016 Ford Flex

Our family fell in love with so many features of the Ford Flex but most importantly it helped me feel safe again in a larger vehicle. I have not felt that secure in a large vehicle since before my accident, which is an amazing feeling to have. We may have even come to an agreement on our next car when it is time to replace my Focus!

What feature of the 2016 Ford Flex impresses you the most?

Disclosure: We drove the Ford Flex to Ottawa free of charge, all opinions expressed are my own.

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A Dream of Miracles

Litfuse Book Tour

In A Dream of Miracles, Amish widow Mattie vows never to love again until a suspicious outsider with a shadowy past comes crashing into her fragile world.

A Dream of Miracles

About A Dream of Miracles

Mattie Diener can barely keep it together. A young Amish widow and mother of two young children, she faces the lingering heartbreak of lost love, her son’s mysterious illness, and a torrent of accusations that threaten to undo her.

Bo Lambright is a fast-rising social services investigator whose high-society mother won’t rest until she finds his Mrs. Right. Despite Bo’s worldly success, the raw ache of a shadowy past and a series of unsettling dreams have left him reeling.

When Mattie and Bo cross paths, all signs point to disaster. Yet as they face a crucible of trials and tragedies together, longings begin to stir that seem destined only to end in more heartbreak. Is a miracle possible, not only of healing but of forbidden love? What secrets lie in Bo’s dreams? And will Mattie find the courage to face her uncertain future or will she simply run away?

My Thoughts

A Dream of Miracles if full of raw emotions, love, fear, forgiveness and pain. Both of our main characters, Bo and Mattie, must learn to open their hearts to forgiveness and healing to move forward. Two individuals, whom from outward appearances seem very different, have very much in common in their past.

I love how Bo’s story slowly unfolds as he looks into Mattie’s open case. We see glimpses of his past at certain times throughout the novel and we can feel his pain that he has closed himself off too. It is his meeting with Mattie that opens his heart up completely. He learns that he has to heal that pain, to forgive the pain in order to be the person he wants to be. In turn, Mattie faces similar steps. She has lost her husband at a young age and left with two young children. When a social investigator begins looking at her parenting skills and home life, she is heartbroken. My heart broke for her, when some of the investigators could not look past her Amish beliefs and lifestyle to find the truth about her son’s mysterious illness and instead take the easy route by blaming her.

In a story where many of the events could have shattered the two main characters, we instead find healing, perseverance and hope. A Dream of Miracles is a truly beautiful story that all readers will love.

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

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

Ruth Reid is a CBA and ECPA bestselling author of the Heaven on Earth series. She’s a full-time pharmacist who lives in Florida with her husband and three children. When attending Ferris State University School of Pharmacy in Big Rapids, Michigan, she lived on the outskirts of an Amish community and had several occasions to visit the Amish farms. Her interest grew into love as she saw the beauty in living a simple life.

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

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The Reflections of Queen Snow White

The Reflections of Queen Snow White

In The Reflections of Queen Snow White, what happens when happily ever after comes and goes?

The Reflections of Queen Snow White

About The Reflections of Queen Snow White

On the eve of her only daughter, Princess Raven’s wedding, an aging Snow White finds it impossible to share in the joyous spirit of the occasion. The ceremony itself promises to be the most glamorous social event of the decade. Snow White’s castle has been meticulously scrubbed, polished and opulently decorated for the celebration. It is already nearly bursting with jubilant guests and merry well-wishers. Prince Edel, Raven’s fiancé, is a fine man from a neighboring kingdom and Snow White’s own domain is prosperous and at peace. Things could not be better, in fact, except for one thing: the King is dead.

The queen has been in a moribund state of hopeless depression for over a year with no end in sight. It is only when, in a fit of bitter despair, she seeks solitude in the vastness of her own sprawling castle and climbs a long disused and forgotten tower stair that she comes face to face with herself in the very same magic mirror used by her stepmother of old.

It promises her respite in its shimmering depths, but can Snow White trust a device that was so precious to a woman who sought to cause her such irreparable harm? Can she confront the demons of her own difficult past to discover a better future for herself and her family? And finally, can she release her soul-crushing grief and suffocating loneliness to once again discover what “happily ever after” really means?

My Thoughts

Snow White was one of my favourite tales as a child and teen. I loved the innocence and underlying strength of Snow White. This story with Snow White begins many years after the childhood tale ends, with Queen Snow White facing the after effects of her husband’s death and her daughter Raven’s wedding.

Queen Snow White feels lost and alone. She finds no happiness in anything that used to bring her joy, not even with her own daughter’s wedding. She is struggling with her pain and instead of reaching out to others, she caves into her herself and suffers in silence. My heart broke for Queen Snow White just knowing the amount of pain she is going through. Her husband was her sole confident, the one person she could truly be herself with and her best friend. I think of my own husband and how close he is to me and I can’t even begin to imagine life without him. Your heart bleeds for her and you just want her to find the peace and strength we know is inside her and to heal the bond between her and her daughter, Raven.

It is in a state of loneliness and trying to hide from the guests that have in a way invaded her home, Queen Snow White finds herself climbing the stairs to her stepmother’s long forgotten rooms. Here she must face her past in her stepmother’s favourite object, a mirror. I loved how the mirror forced her to confront her pain and to look inside of herself, constantly reminding her that the mirror can only show her the truth not the way she remembers each memory. The story of Snow White makes her seems frail and dependent on her husband, when we see her through the eyes of the mirror we see a whole new picture. We see a strong young woman who has overcome pain and adversity and still sees the beauty in others. She suffered at the hands of her stepmother but instead of causing her to become a person who in turn does this to others, it makes her gentle, forgiving and righteous. I loved how we were guided through her life and those precious and terrifying moments in time, in order to watch her grow and understand her own strength and courage. Queen Snow White learns many valuable lessons throughout the novel, many of these lessons are ones that we all can easily forget in our own pain and even in our happiness. While my heart ached at times for Queen Snow White, I love how she slowly peels back the painful and happy memories in order to emerge a different woman throughout the novel. The story is beautifully written and is one I cherished from start to finish.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

David Meredith is a writer and educator originally from Knoxville, Tennessee. He received both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tennessee as well as a Tennessee State Teaching license. On and off, he spent nearly a decade, from 1999-2010 teaching English in Northern Japan, but currently lives with his wife and three children in the Nashville Area where he continues to write, teach English, and is pursuing his doctoral degree in educational leadership.

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

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Sit, Stay, Love Book Review

Litfuse Book Tour

In Sit, Stay, Love we take one abrasive professional athlete, a quirky out-of-work schoolteacher, and an overweight geriatric dog, and you’re ready for a lesson in love . . . Tippy style!

Sit, Stay, Love Book Review

About Sit, Stay, Love

Pro baseball pitcher Cal Crawford is not a dog guy. When he inherits his deceased mother’s elderly dog, Tippy, he’s quick to call on a pet-sitting service.

Gina isn’t thrilled to be a dog sitter when her aspirations lie in the classroom. Furthermore, she can’t abide the unfriendly Cal, a man with all the charm of a wet towel. But with no other prospects and a deep love for all things canine, she takes the job caring for Tippy.

As Gina travels through Cal’s world with Tippy in tow, she begins to see Cal in a different light. Gina longs to show Cal the God-given blessings in his life that have nothing to do with baseball or fame. When her longing blooms into attraction, Gina does her best to suppress it. But Cal is falling in love with her too.

My Thoughts

Sit, Stay, Love is a light, comical romance that you never quite see coming. Gina and Cal are from opposites worlds, one rich and famous and the other just scraping by. But their lives cross when he inherits Tippy, an elderly dog that does what she wants she wants.

The story emerges through comical episodes that Tippy and Gina put Cal through, that make you smile and laugh. Tippy is exactly what Cal needs as he deals with the loss of his Mother, even though he doesn’t realize it! She reminds him what really matters in life, that love and happiness are more important than money and a career. This is a long and painful lesson for him, as he must also learn to forgive and to open his heart to love.

A beautiful, fun story of forgiveness, love and hope. It will be a great summer time read!

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

Dana Mentink lives in California, where the weather is golden and the cheese is divine. Dana is an American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year finalist for romantic suspense and an award winner in the Pacific Northwest Writers Literary Contest. Her suspense novel, Betrayal in the Badlands, earned a Romantic Times Reviewer’s Choice Award. Besides writing, she busies herself teaching third and fourth grade. Mostly, she loves to be home with her husband, two daughters, a dog with social anxiety problems, a chubby box turtle, and a feisty parakeet.

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

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