Category: Uncategorized

June 28, 2019

Once Upon a Bad Boy

Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting love?

About Once Upon a Bad Boy

Sadie Gold is ready to take her career to the next level with the role of a lifetime. Finally, she can shake her reputation as a pretty face with more wealth and connections than talent. But Sadie is not prepared for the wild turn her own life is about to take. The man in charge of training Sadie for her most demanding role yet is none other than her first real boyfriend—the one who took her heart and ran away.

Bo Ibarra is as good-looking and irresistible as ever. Maybe even more so, now that everything once worked against them—Sadie’s pampered and privileged upbringing and Bo’s childhood in a family struggling to make ends meet—is in the past. But the future is still unwritten…and getting there, together, means coming clean about painful secrets and slashing through nasty tabloid rumors while trying to control the attraction that crackles between them. Maybe it’s finally time for them to walk off into the sunset and into a true and lasting love?

My Thoughts

Once Upon a Bad Boy is a lovely story of forgiveness, healing and second chances.

Our two main characters were once young and in love. They had a bright future and couldn’t be separated. All of this changed the night of the prom when Bo breaks up with Sadie and never explains why.

Sadie was heartbroken and left their town to pursue a career in acting. She never had an easy go at her profession even though she was immensely talented – every one would brush her off as the rich girl who got the job because of her parents. She manages to score the role of a life time that will help boost her career. The only problem? She will be filming back near her hometown where her heart was broken so long ago. To top that one off – her stunt trainer is the one who broke her heart!

Sparks immediately begin to fly in this story as the two have an electric chemistry that they can not deny. They try to remain professional but it becomes clear that they are far too attracted to each other. The only problem? How do they clear up their past – Sadie wants and deserves answers. Do they have a future together or is this relationship purely physical? This peels off quite the scab for the couple but also brings with it understanding and forgiveness.

This is a beautiful story of second chances that you will fall in love with. It is honest, loving, sexy and more. A fantastic summer time read!

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 4.5/5

About the Author

After earning her Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude from Loyola University Chicago, Melonie Johnson―aka #thewritinglush―taught high school English and Theatre for several years. An award winning author and a two-time RWA Golden Heart® finalist, she writes smart and funny contemporary romance and moonlights as an audiobook narrator under the pseudonym, Evelyn Eibhlin. She lives happily ever after with her husband, two redheaded daughters, a dog that’s more like a small horse, and a pair of hermit crabs. She is the author of the Sometimes in Love series which includes Getting Hot with the Scot, Smitten by the Brit, and Once Upon a Bad Boy.

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

June 19, 2019

Okko’s Inn Review and Giveaway

Kitaro Kosaka’s stunning anime feature Okko’s Inn from the famed studio Madhouse will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on July 2, 2019 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory.

About Okko’s Inn

Kitaro Kosaka’s stunning anime feature Okko’s Inn from the famed studio Madhouse will be released on Blu-ray, DVD and digital download on July 2, 2019 from GKIDS and Shout! Factory. Nominated for the 2019 Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year, the filmcomes to home video following its nationwide theatrical release earlier this April.

After losing her parents in a car accident, Okko goes to live in the countryside with her grandmother, who runs a traditional inn near an ancient spring said to have healing waters. Okko soon discovers there are spirits living there only she can see – welcoming ghosts who keep her company, play games and help her navigate her new environment. Okko strives to be a gracious host, and this is soon put to the test by a string of challenging guests with different stories. But ultimately Okko discovers that dedicating herself to others becomes the key to taking care of herself, in this beautiful tale from Kitaro Kosaka, who was a key animator on numerous classic films at the venerable Studio Ghibli.

Bonus Features

Interview with the Director
Interview with Seiran Kobayashi (Okko)
Q&A with Directors and Producers at Japanese Premiere
Trailers

Our Thoughts

This is an excellent movie for young children as it touches on some pretty important topics that may be difficult to discuss in an age appropriate manner.

Okko loses the people who are the most important to her, her parents. She must learn how to cope with her loss and grief. This is never easy for anyone to do, let alone a child. She moves in with her Grandmother after their deaths and we are with Okko as she learns ways to cope and move forward.

After the accident, she develops a rather unusual talent – she is now able to see ghosts! One of these ghosts was there with her on the fateful day her parents died. Many enter and exit her life but she learns many valuable lessons from them.

Okko learns to deal with her grief through service to others and finds joy in this. She discovers that being there for others helps her feel as though her parents are still with her.

You can order a copy of this DVD here.

The Giveaway

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

June 17, 2019

The Setpoint Diet Spotlight

Join the 27,000 people who have achieved dramatic and long-term weight loss with The Setpoint Diet, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Calorie Myth.

About The Setpoint Diet

Your body fights to keep you within a range of about 15 pounds–also known as your “setpoint weight.” New research reveals that you can lower your setpoint and end that battle for good by focusing on the quality of calories you eat, not the quantity. With The Setpoint Diet, you will reprogram your body with a 21-day plan to rev up your metabolism, eliminate inflammation, heal your hormones, repair your gut, and get your body working like that of a naturally thin person–permanently.

The Setpoint Diet is a lower-carb menu that focuses on specific anti-inflammatory whole foods, including tons of produce, nutritious proteins, and therapeutic fats. Its creator, Jonathan Bailor, founded SANESolution, a weight loss company that has reached millions of people. Proven to help you lose weight naturally and maintain it, The Setpoint Diet is your new blueprint for healthy living.

About the Author

JONATHAN BAILOR pioneered the field of wellness engineering and is the founder and CEO of one of the world’s fastest-growing permanent weight loss and diabesity treatment companies, SANESolution. He authored the New York Times best-seller The Calorie Myth, has registered over 26 patents, has spoken at Fortune 100 companies and TED conferences for over a decade and served as a Senior Program Manager at Microsoft, where he helped to create Nike Kinect Training and Xbox Fitness. His work has been endorsed and implemented by top doctors from Harvard Medical School, Johns Hopkins, the Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, and UCLA. A summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of DePauw University, Bailor lives outside Seattle with his wife, Angela, and daughter Aavia.

You can connect with the author on his website, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram.

The Giveaway

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Disclosure: This is a spotlight tour, I received no compensation for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.

June 13, 2019

Butterflies and Second Chances

About Butterflies and Second Chances

The world Annette Hines knew exploded when her infant daughter Elizabeth was diagnosed with mitochondrial disease–a degenerative, life-limiting illness. Annette’s joy quickly turned to apprehension and she knew nothing would ever be the same again.

Butterflies and Second Chances is the inspiring true story of a mother’s special needs journey, and her struggle to secure the best possible life for her child in the face of bureaucratic resistance and marital crisis. It is a story of sacrifice, dedication, and the life-altering adjustments a special needs parent has to make when confronted with the unthinkable. But most of all, it’s about love and an extraordinary mother-daughter relationship that flourished without words in the darkest shadows of adversity.

Annette and Elizabeth’s powerful story provides hope, solace, and a path forward for parents of special needs children, and it will resonate with families everywhere.

My Thoughts

I have to disclose that I am not the parent of a special needs child but there was something about the book description that really touched me. I had to read this book but I could not quite put my finger on it.

Parenting is hard – we struggle as parents, we have to be an advocate for our child’s health and education, we hurt at their pain and all we want to do is see them happy and healthy. Having had four miscarriages before I became pregnant with my second son, it was a constant battle of fear that I would lose him and that something would go wrong. He was born healthy but has his own health conditions, with food and seasonal allergies, eczema and asthma, we spent a lot of the time at the doctors office. This felt like a non stop upwards battle everywhere we turned, but I can’t even put into words the struggles that Annette went through. I find it hard enough to have someone listen to me about my son’s breathing and allergies – I can’t even begin to imagine myself in her shoes fighting to have someone listen to her concerns and what she felt was right for her daughter or the diagnosis for her.

Her story is beautiful, honest, raw and painful at times. I found myself crying throughout various stages in the story and at other times my heart full of joy for the kindness others can show. Annette shares the good, the bad and the ugly in an honest open manner. You feel like it is a conversation rather than a book and I loved this.

Mother, daughter and sister are fighters and their story is powerful and so very important for everyone to read. We need to understand the emotions, the difficulties but also the beauty that is raising a child with a disability. We as a society need to learn to show compassion and understanding to others – we may never be in their shoes but we can learn to help them. She offers such simple solutions – like going to the parent, preparing paperwork to make their life just a little bit easier. Simple things that others take for granted.

This is a beautiful, raw story of the love between a parent and their child. They fought a courageous battle and I felt so sorry for their loss. I could not put this story done – it is beautifully written and perfect for all adults and even young adults.

You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Annette Hines is a founding partner of the Special Needs Law Group of Massachusetts. She brings personal experience to her practice as the mother of two daughters, one of whom passed away from mitochondrial disease in 2013. This deep, personal understanding of special needs fuels her passion for quality special needs planning and advocacy and drives her dedication to the practice. Recognized as a Distinguished Citizen by ARC Massachusetts and cited for public service by both the Massachusetts State Senate and House of Representatives, Ms. Hines works tirelessly on behalf of people with disabilities.

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

June 3, 2019

Burton Blake Book Review

About Burton Blake

In this sequel to the well-received The Revolutionist, the American journey of three generations locks the neophyte company president, Burton Blake, in a vicious struggle with corporate intrigue, financial greed, and social corruption. Born to a taxi dancer at the beginning of the Second World War, Burton’s father, Elias Blake, never knows his natural father, who is killed in the South Pacific. He is raised by his mother and stepfather from her second marriage who makes his fortune during the post war real estate boom of the 50’s. Their untimely death by his business partner leaves the boy Elias in the guardianship of his mother’s best friend and her marine vet husband who introduces him to the macho culture of guns and hunting.

Elias’s youth is influenced by the adult world’s drive for personal material gain. Over the next decades, he expands his parents’ original real estate empire into the diversified multi-divisional, multi-national corporation that he leaves to his son, Burton. Upon his forced return from traveling and working with oppressed third world people, Burton learns increasingly more about the true nature of his deceased father as he undertakes the challenges of leading the company in a new direction.

My Thoughts

This is a well written journey through three generations of a family as they struggle with building a dynasty, greed and corruption.

Elias Blake never knows his real father, who was killed during the Second World War. He is raised by his mother and stepfather, a man who is consumed with wealth. His stepfather earns his wealth in real estate but he is never really shown as a kind, caring figure which is something Elias really needed. When the only parents he has ever known die in a car accident, his whole life is turned upside down. It is the influence from his youth (wealth, greed, power and the drive to always have more) that creates his future. My heart was sore for him, as he never really knew any different, it was only in his last moments that he truly understood the impact of his life on others.

He turns the real estate business into a dynasty of wealth and expands the divisions. While business is booming for him, he can’t escape the greed and envy of others. When he leaves everything to his son, Burton, we begin to uncover a new side of Elias and a web of secrets, murder and corruption in his business.

Burton had turned his back on his father and that life years ago, instead he chooses to focus on humanitarian rights. He does not want anything to do with the corruption of the business world but unfortunately he is caught right in the middle of it. The story really takes off here and we uncover new plots and revisit events of the past. We are witness to murder, lies, greed and corruption. Can Burton resist temptation? Can he right past wrongs? Will he even be able to stay alive??

This is a well written novel that pulls you in slowly and keeps you guessing through every turn of the page. I loved how the past and present were intertwined and even in the darkest moments, you can see a glimmer of hope for good to come out on top.

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

Rating: 5/5

About the Author

Robert is published by Tell-Tale Publishing Group LLC / Wise Words Publishing under a multi-book contract. The author of four previous earlier novels, Robert infuses his books with unique dynamic stories and characters that portray social and cultural conflicts of their time. His career encompasses many years as a business consultant that have given him access to a wide range of organizations and an appreciation for people in all areas of society. His life experience is reflected in the literary quality of his work. Born and raised in the Middle-West, he has traveled throughout the United States and abroad.

Now retired, he resides with his wife in Southern California where he devotes full-time to writing. Robert is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a Masters Degree in Communications at the University of California, Los Angeles where he received the Samuel Goldwyn and Donald Davis Literary Awards.

An affinity for family and the astute observation of generational interaction pervade his novels. His works are literary and genre upmarket fiction that address the nature and importance of personal integrity.

Book Trailer

The Giveaway

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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.