October 9, 2017
A Love Letter to Jay Book Review
When an unusual love letter arrives nearly 22 years late, in the form of a book, the man who receives it discovers a memoir filled with passion, wit and sensitivity. He also discovers that the book is about him.
About A Love Letter to Jay
May Le’s debut novel, A Love Letter to Jay: A Memoir, is a unique and compelling love story that chronicles the life of a Chinese immigrant— one of six children from Vietnam—who faces one obstacle, one tragedy after another. One Amazon reviewer describes the memoir as “an Amy Tan novel with Horatio Alger undertones. An engrossing story filled with life at its bittersweet best.”
A memoir arrives in the mail one day, and the man to whom it’s addressed tears it open and begins to read. He quickly realizes the book is about him. It is about her. It is an astounding history of things he never knew. Deeply felt letters of devotion he’d never received fill the pages of the book, containing passionate remembrances of their lovemaking, confessions of secrets never shared, and painful details about the chasm that developed between her and her mother as they clashed over archaic cultural traditions from the old country. And now, reading her words, he begins to piece together the last 22 years.
Jay devours the book, especially the details about a son he still believes is his. When he reads about how she was raped and abused by her husband, his heart breaks, and he begins to understand why he and she were always like two ships passing in a dense foggy night, experiencing only occasional trysts punctuated by long periods of silence. He had always known of her success in business and how she’d overcome so much. After all, he had been her mentor and confidant before he was her lover. He was always proud of her. And he has always been in love with her. Putting the book down on the desk, Jay covers his eyes and begins to cry for what could have been.
May Le’s story jumps off the pages with a direct, raw, insightful wit as she recounts her life beginning as a Chinese immigrant to America from Vietnam in 1985. From the death of her father and brother while her mother struggled to support the family of five, to two decades of poverty followed by a brutal rape and coerced marriage to the rapist, a series of misfortunes propels May Le to rise above her circumstances. Ultimately she becomes a successful restaurateur and philanthropist, eventually rediscovering her long-lost love.
My Thoughts
When I finished reading this powerful story, my first thought was wow. I couldn’t get over this amazing story of resilience, struggle, hope, faith and family. It was raw, honest but full of understanding and acceptance.
May Le tells a story that so many first and second generation immigrants to North America can more than likely relate to. Family tends to stick to tradition when they find themselves in a new and unknown situation. This was true for May Le. She was stuck in the middle of old traditions and trying to find her way in America. It was these old traditions that forces her to marry a man who raped her and then continues to physically, mentally and emotionally abuse her. We are with her as she struggles for hope and love, as she finds love in Jay but remains in her marriage to appease her Mother and save the family reputation.
The story is written in such a manner that you feel as though you are a part of her story. That you are there with her during her struggles, you want to just reach out to her and give her the confidence and strength she needs to leave her husband. I felt close to May Le and wanted to just reach out and give her a hug. I found myself crying at times and other times my heart was so happy with her.
A Love Letter to Jay is a beautiful, powerful story of rising above all of the negative in our lives to embrace love, hope and happiness. It is a story that you will not want to put down.
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon.
Rating: 5/5
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 9, 2017
The Fabergé Entanglement Book Review
Sabinne ‘Saber’ Darrieux’s father, the billionaire CEO of Frontenac Global Security has been kidnapped. His ransom is not cash in a numbered offshore account, or a briefcase of Bearer Bonds but something utterly unique, incredibly valuable, and until recently, hidden away from the world.
About The Fabergé Entanglement
Sabinne ‘Saber’ Darrieux’s father, the billionaire CEO of Frontenac Global Security has been kidnapped. His ransom is not cash in a numbered offshore account, or a briefcase of Bearer Bonds but something utterly unique, incredibly valuable, and until recently, hidden away from the world.
The kidnapper seems to know Saber very well, and knows that the next day, through her work as an elite translator she will be in the same location as the Object. She must steal the Object and deliver it to the kidnapper to ransom her father.
Adrian Steele, a British Intelligence agent has just come off of two harrowing missions. Upon returning to London for a well-earned rest, he learns that his friend and fellow agent, has been murdered in Moscow, but not before he made use of a unique Object as a mobile ‘drop site’ for the valuable intelligence he was carrying.
The drop site is traveling from Moscow to England. Steele insists on completing the mission to honor the death of his friend, Gerry Cornell.
At an ultra-chic quasi-diplomatic gathering in a mansion in Windsor, England, Saber and Steele meet and find themselves faced with a powerful, undeniable attraction. But at the moment, this compelling attraction is very inconvenient.
In reality they are at the mansion to check out the security arrangements — for their own reasons — to steal the Object, a Fabergé egg worth thirty million dollars. But who will get to the egg first?
Fabergé eggs are very famous for their unique surprises. Saber and Steele are about to be very surprised, indeed.
And when Saber clashes with Steele; more than sparks will explode!
My Thoughts
The Faberge Entanglement is an exciting, suspenseful, sexy novel from start to finish. We have two very strong, smart, sassy and sexy main characters, Saber and Steele. I loved them both equally, Saber especially. It isn’t too often that you find a female main character who is so powerful, smart and an incredible fighter like her. She holds her own throughout this story and I really enjoyed the power struggle between her and Steele.
The plot line itself was pretty exciting and changes as we learn more information about Saber’s personal and family history. The story evolved in an amazing but not expected manner that kept me guessing right to the very end! I did not expect the ending of the book at all but it suited the characters and the story perfectly.
This novel is well written with great attention to character development and the plot. Each chapter was quite short which was different for me and alternated between the two main characters. I liked how this added to the suspense and urgency of the novel and solving the mystery of who is behind the kidnapping. This was a great read from start to finish!
You can purchase a copy of this book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Rating: 4/5
About the Authors
LESLEY MERYN
Enjoyed an exotic, adventure-filled childhood, following her anthropologist father and travel writer mother to the farthest corners of the world. She later took inspiration from her Aunt Sophia Francesca and became the author of romantic adventure novels. She alternates her time between Los Angeles, and a family property located in Yorkshire England.
ELLE BROOKES
She is the author of the first two books of the Time Frame Series, LUST. MECHANICS. MINI COOPER. and SEX. COFFEE. TIME TRAVEL. Loves travel, discovering new foods to try, reading and writing. She currently lives in the central highlands of Costa Rica with her dog Pixie and her hedgehog Quiller.
The Giveaway!
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 3, 2017
Encourage and Celebrate Individuality with Kuu Kuu Harajuku Giveaway
It is so important, especially in the times that we are currently living in, to encourage and support the young girls in our lives to embrace and love themselves. Too often they are told to be and act in a certain manner that differs greatly from their personality and their hopes and dreams. Young girls should be encouraged and celebrated on expressing their personalities, being creative and chasing their dreams – even if that doesn’t fit into the perfect image of what society thinks a young girl should be or dress like.
Gwen Stefani’s animated series Kuu Kuu Harajuku is all about celebrating the power and uniqueness of young girls. The series follows the lives of five young girls, Love, Angel, Music, Baby and G, and their band HJ5. G is the leader of this group of fearless young girls who are ready to take the world by storm through music and fashion. The show’s setting is inspired by the street fashion and creative youth culture of the Harajuku district but takes place in a magical fantasy world. The series follows the girls adventures as they travel around the world performing and getting caught up in adventures that fosters loyalty and friendship.
Young girls can now bring the Kuu Kuu Harajuku world to life with the animated series new fashion doll and doll line from Mattel! Mattel infuses the popular Japanese harajuku fashion with the dolls show imagery, allowing young fans to customize and create their own fashions, interchangeable outfits and accessories. Each of the five band members brings their personality to her fashion, brand and doll. Fans have the opportunity to connect with their favourite character and use their own creativity and imagination to bring the doll’s personality to life.
Kuu Kuu Harajuku teaches us about loyalty, being true to ourselves all while expressing ourselves the way we want to (go ahead and rock that fashion accessory or item regardless of what anyone else says!). Too often girls are taught to only like certain clothes or styles but this series teaches us to love and show off our style with pride!
Two new DVDs featuring a selection of the popular television series are now available for purchase (Music Baby and Super Kawaii). The Music Baby DVD and Super Kawaii DVD can be purchased online at Shout Kids. Each DVD runs roughly from an hour and a half to two hours long.
Series Clip
The Giveaway!
My Canadian and American readers can now enter to win a Kuu Kuu Harajuku prize pack valued at $70 that includes: 1 doll purse, 1 fashion doll, Kuu Kuu Harajuku Music Baby DVD, Kuu Kuu Harajuku Super Kawaii DVD. Enter via the rafflecopter form below – good luck!
Disclosure: I received the above prize pack free of charge in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
October 3, 2017
Fitness On Your Time with Aaptiv
When you talk to your friends, co-workers and family about fitness, what is your number one barrier to exercise?
For many women, their greatest barrier to participation in fitness is TIME.
As Mothers, we tend to give so much of ourselves to our children, our spouse, our family and friends that we have so little time left over for ourselves. When we do get time to ourselves, we are usually exhausted and not motivated enough to give a workout 100% (not to mention most times we don’t have anyone to watch our children or they have their own extra curricular activities).
BUT exercise is crucial for our mental, physical and emotional well-being. Exercise not only helps improve our physical fitness but helps with sleep, metabolism, stress and so much more. The benefits of exercise are too important for us not to be putting ourselves first.
So how we squeeze in an extra fifteen to thirty minutes a day of exercise?
Aaptiv is a mobile app for your phone that contains a broad range of traditional workouts with more focused workouts such as cardio for weight loss, maternity program and yoga for beginners. The app is designed to be just like a personal trainer without the expense. You have your own coach at the tips of your fingers and in your ear for the whole workout – this is that extra motivation that we sometimes need.
Once you download the app, you can go through and choose a specific workout or program that suits your needs on that day. Plug your headphones into your phone and get ready for extra motivation to help get you through that workout that you have been avoiding. The workouts vary in their time range so you can choose the correct time needed for your workout (on the right hand side of each workout it tells you exactly how long that one will take). I loved that each program has a beginner, intermediate and advanced setting.
The workouts were very easy to follow and motivating. I also enjoyed listening to the meditation programs during the afternoon to help me de-stress and re-focus my mind (beats trying to accomplish this with caffeine that usually makes my stress worse).
For Moms to Be and New Moms, Aaptiv has a special program just for you! Top fitness talent, including Kira Kohrherr of FitBump and yoga guru and author Kristin McGee, have helped to designed a specialized pre and post natal program. The program is divided up into the three trimesters and post natal. Since this is usually a time where we don’t give ourselves and our bodies enough love and attention – this is a great way to help us keep on track with our fitness and health goals.
Aaptiv can be started on a free weekly trial and then membership for unlimited classes starts as low as $9.99.
Make sure you follow Aaptiv on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with all the latest programming and fitness updates!
How do you ensure you include at least fifteen minutes of exercise a day into your daily routine?
Disclosure: I received a trial of Aaptiv in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.
September 28, 2017
Bringing Maggie Home Book Review
Bringing Maggie Home contains decades of loss, an unsolved mystery, and a rift spanning three generations.
About Bringing Maggie Home
Hazel DeFord is a woman haunted by her past. While berry picking in a blackberry thicket in 1943, ten-year old Hazel momentarily turns her back on her three-year old sister Maggie and the young girl disappears.
Almost seventy years later, the mystery remains unsolved and the secret guilt Hazel carries has alienated her from her daughter Diane, who can’t understand her mother’s overprotectiveness and near paranoia. While Diane resents her mother’s inexplicable eccentricities, her daughter Meghan—a cold case agent—cherishes her grandmother’s lavish attention and affection.
When a traffic accident forces Meghan to take a six-week leave-of-absence to recover, all three generations of DeFord women find themselves unexpectedly under the same roof. Meghan knows she will have to act as a mediator between the two headstrong and contentious women. But when they uncover Hazel’s painful secret, will Meghan also be able to use her investigative prowess to solve the family mystery and help both women recover all that’s been lost?
My Thoughts
Bringing Maggie Home is a brilliant novel following the lives of three generations of women in the same family. Each of them has been impacted by Hazel’s past and the disappearance of her younger sister Maggie although her daughter Diane and granddaughter Meghan do not know about Hazel’s past and the loss of her sister.
When Hazel’s sister disappears, her world is shattered. It tears apart her parents and she carries a guilt that no child should bear. As Diane and Meghan later learn, the impact on the remaining years of her childhood and teen can be greatly seen in pictures and Hazel’s refusal to talk about what happened. Maggie’s disappearance causes Hazel to later on in life hold on too close to Diane, to the point where Diane felt smothered and anger towards her Mother.
When Meghan decides to investigate more into Maggie’s disappearance, the family dynamics begin to change. Hazel becomes more open and Diane becomes more understanding. It is amazing the amount of damage that one secret can cause! Hazel’s refusal to talk about her sister caused a great rift between her daughter and herself. If she had chosen to speak to Diane about it in the beginning, Diane may have appreciated more why her Mother was so protective and overbearing.
Bringing Maggie Home is a well written novel showcasing forgiveness, compassion, hope and love. It shows us that we need to be honest with those we love and to learn to show compassion and forgive each other for our mistakes. I laughed and cried along with Hazel, Diane and Meghan always keeping my fingers and toes crossed for the happy ending that this family deserves. This is a definite must read novel!
You can find more reviews on the Litfuse blog tour page.
Rating: 5/5
About the Author
Kim Vogel Sawyer is a highly acclaimed, best-selling author with more than one million books in print, in several different languages. Her titles have earned numerous accolades including the ACFW Carol Award, the Inspirational Readers Choice Award, and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Kim lives in central Kansas with her retired military husband Don, where she continues to write gentle stories of hope and redemption. She enjoys spending time with her three daughters and grandchildren.
Disclosure: I received a digital copy of this book in order to facilitate this review. All opinions expressed are my own.