Working Mommy Journal

September 8, 2014

The #LeonsCAE Twitter Party – Over $3,000 in Prizes!

Are you in need of new furniture? Looking for good quality pieces that the company stands behind? Look no further than Leon’s! Leon’s is known for their great prices and fantastic quality and warranties. Right now they are hosting their biggest event ever – their Customer Appreciation Event!

To help celebrate they are once again hosting a fabulous twitter party with over $3,000 in prizes – yup you heard that number right!

The important details:

Date: September 11, 2014
Time: 9:00pm – 10:00pm EST

Hosted by: LEONSFurniture
Co-Hosted by: ShesConnected, MyChaos and GingerMommy
Moderated by: SimplyStacie, ShesInfluential and DestinedforHome

Make sure to follow our hosts and the #LeonsCAE hashtag to participate. You can’t win if you don’t RSVP so please make sure to RSVP below:

Anyone can join in but to be eligible to win prizes you have to be Canadian (excluding B.C and Quebec).

Looking forward to partying with you on September 11th, 2014! What prize do you want to win the most?

September 5, 2014

The Lady and the Officer by Mary Ellis #review

I am a history nut (all of my undergrad electives were in history and anthropology!). So when I saw The Lady and the Officer by Mary Ellis I knew I wanted to read this one!

The Lady and The Officer

The Lady and the Officer is the second book in her Civil war historical romance series that focuses on the stories of the brave women and the men who love them.

Madeline Howard is our main character in this novel who was serving as a nurse for a brief period after the battle of Gettysburg. While serving as a nurse she saves the life of Elliot Haywood, a colonel in the Confederate Home Guard. Even though Maddy makes her home in the South, her heart and political sympathies belong to General James Downing, a soldier from the North.

Colonel Haywood has never forgotten the beautiful nurse who saved him and when he unexpectedly meets her again in Richmond, he is determined to win her heart. While rubbing elbows with army officers and cavalry generals and war department officials in her aunt’s home, Maddy overhears plans for a Confederate attack in Northern Virginia. She knows passing along this information may save the life of her beloved James but at what cost? Can she really betray the trust of her family and friends?

Maddy’s heart is torn between wanting to be loyal to those who care for her and wanting to help the man she believes is on the right side of the conflict. Two men love her. Will her faith in God show her the way to a bright future or will her choices bring a devastation of their own?

My Thoughts

Maddy is an incredibly strong woman and I love how the novel focuses on this aspect of her personality. She knows what is in her heart, trusts in her faith and what she feels is right. She has also seen a lot of suffering and devastation which has changed her as a person as well.

The struggles she deals with watching families separated by beliefs is something I can imagine happened a lot during these times. Maddy is placed in a difficult situation that challenges her morals and beliefs. She has to choose between her family and her love. A choice that eats her up inside.

The novel gives you a great insight into the lives of those living during the Civil War and how they had to survive. The Lady and The Officer is an excellent historical romance – perfect for weekend reading!

Check it out on Amazon here.

Rating: 4/5

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

September 4, 2014

“Love & Cupcakes” Kindle Giveaway and Facebook Party from @BetsyStAmant!

Don’t miss Betsy St. Amant’s latest fiction release, All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes. A “sweet” tale of two best friends and the choices they make between dreams and a possible “sure thing,” St. Amant’s novel is sure to satisfy your romantic-fiction craving.

Betsy is celebrating with a fun Kindle giveaway and a Love & Cupcakes Facebook party! One winner will receive:

A brand new Kindle
All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes by Betsy St. Amant

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on September 18th. Winner will be announced at the “Love & Cupcakes” Author Chat Party on 9/18. Betsy will be hosting a “sweet” book chat, giving away prizes, and answering questions from readers. She will also share an exclusive sneak peek at her next book project!

So grab your copy of All’s Fair in Love and Cupcakes and join Betsy on the evening of September 18th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven’t read the book, don’t let that stop you from coming!)

Don’t miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 18th!

September 4, 2014

Claudine by Barbara Palmer

Suspense and erotica combine to create one of the best novels I have read in a long time in Claudine by Barbara Palmer. Claudine is a sexy and thrilling escape that you will not be able to put down!

I love my books – they take me to a far away place, removing stress and connecting me to the characters that I grow to love. This was my first erotica novel and I was thrilled that I was given the chance to read and review this novel!

Claudine

Our main character, Maria Lantos is a post graduate student who is writing her thesis on erotic literature at Yale. Maria also goes by the stage name, Claudine. Maria has learned to balance the life of a top class courtesan and a graduate student. Claudine is a high demand escort who specializes in sexual role play for the elite and rich.She maintains this top spot with her anonymity, discretion and strict rules.

Slowly the separate worlds she has created begins to crack and blend. It begins with the murder of a stranger and leads to two men who test Maria’s limits of control and awaken her own sexual desires that she has always hidden.

Her private and secret nights begin to clash into her days and Maria discovers that the dangerous places that extend beyond the imagination and secrets are no longer consigned to the dark.

My Thoughts

From the first glance that I took at the cover I knew I was going to love this book. It was sexy, exotic and yet dangerous all at the same time. Barbara Palmer delivers all of this and more.

Claudine brings out the confident and powerful woman that so many of us want to be. She commands attention, trusts in herself and knows what she wants and how to get it. She is fun, sexy and full of life. At the same as Maria she is more vulnerable and open. Maria is not as trusting and has had a difficult history. Her childhood was marked with death and pain. While she was adopted and saved from the horror that surrounded her, her relationships with her adopted mother never seemed to really work. Maria has worked hard to be where she is at Yale and wants to trust and let go but finds it hard.

Maria has two men in her life that love her or appear to. As the book progresses you witness these relationships develop and you want Maria to find happiness but at the same time not let go of the Claudine in her. When the threats on her life start you begin to wonder about the true affections these men hold for her. Barbara spins this web that includes Claudine and the men in both her personal and professional life and leaves you guessing, wondering and clueless as to who could possibly want to harm her.

The best part of Claudine? I love the way Barbara blends the erotica with the mystery so neither part took over the novel. It was exciting, thrilling and kept me reading right through the night. I literally started reading the book after I received it in the mail in the afternoon and could not put it down until 2 in the morning! It was that good!

You will not be disappointed with Claudine. It definitely pays to reach out of your comfort level and find a novel that will truly blow you away. This is a definite must read!

Rating: 5/5

You can check out Claudine on the Penguin Canada website or on Amazon.

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

September 3, 2014

Kinder at the CNE #WW w/linky

This past weekend we had the pleasure of attending the CNE to witness Kinder Canada break a world record – the most people unwrapping chocolate at the same time! Pretty awesome right?!

Here are a few photos from our special day!

The live entertainment was fantastic – we were all dancing and singing in our benches. We had a little bit of rain but the sun came out to shine in time for the big unwrapping!

We each received our own delicious Kinder chocolate egg to unwrap.

Then we hit the Midtown rides! The air show was also running at the same time which was pretty incredible.

Make sure to link up below! Looking forward to seeing your posts!