Perhaps one of my favorite smells in the whole world is blueberries in just about anything from muffins to pancakes to picking them fresh off the bush when they are in season. I am so thrilled to share with you an amazing new company that has delivered for me, one amazing new candle, Blueberry Cheesecake from Goose Creek!
First of all the fragrance is amazing and they truly didn't skimp on that when it came to putting together their 16 ounce, double wick Blueberry Cheesecake candle in a jar with a lid. I love candle that come this way because it helps you to retain the fragrance by not allowing it to dry out, and thus the reason for the lid. Now what I love about this candle.
Burn time is 90 hours. They each are homemade and have the most allowable fragrance per liquid ounce available, which is why they smell amazing. Top that off with the fact they are clean burning, meaning they are smokeless, which is perfect for me, because that residue from most other candles can get over your walls and just about anywhere else you light your candles. This one is amazing. It is 3 x 3 x 5 inches tall, weighs in at about 1.8 pounds and will make your mouth water when you light this up in your home.
I received Goose Creek Blueberry Cheesecake 16 oz candle compliments of Goose Creek and Omni Deals for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free sample of this candle in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. Anyone who loves the sweet fragrance of blueberry cheesecake will absolutely LOVE this candle. I keep it in my office to help curb off those hunger cravings for something sweet and to make my home office a wonderfully warm and inviting place to work. For me, Goose Creek candles is going to be one of my all time favorites to add to my home and this one hits a stellar home run with a perfect 5 out of 5 stars.
For more information about Goose Creek, Blueberry Cheesecake Candles or where you can pick one up today, please click on the links below:
Hard to believe I'm starting my grandchildren's book collection already since I have passed along my children's books to both of my daughters while they were growing up to my niece and nephew and love when I get the opportunity to continue to review children's books like God Made You Just Right by Jill Roman Lord. This is a beautifully illustrated board book just perfect for first time readers that conveys the message of how important we are all created in God's eyes.
The book continues to self esteeming message of how God created us each to be perfectly and uniquely made just the way we are, and that there is no one else just like you! It goes on to self affirm things like our individual sizes, laughs, what makes us happy, our ticklish spots, our hair color and kind, how we can make special uses of our hands to make sand castles or cookies, to throw balls, hold cats or give hugs! How we use our legs to run and play and even how God has blessed us with the ability to make someone's day, through our gentle hearts, kind words, and our thoughts and dreams.
How God designed us each individually to fulfill the tasks He has in mind for all children that only they can fulfill, further helping to establish a sense of self worth no matter what we see on the outside, God knows that there is no one else who can do the job ob being you like you can! The book ends with a reminder scripture of Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." All of these pages are designed using simple, rhyming text and whimsical illustrations, that are welcome reminders for little ones that God created each of us in just the right way.
I received God Made You Just Right by Jill Roman Lord compliments of Worthy Kids, a division of Worthy Publishing for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased and fair review of this book. The best part of board books is their durability! You can wipe them clean and they stand up to the wear and tear of children who are just beginning their first books. I love the value that are placed on individuality of each child because we are all created to serve a purpose only God created us to fulfill and this encourages that in your child through this book. For this reason I give this book a 5 out of 5 stars in my opinion.
For more information about God Made You Just Right, Jill Roman Lord or where you can pick up a copy of this book today, please click on the links below:
Imagine finally having your dreams at your fingertips, just waiting to grasp that brass ring and never looking back? That is precisely what has happened for Deirdre O' Leary as she prepares to enter a hospital finally as a practicing nursing student. Just as those bright doors to her future stand wide open, they begin to shut when she receives a phone call informing her that her mother has had a stroke. Her father has hope that she will come home to help in caring for her mother as no nurse truly can. How can one say No to that request, of course she will come.
Now all they need is the latest in medical therapies to ensure that her mother can gain the use of her body again and that will take more than a simple phone call to Dr. Matthew Clayborne. He refused to leave his current practice to help with Kathleen O'Leary's care on a temporary basis and now it seems that Deidre O'Leary has managed to wind up in his clinic in hopes of swaying him to change his mind. Only Deidre won't stoop to that level and instead convinces her Uncle Victor, who runs the clinic to allow her to shadow Dr. Clayborne so that she might learn his techniques so she can employ them when she leaves in a week. But Matthew knows that one can't simply learn enough in a week to make any kind of lasting impact. Yet when a call from his daughter Phoebe's nanny informing him of an emergency with his daughter, Deidre agrees to accompany him.
Dr. Matthew Clayborne is told that unless he can get Phoebe to a quiet place to recover she may never get well. It seems like God has bigger plans in store for him to head to Irish Meadow's the O'Leary's estate on Long Island where he has been assured Phoebe is more than welcome. Deidre will do whatever she can to help Phoebe while Matthew works with her mother. Seems like a perfect match made in heaven except that both of them have made silent vows to never marry and they both intend on fulfilling them despite how they may feel toward one another. Now all Deidre has to do is help get her mother well enough before she is forced to withdraw from school and need to start all over again.
I received Love's Faithful Promise by Susan Anne Mason compliments of Baker Publishing Group and Net Galley for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from an eBook copy of this book in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and despite not having read the previous novels in the series, I wasn't at a total loss in understanding the dynamics of the O'Leary family. I love the chemistry between Matthew and Deidre and how they try to hold back their feelings for the sake of not hurting the other if they don't feel the same, but deep down inside they fail to see that they both feel the same way, just neither one wanting to admit it. Back in the early 1900's it would be difficult for a woman to do so, but today that would not be an issue. Something to be said for changing times and traditions although I still miss that old-fashioned courting that took place. For me this one won a place in my heart with a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars.
For more information about Love's Faithful Promise, Susan Anne Mason or where you can preorder a copy of this novel due out in September of 2016, please click on the links below:
I love reading debut novels because it truly gives me a chance to meet new authors who are living their dream of putting their love of writing out there for the world to read. Peter Worthington is one such author as he debuts The Eden Tree. Combining a sense of adventure and archaeology of religious artifacts, the search begins. As two brothers locate a ancient box buried beneath a home in the basement in Joppa, they find it holds something amazing and miraculous. Truly the find of the century if it is in fact genuine. A wooden box bearing a design on the lid of a tree surrounded by golden angels. Within the box contains the last will and testament of Simon Peter, follower of Jesus Christ, some maps and a white bag containing some crushed leaves.
After taking it to their uncle, an expert in museum antiquities, he advises them on what it contains and who must be the one to possess it. The only person who can take possession of the box is the man with a tattoo on his hands that bear the same picture the lid has on it. He is the only one and they must hold onto it until he contacts them. It might be in this lifetime or after theirs but it must be kept for the one who can wield the power of what the chest holds.
John Wesley is that such man living in England but unaware that the life sentence given to his grandson Wesley John Morgan who is facing terminal cancer at age 7. They have exhausted all options and now there is only time to make him comfortable until God calls him home. But when John stumbles upon a man in a flower stall, who convinces him that he is destined to receive something of value that only he can possess, John is more than curious. Since he possesses the same said tattoo on his hand, the contents of the ancient box is now been released to him. It contains the crushed leaves from the Tree of Eden, which will provide miraculous healing to those who receive them. Along with detailed maps and the last will of Simon Peter, describing the location of the Tree of Eden in the Garden mentioned in the Bible that no one has been able to find. When John uses the leaves on his grandson, he is miraculously healed without any medical explanation and sets off a warning to those who have been looking for this box for their own means and purposes.
I received The Eden Tree by Peter Worthington compliments of Authoright and Clink Street Publishers for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free copy of this novel in exchange for my fair and unbiased opinion. I think the premise is wonderful, but we know based on biblical text, the Garden of Eden can never be found. But it is fun to imagine what might happen if it could. This is a fictional account based on the author's own experiences with his son, John Wesley, who underwent treatment for cancer but sadly passed away shortly after his seventh birthday. The Eden Tree has allowed Peter to give his much-loved son, a happier ending. A sequel is coming which readers get a small sneak peek at in the conclusion of this one. For me, this one rated a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.
For more information about The Eden Tree, Peter Worthington, or where you can pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:
As all great series, they must come to an end sometime and what I have enjoyed about the Lady of the Manor's series, is that they all have a common thread but are written as unique story lines involving our main characters. I guess in a sense they could be read as stand alones, but I love how the common thread stays the same to connect them like connecting dots. A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M White is the third novel in the series and once again the elusive Fire Eyes, rare and sought after red diamonds are being searched for. Rumor has it that those that possess them are forever cursed and such seems to be the case once again as death follows those who possess them from losing their children or husbands even though they remain hidden.
This time Lady Ella Myerston has vowed to put an end to the curse once and for all. She knows that her brother and his friends will stop at nothing to find them and death continues to accumulate around them at Anlic Manor. She is the only one who knows she possess the stones as a set of ruby earrings and tries to keep them hidden when she can. It seems however that someone within the manor knows she has them when she discovers her jewelry box has been riffled through after the death of a maid's husband. She always tries to find the best in people but lately it seems that being in the presence of Lord James Cayton has captivated her every thought. She thought he would be the last person she would ever be attracted to but has found a connection to him through the affections of his young daughter Adelaide who goes by the name Addie.
While Lord Cayton is not searching for a second wife, after losing his first wife, he finds himself constantly in the presence of Ella whenever he least expects it. He is drawn to her in a way that he doesn't expect because she doesn't act like most women he has met. She doesn't keep airs about her and quite frankly doesn't care what one thinks of her, and the fact that she tries to avoid him when she can just makes the connection to her that much stronger. She seems to be able to make friends with just about anyone and he tries in vain to find ways to dislike her all the more. But when her life is in danger, his first thought is for her safety and soon finds his heart might betray his true feelings after all.
I received A Lady Unrivaled by Roseanna M White compliments of Bethany House Publishers and Net Galley for my honest review. I did not receive any monetary compensation aside from a free eBook copy of this novel in exchange for my unbiased and personal opinions. It did start off a bit slow for me, seeing as it has been some time since reading the second novel in the series, A Reluctant Duchess earlier this year. It was great once again to visit some of the favorite characters from this time period as I am a huge fan of traditional regencies and Downton Abbey. Once you understand the historical differences of the time period it is easy to understand the characters reactions to doing things outside of societies expectations. I especially love the chemistry between Cayton and Ella, by far my favorite couple in the series. I would give this one a 4 out of 5 stars and debuts in September of 2016 for fans waiting to see how it all turns out.
For more information about A Lady Unrivaled, Roseanna M White or where you can preorder a copy of this novel today, please click on the links below:
First of all let me preface this review with the simple fact, I chose to review this book based on the upcoming movie coming soon, and the new trend I see coming to young adult novels geared to our teens and young adults. As a Christian parent and book reviewer, no book rating system exists so parents might be surprised at what their teens are being drawn to and how it relates to what lies buried beneath the covers.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs is geared for young teens and adults. If you have seen the trailer for the movie due out in the fall, you can see it is a bit darker than most seeing as Tim Burton produced it, and adds in the premise of a woman, Miss Peregrine, who is the headmistress for a home of peculiar children. These children used to be employed by some circus groups or side shows in order to help hide them from those who would seek to destroy them in an effort to learn how to stay immortal and never die. They each have their own gifts, from being able to float, to creating sculptures from plants, to controlling air or fire. No child is the same and thus the need to keep them away from the prying eyes of the world who can not understand their unique gifts and would see to exploit them.
Each of these groups of children is led by a headmistress who is a ymrynes, one able to change into the shape of a bird, and all women. In this case, Miss Peregrine is a Peregrine Falcon who can change her shape at will but when attempting to change back into a women, is left naked, so she must be careful where she shape shifts. On September 3, 1940, during the height of the great war, the home of the children was about to be bombed when Germany dropped bombs over the small island. Miss Peregrine was able to stop time and loop it back on itself so that now the home sits in what is called a time loop, where every day is the same 24 hours up to just when the bomb was about to destroy the home and all the children in it. The children are content there because they don't age and are safe from those who would seek to do them harm called Hollowcasts.
Hollowcasts were a group of peculiar's who tried to find a way to exist outside the time loop and made themselves into a bit of what you might call monsters that can exist outside of time loops but can't enter them without the aid of a wight, a human-like accomplice who aids Hollowcasts in seeing to find and kidnap peculiars and their headmistresses for a second try at their failed experiments in immortality.
Jacob Portman has heard these stories of a magical life and children from his grandfather, but didn't believe they existed even though his grandfather had a set of odd black and white photos showing they did exist. Jacob believed they were simply photoshopped to help spur grandpa's fantasies into some form of reality for him. Being a survivor from the war, the Portman family chalked Grandpa's stories off to aging and stopped listening to them despite his warning that he wasn't safe any longer. When Grandpa Portman frantically calls Jacob at work trying to find the key to the gun cabinet, Jacob returns home in time to find his grandpa brutally murdered by what police believe was a animal attack. But Jacob knows differently because he saw what killed his grandpa and he doesn't want to believe what he saw is real.
I reviewed Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs after my own personal purchase and did not receive any monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is my own unbiased and personal opinion of the novel. Based on the trailer, it appears there will be discrepancies between the book and the movie in some varying story line but that waits to be seen how it all plays out in the end. I for one, would have liked to see it stick more along the lines of the novel. It does contain quite a few photographs that inspired the author to write this series of novels about peculiar children and that makes the novel more enjoyable because you don't have to imagine what something looks like, because he shows you. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and could see how someone who is different might be judged by society on the basis of outward appearances and therefore ostracized by those who considered themselves normal. This opens up the dialogue for some great conversations between parents and teens. I would rate this novel a 4.5 out of 5 stars and readers even get a sneak peek into the first chapter of the sequel Hollow City as well as an exclusive Q and A with the novels author Ransom Riggs.
For more information about Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs or where you can pick up a copy of the novel today, please click on the links below:
You can purchase Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children through your favorite book retailer or online with paperback, hardcover and eBook formats available like Amazon.
I believe this is the book so many have waited for, but it is something different. I have read the reviews on this book and it is hard to understand why so many wanted this to be just like J.K. Rowling's other novels but it is clearly not meant to be that way. It is a theatrical play and this is that script, so story lines won't be as developed as readers might want. As a play, the scenes would move forward rather quickly in order to garner the entire premise behind this book. Unlike the previous Harry Potter novels, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is a screen play that is based on a theatrical production that began on June 30, 2016. Now readers who don't have the opportunity to view the play can at least read the script and gain a sense of what this latest book in the Harry Potter series entails. For me, it was well worth the wait, and one that I can't wait to add to my Potter Collection.
It took me a few pages to get past the idea that I was reading a script and soon it flowed so well, once again I was back into J.K. Rowling's mystical world of witches and wizards. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child picks up exactly where the Deathly Hallows ends, 19 years later we see our familiar characters Harry, Ron and Hermoine who have started their own families. Now they next generations is being sent off for their first year at Hogwarts. For Albus Severus Potter, it must be hard to be the son of Harry Potter and have such expectations placed on your shoulders for all the others who will be at Hogwarts. He struggles to come to terms with this and finds a true friend among Scorpius, Draco Malfoy's son. His first shock comes when the sorting hat does not place him among the Gryffindors and instead is in Slytherin.
Yet despite the best intentions of Scorpius, who is desperate for a friend in Hogwarts based on a rumor that he is the child of Voldermort since Draco and Astoria couldn't have a child of their own and thus Scorpius is struggling to find a way to fit in. Albus finds his own struggle with trying to be his own person without the label of being Harry Potter's son. He begins to rebel and isolate himself from his other friends like Rose Granger-Weasley and his own brother James. It eventually affects his relationship with his own father, who fails to grasp how difficult it must be for Albus. Harry meanwhile is dealing the the rumors of Voldemort having a child when nightmares begin to haunt him and that infamous scar begins to burn again. When he is confronted by Amos Diggory who believes Potter holds the key to restoring the life of Cedric who should have never died, now having a time turner in his possession, begs Harry to use it to change the events from the Tri-Wizard Tournament and give him back his son. Harry refuses and argues that he doesn't even possess such an object.
But Albus overhears the conversation and vows to make good on something his father flat out refuses to do. He convinces Scorpius to join him when they leave on the train to Hogwarts but never make it there. Now the search is on for the families to figure out just where in time the boys are before they make an adjustment in the time continuum that will adversely affect the events surrounding Voldemort and forever alter their own lives.
I purchased my own copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany and received no monetary compensation for a favorable review. This is my own unbiased and personal review of the book. If you are expecting this to be like the other seven novels, then you might be disappointed. This is a theatrical script of 320 pages that gives readers what happened when we were left on Platform 9 3/4 at the end of the Deathly Hallows. How the life of Albus is forever changed as he ventures off to Hogwarts with the expectations of being the son of the Boy Who Lived. I especially loved the twists in time and how things we know were changed and the outcomes would have been different versions of the novels in the Harry Potter series. For me, this is easily a 5 out of 5 stars. It definitely gives J.K. Rowling another place to begin to elaborate on this story if she decides to pick it up again, and one can only hope, this will be the case.
For more information about Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, J. K. Rowling or where you can pick up a copy of this book, please click on the links below:
