Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Movie Review: Believe


In the early 80’s the legendary Manchester United football manager Sir Matt Busby helps a wayward boy fulfill his dream.

Having lived with football all his life and survived the tragic 1958 Munich plane disaster in which 8 of his promising young players were killed, Matt, still haunted by the ghosts of the “Busby Babes” comes out of retirement for one last coaching challenge, to transform a young group of scallywags into a dream team to compete for the upcoming Manchester United Football League Cup.

A funny and touching family film, Believe tells the story of how Matt is finally healed, while continuing to inspire generations of dreamers and leaving the world’s greatest football team as his legacy.

RELEASE DATE: September 12th 
Website: http://www.believesoccermovie.com/

I'm excited to tell you about this new family film set to release this Friday.  I was able to preview this film this film early for review- my thanks to Deseret Book for making that possible.

Finding good movies the whole family can enjoy can sometimes be a difficult thing.  It makes me happy to be able to promote family films that leave you feeling good.  

This movie was touching and heartwarming.  It's one of those "feel good" films.  The characters were all likeable and those little kids with the British accents were absolutely adorable.  They are kids who really play football in England.  I love that. 

This movie is based on the real life story of Matt Busby, Manchester United football manager.  Movies based on true stories are some of the best.

I loved this film.  I'm a bit obsessed with soccer (or football, depending on where you live) right now so yeah, this movie hit my sweet spot.  :)  And, my son is currently living in England so it was a double sweet spot win.


Tuesday, September 9, 2014

The Strength of Ballerinas by Nancy Lorenz + $25 Giveaway!


All Kendra wants to do is dance for the Manhattan Dance Company. So when her family’s forced to move to California, her dreams of auditioning are shattered. Still determined to dance, Kendra faces social isolation and family pressures in her new home. But when she’s diagnosed with a debilitating illness, Kendra must decide which dreams are worth fighting for.

I haven't had much exposure to the world of ballerinas but I do love watching them dance.  There is something so delicate to ballet.  Obviously, ballet takes a great deal of dedication and hard work.  That I do know but I've never experienced it first hand.

Kendra is young and growing up quickly.  Life has dealt her many challenges.  Her mother passed away, her brother is autistic, her dad gets laid off and is forced to move across the country.  Kendra faces a new home, a new school and struggles to give up her dream of dancing with the Manhattan Dance Company.  Then, on top of it all, Kendra learns she has an illness that can be quite debilitating- especially as a dancer.  

Most of the book is Kendra's journey through tough things.  It's a good story that inspires all those "don't give up" feelings.  I was rooting for Kendra, hoping she would figure things out and find a place within herself that she was at peace.

This is a gentle book.  There are no heart pounding moments, no real romance and no climactic build-up but it is still compelling and endearing.

I think young teenage girls who love dance will be especially interested in this book.  

You can purchase "The Strength of Ballerinas" at Amazon and Cedar Fort.  It releases today!

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Monday, September 8, 2014

In honor of National Suicide Prevention Week: Hope After Suicide by Wendy Parmley

We all have a story—hidden secrets buried in dark and rocky earth. Our task is to unearth—to release the pain and discover the good, discover the healing, discover the love. Uncovering the darkness makes space for the light.
After her mother took her own life, Wendy Parmley learned firsthand the heartache, despair, and loneliness that accompanies losing a loved one to suicide. At one point she even contemplated taking her own life as well. In this uplifting true narrative, you too can discover how to:
  • Forgive yourself and others
  • Open your heart
  • Seek help when you need it
  • Draw closer to the divine
Embrace the light and learn how to heal your soul and overcome loss as you read this touching and tender account of a woman opening her heart years after her mother’s suicide.
Purchase Hope After Suicide: One Woman’s Journey from Darkness to Light at:

Review on Goodreads


This week is National Suicide Prevention Week.  It's a cause that needs attention and support.  In honor of National Suicide Prevention Week, I am reviewing this book, "Hope After Suicide".  This is Wendy Parmley's story of survival after her mother violently took her life.  She was only 12 years old at the time and the oldest of five children in her family- the youngest being just a baby.  

It takes courage to share a story such as this.  There is so much emotion, sadness and trauma that accompanies those left behind when a loved one commits suicide.  It's heartbreaking.  Wendy's account will take you through her thoughts and feelings as a young girl and as a grown woman as she attempts to seek help and healing.  Books such as this are important.  They help bring awareness, compassion and education to everyone.

It's so important that we listen to each other and talk about suicide.  There are so many people that need our help.  We can save lives by listening and talking.  We can save lives by knowing the warning signs and educating ourselves.  There is help.  There is hope.  Let's take care of each other by providing that hope and help.  If you are feeling hopeless, please talk to someone.  


National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:  1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

Courtesy of Alyse Neibaur of Diamond Eye
Wendy Parmley suffered a disabling bike accident in September 2011.  Unable to return to her 20 year nursing career because of the continued effects of her injuries, Wendy began the slow and painful penning of her angel mother’s story and Wendy’s healing journey following her mom’s suicide death.  Wendy’s mom took her own life when just 31 years old, leaving behind her husband of thirteen years and their five young children.

Wendy has long advocated for suicide prevention and has participated on various professional and community based groups dedicated to that end.  She also recognizes the need to unashamedly support those who must continue to live in the painful aftermath of a loved one’s suicide and passionately lends her voice to that cause.

Prior to her bike accident, Wendy worked in nursing leadership for 14 years, earning her MBA degree from Brigham Young University in 2007.  Despite her continued limitations, Wendy is grateful to spend more time with the love of her life, her husband Mark.  She is ever grateful for his support and the support of their three married sons and their wives, their amazing daughter, and their beautiful two grandchildren who fill their life with sunshine.
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Saturday, September 6, 2014

Ring Around the Rosie by Julie Coulter Bellon + $30 and book giveaway!

Ring Around the Rosie Blog Tour and Giveaway!




Today is the kickoff for the blog tour for my new novel, Ring Around the Rosie! There are some awesome prizes being given away, so be sure to scroll down and enter to win!  

Ring Around the Rosie



Revenge is a dish best served cold . . .

As the ex-wife of a law enforcement officer, Sarah Reed has known loneliness and loss. In order to cope, she makes a life for herself that's full of routine while building a wall of ice around her heart. Everything about her is as predictable as she can make it until a tiny detour for her ex-husband, Ron, changes her life forever. Caught in a bomb crisis, Sarah is taken hostage by a man who wants Ron and everyone around him to suffer---and his idea of suffering is more terrible than Sarah had ever dreamed.

Captain Ron Reed has seen the worst of humanity in his job with the Hostage Negotiation Team, but he never expected his past to come back with a vengeance---literally. Aaron Starks, a criminal explosives expert, has stolen next-gen bomb technology and uses it to force Ron to bargain for the lives of his team and his ex-wife, Sarah, the woman he still loves. But the situation escalates when Ron discovers that Starks has an even bigger objective in mind---using the bomb to show how vulnerable America and her people truly are.

Ron is willing to risk everything to save his country and those he loves, but when negotiations break down, will his sacrifice be too little too late?

Excerpt 

Her words were cut off by a blast of hot air and fire, an explosion so large it blew them all backward. Ron hit the floor hard and lay there dazed and groggy. Glass and debris rained down. Confetti-sized menus and napkins floated like snowflakes in slow motion all around him. For a second the entire world was a silent tunnel with him at the end of it. It would be so easy to just close his eyes and let the blackness suck him down into unconsciousness. But he couldn’t. Not yet. Get up. Get everyone out.

“Sarah?” he croaked. He tried again. “Sarah?” His legs felt like lead and the urge to just lie back was stronger than ever. No. Keep moving. “Claire?” He coughed and tried to catch a breath, but couldn’t get the oxygen to his lungs. With a shallow intake of air, he turned over on his stomach and used his arms to raise himself to a sitting position. The inside of the diner looked like a destructive madman had rearranged it. The booths were toppled or stacked on top of each other. The hostess station was next to him now. The only thing that was still standing where it had before the blast was the four walls, the ceiling, and the antique counter. “Sarah,” he called again. “Bart? Colby?” The little girl. Was she still in the back with her mother?

No one answered. Where is everyone? He crawled forward. Sarah had been nearly right beside him. Now there was no sign of her. He rubbed his eyes and coughed. Moving slowly, he prayed she was alive. It didn’t take long to find her sandwiched between an overturned booth bench and the podium for the hostess station. With some effort he managed to maneuver close to her, the adrenaline kicking in as his blood pounded through his system. Don’t let her be dead. Not like this.

Purchase Your Copy

Being a reviewer sort of has its ups and downs.  Sometimes you read books you don't love and it's really hard to get through them.  But most days it's the most awesome job ever.  Some days you feel like a kid on Christmas day.  When you get your hands on the newest, latest book by an author you love, it's Christmas day.  That's how I felt when I finally got to read Julie's latest book.  Yes, I'm a fan.  I've read all her books and I always love them.  I only just recently joined up with her "swat team" and I still feel a little giddy over it.

This book is the latest in the hostage negotiation series.  All the titles from this series have a line from the Ring Around the Rosie rhyme.  It's sort of creepy and awesome all at the same time.  Each book revolves around characters from Captain Reed's Hostage Negotiation Team but I don't think one is dependent on the others.

One of the things I love about Julie's books is the suspense.  I feel that charged air feeling and the desperation to get through a scene because I have to find out if the characters make it and how they are going to make it, but I never feel overwhelmed.  The tension in this book is almost always there.  It starts off with a bang (quite literally) and never really lets up.  

Captain Ron is a giant of a man.  He is a protector.  He cares about people and he has great intuition.  Well, great intuition about his job but not so much about his ex-wife, Sarah.  He made a mistake years ago letting her walk away but he never stopped loving her and wishing for a way back to her.  Ron is willing to give his life to save the lives of everyone on his team, strangers caught up in the hostage mess and especially Sarah but that creepy bad guy, Sparks, has other ideas of retribution and torture in mind.

This was such a great read.  It was easy to get caught up in this book and forget that I had other things to do.  I loved the pacing, the characters and the crackle of tension.  I also love that this book is squeaky clean.  (no swearing or sexual scenes)


About the Author



Julie is married with eight children and eleven published books. She loves to travel and her favorite cities she's visited so far are probably Athens, Paris, Ottawa, and London. She would love to visit Hawaii, Australia, Ireland, and Scotland someday. She loves to read, write, teach, watch Castle, Hawaii Five-O, and eat Canadian chocolate. Not necessarily in that order.        


Giveaway

Prize #1---$30 Amazon Gift Card 
Prize #2---Booklovers Basket
Prize #3---Four Book Set of Hostage Negotiation Team series 
Ends 9/15/14 

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by Rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Friday, September 5, 2014

Movie Review: The Identical - Opening Today


THE IDENTICAL tells the compelling story of twin brothers unknowingly separated at birth during the Great Depression. DREXEL HEMSLEY becomes an iconic 50′s rock ‘n’ roll star, while RYAN WADE (Blake Rayne) struggles to balance his love for music and pleasing his father. The Reverend Wade (Ray Liotta) and his wife (Ashley Judd) are sure their adopted son has been gifted and called by God to be a preacher. But Ryan challenges his parent’s vision for his life, and unflinchingly chooses to launch his own music career with his best friend (Seth Green). Encouraged by his wife (Erin Cottrell) and employer (Joe Pantoliano), Ryan embarks on an unpredictable, provocative path – performing the legendary music of Drexel Hemsley in sold out venues all across the country.

As the brothers destinies tragically collide, Ryan discovers that Drexel is his identical twin which leads him to question everything he’s ever believed about God, family and his own identity.


I had the chance to preview this movie over the weekend thanks to Grace Hill Media and City of Peace Films.  I watched the trailer, thought it looked like something I might like and agreed to preview the film.

This movie stars Ray Liotta, Ashley Judd and newcomer Blake Rayne.  I loved all the music in this movie.  It had my toe tapping!  Blake Ryan's character sort of has an Elvis feel to him.  In fact, the whole movie sort of has that feel to it.  No, the music isn't as good as Elvis's music, but it was still catchy.  

This film also reminded me a bit of Footloose but with singing instead of dancing.  The main character, Ryan Wade, just wants to sing.  He is born to sing.  But his preacher daddy dedicated him to the Lord when he was just a baby and is pushing him to "accept his call" and become a preacher himself.  The problem is that Ryan just can't do it.  He just has to sing.

I enjoyed the movie.  It isn't a blockbuster movie by any means and yes, a bit cheesy at times, but it had a good message and left me with a positive feeling.  There was no swearing and sex which means that I would be okay letting my whole family watch it.  That counts for a lot.

The Identical is in theaters today.  Check out the movie trailer and who knows?  This might just be the family movie night film for you this weekend!

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Up to Date (Better Date Than Never series, #8) by Susan Hatler

(Better Date than Never series, Book #8)

Ginger donates her decorating services to a charity auction and now must work for the one man with the power to break her heart.

I'm going to start with a paragraph of LOVE.  

I love this series.  I love Susan Hatler.  I love finding a new book in my inbox at random from Susan Hatler.  It means a lovely diversion is on it's way to my brain!

The Better Date Than Never series is so fun.  It is a series of short romance stories, each with a new character but not really "new" as we've met the characters in previous books and keep them as friends in subsequent books.  It's awesome.

Ginger is the lead character in "Up to Date" and she is a lot of fun.  Ginger is wary of love, bored in her job and wishing for something more.  Then her whole worlds takes a turn- for the worst?  For the best?  It's pretty much up to Ginger to decide!

Susan always provides readers with a quick romantic getaway with these Date books.  They are fun and light hearted.  You can polish one off in one evening and the end will leave you with smile on your face.  What more could you ask for?!

You can purchase "Up to Date" at Amazon.

Oh, and if you want to give one of the books in this series a try you can pick up book #4, Save the Date, on Amazon for free.  (at least it was when I wrote this!)  Title is linked.  Enjoy!



Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Forbidden by Kimberley Griffiths Little

In the unforgiving Mesopotamian desert where Jayden’s tribe lives, betrothal celebrations abound, and tonight it is Jayden’s turn to be honored. But while this union with Horeb, the son of her tribe’s leader, will bring a life of riches and restore her family’s position within the tribe, it will come at the price of Jayden’s heart.

Then a shadowy boy from the Southern Lands appears. Handsome and mysterious, Kadesh fills Jayden’s heart with a passion she never knew possible. But with Horeb’s increasingly violent threats haunting Jayden’s every move, she knows she must find a way to escape—or die trying.

With a forbidden romance blossoming in her heart and her family’s survival on the line, Jayden must embark on a deadly journey to save the ones she loves—and find a true love for herself.

Set against the brilliant backdrop of the sprawling desert, the story of Jayden and Kadesh will leave readers absolutely breathless as they defy the odds and risk it all to be together.

I rarely get print books in the mail to review anymore.  It's just easier to do e-books.  This book came in the mail though and landed on my doorstep.  It has such a gorgeous cover and I've been looking at it for months, waiting to read it.  It's been taunting me from the top of my review stack.  Finally, finally I got to read it.

I was really hoping I would enjoy this book.  From the cover to the blurb (that I actually did read before I started the book-haha) it attracted me and I was hoping, hoping, hoping.  I didn't want to be disappointed.  AND I wasn't.  Yay!

Forbidden takes you to a far off land of long ago.  It a grueling land- hot and unforgiving.  Jayden starts the book young and naive but quickly faces some of the horrors life and death bring.  She is forced to face her fears, do hard things and make impossible choices.  Jayden is strong though.  She draws from a strength within herself and continues on even when she wants to give up.  

I think the best moments for me were when Jayden danced.  With the sand beneath her toes her emotions flowed from her in the form of dance.  It created beautiful images in my mind.

The ending, of course, left things WIDE open.  I didn't love the place this book ended and I will now be anxiously awaiting the next book.  I dislike cliff hangers.  boo.  There is so much story left to be told though.  I hope the next book comes soon!

I read through this book quickly.  Maybe too quickly.  It was romantic and engaging.  My heart experienced all kinds of emotion- from grief and longing to danger and love.  It was a good ride.  This book was also "clean" so no swearing or sexual content.  It's a book I am passing off to my teenage daughter and I know she will like it.  

You can purchase Forbidden at Amazon.  It is pre-order until it's release day on November 4th.  


Kimberley Griffiths Little was born in San Francisco, but now lives in New Mexico with her husband and their three sons in a solar adobe home on the banks of the Rio Grande. Her award-winning writing has been praised as "fast-paced and dramatic," with "characters painted in memorable detail" and "beautifully realized settings."

Kimberley adores anything old and musty with a secret story to tell and makes way too many cookies while writing. Forbidden is the first in a trilogy from Harpercollins; an epic story of ancient belly dance, goddess temples, murder, blackmail, and tribal warfare set in Mesopotamia.

She's stayed in the haunted tower room at Borthwick Castle in Scotland; sailed on the Seine in Paris; ridden a camel in Petra, Jordan; shopped the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul; and spent the night in an old Communist hotel in Bulgaria.

Her amazing, filmed-on-location book trailers can be found on You Tube and her website: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com

Kimberley's Awards include: Southwest Book Award, Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011 & 2014, Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award Finalist.
Social Media Links: 
Website: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com
Blog http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.blogspot.com
Twitter @KimberleyGLittl
Facebook: Find me at "Kimberley Griffiths Little"
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/484627.Kimberley_Griffiths_Little