The Sound of Silver /// Cover Reveal



Back Cover Blurb

The stalwart saint and the redeemed rebel. One is fighting for faith, the other for honor…

After Dirk rescues Gwyneth from the Iconoclastic Fury, she discovers that faith is sometimes fragile—and hope is not as easy as it may seem. Gwyneth continues her quest to learn more about the love of God preached by Protestants she once distrusted.

Meanwhile, Dirk’s quest is to prevent his sullied name from staining hers. Will his choice to protect her prove the undoing of her first faltering steps toward a Father God? Once separated, will Dirk and Gwyneth’s searching hearts ever sing the same song?


About The Author



Rachelle Rea plots her novels while driving around the little town she’s lived in all her life in her dream car, a pick-up truck. As a freelance editor, she enjoys mentoring fellow authors in the craft. A homeschool graduate and retired gymnast, she wrote The Sound of Silver the summer after her junior year of college.


Release Date: October 15th, 2015



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Book Review /// Hot Body Year Round by Cassey Ho



ABOUT THE BOOK // HOT BODY YEAR ROUND

Cassey Ho, internationally renowned fitness instructor, is known for her irresistibly popular workout videos which have been shared millions of times online. She runs the #1 women’s fitness channel on YouTube, Blogilates. Her unique format, POP Pilates© is a fusion of ab-chiseling, butt lifting, total body sculpting exercises that are performed using only your bodyweight. Cassey’s personality is bubbly, inspiring, and infectious. But don’t let the smile fool you – her workouts will leave you sweating and sore for days. By following Ho’s super effective workout plans and clean-eating recipes, you will transform your body towards a stronger, sleeker, and happier version of you.
 
Hot Body Year Round is your ULTIMATE exercise and nutrition guide to living a fit, happy, and healthy life while sculpting your HOTTEST body.
 
Cassey will show you how to stay motivated throughout the year, no matter what the challenges are. You will get:

- 120 of Cassey’s BEST total body transforming exercises
- The complete POP Pilates exercise library – fully photographed and easy to follow
- 20 full length workouts
- 40 brand new, ridiculously delicious & nutritious recipes
- Foods for beautiful hair, skin, and nails
- 4 complete clean eating meal plans & grocery lists that complement each season
- Cassey’s personal daily meal plan
- Motivational tips to stay inspired year-round
- 256 pages of full color, glossy inspiration



MY THOUGHTS ON HOT BODY YEAR ROUND

I'm SO excited about this book! I've been doing Cassey's workouts for the last couple of years, and I highly recommend you check out her Youtube Channel + her POP Pilates Total Body Workout DVD. In Hot Body Year Round you'll get an insight into Cassey's life story, Pilates history, learn how to eat cleaner, get slim, and live your happiest life now through every waking season. 

Obviously I haven't done every single workout yet, but I'm definitely looking forward to continuing working (and clean eating) my way through Cassey's Hot Body Year Round.

Also worthy of noting, the photography, typography, and general overall layout of this book is fresh and exciting and fabulous! And have I mentioned . . . beautiful!? Because this book is beautiful, and challenging, and chock full of POPster Greatness.  

Whether you're new to the Pilates game, or you're a well-seasoned POPster, you'll love working out and clean eating your way through this gorgeously laid out and well written book. And if you're not familiar with Cassey Ho, well, shame on you for not knowing about her -- but I promise you that this book will be a glorious intro!

                                                                                    *** I received this book from Blogging for Books for the purpose of this review ***



ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cassey Ho is an internationally renowned, award-winning fitness instructor and online personality. She is the creator of Blogilates, the #1 female fitness channel on Youtube with over 200 million video views and 2 million subscribers. In a revolutionary partnership, Cassey’s unique format, POP Pilates© which launched on Youtube in 2009, is now being turned into a live class that can be taken at 24 Hour Fitness gyms nationally beginning in 2015. She’s also the star of her own top selling POP Pilates DVDs at Target stores. Cassey is the designer of an activewear collection, BODYPOP Active which launched in Fall 2014. Her designs feminine silhouettes and colorful palettes have proven to be extremely popular.

Cassey’s blog, blogilates.com, was named the top healthy living blog by Fitness Magazine in 2012 and, recently, she took home the Streamy Award for Best Health and Wellness Channel for 2014. Greatist named her one of the Top 25 Most Influential People in the world in Health and Fitness for 2015. She has been featured on The Dr. Oz Show, Extra, The Steve Harvey Show, The Wendy Williams Show and in Shape, Fitness, Cosmopolitan, and Seventeen magazines, among many others.
















The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea | Novel Review + Book Birthday Celebration


Summary


Her only chance of getting home is trusting the man she hates.

With the protestant Elizabeth on the throne of England and her family in shambles, Catholic maiden Gwyneth seeks refuge in the Low Countries of Holland, hoping to soothe her aching soul. But when the Iconoclastic Fury descends and bloodshed overtakes her haven, she has no choice but to trust the rogue who arrives, promising to see her safely home to her uncle's castle. She doesn't dare to trust him...and yet doesn't dare to refuse her one chance to preserve her own life and those of the nuns she rescues from the burning convent.

Dirk Godfrey is determined to restore his honor at whatever cost. Running from a tortured past, Dirk knows he has only one chance at redemption, and it lies with the lovely Gwyneth, who hates him for the crimes she thinks he committed. He must see her to safety, prove to the world that he is innocent, prove that her poor eyesight is not the only thing that has blinded her but what is he to do when those goals clash?

The home Gwyneth knew is not what she once thought. When a dark secret and a twisted plot for power collide in a castle masquerading as a haven, the saint and the sinner must either dare to hold to hope...or be overcome.

My Review

Confession? Inspirational Fiction and Christian Romance are usually nowhere to be seen on my reading list or genre radar, however,  I love history, and my dearest friend, Rachelle Rea, is this debut novel's author. So, I just had to give this (inspy) genre another go, to support my best friend and the story of her heart. And I'm so glad I did. Because what I got was a brilliant schooling on the 1500's Low Countries, The Iconoclastic Fury, The Reformation Era, and how sometimes life must drag us from places of Hatred to Hope to Healing before we can truly see God's plan for our lives - His redemption and grace at work for us, us who are often blind, but wish to truly see unhindered. 

Rachelle is an incredibly skilled storyteller, weaving together smooth dialogue, a well paced story, gritty blind faith, two leading alternating protagonists, and an excellently researched history in this, the very first installment of her Steadfast Love Series published by WhiteFireI'm very much so looking forward to seeing what happens to Dirk (my favorite character) and Gwyn (the girl who started to grow on me), and their story of steadfast love, in the following two installments of The Steadfast Love Series, The Sound of Silver (October 2015) and The Sound of Emeralds (2016.)

Abduction. Blind Faith. Hope. Healing. Love. Honor. Mystery.
These are the places The Sound of Diamonds will surely lead you through.

If you love authors MaryLu Tyndall, Melanie DickersonDeeanne GistRachel Heffington, and Meghan Gorecki, you will be sure to love The Sound of Diamonds by debut inspy author Rachelle Rea


Author Bio

Rachelle Rea plots her novels while driving around the little town she’s lived in all her life in her dream car, a pick-up truck. As a freelance editor, she enjoys mentoring fellow authors in the craft. A homeschool graduate and retired gymnast, she wrote The Sound of Diamonds the summer after her sophomore year of college.

Author Links

Blog


The Natural Pregnancy Book by Aviva Jill Romm, M.D.

Synopsis: Every mother wants the best for her unborn child, from the baby’s conception to birth. What’s more, every mother wants clear, straightforward information delivered in a calm empowering voice from someone who knows the facts. Enter Dr. Aviva Jill Romm, an expert in natural childbirth with more than twenty years of experience both alternative and allopathic medicine. In this newly revised third edition, Dr. Romm takes a holistic approach, emphasizing natural remedies wherever possible and providing up-to-date advice on herbs that promote wellness during pregnancy, and alleviate such familiar concerns as anxiety, fatigue, morning sickness, and stretch marks. With tips for a nutritious diet, exercise and posture, and information on the emotional and physical changes that childbearing brings, The Natural Pregnancy Book is your comprehensive guide to a safe, healthy pregnancy, as nature intended it.

My Review: As someone who is interested in herbs, holistic health, and in want of naturally birthing my own babies someday (hopefully in the not-so-distant future) I really enjoyed reading through the multitude of wonderful information in the newly revised edition of The Natural Pregnancy Book. Pregnancy topics covered are: a history of birthing practices, learning how to pay attention to your own body, emotional and physical changes, diet and exercise, looks into each trimester, and herbs and their uses to help you throughout your entire natural pregnancy. All of the material covered here is invaluable to those “wannabe crunchy mamas” who are actively pursuing the chance to have an all-natural pregnancy, and want to live out and promote a healthier lifestyle for themselves, their babies and their family.

I will be keeping my copy of this book on the shelf in wait of that glorious day when I can announce “I’m pregnant!” and then I’ll boldly go about pursuing my own path towards an all-natural pregnancy of my own.

About The Author:

Aviva Jill Romm, MD, is a physician and highly respected expert in botanical medicine, childbirth, women’s health, and pediatrics. She practiced as a homebirth midwife and herbalist for more than twenty years, becoming one of the first certified professional midwives (CPM) in the United States, and graduated from Yale School of Medicine, where she was instrumental in creating  the school’s first integrative medicine curriculum. Visit www.avivaromm.com for more information.


*I received a copy of this book for free from the Blogging for Books program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

The Sound of Diamonds by Rachelle Rea // Cover Reveal



Not only do I get to reveal a gorgeous novel cover today, but I also get to share The Daring Girl's biggest dream come true with all of you too! I'm so beyond excited for you, and I'm eagerly awaiting the release of this, the story of your heart, Rachelle Rea! Congratulations, beautiful!


Back Cover Blurb

In Reformation-era England, a converted rogue wants to restore his honor at whatever cost. Running from a tortured past, Dirk Godfrey knows he has only one chance at redemption. 

An independent Catholic maiden seeking refuge in the Low Countries finds herself at the center of the Iconoclastic Fury. Jaded by tragedy, Gwyneth's only hope of getting home is to trust the man she hates, and she soon discovers her poor vision is not the only thing that has been blinding her. 

But the home Gwyneth knew is not what she once thought. When a dark secret and a twisted plot for power collide in a castle masquerading as a haven, will the saint and the sinner hold to hope...or be overcome? When Dirk s plan fails, could all be lost?


About The Author



Rachelle Rea plots her novels while driving around the little town she’s lived in all her life in her dream car, a pick-up truck. As a freelance editor, she enjoys mentoring fellow authors in the craft. A homeschool graduate and retired gymnast, she wrote The Sound of Diamonds the summer after her sophomore year of college.



Release Date: June 15th, 2015


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Portals of Water & Wine by R.L. Haas // Book Review



A faerie tale with dazzling descriptions and an array of abundantly charming characters . . .

What I Loved /// 
R.L. Haas had my mouth watering at sumptuous lasagna, Each Uisce, and a Dreadlocked Faerie King. The strongest weapon in her arsenal by far are her breath-taking proseful descriptions, from showing us ugliness in the human world (Derrick, anyone?) to battling iron clawed Fae armies of old, to the sensuous breaking of bread between a woman and a Fae King, which to myself seemingly paralleled a woman and her lord coming into an intimate sacred communion with one another. I loved every morsel of adventure, truly. I also found it exceedingly easy to leave the real world behind in favor of joining the Alonthielien realm, alongside Naya - a young woman who lives in utter chaos after the death of her mother - and an equally charming cast of four-factioned fae characters. M'lad Harris has an exceedingly special place in my Irish and fae-loving heart, too, as he is an insanely loving, jovial, and charming individual with a flare for fashion, and oddity, that would rival Alice In Wonderland's the Mad Hatter, if I dare to say so. Watching Naya release the chains of her past that had bound her for so long throughout the novel, in favor of boldly staking claim of her own freedom and the fire within her, was a thing of beauty to behold. Irena is the fae-princess best friend that everybody wants in their life, and Tian - strong, valient, quiet, poetic, Fae King Tian. Sigh. As you can see my love for these characters runs deep. 

And that ending. I'll zip my lips, but I'll confess that I nearly screamed.

What I Didn't Love /// 
*Trigger Abuse Warning* There are a few scenes in the first half of the book that honestly made me squirm a bit due to the abuse that Naya experiences. There is cursing throughout this faerie tale, as well, which may prove to be a turn off for some readers, however, I was not offended by the cursing. I did notice a few grammatical and punctuation errors as I read through the book - not enough to make me stop reading it, but they were distracting on occasion. 

My Overall Thoughts? 4.5 stars! I absolutely loved the fae world that R.L. Haas has created in Portals, as it is one where you start to see the characters slowly start to break their mundane molds, in favor of finding the fire within themselves to face off against the rising malevolent force, which shall remain nameless. I'm definitely looking forward to the next installment in the Portals Trilogy! If you love books by Maggie Stiefvater and Cassandra Clare and Madeleine L'Engle then you'll fall for this book!
 




R. L. Haas is one of the wild ones, writing Faerie stories from her little self-declared cottage surrounded by Midwestern cornfields and never enough coffee. Her non-fiction work has appeared in such online publications as SheLoves Magazine and Literary Orphans. She lives with her beloved husband and equally wild daughter, along with their oversized Great Dane. They are ruled over by two fluffy cats. She blogs about her faith, her heart, and her ever-growing literary obsessions at http://dramaticelegance.blogspot.com