EmpowerMoms

Ring Around the Rosie Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Ring Around the Rosie

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.

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Julie Coulter Bellon is one of my favorite romantic suspense writers, and this book is her best so far! It charters deep emotions and a complex plot. At the same time it traces the resurrection of a marriage. It has good writing, good plotting, and a very satisfying ending.  —Award-winning romance author, G.G. Vandagriff 

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

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.

I really enjoyed this light, fun, christian romance book. 
Kat finds herself in another state with her best friend Lucas, competing on a food tv show. It was funny to read about the food mishaps, tv competition drama, and the misunderstandings between Kat and Lucas. Typical men/women misunderstandings. Along the way they discover their dreams, faith, true friendship, and love. 
Great Book! Would make a fun book group club selection too.

About the book: 

About the author: 

I’m a blog book reviewer for LitFuse Publicity so I was given this book complimentary in exchange for an honest review on my blog and social media-all opinions are my own.


  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!

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!

I am linking up for the first time with This Mama Runs For Cupcakes, Mom Who Tris and Mom Swim Bike Run for a weekly installment called Wonder Mom Wednesday. 

This week’s topic is ways to involve kids in exercise.

I have two boys-ages 12 and 4. I feel like we are an active, healthy family but it’s definitely something we constantly have to work on so we don’t slip into too much sitting down/electronics time. We love to read and play board games which are great things to do, but it’s also important for us to get out and move as a family. 


One thing my boys love to do is sports. We don’t do alot of “organized” sports-maybe one per year. They mostly play with each other or with the neighbor kids in our yard playing baseball, Frisbee, and basketball.  
I’ve been wanting to set up some kind of obstacle course for the boys, but haven’t figured it out yet. 

I hope my pictures have helped give you ideas or inspired you on ways you can involve your kids in exercise. 

What things do you like to do with your kids? 

Do they naturally like to be active or do you have to make a constant effort? 

DESCRIPTION: 

Debby Mack’s Back 2 Basics low impact workout is just what you need to start your fitness journey. This upbeat and easy to follow workout uses basic aerobic movements to blast away those unwanted calories. With no confusing transitions or complicated choreography, this DVD is perfect for beginner participants. 

Program includes: Warm up / Cardio – 30 minutes; Toning/Cooldown – 10 minutes. 

Debby is a ShapelyGirl fitness presenter in addition to being a certified Leslie Sansone Walk Leader. Her workouts are filled with energy that will leave you wanting more! 

Equipment required: One small/medium sized towel.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
My mom, 4 year old son, and I did this entire workout including the 10 min tonight session. Debby was easy to follow, excellent cuing. I could tell she has experience with being a Leslie Sansone walking instructor because this dvd had a similar feel to it. Music was good and upbeat.The toning section was fun-it was done just with using a hand towel, no weights, yet it still felt effective. The toning section was my moms favorite part and she wished it was more than 10 minutes. I feel like this would be a good workout for plus size or beginner people just starting to exercise.

You can buy this DVD here by using my amazon affiliate link: 

DESCRIPTION: 

Finally a kickboxing workout made just for people of size! Debby and her crew take you through a gym quality workout in the comfort of your own home. This program takes basic kickboxing moves and combines them for a fun, low impact workout. With precise cueing and no confusing choreography, this workout is just what you need to start your fitness journey. 

Program includes: Warm up/Cardio – 33 minutes; Cooldown – 5 minutes; Bonus Toning Segment – 10 minutes. 

Debby is a ShapelyGirl Fitness presenter as well as a certified Leslie Sansone Walk Leader. Her workouts are filled with energy that will leave you wanting more! 

Equipment required: light dumbbells.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Again, Debby’s instruction and cuing was great. This was a fun workout! It is more energetic than the basic dvd, but still doable for plus size and beginners. My only “complaint” would be that I wish the 2 girls in the dvds would smile or be more energetic. I admire that they did this dvd taping and stuck with it though. It’s hard working out when you’re just beginning or have alot of weight-I’ve been there!

You can buy this DVD here by using my amazon affiliate link:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I’ve been given the wonderful opportunity to be apart of christian author, Darlene Schacht’s launch team for her new book “Messy Beautiful Love”. I was given the new e-book and pre-order freebies complimentary for blog and social media review.

I started reading the book last week and have read several chapters now. I pre-ordered the book too because I love to make notes and and highlight, and I’ve found lots of things that I wanted to remember and apply just in the first couple of chapters.

One thing I loved that the author said on page 13: “When I started exchanging God’s ideas for mine, I realized that a beautiful marriage is not only possible; its inevitable. That’s something to be excited about! That’s what this book is about: exchanging God’s ideas for ours and tuning out the world so that we might quietly tune into Him.”

This quote below is from page 55. The author said, “Sacrificial love is what the best marriages are made of. We stepped into our marriage with the commitment to love, honor, and cherish each other until death…If you want to stand strong in the faith, you have to start by planting your feet firmly in Christ. Get into the Word, get into prayer, and most important, get into the right relationship with the Father…”

I really needed to see this. At times I feel very discouraged about my marriage and feel like I’m the only one trying to make positive changes and make an effort. This is such a powerful comment and is very true!!
God doesn’t give up on me, no matter my choices or my attitude or my mistakes. I shouldn’t be negative or want to give up just because things don’t go my way or because I’m upset about something my husband said or did.

I loved this book quote below too-from page 9 in the book- when the author is sharing something personal with her father that happened and was very troubling to her.

What do you think about this quote?
I find it very comforting! Obviously we shouldn’t continue to sin or purposely make bad choices, but knowing that each day we can start “fresh” and be forgiven because of God’s mercy is very hopeful and wonderful!

I will continue to share more pictures and quotes of the book over the next couple of weeks and hopefully they will help and encourage some of you.

Click here on my amazon affiliate link if you would like to order: 
Messy Beautiful Love: Hope and Redemption for Real-Life Marriages