Ring of Secrets by Roseanna White {Book Review}

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

There are very few authors whose books I want to have on my shelf in both paperback and Kindle format. Roseanna White is one of those authors. Her books always pull me in with her detailed storytelling and a depth of writing that assures I will be pulling the books out in the future to read again {and again}.

I received a copy of Ring of Secrets from Harvest House to review on my blog, but purchased a Kindle copy on my own. All thoughts in this post are solely mine.

The first time I heard about the Culpeper Ring series, I was intrigued. The first book in the series, Ring of Secrets,  is set in the late 1700’s during a period wrought with espionage. Patriots are forced to hide among British Loyalists, but information is secreted via a spy ring to help supply the Patriots with the latest movements and plans of the British.

Winter Reeves may be a female, but she is in the perfect spot socially to be a key information provider for the Patriots. She is courted by a British officer who continually tells her of upcoming plans, unaware that she isn’t the dimwitted girl many believe her to be.

Surrounding Winter are several individuals who are trying to discover the identity of the spies helping George Washington. Bennet Lane is one of those men, and he is immediately drawn to Winter. He sees beyond her demeanor and believes her to be an intelligent girl, and is determined to figure her out.

While Winter continues to share information with the spy ring, Bennet works on uncovering the identity of the spies – but feelings deeper than friendship begin to develop between the two. Neither is aware of the other’s true mission, but the closer they become, the harder the secrets are to keep.

My Thoughts on Ring of Secrets

There were so many different plot twists in Ring of Secrets that I wasn’t sure how this story was going to end. I knew how I wanted it to resolve, but honestly couldn’t tell if the book would or wouldn’t go in that direction!

Roseanna White pens characters that have are deep and more complicated than they first appear, with different layers and nuances that play into the storyline at the most surprising points. Her other novels have never disappointed me, and Ring of Secrets was no different.

With Ring of Secrets the first book in a new series, you will have to wait a bit to read more, but it is a book that can stand alone and also includes an epilogue so readers get a short peek into the lives of different character many years down the road {very fun!}.

Find Out More

I would highly recommend any of Roseanna White’s books, including Ring of Secrets. You can purchase it in paperback format or Kindle {as well as other formats via various vendors}. Be sure to stop by Roseanna White’s website as well for the latest book updates and blog posts.

If I Had a Sister

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

There have been days that I wished I had a sister. Especially those days that my two brothers would get a little ornery. Truthfully, they still get a little lot ornery.

{And to my parents who may be reading this, you know how difficult they could be.}

Not that life is always perfect between two sisters – because I happen to have two little girls and know that there are fights. And tears. But there are also conversations at night. And times now and in the future that they will be each other’s encouragement and confidants.

For the past week and a half, one of my cousins from the Netherlands visited us along with her son. It’s never awkward when she visits – just a fun time that we sit and talk, shop together {and for me who dislikes shopping this is saying a LOT}, drink coffee and milkshakes, and just enjoy the time that we have together. 

If I could pick a sister, I would definitely pick her.

Today she left our home to head back to her family. Since she left, there have been tears flowing every now and then. The plane ride to visit her family may not be too long, but it isn’t a quick ride in the car.

There’s this ocean that literally separates us.

But – there is also Skype. And the phone. And if we can ever figure it out, we might actually be able to text each other too {those silly phone apps can be so iffy}.

I may not have a sister, but I do have an amazing cousin that I am so thankful to call a friend as well. And that is just as wonderful.

Ultimate Homemaking Bundle–MEGA Sale

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This morning I am very excited to share a great deal with all the mommas out there! The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle offers not only a HUGE savings but some resources that you will want to have on hand covering a variety of topics – taking care of our homes, our families and ourselves, and there are times that we need encouragement or tips in those different areas.

A SIX Day Only Sale!!

Starting today – and for the next SIX DAYS ONLY, more than 75 bloggers and authors are joining together to offer 97 eBooks and eCourses, a value of just over $600, for the incredibly low price of $29.97!  This bundle includes eBooks and eCourses in a variety of areas: mothering, organization and cleaning, recipes and kitchen helps {something from Money Saving Mom!}, homeschooling, spiritual growth, holiday books, home décor and DIY {oh I could use some help here!!}, pregnancy and baby care, frugal living, health and fitness, as well as work from home and financial tools.

To make it even better, there are also $140 in bonus offers that are included in bundle purchase.

Please note: The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered.

 

What's Included in the Sale?

When you purchase The Ultimate Homemaking eBook collection, you will get instant access to 97 eBooks and eCourses {see the full list below} PLUS over $140 of bonuses from 10 companies that you'll love. More on these bonuses below.

• Home & Property {Cleaning, Organizing, Decor}: 31 Days to Clean ($4.99), Getting it Together: Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System that Works ($3.99), Pulling Yourself Together: Implementing a Cleaning Routine that Sticks ($10.00), Simple Living  ($2.99), NOT a DIY Diva ($3.99), One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler ($5.00), 28 Days to Hope for your Home ($5.00), Organizing Life as Mom ($9.00), Clean Enough: Simple Solutions for the Overwhelmed ($4.99), 10 Steps to Organized Paper($5.00), Handmade Walls  ($9.95), Easy Peasy Chores: An Easy-to-Use Chore System That Brings JOY Back Into Family Chores ($17.99)

• Educational Children's Resources: Princess Training ($3.99), The Armor of God ($2.50), My Bedtime Learning Book ($1.00), Think Outside the Classroom  ($6.97), Raising Rock Stars — Kindergarten Bundle ($10.00), The ABC's For Godly Boys Curriculum ($8.00), The ABC's For Godly Girls Curriculum ($8.00), K4 Curriculum  ($15.00), Write Through the Bible (print) ($5.00), Write Through the Bible (cursive)  ($5.00), Balcony Girls (books 1 & 2) ($19.90), The Dig for Kids: Luke (Volumes 1 and 2)  ($5.98), Music: An Essential Ingredient for Life ($6.99)

• Budgeting {Finance & Time}: From Debtor to Better ($10.00), Tell Your Time ($2.99), The Homemakers Guide to Creating the Perfect Schedule  ($4.99), Your Grocery Budget Toolbox  ($7.99), Finding Financial Freedom  ($5.97), Become a Frugalista in 30 Days ($3.99)

• In the Kitchen {Recipes and Cooking}: Crock On by Stacy ($5.00), Real Food, Real Easy ($9.95), Wholesome Mixes  ($4.00), 20-Minute Meals ($4.99), Restocking the Pantry ($9.99), Money Saving Mom's Guide to Freezer Cooking  ($3.99), Simply Summer ($7.95), Do the Funky Kitchen ($4.95), Real Food Kids: In the Kitchen ($20.00), Seasonal Menu Plans on a Budget: A Month of Meals from My Humble Kitchen to Yours ($4.99), Just Making Ice Cream ($12.00), The Curative Kitchen ($20.00)

• Pregnancy & Baby Care: First Bites ($9.99), Confessions of a Cloth Diaper Convert ($9.95), Stress-Free Baby Shower ($4.00), Unbound Birth ($2.99), My Pregnancy Journey ($9.99), My Buttered Life Baby Edition ($5.00), The Minimalist Mom’s Guide to Baby’s First Year ($5.00), Redeeming Childbirth: Growth & Study Guide ($3.99)

• Holidays & Special Events: Festive Traditions ($7.95), Holiday Mixes: Gifts in a Jar ($4.00), Flourishing Spring ($5.95), Family Camping Handbook ($6.95), Truth in the Tinsel ($7.99), Plan a Fabulous Party ($4.99), iPhone Photography: The Visual Guide ($9.97)

• Spiritual Growth: Pursuit of the Proverbs 31 ($3.99), The Best of Visionary Womanhood ($5.00), God’s Word in my Heart: A Scripture Memory Learning Guide with Verses {all 4 versions} ($3.99), Kept: a 13-Week Inductive Study on 1 Peter ($4.99), Love Like Him: an 8 week Inductive Bible study on 1 Corinthians 13 ($2.99)

• Marriage and Romance: Rekindling Romance ($4.99), Good Wife’s Guide ($2.99), 31 Days to Build a Better Spouse ($4.99), 31 Days to Great Sex ($4.99), Entangled: Recognize Your Emotional Affair  ($4.99)

• Motherhood: The Heart of Simplicity ($9.99), True Christian Motherhood ($7.00), Hula Hoop Girl ($4.99), When Motherhood Feels Too Hard ($4.97), Mindset for Moms  ($4.99), From Cube to Farm ($2.99), 4 Moms of 35+ Kids Answer Your Parenting Questions ($7.99), That Works for Me! ($8.00)

• Health & Fitness: 100-pound Loser ($4.99), Honoring the Rhythm of Rest ($2.99), 42 Days to Fit ($4.99), Healthy Homemaking ($12.95), Personal ePlanner ($5.00)

• Beauty: Frumps to Pumps  ($4.99), The Cottage Mama’s DIY Guide ($4.00), Simple Scrubs to Make and Give ($3.99), The No Brainer Wardrobe($7.99), Embracing Beauty ($9.00), Reuse, Refresh, Repurpose ($3.99)

• Working from Home & Blogging: Your Blogging Business: Tax, Talk and Tips ($4.99), The Bootstrap VA  ($12.99), How to Grow Your Blog and Manage Your Home ($4.99), How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too ($12.00), Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging  ($8.00)

• eCourses: Learning in Love: The Preschool Years ($7.99), Homeschooling from the Heart ($7.99), Grocery University ($24.95), Vibrant Living Strategies for Moms  ($59), You Can Do This! The First Five Steps to a Real Food Kitchen ($5.00)

• PLUS, along with the eBooks and eCourses, The Ultimate Homemaking Bundle also includes over $140 worth of freebies, including a Fit2B Studio membership, a 3-month Plan to Eat membership, a List PlanIt membership, natural skincare, heirloom herb seeds from www.wheatgrasskits.com, real salt/natural toothpaste from Redmond Trading, heirloom sourdough starter or yogurt starter from Cultures for Health, a $15 store credit to TruKid, $10 off Union28's original "my husband rocks" tee and MORE!

**Purchase the entire Homemaking Library today!!!**

 

Please note: This collection is only available from 9 a.m. EST on April 29th to 11:59 p.m. EST on May 4th. There will be no late sales offered, so make sure that you get your bundle right away!

 

I hope this is a help to you all!!

 

 

The fine print {because there always is something to note!!}:

Bonus Offers

• Each bonus offer can be redeemed once only per eBook Bundle purchase.
• For each bonus offer, transaction numbers or proof of purchase may be required at the time of redemption.
• Some bonus offers may require you to pay s/h and are not the responsibility of the sponsor.
• All bonus offers are free gifts from the bonus sponsors, are their sole responsibility to provide, and are subject to availability.
• All bonus offers expire at midnight on May 19th, 2013 (2 weeks from the last day of this sale).

General

• It is your responsibility to download and back-up your purchase within the 1-month download time-frame. With proof of purchase, we can renew download links up until August 1st, 2013. After this date we will no longer have access to the books and will not be able to provide any new links to download.
• Due to the nature of this sale, there will be no refunds available. However, we would invite you to read our Frequently Asked Questions page to learn more about the file types, the download process, how the bonus offers work, etc.
• If you want to read these eBooks on your mobile device, please be sure to learn more about the file types, how to download them correctly, and how to transfer them to your device.

Natural Remedy for Heartburn

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

In February our family began trying essential oils in place of many traditional over-the-counter medicines. A good friend of mine has been using Young Living oils for many years and she talked to me more about different natural remedies we could try with the oils.

Lately, heartburn has been an issue. Rather than having the chalky taste of Tums in my mouth {it only took one of those to remind me to try our oils}, I began researching some essential oil remedies – and came up with a great one that has been working very well for me!

Essential Oil Mix for Heartburn

The mix of essential oils is very easy. I simply drop the following oils into the palm of one hand, mix them together with two fingers from the other hand, and then apply topically to where I feel the heartburn.

• 1 drop of Young Living lemon essential oil
• 1 drop of Young Living peppermint essential oil

The oil mix may feel a little warm after you apply it. This is normal as peppermint essential oil considered a ‘hot’ oil, meaning it produces a warm feeling on your skin where you apply it. Peppermint oil should not be placed close to your eyes.

This mixture has helped stop my heartburn immediately ~ I am so excited!! No yucky aftertaste and it also has a pleasant smell. It’s a win-win for me.

 

Additional benefits of Lemon Essential Oil:

• adds a great scent to homemade cleaners
• add a drop to water for flavoring

Additional benefits of Peppermint Essential Oil:

• freshen breath {add a drop to a small water spritz bottle}
• help with digestive issues {add a drop to a glass of water}
• relieve headaches {massage into temples}
• watch this video on Peppermint Essential Oil from my friend Jodi

Make Your Own Heartburn Essential Oil Mixture

Interested in ordering these oils for yourself? Click the ‘customer’ tab on my Young Living Essential Oil page and fill out the information to get started.

 

Do you use essential oils with your family? I’d love to hear what remedies you have found work for you!

 

Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post. If you are interested in learning more about Young Living Essential Oils, feel free to contact me.

 

Gearing Up for Disney World

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

Our family was invited to be a part of the Disney Social Media Mom Conference and  received discounted Disney passes and lodging for the three day conference. Our decision to extend our stay was our own.

Taking the kids to Walt Disney World has been on our ‘LIST’ for quite some time. We had a growing fund specifically for this special vacation, but we got a little sidetracked.

Let’s just say, the kids weren’t thrilled to find out we used the money to buy a camper.

BUT – that camper will now be on the road with us in a little over a month as we travel to Disney as a family for a week of fun, fun, fun!! I was invited to attend the Disney Social Media Moms Celebration this May at Disney World that will allow the entire family to tag along with me.

 

To say the kids are excited is putting it mildly. Really, I am equally excited because it isn’t often that I am able to have everyone with me at a conference and have time to relax and have fun with them.

We’d be silly not to stay longer, so after our stay at the Disney Contemporary Resort we’re heading over to Fort Wilderness for a few additional days of park visiting. I have a feeling the kids are going to love that the monorail goes directly into the hotel {how neat is that??}.

This next month promises to be a whirlwind. Family will be visiting us from overseas and we’re getting as much of our school wrapped up as we can. Don’t tell the kids though - I am planning to make part of this Disney trip a learning time too…shhh! If anything, this will be a field trip of gigantic proportions!!

 

Have you visited Disney before? What is ONE thing {or two} that you highly recommend we do together while we are there?

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell {Book Review}

This post may contain affiliate or advertiser links. Read my full disclosure policy here.

This book was provided for me at no cost by Bethany House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest and personal review.

After touring Europe, Lucy Kendall returns home with dreams of reviving her father’s candy making business. Armed with boxes of candy she sampled abroad, she longs to find that perfect combination that will have everyone running for the next piece – and show the nearby rival candy company a thing or two. Her mother is determined to sell the company, so Lucy has little time to produce a winning confectionary treat.

Believing the family secrets were wrongly stolen from her father’s company is still a sore spot with Lucy. When the rival company brings in a new manager, Charlie Clarke, Lucy is continually butting heads with him.

Charlie is trying to start over again, and the opportunity to connect with his father, the owner of a candy company, seems to be perfect timing. He longs to prove himself to his father, but that means undermining another candy company – and in the process a girl he is beginning to care about. Will both companies be able to survive the candy war? Will their relationship even have a chance to grow, or will the battle to be the best stretch both of them beyond what they can handle?

My Thoughts on Unrivaled

I love how a story can make you think about how companies functioned so long ago and the rivalry that existed {and still does} so long ago! Recipes under lock and key. Company espionage - the glimpses into life many years ago is so much fun.

Mitchell does a wonderful job in Unrivaled detailing the historical period and creating vivid scenes in the reader’s mind. From parties to the candy making process, the working conditions of the time and even the store-front windows that were such an integral part of advertising during this time period – all combine to create a story that will take you on a bit of a history trip while you relax and read.

While this wasn’t one of my favorite books by Siri Mitchell, it was definitely an enjoyable read. The hardest thing for me with her books in the point of view from which the stories are told – first person narrative. Because there are two main characters, the story is constantly switching between voices, which for me makes it a little more difficult to follow. This time the two main characters are male and female, so it was a little bit easier {grins}, but just takes my brain a little more getting used to. 

Find Out More

Unrivaled by Siri Mitchell can be purchased through Amazon and is available in paperback or Kindle.