Book Review: Kidnapped in Paradise by Deborah Brown

I must confess that I rarely read fiction these days.

My tome of preference is anything from the Self Help or Mind, Body & Spirit sections.

(I think I may actually have worn the carpet away in my local branch of Waterstones).

So when I had the opportunity to review "Kidnapped in Paradise" courtesy of Beck Books, I thought I'd see if I could rekindle my love of light-hearted, fun, easy to read fiction.

This is the seventh in Deborah Brown's "Paradise Series" so I have managed to be spectacularly late to the party but, despite the fact that I thought I was in line for some twee, romantic froth where all the women have long, honey-coloured limbs and all the men have their own teeth (sorry, too much Jeremy Kyle), I really enjoyed the book. (The synopsis is below and I'm not going to spoil the ending for you).

Briefly, this is the story of two female private detectives who find themselves in trouble when one's ex husband gets embroiled in a drug deal that goes very, very wrong.

Brown's two heroines, Madison and Fabiana are gutsy women who take no nonsense from anybody.

They do not need to reapply lipgloss before setting off on a car chase.

There is a fair old slew of violence that the pair have to withstand and the dialogue is punchy and realistic.

There is an element of romance, but nothing to make your mother blush.

I once made the mistake of lending a Jackie Collins novel to my mum only to be told by my father that he'd taken it off her because it "wasn't doing her blood pressure any good".

No such worries here, I'm happy to say.

Also, although the dialogue is spicy, the text isn't punctuated by profanities which is always a pet hate of mine.

Brown's action is relentless.

There is literally never a dull moment as Madison and Fabiana (private detectives living in the Florida Keys) go from case to case with barely a pause.

The book is fast, funny and very enjoyable.

And, it's quite a rare occurrence when I read a fiction book from cover to cover - as I did with this one.

I'd highly recommend "Kidnapped in Paradise" as a beach read or something to transport you to more exotic climes when you're stuck on your morning commute.

Book Synopsis

In the Florida Keys, trouble is brewing along with the coffee. Friends Madison Westin and Fabiana Merceau search for the mastermind behind gruesome warnings showing up on their doorstep. Fab’s infamous new partner and Madison’s reappearing ex-husband complicate matters in this sexy and humorous action-adventure, the seventh installment of the Paradise series.

Can they slip the bonds of protective custody and solve the mystery before they are Kidnapped in Paradise?

Kidnapped in Paradise, is the seventh novel in Deborah Brown's Paradise series, which can be also read as a stand alone book.

Available to buy from.....

Amazon.com    Amazon.co.uk   Barnes and Noble

"I loved it. Couldn't stop reading; real page turner! Would highly recommend. Can't wait for the next book in the series!" 

"Deborah Brown has done it again. The whole crew of South Florida lunatics are flying in every direction in this, the seventh book of the Paradise series." 

"I love the characters with their attitudes and personalities not always agreeing it is a great read!I hope there is more to come can't wait to see what these two cook up next! Definitely two thumbs up Deborah Brown!"  
above reviews from Amazon

About the Author

I've been writing, in one way or another for as long as I can remember; writing poetry, short stories, a romance novel secretly stashed under the bed and sappy love letters. Fiction should be fun. I wanted to create the perfect beach book, to make the reader laugh, cry and cheer... and then run out and tell their friends about it.

My love of reading began when I was seven, the day I opened the cover of my first Mrs. Piggle Wiggle book. Mrs. P gave lessons to other children in how to behave and to me I learned to love the written word. I live with my family and demon children aka rescue cats in South Florida.

Find the author on the following sites...

  Facebook,   Twitter,   Pinterest,   Google+   Goodreads 

Also available in the Paradise Series

Follow the Book Tour

I received this book to review through Beck Valley Books Book Tours, all the opinions above are 100% my own.

NOW FOR THE AUTHOR'S GIVEAWAY

Win $25 Amazon.com Giftcard / Paypal Cash
(winners choice)
Open Worldwide

Ending on Thursday 13th August at 11.59pm EST

Enter Below and Good Luck !!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

*post contains an affiliate link.

Read more

I Like My Holidays Fully Medicated

Readers of this blog will know that I have terrible trouble packing.

Or rather I have trouble fitting in clothing to the metric tonnage of toiletries and tablets I am compelled to take on holiday.

For our approaching week in a log cabin in the wilds of Malvern, I am obviously preparing for sudden climatic change and an outbreak of some terrible fever or ice-cream related injury.

There will be an outdoor hot tub (will it have a mosquito net?) and a hammock (with a gym mat underneath in case of falling out, I'm hoping).

What has all the hallmarks of a really fun place has turned, in the wry twisting of my neurotic mind, into an endurance test a bit like "Ninja Warrior" mixed with "The Cube".

Needless to say, the Husband, who travels around the world with a spare vest and a toothbrush, cannot comprehend how I could possibly be allowing the dark clouds of holiday anxiety to roll not just over my head, but over the whole family.

But then, men rarely do the packing, do they?

Mind you, the Husband says he spends most of the time taking stuff out that I put in so that the car will actually move and we can fit the kids in!! That's after one of his comprehensive car maintenance sessions of course. Cue much huffing and puffing and shouts of "where is the tyre gauge"?

It's ridiculous because nothing usually goes wrong on our infrequent trips  I did, to be fair, spend my 25th birthday in bed in an Egyptian hotel room in Luxor with terrible travellers' tummy.

That particular anniversary was marked by my managing to ingest one finger of a Twix.

An Egyptian doctor was sent to my room who gave me a strange injection in my bottom and wrote a sick note which said I had "psychic problems" (true, my tarot reading is very dodgy).

I was duly flown home by British Airways and felt better as soon as I put one foot inside the plane.

Is it any wonder, then, that I am a bit nervous when travelling, health wise?

My coping strategy is shopping for toiletries and medications and I have been whiling away the odd half hour internet shopping at Chemist Direct, which carries a surprising large range, including an online doctor service and offers a prescription service for both you and your pets.  (You simply order your prescription and post the prescription slip to them).

The brands include the usual favourites such as Colgate, L'Oreal and Vaseline but also some surprises such as La Roche-Posay and Roger & Gallet.

I ordered the La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL Comfort Tinted BB Cream with SPF 50+  at £14.95 which offers UVA and UVB protection with a matt tint and the Roger & Gallet trio of soaps in "Jean Marie Farina" at £12.99.

I have been searching for Roger & Gallet "Fougère" soaps ever since I was an au pair in Paris at 19 but with no luck.

I'm hoping this Mediterranean inspired fragrance will be a good substitute.

In preparation for our holiday, I stocked up on a Stereoplast Holiday First Aid Kit at a bargain £4.95 and a Jungle Formula Plug-In Mosquito Killer at £8.99.

I also found some TravelMAX travel tablets for motion sickness and traveller's tummy which contain ginger as the main ingredient - a bargain 60 tablets for £1.  I'm planning to use these instead of the full strength travel pills to see if the ginger plus the 'placebo effect' might work.

I placed my order on 8th July and received it two days later via courier, on the 10th July.

Everything was well packaged and as I had ordered it.

Delivery is free over £40 or otherwise £3.49 for delivery within 5 working days.

Next day delivery options start at £4.75.

I thought the service was great, the prices reasonable and, unlike shopping in store at the two main big name UK drugstores, there's less of a risk of being lured in by BOGOFs and promotional gifts which tempt us toiletry addicts to spend far more than we should, or need to.

That doesn't mean I won't be having another quick 'check' before we go though.

Doesn't hurt to be prepared for every eventuality, does it?

*A voucher was received for the purposes of this review.

Read more

Help! I'm Going Glamping - That'll Be An Experience

This year, we're off glamping.

Anyone who knows me will tell you that this is an act of bravery not surpassed since I had hysterics whilst abseiling off Merthyr Viaduct.

I am a B&B type of girl. Better still, a 5 star hotel type of girl.

Comfy beds, soft sheets, a deep bath and an exciting range of mini toiletries and I'm happy.

But the thing is, when you have kids, it's not about you any more is it?

I'm working up to the full 'under canvas' experience but at least this year we're giving the kids the chance to (sort of) experience a life slightly wilder than living in a suburban semi.

I did go camping with my parents and my sister a couple of times when I was a teenager.

We stayed on a campsite just outside Stow-on-The-Wold in the Cotswolds and then on a site in Stratford-Upon-Avon a year or so later.

I imagine that camping facilities are much more sophisticated these days but then it was still the wafer thin ground sheet and an 'off with a toilet roll into the bushes' experience.

After a week of sunburn, sleep deprivation and flop bot I was glad to go home.

I admire those mums who chuck their off-spring into a sling, don a pair of Hunters and trot happily off to a festival, irrespective of the threat of hearing damage to their little ones and numerous hideous diseases from the porta-poos.

I wish I could sit on a camping stool knitting my own bunting and teaching my kids about the starry constellations lighting up the night sky.

There is such a romance about it.

This time, there will be an extra challenge for us.

One that never existing even 20 years ago.

There will be no electricity.

So no phone charging or iPad charging.

In the confines of our wooden cabin we will have to, gasp, talk to each other, interact as a family, play games, chat and share confidences.

Isn't that what really makes a holiday though, no matter where you are?

It's the shared experience.

That's a really unique gift to give your children (and will help strengthen your relationship with your partner too).

When I look back on my camping trips now, although I hated the accommodation, I remember the beauty of the Cotswolds - particularly the quaintness of Bourton-on-the-Water and The Slaughters.

I remember sitting somewhere on the edge of a traditional English green watching the locals play cricket in the sunshine.

At Stratford, Mum and Dad took us to see the Royal Shakespeare Company perform Othello (Donald Sinden was the lead) and I can remember it to this day - seeing Shakespeare performed in a truly authentic way, surrounded by an audience so awed by the play you could have heard a pin drop.

(No mobiles going off or the constant irritation of mobile phone cameras flashing in those days!).

So I'm going to grit my teeth and pitch in.

My parents did it for my sister and I so it's my turn to bequeath the same chance of life-long memories to my kids.

And if it all gets too much for me, I'll be investing in some experience days of my own when I come back - starting with a massage and ending with an afternoon tea!

This is a collaborative post.

Read more

Blog Tour Book Review: Be A Happier Parent with NLP by Judy Bartkowiak

Today is my stop on the Be A Happier Parent with NLP blog tour and I am happy to feature an incredibly useful guest post from author, Judy Bartkowiak.

I have been interested in NLP for many years but my studies have been mainly concentrated in the business and marketing, and personal development arenas.

Using NLP to improve our parenting skills and our relationships with our kids makes perfect sense and offers us all a great tool to boost our self esteem as a family.

I see NLP as an incredibly valuable set of tools to gift to our kids to help them both now, as they face the challenges of school and in later life.

In case you're wondering what NLP is, it stands for neuro-linguistic programming.

This is a method of influencing brain behaviour ("neuro") through the use of language ("linguistic") and other types of communication to enable a person to "recode" the way the brain responds to stimuli ("programming") and manifest new and better behaviours.

Judy's book explains the concepts and philosophies using a blend of helpful case-studies and exercises for you to do both as a parent and with your children.

Judy reminds us of one of the key points of NLP that "the map is not the territory" - in other words what we think (our map) is not necessarily the reality (the territory) and how we see the world as adults is vastly different from how our children see it.

Spending time together doing the exercises in Judy's book will certainly help to at least put parents and children on the same map, so that they can go forward and explore the territory together!

This is a book to be kept as a useful reference for times when the usual responses to stressful situations just don't work (yelling, anyone?) and I really recommend you take a look.

Below is Judy's advice on a particular topic of interest to all parents - how to manage your child's anxiety.

Managing Anxiety

From time to time your child will feel anxious before exams or new situations in their life.

You might even find that something they usually do with no problems becomes a problem for no apparent reason.

Anxiety doesn’t disappear because you tell a child that there is no reason for it.

Notice though that even though they might feel anxious about one situation they won't be anxious about everything.

By focusing on that thing they are anxious about may not be as helpful as focusing on the things they are brave about because sometimes children are inclined to generalise.

They are anxious about this thing so therefore they are an anxious child and it can become their identity.

Teachers and you and your partner may step in and become over protective because of the anxiety but in fact they may be resentful that this has now become an issue.

How they are brave in some situations will be the strategy for how to be brave in other situations where currently they are anxious so ask them about it.

Find out how they are brave.

You may find that for them knowledge is important, maybe the more they know about the situation will help assuage their anxiety.

For another child it may be about how you present it to them.

Some children are highly visual and have a great imagination so something they can't imagine because it is new to them will make them more anxious than someone who is more auditory or kinaesthetic.

In this situation maybe you can find pictures to show your child to enable them to get a handle on the anxious situation.

An auditory child will be more anxious about situations where it could be noisy or excessively quiet, where someone is shouting at them or where they aren't allowed to express themselves.

Again, find a way to talk about it with them because for an auditory child that will help them feel less anxious.

A kinaesthetic child will be anxious because of how they feel, the atmosphere, the temperature even.

They will be more tuned into this than a visual or auditory child.

They need some sort of physical way to calm themselves down.

Anchoring is a good way.

Here's how to do it and this will be a helpful technique for all children.

1. Tell them that you are going to ask them about a time when they felt really great, brave, confident, able to do anything, go anywhere.

2. Then when they have this time in their mind ask them to close their eyes and imagine that this is that time right now. They are feeling this right now so as they feel great, who is there, what can they see, how do they feel, what do they hear? They need to imagine it but if they want to they can tell you all about it.

3. When they have that moment in their mind they are to squeeze their earlobe.

4. Repeat the exercise a few times, in between goes, give themselves a little shake to ' break state'.

5. Remind them that when they next feel anxious they can use their anchor by squeezing their earlobe and remembering the time when they felt great.

You can find out more about how to help your child with anxiety by liking Judy's Facebook Page Family NLP https://www.facebook.com/FamilyNLP or downloading her app from the website www.nlpfamily.com or http://www.nlpfamily.com/nlp-app.html where tips are posted regularly on this issue.

About the book

"Be A Happier Parent with NLP" gives you the skills you need to raise a confident, secure child in a confident and secure manner. The book uses the tried, trusted and proven techniques of neuro-linguistic programming to help tackle areas in which you may feel you lack confidence as a parent, while at the same time giving you the skills to help your child be happy, fulfilled and confident him- or herself. You'll find yourself feeling less guilty, more in control, and communicating better with your child--at the same time be able to support your child in difficult situations and help him or her grow into a well-rounded adult.

Includes: Personal insights from the author's many years of experience of working with children Practical exercises to help you engage with the book and act on what you learn One, five and ten-minute introductions to key principles to get you started Lots of instant help with common problems and quick tips for success, based on the authors' many years of experience Tests in the book and online to keep track of your progress Quick refreshers to help you remember the key facts.

Information about the book:

Author: Judy Bartkowiak

Title: Be A Happier Parent with NLP

Genre: Non-Fiction, Self-Help, Living and Learning

Publisher: McGraw-Hill

Pages: 209

Published: January 1st 2011 

Goodreads Link

Amazon Link

About the author

Judy Bartkowiak is the author of ‘Be a happier parent with NLP’ a guide to using life coaching skills to enhance your parenting. Judy and her husband Edward have four children – Lucy, Alex, Jess and Paul and live in rural Berkshire with their dogs Roxy and Holly and nine hens. Other NLP Family (www.nlpfamily.com) titles are:


Workbooks

NLP for Parents
NLP for Children (5-10yrs)
NLP for Tweens (11-14yrs)
NLP for Teens (15yrs+)
NLP for Teachers
NLP for New Mums
NLP for Weight Loss
NLP for Work
NLP for Back to Work

Self-Esteem Workbook
NLP Workbook
Secrets of the NLP Masters


Judy Bartkowiak comes from a business background where she worked with Toy companies and TV production companies helping them to understand children and their relationship with brands such as LEGO, Baby Born, Bratz, Thomas the Tank Engine, Pocoyo, Fireman Sam and many other well-known names.

She runs Kids Brands Europe alongside her NLP training and coaching www.kidsresearch.co.uk and has a Facebook Kids Panel for Market Research which is done online or from her home.

She has an NLP training and coaching practice NLP Kids www.nlpfamily.com, specialising in child and parenting issues and runs Kids Brands Europe (www.kidsresearch.co.uk) as well as writing for children as JudyBee.

Judy loves playing tennis and reading as well as spending time with her family.

Email Judy judy@nlpkids.com for your FREE mini book ‘Be a happier parent with NLP’ and apply code ‘Blog’ to get 10% discount off Judy’s books at www.nlpandkidsbooks.com

You can follow the rest of the tour HERE.

*post contains an affiliate link.

Read more

England's Football Lionesses are "going back to being mothers" - the FA's own goal

If you blinked, you might have missed it.  Yesterday the FA welcomed the England Women's Football Team on their return from the World Cup with the following tweet (which was rapidly deleted).

Source:  www.telegraph.co.uk

It read "Our #Lionesses go back to being mothers, partners and daughters today, but they have taken on another title - heroes."

The author of the tweet, James Callow, Content Editor at the Football Association rejected any allegation of sexism. He said, on his own Twitter account, "the piece is intended to sum up a nice moment when players are reunited with their families. Human interest is a big part of any sports reporting. I'd have done the same for England men, absolutely."

This did nothing, however, to avert the media storm which led to the tweet being featured on the front page of the Metro and covered on other media outlets such as Sky. Allegations of sexism and patronisation of the women by the FA flew.

My take is that the tweet was badly worded but unfortunately hinted at what mothers suspect some men really think of professional women - that their jobs, their vocations, their sporting activities are something done to pass the time when not up to their ears in dirty nappies and pureed fruit.

Are women still defined primarily by whether or not they are a mother?

I have never seen news coverage which suggested that the England Squad were "going back to being fathers" after their last (dismal) World Cup attempt.  Nor have I seen male soldiers returning to greet their families to speculation about the amount of DIY waiting for them to get their teeth into.

I worked for over 20 years before having my kids, reaching director level in the last law firm in which I was employed.  Now, I'm a full time mum and there are some who really don't know how to pigeon-hole me.  Am I just a drain on the tax-payer (even though I contributed since the age of 17)? Is my value to society reduced because I am not inputting data in an office somewhere?

I'm sure many of my fellow Stay-At-Home-Mums are familiar with the echoing silence that occurs in conversation when they are asked what they do and reply "oh, I'm at home full time with the kids".

We can't win either way can we?  It sometimes seems as if we're neither valued as mothers or employees (or entrepreneurs!).

Just because I currently am lucky enough to be able to raise my kids full time does not mean that I have become a one-dimensional, cardboard cut-out unable to contribute in other areas.

Has anyone ever asked JK Rowling when she is going to stop writing and go back to being a mother?

Mothers, whether working or not, are all raising the next generation which is endless, tiring but ultimately life-affirming and beyond value.

This does NOT mean that we are unable to stand shoulder to shoulder to our male peers in every sphere - whether professional or sport.

And this is not a feminist rant.  I am not tarring all men with the same brush.  Today men are often as likely to be at home raising kids as their partners - and risk the same social alienation and identity issues as women.

But implicit in that misguided tweet is the fact that even in 2015 women are somehow expected to choose what they want to be famous for.

The legacy of the Lionesses in this World Cup has been to bring women's football home to many of us who previously haven't taken that much notice of it, all without flash cars, ridiculous pay packets and falling out of nightclubs.

The FA might want to take a look at its definition of  "sportsmanship" - and avoid any future own goals.

Read more

6 reasons to take your child to the optician

Ieuan has morphed seamlessly out of his Spiderman phase (at the point, obviously where we have just invested in a new costume for him) into his new alter ego of Harry Potter.

No, the scar probably isn't accurate!

We have just watched the entire box set of Harry Potter DVDs and we were all totally transfixed.

Mind you, given the number of pairs of glasses Harry breaks during the series I hope he had them insured.

This has led to Ieuan wandering around in an old wizard robe from his cousins and sporting a very fetching Potter-esque scar (black eye liner - well I've given up trying to do that cat-eye eyeliner thing so I may as well use it for something).

His new most precious possessions are his Harry Potter glasses and wand.

There is a certain degree of irony in the fact that he happily wears these glasses all day and is delighted now I have given him an old glasses case to keep them in.

I started to wear glasses at age 11 - the old-style, black NHS frame - and I hated them.

I still hate wearing glasses to this day due to my OCD but the difference in frames, both in terms of materials used and styles, is vast.

Both the Husband and I are short-sighted so the likelihood is that both Caitlin and Ieuan will end up wearing glasses or contact lenses.

Perhaps they may even opt for laser eye surgery - something which didn't exist back in the days when I was struggling to see the blackboard in 1975!

In fact, opticians Optical Express advise that children should have an annual eye exam, even if they are not yet wearing spectacles and there are several very good reasons for this.

Children can be tested at any age but children's eyes are fully developed by the time they are 8 years old so it is very important to have any problems detected before this, not least because, if left undetected for too long, some sight defects cannot be corrected.

Nowadays only 60% of schools provide eye tests and, even then, this is not a full eye test carried out by a pediatric optometrist.

Distance vision is checked but the test may not pick up all levels of long-sight and an eye exam carried out by a registered optometrist is advisable.

You should also consider the following:-

The eye exam will check general health, not just that of the eye.

Any defect in vision can be picked up and quickly rectified.

Poor vision may impact on learning in school - your child may not be able to see the whiteboard clearly, for example, and you are unlikely to know this without the benefit of an eye exam.

Excessive use of iPads and too much 'screen time' may lead to tired eyes, eye strain and headaches - which may impact on vision.

Eye infections and eye injuries (such as a foreign body in the eye) are better diagnosed by opticians than by your GP (who will not have the equipment needed to thoroughly examine the eye).

Glasses are no longer 'uncool' - there is a great range of child friendly glasses.

All children under 16 qualify for an NHS voucher entitling them to a free eye test.

If your child needs glasses they will also qualify for an NHS voucher that enables them to choose free glasses from a selected range or most opticians will have a budget friendly range of glasses for kids.

Caitlin goes into Year 3 in September and Ieuan starts Year 2.  I'll be getting both their eyes tested, just in case, although I hope that they both have a few more years' glasses free.

It's best to be on the safe side, though, isn't it?

This is a collaborative post.

Read more

My Sunday Photo - 05/07/2015

Read more