Happy Father's Day and a Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #226!

Amanda, Samantha, and Robbie
Boogie Boarding on the West Coast

Happy Father's Day this Sunday to all the dads out there! My husband is a big part of our kids' lives and he's always there for them. Today I chose a few photos of our kids with their dad. Our son has a beard in these pictures, but he goes around clean shaven too. I was 21 when I had him and he's turning 21 later this year. Yikes!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on my photos to see them at their best!

Robbie, Samantha, Amanda, and Jessica
Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden Cape Town

Jessica, Jeremiah, Samantha, and Robbie
Christmas Market in Tulbagh

Jeremiah and Robbie
Du Preez Private Cellar

Robbie and Amanda
Bike Riding

Robbie and Jessica
Walking the Dogs

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My Latest Book Review:

A Strange Twist of Fate

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Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

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Weekend Linky

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

Read More

A Strange Twist of Fate

A Strange Twist of Fate
by Debra Erfert

About the Book:

Title: A Strange Twist of Fate | Author: Debra Erfert | Pages: 260 | Genre: Romantic Mystery | Age Level: Young Adult

Book Description:

One widow, one killer—who will die first?

Gutsy, grieving Anna is determined to find who murdered her husband. Hampered by agonizing loneliness, her obsessive-compulsive mother, and her over-controlling father, she defies convention, and the law, to investigate on her own. When she runs up against Lee Adams, a handsome police detective who’s determined to save Anna from herself, she has to step up her rogue search for the killer, before time and dwindling leads run out.

Purchase on Amazon
Kindle | Paperback

My Review

A Strange Twist of Fate is Debra Erfert at her best. It is a clean romantic mystery. The plot has several layers and is well developed. The pace moves quickly with suspense elements throughout. The romance is lively.

Anna is a likable young widow with strong drive. Her husband's deadly car accident looks suspicious and she is convinced that it was murder. She fears that her private investigation and thorough note-taking might be the early signs of an obsessive-compulsive disorder, which is partly what her mother suffers from.

Lee Adams is a police detective going through a divorce. He throws all his time and energy into his job to escape his sparsely furnished little apartment and betrayed heart while his soon-to-be ex-wife is living in their home happily moving on with her life. When Lee helps Anna out of a tight patch at the police station, he finds he's falling for an independent girl that might need protecting.

Reviews of DJ Erfert's Other Books:

Window of Time

Two CIA Novellas

Changes of the Heart

Synapses - a Novella

About the Author:

DJ (Debra) Erfert

While growing up, going to libraries felt like an adventure filled with mystery and wonder to Debra. The hushed tones invoked secrets, and the dusty, sometimes moldy, smell of paper was the same in each city she lived. Leaving the library with just a single book never happened. Years later, her love of reading turned to a passion for writing stories others might enjoy. She’s an award winning fine artist who lives in a southwest Arizona city with her husband, a retired police lieutenant, where the average summer temperatures are well above 100 degrees--truly hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.

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Another Birthday and a Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #247!

Jessica turned 19 earlier this June! She had a very special birthday. The night before, she slept over by her grandma. The next morning, on her birthday, they went shopping in Cape Town. While they were there, they also bought the custard slices and large cheese cake that you see in the photos.

Later that day, she opened gifts from us. Samantha and Amanda gave Jessica the round lavender colored tin with chocolates inside. We also celebrated the day with a bottle of Graham Beck Brut Rosé that my mother-in-law picked out for the occasion. (The drinking age in South Africa is 18.) She also got birthday money from her grandparents overseas and a package from her great aunt in Johannesburg couriered to our front door!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

Jessica on her 19th birthday 

Graham Beck Brut Rosé
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Méthode Cap Classique

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Here's a peek at
my latest post

on 1camera1mom:

Du Toitskloof Cellar
Food and Wine - Part 1

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My Latest Book Reviews:


The Ex-Pacifist
Book 1 in the Matsumoto Trilogy





The Splitting
Book 2 in the Matsumoto Trilogy




The Matsumoto
Book 3 in the Matsumoto Trilogy

*********************

Sweet and Clean Romances
36 Free eBooks to Choose From

*********************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More

The Matsumoto

The Matsumoto

Matsumoto Trilogy Book 3

About the Book:

Title: The Matsumoto (Book 3 in the Matsumoto Trilogy) | Author: Sarah K.L. Wilson | Pages: 304 | Genre: A Young Adult Science Fiction Thriller | Recommended Age: Young Adult

Book Description:

Vera and Roman are reunited, but as things get worse for the Blackwatch Empire there’s only one way Vera’s path can take her: to the throne or to her death. Will the allies she’s made be enough to help her seize the empire? Will her unique abilities, enhanced by her implant, give her the resources she needs to fight an interplanetary army? And will Roman still stick with her now that her path is leading where neither of them wanted to go?

A young adult science fiction thriller with epic themes of family, duty, and conscience, a diverse cast, non-stop action and romantic sub-plots that echo the work of S. J. Kincaid’s “The Diabolic” or Suzanne Collins’ “The Hunger Games.”

Purchase on Amazon

Kindle | Paperback

Get a FREE eBook when you
join Sarah's mailing list!


My Review:

The Matsumoto, Book 3, is just as intense as the first two books in this science fiction series. You never know what to expect and there are a number of surprises. In Book 2 Vera Matsumoto learns to embrace her ex-pacifism, but reconsiders her choice in Book 3. Even the romance between Vera and Roman isn't straightforward. The world building and plot are more developed, bringing this final book to a near satisfying ending.

I would have liked there to be a few more happy times with Vera and Roman. The romance between them is one of the things that makes this series so exciting. They are a dynamic team and their relationship is constantly being tested. I also think that Roman played too much of the second fiddle in this story. He could have shined a bit more.

I am looking forward to more books by Sarah K.L. Wilson. She's a great story-teller.

My Review of Book 1:
The Ex-Pacifist

My Review of Book 2:
The Splitting

The Ex-Pacifist (Book 1)

is only $0.99 on
Amazon Kindle!

About the Author:
Sarah K.L. Wilson

I believe that fiction can help us find our true roots. I write cross-over SFF YA fiction that draws out philosophy and deeper themes. I'm a Canadian self-published author with a great network of other writers and readers backing me. Come join my tribe and share your thoughts with me!

Website | Twitter

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.

Please Note: The price was correct at the time of posting. Please check as this may change.

Read More

Smiles, Laughter, Love and a Linky

Welcome to my weekend blog hop -

Make My Saturday Sweet #225!

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on my photos to see them at their best!

Every weekend I post something different along with original photos. Last Sunday we were at the manager's home of the Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden. I took a photo of their wall art outside their front door. That photo inspired today's post. I've also included another poem of mine below.

Plant Smiles
Grow Laughter
Harvest Love

Give a Smile

Give a smile to those you meet

A friendly look when you greet

It may be just what they need

Planting hope as a seed

It’s the sunlight through the trees

A bit of warmth on a cool breeze

Open your heart just a little

Then it won’t become brittle

Why not give it a try?

There’s no need to be shy

Find a twinkle in your eye

Be the sparkle in the night sky

It will come back to you by and by

Christina A. Morley

The photo above is of their entrance hall taken a previous year. I liked the balance of everything. They have a different painting hanging there now.

*********************

My Latest Book Reviews:

Talon, On the Wing
Talon Series Book 2




The Ex-Pacifist
Matsumoto Trilogy Book 1




The Splitting
Matsumoto Trilogy Book 2

*********************

Make My Saturday Sweet is a weekend blog hop for all family friendly blogs. You are welcome to link your favorite post from the past week(s) and to visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment. It's a really easy and fun way to make new friends and to catch up on old acquaintances.

Now on to my blog hop...

It's time for another Make My Saturday Sweet blog hop!

Join me (your host) for this fun and easy hop.

All family friendly blogs are welcome!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free to

link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow Tina (your host) on one or more links listed above.
• Link up a post from your family friendly blog.
• Please try to add my hop button on your post or side-bar.
• Share about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.
• Visit the last link before yours and leave a sweet comment.

Blog Button Code:

<center><a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.co.za/" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWaX10yWr7xxEQ5BBMhOqdZxobJ0omJBq-v8ENFn3YNNebsnsYBHwcGyje-XzSlHSJOIlZ1rEOp89LyNI97XrPFZtdeH_AvaNV3F8hOvHfsuwe29ALNQw75ibK34buYq7nhpGGZJ8UTnoB/s150/Make+My+Saturday+Sweet.jpg"/></a></center>

Weekend Linky

Visit my Blog Hops page to see
what link-ups I take part in.

Read More

The Splitting

The Splitting

Matsumoto Trilogy Book 2

About the Book:

Title: The Splitting (Book 2 in the Matsumoto Trilogy) | Author: Sarah K.L. Wilson | Pages: 263 | Genre: A Young Adult Science Fiction Thriller | Recommended Age: Young Adult

Book Description:

Vera is no longer a passive, brain-washed teen. Now she’s on a prison planet filled with shadowy aliens and ‘allies’ who want her dead. There’s only one thing she wants: escape. But to get it, she’ll have to become bolder than she ever dreamed was possible.

A young adult science fiction thriller with epic themes of family, duty, and conscience, a diverse cast, non-stop action and romantic sub-plots that echo the work of S. J. Kincaid’s “The Diabolic” or Suzanne Collins’ “Hunger Games.”

Purchase on Amazon

Kindle | Paperback

Get a FREE eBook when you
join Sarah's mailing list!

My Review:

The Splitting is another fast paced science fiction novel in the Matsumoto Trilogy. The teenage heroine, Vera, is fighting to survive on a strange planet with deadly shadows. What experiments were being tested here and why are the aliens so hostile? Why did the Emperor, her cousin, want to "colonize" this planet? She knows that all the colonists, including herself, are really prisoners.

There are a lot of interesting characters in this second book. Most of the people Vera meets want her dead. Vera is learning how to think for herself now that she has decided to embrace her ex-pacifism. The connection between her and her ex-bodyguard, Roman, is still strong, although there is less romance with the two of them being separated.

I enjoyed the witty dialogue, especially Vera's retorts. She is always in a tough situation. If she's not fighting for her life, she is probably being misjudged. You can't help rooting for her. Roman too, even though he features a lot less in book 2.

I have to warn you that the second book, like the first one, does not have a satisfactory ending. It will leave you in suspense. The first book is only $0.99 and the second and third books are reasonably priced at $2.99 on Amazon Kindle, so budget for that before starting the series.

Here are two great quotes from the book:

Quote 1: Smiles were shared all around, and once again I was the only person not in on things. I was starting to think that I was such a square peg that I'd never find a hole that fit me. Even the hole marked "Matsumoto" wasn't shaped right anymore, although everyone I met kept trying to hammer me back into it.

Quote 2: It turned out I was a Matsumoto after all. Who would have thought I’d be so good at it?

My Review of Book 1:
The Ex-Pacifist

The Ex-Pacifist (Book 1)

is only $0.99 on
Amazon Kindle!

About the Author:
Sarah K.L. Wilson

I believe that fiction can help us find our true roots. I write cross-over SFF YA fiction that draws out philosophy and deeper themes. I'm a Canadian self-published author with a great network of other writers and readers backing me. Come join my tribe and share your thoughts with me!

Website | Twitter

Disclosure: I received a free digital copy of this book for my honest review.

Please Note: All prices were correct at the time of posting. Please check as these prices may change.

Read More

Birthday Celebrations and a Linky

Welcome to my Picture Perfect

Party Linky #246!

My husband, Robbie, celebrated his birthday at the end of May. We went out for lunch at the Bergsig Wine Estate and Bistro. You can visit that post on my travel blog, 1camera1mom.

Robbie got two bottles of his favorite wine from his parents, Diemersfontein Coffee Pinotage 2016. The "Aged to Perfection" card was also from them. They also paid for his birthday outing to Bergsig.

The birthday card below came from my mom and step-dad in the States.

The flower photos below were taken at Bergsig. The strelitzias and proteas are indigenous flowers of South Africa. The protea art was made by Amanda at school last year.

This blog is best viewed in Google Chrome.

Click on the images to see them at their best.

We were given a red alert storm warning earlier today and schools across the Western Cape are closed tomorrow. We have been warned to stay off the roads. The wind is already blowing furiously outside my window and this is just the beginning. We have been having a year or more of drought, so we do need the rain.

***************************

Here's a peek at
my latest post

on 1camera1mom:

Bergsig Wine Estate
and Bistro

*********************

My Latest Book Reviews:

Talon, On the Wing
Book 2 in the Talon Series




The Ex-Pacifist
Book 1 in the Matsumoto Trilogy

*********************

Now on to my blog hop...

Come link up your Wordless Wednesday

(with or without words) or any picture post

at this Picture Perfect Party Linky.

Join me on this fun and easy blog hop!

If you host your own blog hop(s), then feel free
to link them on my Blog Hops page!

I would love for you to follow me on

Google+

Twitter 

Facebook
Instagram

and

Here are the easy rules:

• Follow me on one or more links above or via email.
• Link-up your post with a picture and follow as many new blogs as you like.
• If possible, copy the button code below and add it on your linked post or blog's side-bar.
• Tell others about this hop on Twitter, Google+ or Facebook.

The Button Code:

<center> <a href="http://abooksandmore.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Amanda’s Books and More" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitS14XLc-z2uSUW00dIvyZc7lEfLP2tkPgO3qmU3NWi_UObDs_d7XqpYhjp0BBeROyZot-8YlEFU9rguELrZYu3arN1qHHNpB4_ezrb-TlBlfHRSOvP7pBA0VI-j1RkUkF77wJxUc7M7ye/s150/Picture%2520Perfect%2520Party%2520Linky.jpg"/></a></center>

This is a Wordless Wednesday blog hop.

Visit my Blog Hops page to see the hops that I often link up to.

Read More