#OnceUponATime & #Tron

Ok, Ok, I admit it!  I am a massive Oncer!  I can’t get enough of the show.

This past week’s show has really got me thinking though.  I am not sure how many people have started picking up on the Once Upon A Time / Tron intertwining in the last episode.

First off, let’s start off with the characters. 

Kurt Flynn is a single father on the Once Upon A Time Show of a young son named Owen Flynn.  Owen’s mom had passed away 6 months prior to the flashback parts of the episode.  Owen left to Wisconsin to live with his uncle after his father’s disappearance.

Kevin Flynn is a single father in Tron of a young son named Sam Flynn (played by Owen Best in Tron 2.0: Legacy).  After Kevin’s disappearance, Sam was raised by his grandparents. 

Now let’s look at the storylines.

Both Sam & Owen kept trying to get people to believe that their father’s were still alive.  No one would believe them.

Kurt was swept up into a video game in 1989 (a world of advanced science).  Kevin was swept up into Storybrooke in 1983 (a world of magical beings).  True, magic was still being kept at bay in Storybrooke until the curse was finally broken.

Finally, there was the bus bench in front of the garage in the Storybrooke flashback.

Notice that the bus bench is an ad for Encom.  That was the company that Kurt Flynn worked for as a software engineer in Tron. 

It was in 1982 that Kurt Flynn became CEO of Encom. 

Awakening the Luminous Mind

Book Description

 

 Awakening the Luminous Mind is the third book of guided meditation practices in a series by the acclaimed author and teacher, Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Tenzin Rinpoche will guide you to bring these simple practices into your everyday life by turning inward and finding what he calls your "inner refuge." By this he means boundless space, infinite awareness, and the qualities that arise that have the power to transform your life. As you follow the principles in this book and complimentary CD, you will discover greater creativity and intelligence, liberation from suffering, understanding and connectivity, and freedom from the ego that strives to control our life experiences.

 

Book Review

 

One thing that I try to focus on is my spiritual well-being.  Whether it is through spending time at my local Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, reading my tarot cards, or meditating, I feel that it is important to tune into my inner self in order to create a better life.

It is through disharmony in our inner self that we create a life full of chaos.  Once you can calm your inner self, you will see how much of the chaos around you starts to fall away.

This book was absolutely incredible in assisting to get in touch with my inner self.  The words of wisdom that Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche shared were truly wonderful and have definitely enriched my life.

The CD that accompanies the book has great meditations that will guide you on your journey into yourself. 

It is time to free yourself from the constraints that society places upon us through stress.  Take time out and get in touch with your “inner refuge”.

Awakening The Luminous Mind: Tibetan Meditation for Inner Peace and Joy (9781401937614): Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche: Books ISBN: 1401937616 ISBN-13: 9781401937614

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

Solomon’s Ring

Book Description

 

At the highest levels of government, very mysteriously, certain members of the presidential chain of succession are found murdered.  However, these murders are not your ordinary murders; the presidential cabinet members’ bodies are found in a mummified condition – like they have been ceremonially prepared and entombed, by ancient Egyptians, for a thousand years.  For this to have occurred overnight is a complete mystery and complicates the investigation for FBI Agent Robert Cole.

Government leaders fearful that this may be the work of foreign terrorists dispatch CIA Agent Amir Bloomberg to assist Agent Cole with the mysterious case.

Agents Cole and Bloomberg soon find themselves in a race against a powerful supernatural entity stalking government leaders, sophisticated terrorists on the verge of creating a powerful weapon, and time to uncover the truth before the unspeakable happens and changes the world forever.

Book Review

 

I had won this book on LibraryThing and wasn’t really sure what to expect. 

This was one of those books that really keeps you awake at night.  I could visualize the demon rising up and manifesting as if it were happening in real life to me.  The plot was great.  It definitely kept me on the edge of my seat.

The one thing I didn’t like was that it bounced around between view points.  I really didn’t feel that I got a good grasp on the characters that way.

Other than that, it was a really great book.  I look forward to seeing what Raymond Beresford Hamilton comes up with next.

Solomon's Ring: Raymond Beresford Hamilton: 9781478194538: Books ISBN: 1478194537 ISBN-13: 9781478194538

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

The Publicist

Book Description

 

Welcome to the world of publishing. The ego has landed.

Can one woman change an age-old institution like publishing? Probably not, but Kate Mitchell sure wants to try. As a publicist with a large, respected New York publishing house, Kate finds herself at the mercy of a broken publishing system, books that don’t sell, and author egos that are often, well, as big as the island of Manhattan.
Enter the star Editor, MacDermott Ellis: Tall, handsome, charismatic, married, and ready to save the day. Then there’s Allan Lavigne, once a revered author–now as forgotten as last year’s bestsellers and his nephew Nick: Tall, gorgeous, sweet, single and ready to sweep Kate off her feet. Kate wants to do the right thing but her hormones seem to be driving her decisions.

As Kate tries to navigate the landmine of publicity, over-the-top author expectations, and the careful dance of “I’m sorry, your book isn’t on the bestseller list this week,” she also finds authors who are painfully overlooked by a publisher wanting more sex, more celebrities, and more scandal.

The story only an insider could tell.

Book Review

 

I was a little disappointed in this book.  I was hoping for a book that really focused on the behind the scenes look at the book publishing industry with a little romance thrown in.

Instead, this book was more focused on the romance with just a few nods in the direction of the book publishing world.  As an avid reader, I am always intrigued at what goes on in the world of authors and publishers.  What do authors go through to get their books published?  How much competition is there for publishers to get the great authors?  What do the publicists do to get the new authors name out to the public?  None of that was even addressed in this book.

Instead it was a standard romance that could have been set in any work environment. 

That being said, as far as the romance goes, that was ok.  I really did not feel invested in the characters at all.  I don’t feel like there was much character development in the story.  They seemed pretty flat.  They definitely didn’t jump off the page at me.

However, it was definitely a very quick read.  The book is only 216 pages of large type.  So I was able to get through it in no time at all.

The Publicist (Volume 1): Christina George: 9781478247524: Books ISBN: 1478247525 ISBN-13: 9781478247524

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

Moonlight Masquerade by Jude Deveraux

Book Description

 

Jude Deveraux’s bestselling trilogy of Edilean, the small Virginia town where the surprising destinies of three college friends wait to be discovered, continues with this enchanting new novel. After being abruptly jilted, Sophie Kincaid flees to the place her friend Kim Aldredge calls heaven on earth. But Sophie’s first taste of Edilean is far from heavenly: after her car breaks down on a country road, she is nearly run over by a speeding sports car. A small act of revenge brings some satisfaction, and word quickly spreads that a gorgeous newcomer gave the driver, the notoriously bitter Dr. Reede Aldredge, a dressing down! But it isn’t the first time the fiery artist has gone too far for payback; a secret possession she carries with her could shatter her ex-boyfriend’s future. Reede Aldredge has secrets, too, including a desire to get closer to the beauty who is turning his dark world upside down. Under the night skies, their masquerade is magic—but will it turn to dust by the light of day?

 

Book Review

 

I have to admit, that I have been one of the few that has held out on reading Jude Deveraux’s works.  I had read something early on in Jude’s career and it just wasn’t my cup of tea at the time.

I received this book to review and kept putting it off.  Finally, I decided to go ahead and attempt reading it.  I was pleasantly surprised.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

The characters were so great.  I absolutely loved all the busy-bodies of Edilean.  Those three women who worked for Reede were fantastic!

Even though this was the third in the series, I hadn’t read the first two.  Don’t worry.  This one is completely stand alone if you haven’t read the first two.  However, I know I am planning on going back and reading them.  So I suggest you do the same.

I know that it says in the description that this is a trilogy, but I certainly hope that she rights more in this series.  I want to know what happens with Carter, Kelli, Donni, and Roan. 

This series is definitely a must read.  Now it has me thinking how many other books has she written that are just as great that I missed out on because I didn’t like that one early book of hers.

Moonlight Masquerade (Moonlight Trilogy, Book 3) (9781416509769): Jude Deveraux: Books ISBN: 1416509763 ISBN-13: 9781416509769

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

The Last Debutante

Book Description

 

Who is the captive and who is the captor? When a sexy laird holds a spirited English lady for ransom, she turns the tables and steals his heart. The lush Scottish Highlands are a tempting setting for seduction in New York Times bestselling author Julia London’s sparkling new novel.

The last person Daria Babcock expects to find in her grandmother’s home is a brawny, naked Highlander. She doesn’t buy Mamie’s explanation about finding the poor man shot in the woods. Nor does she trust the gorgeous laird, who insists his own memory fails him. But Daria came to Scotland looking for adventure and romance, and after the intriguing stranger kidnaps her, she gets her wish—and so much more. . . .

Book Review

 

This is the fourth book in the series.  I haven’t had the good fortune to read any of the previous books.  However, this one can definitely be considered stand alone. 

I completely fell in love with the characters.  First you have Daria who starts out so prim & proper.  The only thing on her mind is that she is the last debutante at Hadley Hall.  She can’t handle that all of her friends have all found others to marry and she is still left single.  Her only suitors are ones that she wouldn’t marry in a million years.

She tries to get her family to go to London for the season, but they refuse.  So instead she goes on her own adventure to visit her grandmother in Scotland.

Then you get to meet her grandmother.  This is not the type of person that you would have expected to have come from high society.

I absolutely loved the story line.  Daria wanted a summer of adventure.  Well, she definitely got what she wanted!!  I could picture her outside playing ball with Peader with the two dogs running around them. 

Julia London really brought the story to life.

I will definitely be searching out not only the rest of this series, but some of her other books as well.

The Last Debutante (Secrets of Hadley Green) (9781439175484): Julia London: Books ISBN: 1439175489 ISBN-13: 9781439175484

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

The Intercept

Book Description

 

Dick Wolf makes his literary debut with this tense, driving thriller reminiscent of the classic The Day of the Jackal, an extraordinary tale filled with the ingenious twists and high-wire suspense we have come to expect from this master storyteller.

Days before the July Fourth holiday and the dedication of One World Trade Center at Ground Zero, an incident aboard a commercial jet over the Atlantic Ocean reminds everyone that vigilance is not a task to be taken lightly. But for iconoclastic New York Police detective Jeremy Fisk, it may also be a signal that there is much more to this case than the easy answer: that this is just the work of another lone terrorist.

Fisk—from the department’s Intelligence Division, a well-funded anti-terror unit modeled upon the CIA—suspects that the event might also be a warning sign that another, potentially more extraordinary scheme has been set in motion. Fluent in Arabic and the ways of his opponents, Fisk is a rule breaker who follows his gut—even if it means defying those above him in the department’s food chain. So when a passenger from the same plane, a Saudi Arabian national, disappears into the crowds of Manhattan, it’s up to Fisk and his partner Krina Gersten to find him before the celebrations begin.

Watching each new lead fizzle, chasing shadows to dead ends, Fisk and Gersten quickly realize that their opponents are smarter and more agile than any they have ever faced. Extremely clever and seemingly invisible, they are able to exploit any security weakness and anticipate Fisk’s every move. And time is running out.

 

Book Review

 

I have to admit that when I received this book to review, I was extremely ecstatic.  I absolutely love all incarnations of Law & Order, Chicago Fire, and most of his other work. 

This was Dick Wolf’s first foray into the world of books.  And what an entrance he has made!

The Intercept gripped me from the very beginning.  It was interesting to see parts of it written from the terrorists point of view. 

I absolutely loved the character of the ever snarky Fisk.  I honestly never knew what to expect him to say or do. 

I don’t want to give too much away.  Because this is one of those books that will give you the unexpected and more.  Fast paced and truly exciting, this book definitely was one I couldn’t put down.  Even when my eyes were starting to blur from lack of sleep, I just had to keep reading just one more page.  And of course, that turned into another and then another. 

I actually finished this book in just one sitting.  If you like action/adventure books, then I highly suggest you get this one.  It is well worth it.

I hope that Dick Wolf writes more using Fisk as the main character.  I can’t wait to see what he comes up with for his next book!

Intercept (THE INTERCEPT): 9780062241634: Books ISBN: 006224163X ISBN-13: 9780062241634

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

Shiver

Book Description

 

When she swore off love, he was the last man she imagined would steal her heart. If driving a piece-of-crap tow truck through the seediest part of town with a Smith & Wesson beside her means putting a roof over her son’s head, then Samantha Jones is going to be the best damn repo woman on the books. The streetwalkers, the drug pushers, the bands of looking-for-trouble punks haunting the mean streets at midnight don’t intimidate her. These are her people. The guy she finds bound and bloodied in the trunk of her latest conquest, a flashy new BMW, is a different breed entirely.

Daniel Panterro was certain he was going to die. Instead, by a stroke of luck, he was beaten to within an inch of his life and left for dead. But if he’s having a bad day, Sam’s day is about to get way worse. Danny knows he hasn’t seen the last of the vicious drug runners who kidnapped him from protective custody. His only recourse is to take his pretty savior hostage and force her to help him. There’s no going back for Sam and her four-yearold son, Tyler. They’re in way too deep.

With ruthless killers stalking their trail, Sam’s only choice is to trust this handsome, menacing stranger. But as she relinquishes control, Sam feels an unmistakable desire. Could she be tempted by Danny, who seems intent on protecting her and Tyler from even his own darkest secrets? And what is the price of falling in love with a man who operates on the edge of danger—her heart, her life . . . or both?

Book Review

 

Wow!!!  This book kept me engrossed from the moment I started reading it.

The characters were truly dynamic.  They felt as if they could just pop off the page into real life.

The plot was intriguing and fluid.  It kept up a nice pace.  It did not feel rushed at all.

I ended up reading this book in one night because I truly could not put it down.

Shiver: Karen Robards: 9781451678673: Books ISBN: 1451678673 ISBN-13: 9781451678673

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

A Private Duel with Agent Gunn

Book Description

 

From the author of An Affair with Mr. Kennedy and A Dangerous Liaison with Detective Lewis comes a sexy new romantic caper in the Gentlemen of Scotland Yard series.

Prima ballerina Catriona de Dovia lives the glamorous life of a starlet, filled with glittering jewels, sumptuous dinners, and admiring suitors. She’s grown up considerably since losing her heart to Hugh Curzon once upon a time, no longer wasting her emotions on the empty promises of wealthy gentlemen. On her own since the untimely death of her parents, she will do anything for the only family she has left: her brother, a notorious anarchist.

Scotland Yard Agent Phineas Gunn—sometimes known as Hugh Curzon—receives his new assignment reluctantly. He’s up for something a little more strenuous than playing nanny to a ballerina, until he sees who his charge is. Then, it’s a completely different story, because he’d been unable to forget the trusting, beautiful Cate since he had to leave her behind.

As the two race across the Continent—by land, by sea, even through the air by zephyr—it becomes uncertain who is keeping tabs on whom, and Finn and Cate must battle the sexual tension that snaps and sizzles between them every step of the way.

Book Review

 

I first fell in love with the character Phineas Gunn aka Hugh Curzon in A Dangerous Liaison.  I was so happy to hear that Jillian Stone had decided to give him his own book in her series The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard.

Jillian Stone definitely knows how to build up suspense.  Every turn in the book, you didn’t know who to trust.  There were moments when the suspense was broken up with something hysterical happening to the characters.  Thankfully, it was done at just the right times. 

Even after reading A Danger Liaison with Detective Lewis, I still was not able to predict what would happen in this book.  The author really knows how to keep you guessing until the very end.

I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

A Private Duel with Agent Gunn (The Gentlemen of Scotland Yard): Jillian Stone: 9781451629064: Books ISBN: 1451629060 ISBN-13: 9781451629064

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.

‘Twas the Night After Christmas

Book Description

 

A heartwarming Christmas romance from a beloved New York Times bestselling author!

Pierce Waverly, the Earl of Devonmont, has been estranged from his mother for most of his life. When his mother’s new companion, Mrs. Camilla Stuart, writes to tell him that his mother is seriously ill, he goes home. But when he learns that the lovely widow tricked him in order to effect a holiday reconciliation, he refuses to stay—unless she meets his “terms.” Somewhere between trying to seduce the beautiful Camilla and struggling with the cruel memories of his childhood Christmases, Pierce discovers that not only does forgiveness go two ways, but that love can blossom even in the coldest of winters.

Book Review

 

This was a cute story. 

There were points of being a little overly cutesy for my tastes though. 

The characters were done well enough.  I wasn’t entirely invested in them however. 

This book just wasn’t something I would normally read.  I like to walk outside my comfort zone every now and then.  I never know when a book that I wouldn’t normally read will completely strike my fancy.  This one just didn’t do it for me.

'Twas the Night After Christmas: Sabrina Jeffries: 9781451642469: Books ISBN: 1451642466 ISBN-13: 9781451642469

In conjunction with the Wakela’s World Disclosure Statement, I received a product in order to enable my review. No other compensation has been received. My statements are an honest account of my experience with the brand. The opinions stated here are mine alone.