Inc.redible Jelly Shot Lip Quencher - Ex Revenge

Ah, I forgot to take a picture of the actual product. But, inside the tube is a clear balm with a flower at the base. I saw this lip balm advertised and in magazines everywhere. I was excited to try but, I saw that it got mixed reviews online. Thankfully I got this deluxe sample in one of the Sephora kits I purchased.

They call the product a "lip quencher" but, I found it very drying. The product is enriched with avocado, vitamin E, and rice bran oil to promote hydration. I had to constantly reapply throughout the entire day. The cute flower detail was cute until you used the product to the end. The flower detail just scratches the delicate skin on your lips. I think the newest version might have been reformulated with a new scent but, the one I had smelled terrible.

I think this is one of those "hype" or "Instagram" worthy product but, it doesn't do much for your skin. While the lip quencher was $10, I don't think it was worth that. I think I prefer Jurlique, Fresh, Rosebud Perfume Co.,  Jack Black, and Caudalie. Even the regular store-bought lip balms beat out this dud. 

Book Review - Don't Turn Around by Jessica Barry

Photo Credit - Amazon

Cait Monaghan and Rebecca McRae are driving together in the middle of the night to a clinic. This is their first time meeting each other. As they drive together through desolate roads, they both realize they have secrets to protect. Secrets that might endanger both of them.

When a truck starts following them, they assume it's teenagers pranking them or someone with road rage. It shortly becomes clear that the person driving the truck is actually hunting them for fun and they are out for blood. 

As they continue to drive, the ride keeps getting more dangerous. The secrets they kept buried in the past are out to haunt them. Someone wants one of them and is willing to stop at nothing to get what they want. With the secrets they have, it could be anyone wanting to hurt them. If they want to get out alive, Cait and Rebecca will have to start trusting each other before it's too late.

The first half of the novel kept me intrigued and full of suspense. At first, I liked that alternating characters but, after a while, it got annoying because some of the characters didn't really play a part in the mystery. I am assuming the author did that for the reader to guess who the mysterious person behind the wheel was. The ending was a bit disappointing for me because it felt abrupt and it wasn't what I was expecting. However, I still found the book to be an enjoyable read and look forward to reading other books by the author.

**Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Colourpop Star Party Glitterally Obsessed

Who loves glitter more than me? The answer is no one. I want to be buried in full-body glitter paint. Ha, sorry for that image! Back to the point, when I saw Colourpop was offering these, I knew I had to get my hands on many as I can. 

This gel-based glitter is packed with a big silver circle (or is a hexagon?) glitter surrounded by small glitter pixie dust. It has a nice mixture of chunk and fine glitter. It does go on sparse and does transfer. I have tried other glitters that stayed the same spot all day and didn't have much fall out. For $8/9, it's pretty affordable and does the job well. I sometimes use this to highlight my cheekbones or brow bone or as a topper for my eyeshadow. However, you decide to use this product, use sparingly and then build up if needed. Definitely looking forward to trying other colors.

Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminating Face Oil

I have tried a few Wander Beauty items and they tend to a mixed bag. They work okay but, I have used better products that delivered more promising results. I was hesitant to try this face oil because of that reason. I was conflicted because I love facial oils but, the Wander Beauty brand is kind of lackluster.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I love this oil. They recommend using a few (2-3) drops but, I probably used closer to (10-20) drops. I have a big face and suffer from dry skin. I applied the facial oil either by itself or after applying a sheet mask before bed. When I wake up in the morning, my skin looks refreshed, glowing, and just overall freaking amazing! I get compliments and comments about my skin daily versus my normal, "Are you tired?" comments.

The facial oil is enriched with cast oil, black currant seed oil, niacinamide, and arginine. The oil goes on smoothly and left my skin glowy. When applying the oil, I noticed that it looked like a glittery liquid in my hand. I believe this is one of the reasons why my skin looked instantly glowy. Either way, I am a definite fan of this product and have added it to my favorite product list.

Book Review - A Tender Hope by Amanda Cabot

Photo Credit - Amazon

After Thea Michener's husband was murdered and her baby stillborn, Thea decided there was nothing left for her in Ladreville. She moves with her friend, Aimee to Cimarron Creek to take the open midwife position. Thea has no interest in remarrying and having more children after her husband and child passed. However, when she arrives in town a Texas Ranger is waiting for her on her doorstep.

On his way to town, Ranger Jackson Guthre finds an abandoned baby and takes the child with him to town.  Since he was investigating Thea, he decides this is the perfect opportunity to get to know her better. Jackson is convinced that her late husband was involved in the robbery that killed his brother. As Jackson befriends Thea, he realizes the situation is more complicated than he could imagine. He realizes he will need Thea's help if he wants to catch the criminals behind his brother's murder.

This was my first time reading anything by the author and I found the book to be an enjoyable read. I didn't read the other books in the series and I was still able to follow along with the story.  I enjoyed the mystery elements in the book as it added depth to the novel. I feel like a lot of romance novels just have a bit of back and forth with the main characters without any actual story or character development. The only thing I didn't like or found realistic is that right off the bat, Jackson knew that Thea was innocent. Part of me hoped that she was at least involved the robbery to add in some more drama. Overall, I enjoyed the novel and look forward to reading more by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

C.Booth Honey Almond Body Butter

Even though the winter season is "over". I still find myself stuck with dry and itchy skin. I leave this by my sink to hydrate my skin whenever it needs a pick me up. It leaves my skin smooth and hydrated. The thick cream though is a bit greasy so, I tend to use a small amount. The body butter is enriched with honey and almond that leaves a sweet delicate scent on the skin.

Color Club Nail Polish - Mrs. Robinson

The perfect color for Spring! The bright Fuschia creme color goes on smoothly and dries quickly. I used 2-3 coats for full coverage. The nail polish lasted 3-4 days without a top coat before I got chips.

Book Review - Now, Then, and Everywhen by Rysa Walker + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Two time-traveling historians cross paths with each other during a key point of time in the twentieth-century causing them to alter the timeline.

In the year 2136, Madison Grace discovers a key and the origins of Chronos. Chronos is a time travel group that has a link to her family's secretive past. When she makes a jump through history, she returns to her timeline to discover millions of lives have been erased. However, only she and the people on her team notice the change.

In the year 2304, Tyson Reyes is a Chronos historian who travels back in time to view the crucial events during America's civil rights movements. However, a time shift occurs while he is in 1965. He notices events that differ from the history that he is familiar with.

As the pair's path collide, they must work together to prevent the past from being erased. Will they be able to succeed or are they pawns in someone else's game?

I must preface this review by saying, I am not a big fan of time travel and science fiction novels. Mostly because it confuses the hell out of me. I can say that while this novel had a strong time travel theme, it was easy to understand in the beginning. There were some things that were confusing though.  I think they were plot twists that would be revealed later in the story. However, I wasn't a fan of how slow this novel was. I was more than halfway through the book before the time-lapse occurred. I feel like the author is trying to stretch the novel out for another part of the series. I feel that many series are starting to do this and it's a huge turnoff. Each novel should have its own story even if there is a broader story linking the novels. I had a hard time liking any of the characters or even being interested in them to continue reading. I liked that the author included articles but, sometimes, I found them irrelevant to the story (at least that point of time). I stopped reading the novel around a 75% mark because there wasn't enough to keep me interested in learning more.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Print Length: 503 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1612189199
Publisher: 47North (April 1, 2020)
Publication Date: April 1, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English

Praise for NOW, THEN AND EVERYWHEN

“Walker (the CHRONOS Files series) opens the CHRONOS Origins series with this ambitious time-travel adventure…a twisty narrative that expertly blends the past and the future. Fans of intelligent time-travel stories will be rewarded.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fans of Walker’s (Courier to the Stars, 2019, etc.) CHRONOS Files series will enjoy seeing the pieces of that mythology falling into place here, but new readers can easily jump in to this origin story with no prior knowledge. An enjoyable, mind-bending time-travel adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews

From the bestselling author of the Chronos series comes a page-turning novel of time travel, fast-paced action, and history-changing events.

When two time-traveling historians cross paths during one of the most tumultuous decades of the twentieth century, history goes helter-skelter. But which one broke the timeline?

In 2136 Madison Grace uncovers a key to the origins of CHRONOS, a time-travel agency with ties to her family’s mysterious past. Just as she is starting to jump through history, she returns to her timeline to find millions of lives erased—and only the people inside her house realize anything has changed.

In 2304 CHRONOS historian Tyson Reyes is assigned to observe the crucial events that played out in America’s civil rights movement. But a massive time shift occurs while he’s in 1965, and suddenly the history he sees isn’t the history he knows.

As Madi’s and Tyson’s journeys collide, they must prevent the past from being erased forever. But strange forces are at work. Are Madi and Tyson in control or merely pawns in someone else’s game?

You can purchase Now, Then, and Everywhen at the following Retailers:

        

Photo Content from Rysa Walker

RYSA WALKER is the author of the bestselling CHRONOS Files series. Timebound, the first book in the series, was the Young Adult and Grand Prize winner in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards. The CHRONOS Files has sold nearly half a million copies since 2013 and has been translated into fourteen languages.

In addition to speculative fiction, she occasionally writes mysteries as C. Rysa Walker.

Rysa currently resides in North Carolina with her husband, two youngest sons, and a hyperactive golden retriever. When not working on the next installment in her CHRONOS Files universe, she watches shows where travelers boldly go to galaxies far away, or reads about magical creatures and superheroes from alternate timelines. She has neither the time nor the patience for reality TV.

If you see her on social media, please tell her to get back into the writing cave.

        

WEEK ONE

MARCH 30th MONDAY JeanBookNerd INTERVIEW 

MARCH 30th MONDAY Books, Dreams, Life SPOTLIGHT

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APRIL 1st WEDNESDAY Life Within the Pages REVIEW

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APRIL 6th MONDAY Casia's Corner REVIEW

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Pixi Skintreats Glow Mud Cleanser

The deep pore cleaning mud cleanser is enriched with 5% glycolic acid and aloe vera. It is paraben-free and promises to gently exfoliate and revitalize skin. The creamy cleanser goes on smoothly and washed off cleanly. I didn't notice my face feeling tight or dried out. However, I didn't notice my skin looking different from my normal cleanser.

Book Review - The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

Photo Credit - Amazon

The novel follows four Native American men after a dark event from their childhood. An entity is bent on getting revenge because of the incident causing the men to struggle and worry about their lives. The four friends are not involved in following their culture and traditions causing them to be placed in the entity's crosshairs.

I love horror novels and I was looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, I just couldn't finish reading it. I finished more than 90% of the book but, I just honestly couldn't be bothered anymore. I found the writing style hard to follow and I had to reread the same sentences multiple times and it still didn't make sense. I found the story to be very slow and I can't say I liked any of the main characters.

**Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Go To Face Hero Face Oil

I love facial oils! They make skin feel so soft and hydrated. It does wonders for your skin. This lightweight facial oil is composed of 10 plant and nut oils that leave skin hydrated and revitalized. It has almond, jojoba, macadamia, brazil nut, apricot kernel, evening primrose, buriti, rosehip, kiwi fruit seed, and vitamin E oils. It is also enriched with calendula, arnica, and rosemary leaf extracts. The face oil went on smoothly and left my skin feeling glowy and radiant in the morning. The oil has a pleasant but otherwise unnoticeable scent. At $34 a bottle, the facial oil is pretty affordable as it's quite the workhorse.

Book Review - Dark Ink by Gary Kemble

Photo Credit - Amazon

Journalist Harry Hendrick investigates sordid political corruption. He is intrigued to get to the bottom of it when he hears chilling rumors. Mistress Hel is intent on getting revenge. She uses dark arts to get her revenge from past wrongs.

Harry is asked to investigate a string of murders and deaths. The cause of each death hints to supernatural reasons. As Harry digs deeper into the deaths, he realizes that he is caught inside a deadly web. Can he stop Mistress Hel before it's too late?

When I picked up this novel, I didn't realize it was the second book in the series. The novel could be read as a standalone but, I felt like I was missing some backstory on Harry. I liked the creepy atmosphere of the novel and the supernatural theme. However, I can't say that I am a fan of Harry's. I felt like he spent a lot of time trying to focus his desires than actually doing any investigating work. I finished the novel as it was a quick read but, I don't see myself reading more books in this series.

**Disclosure -  This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**