Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Book Review - Two Can Keep A Secret by Karen McManus + Giveaway


 
Photo Credit - Amazon

Ellery's mother is from a small town called Echo Ridge. Ellery has never been there but, she heard about it. Her aunt went missing when she was seventeen. Five years later, a homecoming queen was murdered at a local amusement park. Now Ellery and her brother, Ezra has to move to Echo Ridge to live with their maternal grandmother they barely know.

Even the small picture-perfect town is hiding secrets. In a memorial service before school begins, there was an ominous message about homecoming becoming deadly as it was five years ago. Shortly after the message appears, a girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about people keeping secrets. Her mother and grandmother are keeping secrets too. The longer she spends in Echo Ridge, the more she realizes that everyone is hiding something.  She realizes that someone is willing to kill to keep their secret quiet. Will Ellery be able to find out what happened to her aunt years ago?

I usually like reading novels like these because they usually have unexpected twists and delicious secrets. I was saddened when the story was predictable except for a portion of the ending. On a side note, while I did enjoy the novel, I found that there was a lot of characters and the ages were a bit confusing to me. For example, Ellery's mother and the other students are the same age but, the other students have younger siblings who are the same age as Ellery and Ezra. This was hard for me to grasp and conceptualize.  I wish there was a timeline of ages and past events as this would have made some of the story easier to follow along. Overall, a fun read for people who love novels with "small towns with deadly secrets".

 **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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  

About the Book:
Title: TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET 
Author: Karen McManus
Pub. Date: January 8, 2019
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 336
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonAudible,  B&NiBooksTBD

Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery's never been there, but she's heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.

The town is picture-perfect, but it's hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone's declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.

Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she's in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous--and most people aren't good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it's safest to keep your secrets to yourself.


About Karen: 



As a kid I used to write books when I was supposed to be playing outside, and not much has changed. I'm a marketing and communications professional who also writes Young Adult contemporary and fantasy fiction in Cambridge, MA.

When not writing or working I love to travel, and along with my nine-year old son I've ridden horses in Colombia and bicycles through Paris. A member of SCBWI, I hold a bachelor’s degree in English from the College of the Holy Cross and a master’s degree in Journalism from Northeastern University. Which I have never, ever used professionally.


Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of TWO CAN KEEP A SECRET, US Only.


Rafflecopter link:


Tour Schedule:

Week Five:
1/28/2019- The Clever ReaderReview
1/29/2019- All the Ups and DownsReview
1/30/2019- Two Points of InterestReview
1/31/2019- EatingbetweenthelinesINCReview

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Colourpop Matte Lux Lipstick - Hi Striker











  The full matte coverage lipstick promises to go on smoothly. However, the first few swipes I noticed it tugged against my skin and didn't go on evenly. I am assuming there was a thin layer of wax which probably caused the tugging. And after a few uses, the lipstick would go on smoothly. The lipstick is enriched with pomegranate, goji fruit, and grape seed extracts but, I found the lipstick to be drying on my lips. Overall, I still found the highly pigmented lipstick a great buy for $7.







Sunday, January 27, 2019

Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Eyeliner - Golden Black








The gel eyeliner is richly pigmented and it glides on smoothly. It didn't tug or rub when I was applying it. It also stayed put all day without smudging or fading. I read that it is called Golden Black because it has gold sparkles but, I didn't really notice it.


Friday, January 25, 2019

Book of Review - A Circle of Elephants by Eric Dinerstein + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon
Nandu is a thirteenth-year-old elephant drive who lives in the Royal Elephant Breeding Center in the jungle. The King's elephants in the compound are protected in the stable. Nandu and his friends at the center are tested when an earthquake hits Nepal, which the locals deem to be a bad omen. Nandu and his elephant, Hira Prasad, have an unbreakable bond but, becomes strained when a series of event upturn their lives. Will Hira Prasad and Nandu be able to keep their bond? Is the earthquake a sign for more evil to come?

This novel was one of the best novels I have read this year (yes, the year did just start). The author wrote the novel so beautifully, that I felt transported to Nepal being surrounded by lush foliage and being there with Nandu. I love how the characters felt so real because they were flawed people trying to do the best with what they have. Overall, I love this book and I can't read more books 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 any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**  



About The Book:
Title: A CIRCLE OF ELEPHANTS
Author: Eric Dinerstein
Pub. Date: January 22, 2019
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Formats: Hardcover, eBook
Pages: 288
Find it: GoodreadsAmazonB&NiBooksTBD

From the author of What Elephants Know, a 2017 ALA Notable Children's Book and winner of the 2017 South Asia Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature, comes this stunning companion novel about the complex relationship between people and nature coexisting in the Borderlands of 1970s Nepal.


Thirteen-year-old Nandu lives in the newly established Royal Elephant Breeding Center on the edge of the jungle. Here, the King's elephants are to be raised under the protective watch of the stable. Nandu-along with his adoptive father Subba-sahib, his mentors, friends, and the rest of the elephant drivers-is tested by man and nature as earthquakes, drought, wild herds, and rumors of poachers threaten the Center.


When Nandu's world is thrown into turmoil, so, too, is the world of Hira Prasad, the Center's powerful bull elephant. An unbreakable bond of brotherhood drives Nandu and Hira Prasad together as they struggle to maintain the delicate natural order of life in the Borderlands.


Dinerstein's poetic prose and scientific expertise come together in this breathtaking tale that transports the reader to the center of dangerous conflicts and heartbreaking friendships.



About Eric: 

Eric Dinerstein is Director of Biodiversity and Wildlife Solutions at RESOLVE. Previously, he was Lead Scientist and Vice President for Conservation Science at the World Wildlife Fund. His areas of specialty include tropical mammals, large mammal biology, biogeography, bats, rhinos, seed dispersal and community ecology. With the World Wildlife Fund, he led many of the organization's most important scientific projects, including the Global 200 Ecoregions, examples of which form the basis of his book TIGERLAND AND OTHER UNINTENDED DESTINATIONS. Dinerstein is also the author of THE KINGDOM OF RARITIES, THE RETURN OF THE UNICORNS: The Natural History and Conservation of the Greater One-Horned Rhinoceros and WHAT ELEPHANTS KNOW: A Novel, among other articles and publications.

He attended Northwestern University and Western Washington University, and did his post-graduate studies at the University of Washington (Organization of Tropical Studies) and the National Zoological Park's Conservation and Research Center.


Giveaway Details:
3 winners will win a finished copy of A CIRCLE OF ELEPHANTS, US Only.

Giveaway Link:

Tour Schedule:

Week Two:
1/21/2018- Lifestyle of MeReview
1/22/2018- Loie DunnReview
1/23/2018- YA Books CentralInterview
1/24/2018- The Layaway DragonExcerpt
1/25/2018- Two Points of InterestReview