Sunday, January 30, 2022

Book Review - Life Flight (Extreme Measures, #1) by Lynette Eason

 

Penny Carlton is used to high stress situations as an EMS helicopter pilot. However, when she was forced to land on a mountain in a storm with a critical patient and a serial killer is on the loose; her nerves are a bit frayed. She was able to escape the killer's grasp with the help of FBI Special Agent Holt Satterfield.

As Penny tries to put the day behind her, she realizes that she might still be a target. She finds herself under attack and then she finds out that Holt might have killed the wrong man. Penny and Holt will need to work together to catch him before he claims another victim.

I thought the story was an interesting and entertaining read but, I didn't care for any of the characters. I felt like there were a lot of characters with different backstory. I felt like the connection that Penny and Holt had was unrealistic and had no bond. I didn't really feel a connection between the pair. I thought that the novel had a lot of different side stories and I didn't like how they were all dragged out through the entire story only to be tied up neatly in the end. I loved the story itself but, the execution was a bit choppy. However, I would be opened to reading more books by the author.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

Friday, January 28, 2022

January 2022 Haul Part 2!


I can't believe that January is almost over! But, I would be glad for some warm weather. I been so lazy to apply any products. But on to the goodies!

I got a "new" bottle of perfume from Clinique called "Happy". I remember liking it when I was younger. I hope I still enjoy the scent. I wonder what scent memory this fragrance will evoke. Usually my favorite scents are tied to very specific memories.

I got a few masks and one from Dr. Jart+ I have good experiences with this brand so, I am excited to try this new mask. I got these individual mask ampoules from VT. It seems interesting and my skin has been needing extra attention lately. Speaking of extra attention to my skin, I got these Tula's Instant Facial wipes. I have tried the PHAT facial from Ole Henriksen and loved it, so I am hoping these work well too.

I got the earth body scrub from Tbg. and I am excited to try it. The body scrub smells like coffee but, the earth face mask smelled like tootsie rolls and smelled so delicious! I got a new facial oil from Herbivore called Lapis. It's this beautiful soft blue color. 

I got several lip products but, I am excited to try the Patrick Ta lip gloss in "She's Expensive". It looks like a beautiful nude clearish color but, I am surprised on how small the container is for how expensive it was. I guess Patrick did get the name correctly. I got the Nars Afterglow Lip Balm in "orgasm" which is also a soft nude peach color.

Is there anything you got this month that you are excited to try?

Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Book Spotlight - Combustible by Al Riske + Giveaway


About The Book:

Title: COMBUSTIBLE

Author: Al Riske

Pub. Date: May 16, 2021

Publisher: Al Riske

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 183

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, TBD, Bookshop.org

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited Membership!

It’s that summer between the end of high school and the start of something else. Dean Stockton and Curt Hutton are best friends, and more often than not you can find them rowing on the Rogue River at dawn.

Together they experience something they will never be able to describe adequately. But then they won’t really need to. Not to each other. It’s that moment of swing when rowers find the rhythm and everything falls into place. The shell seems to lift right out of the water.

Enter Isabelle Smiley. She’s beautiful yet insecure, knowing yet innocent, and crazy about Curt in a way that no girl has ever been crazy about Dean. She wants Curt to choose a college closer to home than the one he and Dean have selected—and she can be persuasive.

“I’d never be able to hold out against a girl like Smiley,” Dean admits.

“Don’t say that,” Curt replies. “I told her she’d have to convince you, too.”

Everyone is conflicted in this story of friendship, lust, and life-changing choices. Only one thing seems certain to all of them: If Smiley strikes a match, Dean will catch fire.

Reviews:

"Sharply drawn and deceptively quiet, Combustible is an excellent novel that lingers in the mind long after completion. I loved it." - Mark Richardson, author of The Sun Casts No Shadow. 


"Combustible is a wonderful story ... The author did a great job of bringing each character to life ... I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a light read with a satisfying plot and interesting characters."- Kristi ElizabethSan Francisco Book Review


 

About Al Riske:

AL RISKE is the author of Precarious, Sabrina's Window, The Possibility of Snow, Then We'd Be Happy, and Combustible. He has worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor, and ghostwriter. Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, he now lives in California with his wife, Joanne, and their dog, Bodie.

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 





Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a $10 Amazon Gift Card, International.

10 Winners will win a finished copy of COMBUSTIBLE, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/17/2022

Rockstar Book Tours

Kickoff Post

1/17/2022

Mythical Books

Excerpt

1/18/2022

Writer of Wrongs

Excerpt

1/18/2022

YABooksCentral

Excerpt

1/19/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

1/19/2022

@jaimerockstarbooktour

IG Post

1/20/2022

BookHounds

Guest Post

1/20/2022

Jaime's Book World

Excerpt

1/21/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review/IG Post

1/21/2022

Wottaread

Excerpt

Week Two:

1/24/2022

More Books Please blog

Review

1/24/2022

@sunnydeelights

Review

1/25/2022

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Review

1/25/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

1/26/2022

Coffee and Wander Book Reviews

Review/IG Post

1/26/2022

Fire and Ice

Review

1/27/2022

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

1/27/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

1/28/2022

Karen Dee's Book Reviews

Review

1/28/2022

@jypsylynn

Review


Monday, January 24, 2022

Book Spotlight - When the World Turned Upside Down by K. Ibura + Giveaway

 

About the Book:

Title: WHEN THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

Author: K. Ibura

Pub. Date: February 1, 2022

Publisher:  Scholastic Press

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook

Pages: 288

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle, Audible, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, TBD, Bookshop.org

What do you do when the world shuts down? A heartwarming story of friendship and overcoming adversity in a time of COVID, When the World Turns Upside Down is about community, giving back, and understanding the world around us through the power of generosity from debut middle grade author K. Ibura.

Nobody expected a tiny little virus to change the whole world in such a big way, especially not Shayla, Liam, Ai, and Ben. But when school closes to keep everyone safe, their lives turn upside down. It is one thing to learn that the outside world isn’t safe, but why does it seem that the virus is causing trouble inside their homes too?

As they each struggle to adjust to life in quarantine, they discover they are not alone: their apartment building is full of people who need their help. Working together, they begin to see that there is power in numbers. When they cooperate, they can ease each other’s challenges and help their neighbors through tough times. It’s a lesson they’ll need when protests explode in the streets. Soon, each friend has to decide what it means to be part of a community—and how much they’re willing to do to make this world safer for everyone.

Set against the onset of COVID, When the World Turned Upside Down navigates issues of race and social justice in a heartwarming story of generosity, friendship, and the power of youth.

Reviews:

When The World Turned Upside Down is as clear-eyed as it is engaging, as timely as it is timeless. I fell in love with every single student in this book. And days after reading it, each of them remains with me.” ― Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award-winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

A beautifully written story that will inspire young readers to work for positive change even in times of turmoil and stress. This book reminds readers that all of us can make an impact and find ways to shine bright.” ―Angela Cervantes, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book Lety Out Loud"

A hope-filled book dealing with the struggles children face in extraordinary times, K. Ibura has crafted a story perfect for young readers looking to make sense of current events. Timely and important." – Adrianna Cuevas, author of Pura Belpré Honor Book The Total Eclipse of Nestor López and Cuba In My Pocket

"A heartwarming call to action." -- Kirkus Reviews

  About K. Ibura:

K. IBURA is an essayist, science fiction and fantasy short story writer, and painter from New Orleans, Louisiana. The middle child of five in a family of human rights activists, she grew up in a hardscrabble neighborhood with oak and fig trees, locusts and mosquitoes, cousins and neighbors. Her short story collection Ancient, Ancient won the James Tiptree, Jr. Award for 2012. Ibura’s debut YA novel will be coming out with Alloy and Harper Teen in spring 2022.

 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of WHEN THE WORLD TURNED UPSIDE DOWN, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/17/2022

YA Books Central

Excerpt

1/17/2022

Kait Plus Books

Excerpt

1/18/2022

For the Love of KidLit

Excerpt

1/18/2022

The Reading Wordsmith

Review

1/19/2022

Bibliosini

Review

1/19/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

1/20/2022

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review

1/20/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

1/21/2022

Books Are Magic Too

Review

1/21/2022

Pick a good book

Review

Week Two:

1/24/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

1/24/2022

Not In Jersey

Review

1/25/2022

Hauntedbybooks

Review

1/25/2022

The Book Review Crew

Review

1/26/2022

The Momma Spot

Review

1/26/2022

Bookhounds YA

Review

1/27/2022

Lifestyle of Me

Review

1/27/2022

Perusewithcoffee

Review

1/28/2022

PopTheButterfly Reads

Review

1/28/2022

Cindy's Love of Books

Review


Saturday, January 22, 2022

Book Spotlight - A Little Closer to Home: How I Found the Calm After the Storm by Ginger Zee


 

About The Book:

Title: A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME

Author: Ginger Zee

Pub. Date: January 11, 2022

Publisher: Hyperion Avenue

Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook

Pages: 288

Find it: GoodreadsAmazon, Kindle,  AudibleB&NiBooks, KoboTBD, Bookshop.org

In Ginger Zee's follow-up to the bestselling Natural Disaster, the ABC chief meteorologist takes readers on a much deeper journey of self discovery.

When Ginger Zee opened her life to readers in Natural Disaster, the response was enormous. She put a very relatable if surprising face on depression and has helped lessen the stigma surrounding mental health issues. But Ginger tells us, Natural Disaster was "Ginger Lite" and only scratched the surface.

In this moving follow-up, Ginger shares her truest self. She spent most of her life shielding her vulnerabilities from the world all while being a professional people pleaser. Her stormy childhood, her ongoing struggles with crippling depression, her suicide attempts, and many other life experiences will resonate with readers who are likely to see themselves along the way.

In spite of its serious subject matter, Ginger's positive, life-affirming outlook comes through loud and clear. Written with great heart and quite a bit of humor, Ginger normalizes issues and challenges millions of people face every day. A Little Closer to Home will broaden the conversation around mental health at a time we need it more than ever.

Grab Ginger's first book Natural Disaster now!

 

About Ginger Zee:

Ginger Zee is the Chief Meteorologist for ABC News, forecasting for and reporting on the nation's weather from Good Morning America to World News Tonight. Zee has been on the ground before, during and after almost every major weather event and dozens of historic storms including Hurricane Katrina. She watched as the eye of Superstorm Sandy passed over Atlantic City and then covered the devastated Jersey Shore; she was there for the 2020 California wildfires and for the unprecedented number of hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. Zee’s dedication to science began at an early age, watching powerful thunderstorms rush across Lake Michigan. Her passion for meteorology brought her to stormchase in college at Valparaiso University where she earned her bachelor of science in meteorology. 

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

Giveaway Details:

3 winners will receive a finished copy of A LITTLE CLOSER TO HOME, US Only.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

1/1/2022

Two Chicks on Books

Excerpt

Week Two:

1/2/2022

BookHounds YA

Excerpt

1/3/2022

Mythical Books

Excerpt

1/4/2022

Book-Keeping

Excerpt

1/5/2022

Pick a good book

Review

1/6/2022

@coffeesipsandreads

Review

1/7/2022

Drunk On Pop

Excerpt

1/8/2022

Ashleyreads13

Review

Week Three:

1/9/2022

Two Points of Interest

Review

1/10/2022

The Book Review Crew

Review

1/11/2022

perusewithcoffee

Review

1/12/2022

Rajiv's Reviews

Review

1/13/2022

One More Exclamation

Review

1/14/2022

The Girl Who Reads

Review

1/15/2022

Lexijava

Review

Week Four:

1/16/2022

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Excerpt

1/17/2022

The Momma Spot

Excerpt

1/18/2022

_BookBound_

Review

1/19/2022

YA Books Central

Excerpt

1/20/2022

mall3tg1rl

Review

1/21/2022

#BRVL Book Review Virginia Lee Blog

Excerpt

1/22/2022

Phannie the ginger bookworm

Review

Week Five:

1/23/2022

Nerdophiles

Review

1/24/2022

More Books Please blog

Review

1/25/2022

GivernyReads

Review

1/26/2022

Coffee and Wander Book Reviews

Review

1/27/2022

@curlygrannylovestoread

Review

1/28/2022

Living For Literature

Review

1/29/2022

Books a Plenty Book Reviews

Review

Week Six:

1/30/2022

Fire and Ice

Review

1/31/2022

@jypsylynn

Review