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Saturday, March 19, 2016

US Art Supply® Jewelescent® - 96 Gel Pen Set





Very nice set of Gel pens. There are actually 2 sets of 48 pens. You get swirl, neon, glitter, pastel, classic and metallic pens. Most of the pens started very easily, a couple I had to scribble with a little more to get the ink to flow. There are 4 trays of 12 pens in a plastic box, and like I said you get 2 sets.

I enjoy the adult coloring books, and I love using these gel pens to color with. The ink flows very nicely and smoothly and does not bleed through the paper like some felt tip pens.

There is a wide array of colors in the sets. So many options when coloring, it is hard to pick which one I want to use.

I received this product free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.


Hair Styling Straightener Brush by Straight N' Shine

Before


                                                                             After



I have pretty much retired my plain old hair brush since receiving this straightener brush. My hair is an absolute mess. It is very thick, very coarse, very curly, and very frizzy. This has really helped my hair look great, very quickly, and it is totally simple to use.

I plug the brush in, turn it on, set the temp I want, walk away for a couple minutes, or do my makeup. In just a couple of minutes it is hot and ready to go. After it is heated it takes about 5 minutes to make my hair look great. It only takes a couple of slow strokes to each section of my hair and I am done.

 I do not personally like using flat irons because I don't want to make my hair straight as a board, with this brush I can leave as much as I want. I can also use this for the top and side to give it a curled flip, like with  curling iron.

The bristle area gets very hot, but the handle stays cool. Even though the bristle area is very hot, the bristles hold the iron far away from my head that it does not burn my scalp or my ear. The buttons are on the handle, even though I hit them with my fingers some, the brush has a auto lock feature so it does not change the heat setting nor does it shut off while in use. I do use a heat protectant spray while using the brush.

This brush comes in a very nice. You also get a pull string velvet storage bag and a holding comb. The cord on the brush also in one that spins around  in a 360 degree angle, so I can move what ever way I want and do not have to worry about getting all wrapped up in it.  I love this straightener brush.

  I received this product free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Release Day Blitz for Deliverance by Kristy Centeno




Deliverance
Kristy Centeno

Genre: NA/Paranormal

Publisher: Inkspell Publishing

Date of Publication:  March 19, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-939590-78-7
ISBN: 978-1-939590-79-4
ASIN: B01BUIBA7C

Number of pages: 327
Word Count: 119,000

Cover Artist: Nagla Qamber

Book Description:

He’s been locked away his entire life.

He dreams of freedom.

The only way he can accomplish his goals is by breaking free of the chains tying him to a dark past and gloomy existence. But there’s one catch. He’s not human.
And he’s never set foot outside his jail.

Devoted to saving his peers as well as his own life, he sets out to find the one person that can help him achieve his objectives. He knows where she will be and what she will look like, but what he doesn’t anticipate is the fact he finds himself caring for the girl whose life he’s put at risk, more and more each day.

He has no name.

He has only known hatred and violence before her.

However, she will teach him to have faith in humanity, even if she can’t trust him.
Together they will embark on a journey to bring down a corrupt system responsible for the loss of many innocent lives. But when he finds his feelings compromised, can he still move on knowing that doing so will put an end to the life she once knew? How far is he willing to go to be free?

Amazon     Kobo    Itunes



Excerpt 2:
I pull open the driver’s-side door, only to have it brusquely shut by a rather large, pale hand. Startled by the suddenness of the man’s appearance, I shift to my left and come eye to eye with a bulky-looking individual with dark brown eyes, and a scar that traces a fine line from his upper lip all the way down to his chin.
“Don’t attract attention, missy.” He sneers at me.
I glance down at the feel of something hard poking my ribcage and find, much to my horror, that he’s leveled a gun at my stomach. Most of the weapon is concealed by a khaki trench coat he wears.
“Keep your pretty little mouth shut and all will sail smoothly,” he warns, standing rigidly beside me. He glances briefly over the roof of the truck. “Tiger. Hello there, my dear old friend. Didn’t take you long to make friends, huh?”
I grow stiff. So these are the psychos that are after Tiger.


About the Author:

Kristy Centeno is the author of the Secrets of the Moon saga and Keeper Witches series.

She has always had a passion for books and after years of being an avid reader, she decided to transform her desire to write into a reality and thus, her first novel was born. When she’s not busy taking care of her five children or holding down the fort, she finds time to sit and do what she loves the most: writing.
 

Website      Blog     Facebook      Twitter    Tsu

Goodreads     Amazon    Linked In   Google+    Pinterest


Friday, March 18, 2016

Virtual Blurb Blitz Tour for This Would Be Paradise by N. D. Iverson



This Would Be Paradise
by N. D. Iverson

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GENRE: Post-Apocalyptic

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BLURB:

In a world where a virus has spread turning most of the population into flesh eating monsters, there are two friends partying it up in New Orleans when the infection hits. Far away from home, they are trapped and trying to make sense of all that has happened with the help of new friends and enemies along the way. Zombies aren't the only thing to fear...


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Excerpt Two:

We were all doomed to be food for the worms’ sooner or later. Why not end it now? I could hear growling coming from the crowd; some had started to lightly bang on the fence. They didn’t realize they were powerless to knock over their obstacle with their decaying arms like dried tree branches. But they were powerful enough to take down this world; the irony was almost too much.

Dead, infected people owned this place now. They marched into the streets like all armies before them, except they didn’t discriminate. We were all fair game. All races, all colors, all genders. We were all equally screwed.

I slid down the rough outside paneling of the house, resting my head in my hands and wept.


 
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:

N. D. Iverson is young author trying to find her niche in the world. She has a business degree; to which she is still trying to find a practical application for. She has bounced from half-baked ideas of becoming a forensic pathologist (cut short when the option for attending an autopsy came up and she rather quickly decided maybe that wasn't for her), a member of a rock band (sadly, neither her nor her friends could play instruments or sing, not that it's a requirement these days...) and many more. 

This Would Be Paradise is her first completed book, which has started a chain reaction of one-too-many book ideas dancing around in her head. She plans on wrangling in these ideas and making full fledged books from them. So keep an eye out on the horizon for more works to come! For more information, please visit her website at: http://ndiverson.weebly.com/

You can purchase This Would Be Paradise here: http://www.amazon.com/This-Would-Be-Paradise-Book-ebook/dp/B01A00Q5JE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top?ie=UTF8 and at all major eBook retailers!

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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

N. D. Iverson will be awarding a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC  to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble GC to a randomly drawn host.







RECKLESS TEMPTATIONS, Review, Tour & Giveaway

Reckless Temptations Tour Banner

RECKLESS TEMPTATIONS
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
Genre: Adult, Contemporary Romance

Reckless Temptations Cover

Purchase: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS: Riggs

Heart.
It’s what keeps you from being reckless. It’s what keeps you breathing.
Money, power and respect… they were my god given right, not the reason I joined the Satan’s Knights. I tied myself to my club and nothing else. Give me my bike, the open road and a different woman every night and I was happy.
My life was great.
Until the chaos exploded.
One night.
One reckless temptation and I finally found my reason for breathing.
I never saw her coming. The girl that would turn my world upside down and give me my heart.
Only it was too late.
One mistake can take it all away.
I’m about to lose my heart.
The thing that keeps me breathing.
The thing that keeps me from being reckless.

Lauren Bianci
Drop out of nursing school? Check.
Have no idea what you’re going to do with your life? Check.
Disappoint your family? Double check.
Meet a biker and have crazy sex against a wall? Check. Check. Check.
Get knocked up by said biker? Check.
I was always the good girl, the prodigal child, the girl who said and did all the right things.
Things like this didn’t happen to me.
Until him.
Until he smiled.
Until he tempted me to find out what made me happy.
Too bad it’s him.
We’ll never work, but, I can pretend can’t I?
Just for a little while.
Just until it’s over.

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My Review of Reckless Temptations
This is the 2nd book in this series I have read. Uncontrollable Temptations was the first book I, which left me wanting more. I was not disappointed with Reckless at all. It was a great story. I love Janine Infante Bosco's writing style. She grabs you and whisks you away before you even make it to Chapter 1. I love that this book was able to be read as a stand alone. It does make references to things that has happened in the other 3 books of this series, but she explains the situations so you are not left lost. I love all of her characters even the ones I want to kill myself. 

This book takes you into the life of Riggs. He has just been fully inducted fully into the Satan's Saints Motorcycle club. To me he has a boyish way to him I just fell in love with. Don't get m wrong by that comment he is a badass in every sense of the word. Sory not gonna give the story away. But if you like reading about bad boys,. If you like some romance but not so much it takes over the whole story. If you crave action. Toss in some hot and steamy sex, not a whole lot mind you, but just enough, pick up this book. Put your helmet on you may need it for this fast paced adventure. I am kind of partial to the whole Bad Boy Biker scene, so much so I married one myself. 

This really is a great book, and a great series.

ARE YOU READY TO #BETEMPTED? #PREORDER YOUR COPY OF LETHAL TEMPTATIONS, BOOK #5 IN THE TEMPTED SERIES!

Lethal Temptations Book #5 Temp Cover
LETHAL TEMPTATIONS
Publication Date: May 24, 2016

Preorder: Amazon (Only $1.99!)

SYNOPSIS: Leather.
Lace.
Me.
Her.
A temptation so lethal, neither of us would survive.
(Full Blurb Coming Soon)
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#GetTempted with the #Tempted series! #FREE with #KindleUnlimited!

Uncontrollable Temptations Cover
UNCONTROLLABLE TEMPTATIONS
Publication Date: February 9, 2016

Purchase: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS:
Jack “Bulldog” Parrish
Crazy: Mentally deranged, especially as manifested in a wild or aggressive way.

I was thirteen when I discovered the definition of the word I’d forever be labeled.

Some used it as a figure of speech but for me it was a scar I’d carry through life.

Or so I believed until I was diagnosed a manic depressive.

I’m the president of the Satan’s Knights Motorcycle Club, a man of power and control.

A man with enemies near and far.

But the truth, my truth, is my biggest enemy— my mind and I live most of my life with no control whatsoever.

I’m just a man who battles his demons, a man destined to live a life full of darkness.

Until her.

She’s the light beckoning me, calling me home, away from the torment.
In a world as dark as the one I live in, sometimes I can’t help but crave Sunshine.
Reina DeCarlo
I was lost, broken and a prisoner of my scars.

A shell of the woman I used to be, who didn’t know the difference between living and merely existing.

Until a stranger found me, fixed and freed me. He breathed life into my soul, reminding me I was a survivor and still had life to live.

My savior is a biker.

A man tortured by his own scars. A man broken like me, maybe even a little lost too.

I want to be his remedy.

I want to heal him.

I want to return the favor and be his savior.

This is our story, a story neither of us knew how to write until we found each other.

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#GETTEMPTED

Forbidden Temptations Cover
FORBIDDEN TEMPTATIONS
Publication Date: November 10, 2015

PURCHASE: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS: Anthony Bianci
Since I was a kid all I ever wanted to be was a gangster. I wanted to be feared, to be respected, and for everyone to know my name.
And then she came into my life.
I never planned on falling in love with the mob boss’ daughter. She was forbidden but somehow she became mine. She made me crave things I didn’t even know existed and made me forget about the things I thought I wanted. My quest for power faded away and was replaced by my undying love for her.
Until reality bit me in the ass and I was sent to prison for three years, doing time for a crime I didn’t commit.
Now I’m out and she is creating a life for herself, just like I always wanted for her. Only I’m not a part of that life. I won’t ruin her any more than I already have with my poisonous lifestyle.
No matter how tempted I am.
Adrianna Pastore
I wanted him from the very first time I laid eyes on him.
He was everything to me, my first love and probably my last.
Then my father ruined our perfect little life, and he walked away from me.
I tried to fight for him, for our love, but he pushed me away.
When the love you crave is beautiful, yet forbidden, you can’t help being tempted.
So I’ll fight for him. For us.
Even if I’m the only one fighting.

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#AMERICASNEXTMOBSTER

Illicit Temptations Cover
ILLICIT TEMPTATIONS
Publication Date: July 28, 2015

PURCHASE: Amazon (#FREE with #KindleUnlimited)

SYNOPSIS: Michael Valente...

My father was the Underboss of an organized crime family. He was murdered when I was a teenager leaving me broken. My mother died in a tragic accident, her death annihilated me. My life was in shambles until Victor Pastore, one of New York’s most notorious gangsters and my late father’s best friend, recruited me to work for him.

Everyone expected me to walk in my father’s shadow, to be the prodigal son, the next big thing to hit the mob. I was torn between filling those expectations and walking the straight line my mother wished I had. Nothing made sense and I felt as if I was just passing through life.

The only beacon of light in my otherwise dark world was the one girl that was off limits to me. The one girl who could bring me to my knees consuming my mind, body and soul.

She’s the sweetest temptation I’ve ever known and the most illicit.

Nikki Pastore....

My father’s a gangster. My boyfriend’s is the king of New York’s nightclubs. I am often labeled as Vic’s daughter or Rico’s girl, never just Nikki. I struggle for people to acknowledge me for the woman I am and not for the men in my life. I’m fighting a losing battle.

There is only one person who sees me for me, my Mikey.

He’s wild.
He’s reckless.
He’s hot as hell.

He’s completely unattainable, but oh so tempting.

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ABOUT JANINE INFANTE BOSCO

Janine Infante Bosco
Janine Infante Bosco lives in New York City, she has always loved reading and writing. When she was thirteen, she began to write her own stories and her passion for writing took off as the years went on. At eighteen, she even wrote a full screenplay with dreams of one day becoming a member of the Screen Actors Guild.

Janine writes emotionally charged novels with an emphasis on family bonds, strong willed female characters, and alpha male men who will do anything for the women they love. She loves to interact with fans and fellow avid romance readers like herself.

She is proud of her success as an author and the friendships she's made in the book community but her greatest accomplishment to date would be her two sons Joseph and Paul.

GIVEAWAY

Reckless Temptations Tour Giveaway Graphic

Thursday, March 17, 2016

NBTM: Hidden Chamber of Death by Hawk MacKinney


Hidden Chamber of Death
by Hawk MacKinney

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GENRE: Mystery/Suspense

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BLURB:

Hidden Chamber of Death is a compelling tale of intrigue, murder, deception and suspense that leads retired Navy SEAL/part-time private investigator Craige Ingram in search of the connection between seemingly random murders and a banking conspiracy.  Working with the local homicide investigator, who just happens to be a former Navy buddy, Craige Ingram's attempts to protect a lonely widow and solve the case before another person dies are only thwarted by a psychotic killer whose motivation is based on pure depraved pleasure.  In this first book of the MOCCASIN HOLLOW MYSTERY SERIES, the instincts and skills Ingram and his buddy acquired as Navy SEALS are tested to their limits.

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Excerpt One:

Except for the Silver Bluff Museum of Southron Art annual charity event, prominent CEO Llewyn Royce Sedgewicke and PI Craige Howelle Graeme Roynane Ingram didn’t move in the same social circles. Chances were slim to none that Royce Sedgewicke would’ve ever been invited to the sprawling riverfront lands that had once been Grannie Ingram’s dogtrot Moccasin Hollow.

Unlike his collection of mounted big game trophies, portly Royce Sedgewicke’s food-bespattered tuxedoed carcass stretched like public road kill amid the crash and smash of food, china, crystal and splayed floral pieces, and very dead. Last-breath gurgles around his gagging tongue; smart phones madly clicked, flooding social media before the emergency ambulance arrived. The headlines made big local news. Online photos of his swollen tongue and overstuffed derrière made a bigger hit of his grand departure, squandering what little decorum he ever had. That mess was bad enough, but he left a bigger one behind.

The circle cinched a lot less social and way more snug when the head of Buckingham Parish Metro Law Enforcement, Investigative Support Team Graysen MacGerald paid an off-the-record visit to his grown-up-together SEAL Commanding Officer Craige `Peadinger’ Ingram. The death certificate said heart attack—it wasn’t.



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AUTHOR Bio and Links:


Internationally acclaimed author and public speaker, Hawk MacKinney began writing mysteries for his school newspapers. Following graduation, he served in the US Navy for over 20 years. While serving as a Navy Commander, he also had a career as a full-time faculty member at several major state medical facilities. He earned two postgraduate degrees with studies in languages and history. He has taught postgraduate courses in both the United States and Jerusalem, Israel.

In addition to professional articles and texts on fetal and adult anatomy, Hawk has authored several novels that have received national and international recognition. Moccasin Trace, a historical novel, was nominated for the prestigious Michael Shaara Award for Excellence in Civil War Fiction and the Writers Notes Book Award. This was followed by the Craige Ingram Mystery Series. In a change of direction, October of 2012 saw the release of Hawk’s first science fiction novel, The Bleikovat Event, in The Cairns of Sainctuarie series. Volume II in The Cairns of Sainctuarie series, The Missing Planets, was released in 2014 with Volume III in the works.

Hawk’s latest project focuses on The Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series. Book 1 in the series, Hidden Chamber of Death, was just released, and Book 2 in the series, Westobou Gold, will be released in the fall.







Hawk MacKinney/GFish/Teresa NOEL/17Mar2016

Author Q&A interview
for
Teresa NOEL

What’s you’re writing process? Has it changed since writing your first book?
Yes & no. Editing is the key—unadorned honesty with that person in the mirror. There is no single process. No matter the genre, writing is so private. Man-cave solitude is essential when interweaving characters, plots, conflicts, twists & double-triple twists.

What is your personal definition of success?
Be honest with self AND listen to your heart; trust your feelings. Learn from those that want to help. Turn mistakes into learning opportunities. All else is tasty whipped cream & fresh strawberries.

What sort of research do you do for your books and what’s your favorite source of information.
Depends on setting/characters/plots watched/visited/observed/delved into. Example: being born & raised in the SoWest gave me a little firsthand touch-&-feel for histories of The Late Great Unpleasantness OR The War Between the States. Placing ancestors of the serial protagonist in the Moccasin Hollow Mystery Series & its prequel historical romance, Moccasin Trace was de rigueur in the French meaning…in strictness. Being a history nerd was a plus. The same for Sci-fi…new worlds/languages/races/DNA & species foreign to our spaceship Earth. One can stumble all too easy in the artificial; worlds that are no longer quite so artificial. Research & digging into a confusing deep into CERN, the LHC (Large Hadron Collider), anywhere dusty trails point.

Do you see yourself in any of your characters?
Absolutely…writing from the heart is the only way. Parts of ourselves fashion our characters. Mark Twain said, “Don’t part with your illusions. When they are gone you may still exist, but you have ceased to live.”

Who is your favorite character in your book(s)?
In the romance, mystery & sci-fi titles there are serial protagonists & supporting characters. Each tale develops characters in different plots, motives & conflicts.

In the Cairns of Sainctuarie series
Eklam a’Qoc…background & expectations of a rural farming, gelf herding culture; the consequences of his curiosity to ‘know more’…the calamities confronting him.
Grand Duke Herklo Korvo…the privileged aristocrat/leader, loyal to friends & clan kin

In the Moccasin Hollow series
Craige Ingram & the supporting characters of their SEAL unit…the bond(s) of loyalty & trust, the principles that bring solid friendships in a creaky uncertain world.

What question do you frequently get about your books?
How does the romance of Moccasin Trace connect across generations to the descendant of serial protagonist Craige Ingram in the mystery series? Same in The Cairns of Saintuarie sci-fi series where I connect families across generations…ain’t it fun!

Who is your most favorite character of all time from any book?
Bernadine Eugénie Désirée Clary, fiancé of Napoléon Bonaparte…a lesson in history & consequence of decisions. Married to Marshall of France Jean Baptiste Jules Bernadotte. She became Dowager Queen, founder of the Bernadotte Dynasty on the throne of present day Sweden. Désirée Clary Bernadotte is not only an intriguing character. She is a relatively unknown, and sometimes frivolous in historical or contemporary worlds of the so-called worldly. Pivotal & seemingly insignificant, she was a lady of her time…one on which momentous events were altered—the thrilling-unexpected within a character. Nonfiction is NOT boring by any cut of the chunk of cheese.
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GIVEAWAY INFORMATION and RAFFLECOPTER CODE

Hawk MacKinney will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.



Manual Coffee Grinder with Ceramic Conical Adjustable Burr by ikeenway




I am not much of a coffee drinker but I am a from scratch cook. I love cooking, and I really love using fresh ingredients. There are no boxed meals in my house, not even mac n cheese. This grinder is great for coffee, but I will be using it for spices.

This is a very nice grinder. It is a ceramic grinder, which I like better then the old fashioned kind. It fits nicely into my hand, the handle turns very easily. It is about 7 inches tall and 1.75 inches across and the crank is about 5.75 inches long. The grind is full adjustable and easy to adjust. You can adjust from fine to coarse and all grinds in between with a twist of the screw inside. The grinder is made of high grade stainless steel. IT will not rust, inside or out. It also has a brushed look on the outside and resists fingerprints. I rally like that. It is very easy to clean up, just wipe down the outside and it comes clean. The inside is also easy to clean, I just used warm soapy water.

I am very happy with grinder. It would make a great gift by itself or as a focal point for a coffee themed gift basket.

  I received this product free in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.