It's been a while but I have been busy reading lots of books so I should have plenty of reviews coming soon!

Today's book is Close Reach by Jonathan Moore. I received an advanced copy of this book at no charge, courtesy of NetGalley.

Kelly and Dean have been sailing for three years trying to repair what is broken in their marriage. Things finally seem to be coming together when they find themselves being pursued by a pirate ship full of sadistic men. Kelly must find the courage and inner strength to try to save her husband and herself.

This book is a definite thrill ride. I kept wanting to read faster to find out what was going to happen next. At the same time, I didn't want to know what new horrors or humiliations lay in store for Kelly and her husband.

I really liked Kelly's character. She was human and flawed. She was sometimes unsure and very afraid but her will to live gave her the strength to fight. She was conflicted when faced with moral choices but managed to make realistic decisions in the situation.

I loved the fact that the author seemed to really do his research regarding sailing. I enjoyed that he did not tie up the ending with a neat little bow. It was an exciting read with lots of horrifying, nail-biting moments. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Wow! Here we are in February already! This week's book is a sequel to the best splatterpunk book I've ever read.

  Another great, gory adventure from the brilliantly twisted mind of Ryan C. Thomas. This story is the sequel to The Summer I Died. In my opinion, TSID still reigns supreme but the sequel is still a fun, bloody read. What I like about the Roger Huntington saga is that his character is so well-developed...human, flawed and believable.

  If you're looking for a book where the hero gets the girl in the end, surrounded by puppies and rainbows, this isn't the book for you. However, if you'd love a ride full of thrills, heart thumping, wondering what's going to happen next when things just keep getting worse and worse for our leading man...then you've come to the right place. I am anxiously awaiting another installment!


Click on the book cover below to get your own Kindle copy!

Hi everyone, This week's book was courtesy of NetGalley. It's a little irritating for me because these copies still have a lot of typos but the story itself was very enjoyable. Blood Orange Soda by James Michael Larranaga
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

There are so many vampire YA books out there that it was refreshing to read one with a twist. One in which the main character is a teenage boy. Darius is a Goth teenager dealing with a lot of the issues we all faced in high school, including a bully who makes life miserable for him. At the same time, he is taking Reds (a medication that the government supplies to keep people with vampire blood from turning into vampires.) So he is faced with the decision of deciding to go off the Reds or live life as a "Normal." He is also coming to terms with the fact that his mom is dying from an incurable disease. Should he go off the Reds and take "Blood Orange Soda"? It is an illegal drink that will help him speed up the process of transforming and give him a fighting chance at defeating this tormentor. I don't want to give the story away but I really enjoyed the characters, especially Darius. He is believable and just a normal kid, underneath all that "guyliner."

View all my reviews Keep a look out for this book...it's due to be released in March 2014.

Hi everyone, I know it's been a while but it's a new year and I have a huge list of books and products to review. Here's the first installment of the year... I recently read a book that was so much more than what it appears to be at first glance. Yes, it's a bloody story but the author gives the characters such depth that the gore almost becomes secondary. I loved this book. Here's my review: OK, this book WAS violent, bloody and gory but...there was so much more to it. The characters were well-developed and believable. Roger and Tooth are human, flawed and with a great desire to survive. It takes a talented author to be able to shock me AND move me. Ryan C. Thomas does both. This book is about the strength of the human spirit in the face of unrestrained brutality. I don't want to give away too much but this book is definitely worth reading. I could not put it down and, when I finished it, had to immediately download the sequel. Can't wait for the movie! I am currently working on Horns by Joe Hill (Stephen King's son.) I will review it when done!

I received a free Covergirl flipstick kit from BzzAgent.com. The kit included 3 flipsticks in the following colors: Stunner, Vixen and Minx. The idea is to provide you with two colors in one stick. One is a matte color. The other is a lighter, glimmery shade which compliments the first color. This is supposed to give options so you can create daytime and nighttime looks. For example, wear the matte color to work and then you can add the glimmery shade to the center of you lower lip and the inside portion of your upper lip. This creates a more dramatic, pouty look. The colors are highly pigmented and last through drinks and meals. However, the formula is not moisturizing and I found that the flipsticks dried my lips causing them to peel. They were fun to play with but they are not as good as some other Covergirl products. I will not be purchasing any more of these lip colors. ***I received this product free for testing purposes from BzzAgent.com. I received this product in exchange for my honest opinion.***

Review for Sleep Number Bed:

I can honestly say that this bed felt like I was floating on a cloud. First, I tried the standard sleep number bed and found my sleep number (which is 30.) Then once I knew that number, I tried the bed with the memory foam over the air chambers. Instant heaven! It gave me support in all the right places and my back pain was instantly gone. I will definitely be purchasing a Sleep Number bed when it's time to replace my current mattress! Thx SLEEP NUMBER 4 my free CoolFit Pillow! I found my SLEEP NUMBER® setting, so should you! Enter for chance to win FREE SLEEP NUMBER® memory foam bed http://goo.gl/IBhol


***I am a member of the online community Smiley360.com where I qualify to try brands for free in exchange for sharing my authentic opinion and feedback.***

Try Smiley360.com for yourself! http://smiley360.com/955318.cfm

I received Glade Expressions free, in exchange for my honest review, as part of the BzzAgent program. The fragrance mist (Cotton & Italian Mandarin) is light and fresh. The "squeeze" spray makes it so easy to use.

I also got to try the diffuser in Fuji Apple and Cardamon spice. It was so warm and long-lasting...it filled an entire room with its inviting scent.

I really liked that this fragrance collection has starter sets and refills that are reasonably priced. One more thing I'd like to mention is that the scents I sampled did not have a chemical smell. Loved these!