Monday, January 18, 2016

Review - Vampire Hunter by Victoria Danann


ASIN: B01APIXTJ0; Pages: 279
My taste for vampire tales have slowly deteriorated over the years, mostly thanks to the overrated and over-hyped Twilight Saga. Nevertheless, since I am a horror fan, I'm always open to reading a new spin on the vampire lore.

Now available to read from 7th House Publishing, Imprint of Andromeda LLC is the newest novel by author Victoria Danann, titled Vampire Hunter (Rammel Hawkings 1). It's a prequel story to the Order of the Black Swan series, featuring the fan favorite character, Rammel Hawking.

I'm not the biggest fan of prequels (books or movies) as to me they always seem unneeded and feel a little forced upon the reader/viewer. I wasn't aware that Vampire Hunter was a prequel to the author's other works (which I have read a few of her other titles), well, until I started reading it this week and, then, I quickly realized that I read about the elf, Rammel Hawking in My Familiar Stranger and The Witch's Dream.

Yes, I said an elf. Victoria Danann has created an unique world with fairies (faes), elves, vampires and other mythical creatures, all of which sometimes tangle with the lives of humans. There are no glittering vampires here, which is a good thing.

Vampire Hunter picks up when Rammel is just a royal kid who likes to run wild in the forest until he runs into Liam O'Torvall, the mayor of Black-On-Terry. Like any gentleman, Liam feeds the boy and escorts him back to his home. Little did he know that Rammel's father, the king, would later let the boy live by himself, somewhat as a hermit; leaving Liam and his wife to occasionally look after the boy.

Interesting Device Statistics: Times, They Are a Changin'


 


The world has changed dramatically over the past few decades. One of the biggest reasons for the change has been technological innovations. Technology such as the modern Internet, WiFi, broadband, wired networks, cell phones, smart phones, tablets, laptops, e-commerce, GPS, and numerous other innovations have changed the world into a digital world.






The Digital World

The evolution into a digital world now allows people do almost any daily task online. People can go online to shop, pay bills, communicate with friends, socialize, look for a mate, listen to music, look at a movie, watch the news, watch a sporting event, download media, and a variety of other things. Twenty years ago it would have been hard to imagine the things people are doing now with the use of modern technology.

Interesting Device Statistics

With the popularity of mobile tech, here are some statistics that are simply astonishing:

1. Roughly 6.8 billion people use mobile phones. Amazingly that is almost 90% of the World’s population.
2. 56% of Americans own a smartphone.
3. 34% of adults own a tablet device.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Review - Mermaid Moon



ISBN: 978-1401690281; Pages: 352
I've been of fan of Colleen Coble's writings for a few years now, and I was excited about her newest novel Mermaid Moon when I signed up to review it. However, after receiving the book, I left it on the coffee table and a few other books got piled on top of it, so I almost completely forgot that I had to post a review for it for today. I can speed read when I want to and that is exactly what I had to do tonight.

Mermaid Moon is book two of "A Sunset Cove" series, but you don't have to read the first book as this is a standalone story. It centers on Mallory Davis, a woman that hasn't been to back to her hometown in Maine for the past fifteen years. Well, that all changes when she gets a mysterious call from her father that sends her home to Mermaid Point to confront her past.

Unfortunately, Mallory comes to the revelation that her father was murdered. She begins her own investigation on what events lead to her father's death and she enlists the help of an old friend, game warden Kevin O'Connor. Actually, Kevin was more than just a friend, she was in relationship with him years ago and ended up breaking his heart.

As the two try to put aside their differences to solve the case, danger lurks around every corner, resulting in Mallory, as well as her teenager daughter, Haylie, receiving death threats. To unravel the identity of her father's killer, Mallory must heal her own personal wounds and learn to forgive her past.

Friday, January 15, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: January 15th - 21st

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Do you think you will ever get tired of blogging?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer: 


  Probably not. However, there have been days where I dreaded writing a review or whatever post was scheduled; mostly because I just wasn't in the mood to write on that particular day.

Linky List:

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Review - Rotten School: The Great Smelling Bee


ISBN: 978-0060785918; Pages: 128
As promised in my first Thursday ReReads post, I'm featuring Rotten School: The Great Smelling Bee by R.L. Stine this week. It's the second installment in the children book series that was published by Parachute Press in 2005. I grew up reading Mr. Stine's Goosebumps and Fear Street series. If I remember correctly, I received the first two or three books in this series as a Christmas present in 2005 (or 2006).

The Great Smelling Bee continues the misadventures of Bernie Bridges, who's basically the craziest kid at the private school called Rotten School. He lives in the third floor of the Rotten House with his very own room. His best buddies Feenman and Crench live in the same house as well as Belzer, a kid with a very big nose that will do anything Bernie tells him to do.

Out of nowhere, Bernie receives a huge crate from his parents. Could it be a computer, a TV or even a car? No not even close. Actually, inside the crate is his Bernie's pets, his rude parrot Lippy and his very smelly dog Gassy. And I really mean smelly; the dog literally clears out the room as nobody can stand his smell.

It seems Bernie's parents are going on a trip for awhile and can't take care of his pets anymore, so Lippy and Gassy are now his responsibility. However, there's a slight problem - no pets are allowed in Rotten School!

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Fitness & Coffee Sundays: Pure Morninga Oleifera Review



Well, I've almost made it through my first week of The Master's Hammer and Chisel workout program, with tonight's workout being day 7. I hadn't watched any of the DVDs prior to starting the program, so I wasn't aware of what routines were in each one; which was the reason why I was surprised to find so many leg exercises in them. I don't have the best knees, so I've been extra careful not to injure myself. Let's just say that my body is extra sore from all the workouts.

I've mentioned many times on here about the importance of taking vitamins and supplements as they help your body recover from intense workouts and aid in your overall weight loss goals.

For little over a week, I've been trying out the Pure Morninga Oleifera from #FRESHHEALTHCARE (retails for $64.95, but can be purchased on Amazon for $35.95).

What is Moringa Oleifera?

Well, Moringa Oleifera is a small plant that can be found in North India, where the leaves are either eaten or used in herbal medicines. One cup of fresh chopped leaves contains protein, Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Riboflavin (B2), Vitamin A (from beta-carotene) and Magnesium. The leaves are also a great source of antioxidants.

The leaves in the Pure Moringa Oleifera have been freeze dried crushed (pulverized) and contain 1200mg per two vegetable capsules (there are 180 capsules in the bottle that was sent to me). It's mean to be used as a multivitamin that will help promote weight loss, increase your immunity and give you an energy boost.

Friday, January 8, 2016

Book Blogger Hop: January 8th - 14th

Book Blogger Hop

Welcome to the new Book Blogger Hop!

If you want schedule next week's post, click here to find the next prompt question. To submit a question, fill out this form.

What to do:

1. Post on your blog answering this question:

  This week's question is submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews!

Have you made any improvements on your blog since your started your blog? Did you change the format? Did you change your header? Did you add or remove items from your side bar?

2. Enter the link to your post in the linky list below (enter your Blog Name and the direct link to your post answering this week’s question. Failure to do so will result in removal of your link).


3. Visit other blogs in the list and comment on their posts. Try to spend some time on the blogs reading other posts and possible become a new follower.  The purpose of the hop is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.
  

My Answer: 


  When I first started this blog, I just used a free layout that I found on the internet. Since then I've changed the the layout two more times (including the headers, sidebars, colors, etc.), but this time I had everything made by a blog designer. 

Linky List: