Review Tour: Falling Deep by Diana Gardin

We're celebrating the release of FALLING DEEP by Diana Gardin!

Title: FALLING DEEP

Author: Diana Gardin

Age: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Grand Central/Forever Yours

Released: April 7, 2015

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BLURB:

Reed Hopewell is a lot of things to a lot of people . . .

To his parents, he's the son who needs to get serious. To his friends, he's the player they all want to be. And to his fans, he's the hottest rocker in Charleston. But never has Reed been anyone's hero-until the night he finds Hope.

Hope Dawson can count the number of men she trusts on one hand. Definitely not the guys she goes out with or the stepfather who treats her like property. She'd be out of his house tomorrow if not for the need to protect her little sister. But when things at home go from bad to worse, Hope has to act fast-and Reed is the only person she can turn to . . .

My Review

I have always enjoyed rockstar romances, but honestly-even though that is Reed's dream, this book actually doesn't focus primarily on that.  First and foremost, this is the story of Hope's struggle with her totally unorthodox (and frankly disturbing) family situation, Reed coming to terms with his own past family issues in order to trust again, and how the two of them come together despite it all.  The rockstar part is just a nice bonus that doesn't overwhelm the story of finding true, unending, explosive love.

Hope.  While she appears strong at times, she still is trapped in her circumstances-and while things do finally work themselves out, it bugs me that she wasn't more proactive in finding a way out of her situation sooner.  And eventually that's where Reed steps in...

Reed.  Oh my goodness.  Everything about him will have you mesmerized and lamenting the fact that he is only a character in a fiction book.  Wholly alpha male, protective, strong and still emotional and dedicated once his walls come down.  

Put the two of them together, and what you get is a fiery, passionate and tempestuous relationship...and once you add in the additional angst and both of their ongoing struggles with the past and present situations, the result is a riveting story that will keep you completely engrossed until the very last page.

4.5 hot and dramatic stars for Falling Deep, recommended for 18+ due to adult situations.  A definite must-read!

GIVEAWAY:

(3) FALLING DEEP ebooks, (1) Signed copy, (1) Nelson Island swag pack and a $10 Amazon gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About the author:

Diana is the author of the YA novel COLORBLIND, and the NA Contemporary Romance novels OUT OF THE ASHES, SETTLING ASHES, AND WANTING FOREVER. All are available for purchase now. Diana is a Virginia girl living In South Carolina, and her beloved home in the South is the backdrop for all of her novels. She adores writing about Southern girls and boys finding their way in and out of love. She’s married to the love of her life, and they have two fabulous/crazy children under the age of five.

Website - Facebook - Twitter

Book Review: Emerge (Evolve Series #1) by S.E. Hall

Emerge by S.E. Hall

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I loved this book. You've got end-of-high-school angst, first love, starting college angst, a love triangle...then throw in some really happy times, some heartbreak and of course some of the steamy stuff. That recipe will give you a winner of a story.

The characters-loved them all with the exception of Whitley-who I wanted to tell to buzz off (not because she wasn't written well, but because I don't care for girls with her kind of personality and attitude). Sawyer was just awesome and funny, I want Zach as my go-to friend and confidante, and Evan...*sigh*. My heart was positively aching for him and rooting him on. Not to say I wouldn't ever pick Dane-beacuse WOW-but Evan's sweetness and boy-next-door persona just melted my heart.

I flew through this book in a single day, staying up way too late to finish it as I just couldn't put it down. Everything flowed so smoothly and the characters were very well written, you're just totally drawn in. And it will tug at your heartstrings, so be ready for the emotion.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet romance, just keep in mind there's a bit of spice thrown in so I'd say 18+. Can't wait to continue the series to find out where these characters' stories go!

View all my reviews

Book Review: Fighting for Irish by Gina L. Maxwell

Fighting for Irish by Gina L. Maxwell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This was my first time reading a fighter story so I wasn't sure what to expect. I'm not big on the whole MMA fighting thing, so I was prepared not to like those portions of the book. Well let me tell you-I had no reason to be worried. This story packed plenty of action in and out of the ring that keeps you riveted to the page, along with plenty of steamy, sexy scenes that will have you making sure you're reading when your significant other is around.

Ms. Maxwell's storytelling was excellent and everything flowed quite well. The characters were very well developed with strong backstories that you get to discover over the course of the entire book (as opposed to getting an information dump right up front). Aiden (aka "Irish") was my clear favorite with his tough, protective yet still gentle and thoughtful personality-though Xander is a close second and I'd love to read a story centered on him.

It was also nice reading a book where I didn't notice any simple grammar or editing errors for a change.  I've already got the rest of Ms. Maxwell's books on my wish list, and can't wait to read more.

View all my reviews

Purchase link:

Product Review: Glade Plugins Scented Oil Customizables

I love being a BzzAgent.  They always have cool campaigns going on, including this one I was able to join for Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Customizables & Wax Melts.  The sent me a coupon for a  free starter kit for the PlugIns and a package of the wax melts, along with a bunch of dollar-off coupons for both items to give out.  Here today I have a review of the Scented Oil Customizables PlugIn product for you.

I've been using Glade plug-in scented oil warmers for a while now-Glade has some of the best scents out there, and the oils usually last at least a month per container so it's a low-cost way to make your home smell nice.  With the Customizables, it comes with a cover that hangs in front of the unit to help it blend in around your furniture so it doesn't look as much like a plug-in fragrance unit as it would normally.  Here's a pic of it at our place:

Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Customizables unit

And a close-up:

Now, for us we don't really have an out-of-the-way place to plug in, or any outlet near furniture so ours is still pretty obvious on the wall-but, at least you can't see the bottles of oil.  Yes, I said bottles as in plural-it holds two of them, and alternates scents-that where the "customizable" comes into play.  The unit I got had Hawaiian Breeze (always a favorite scent) and Vanilla Passion Fruit included.  That was back in February and it's still going strong here at the end of March.  Once the oils run out, you can actually customize the scents however you want, just get two of your favorites-you can use two of the same or two different ones, whichever you like.

The scents are not overpowering, for our place it easily handles our living/dining area.  Glade always has great scents available-fruity, floral, clean, spicy, seasonal-so you're bound to find one you like.  Since it holds two, you can go quite a long time-up to 60 days-without having to change out the oil refills.  I would have liked to see it come in a white or off-white cover as well since that would have matched our decor better, but this still looks fine and is better than just seeing the oil cartridges.

I also got a package of the wax melts to try, but unfortunately haven't been able to try them out yet.  You need a wax melt warmer (which I do have, just haven't gotten around to pulling it out) that holds a candle under the melt bowl to use them.  I'll be trying that out soon.

I do still have several coupons left to give out-$2 off coupons for the Glade PlugIns Scented Oil Customizables starter kits and $1 off of two Glade Wax Melts (does NOT include warmer).  You can contact me and I'll send you one of each (US only), just check out the Contact Me page here on the blog.  The coupons are good thru the end of April.

Do you use scented oil plug-in units?  Have you tried Glade ones before, and if so, what did you think?

Popping In and Product Review-FAGE Total Split Cups Yogurt

I know.  Don't say it.  We'll just pretend I was here the whole time posting witty, interesting stuff, okay?  I have some time for a quick product review post and to say howdy, then I'll be back again in about a week and a half, maybe two weeks all right?  I told y'all to poke me if I disappeared ;-)

So, the wonderful people at BzzAgent sent me an invitation to one of their latest campaigns, this one for FAGE Total Split Cups Yogurt.  I had to think about this one before accepting...why the heck did I have to think, you ask?  Well, because it's Greek yogurt.  And the one other time I'd tried Greek yogurt I thought it was disgusting and nasty.  But that was many years ago so I thought I'd give it another try-especially when I would get to choose from so many interesting flavors.  First, some info about the Split Cups...

So, that's a pic of the yogurt cups.  Notice there's a main compartment with a smaller one attached to it?  The main part has the yogurt (plain) and the smaller part contains the flavor you choose.  They've got lots to choose from:

FAGE TOTAL 0%:

-Honey

-Strawberry

-Cherry

-Peach

-Blueberry

-Raspberry

-Strawberry Goji

-Cherry Pomegranate

-Mango Guanabana

-Blueberry Acai

-Apple Cinnamon Raisins

-Orange Cinnamon

-Passion Fruit Clementine

FAGE TOTAL 2% AND CLASSIC:

-Honey

-Strawberry

-Cherry

-Peach

-Blueberry

I received several coupons from BzzAgent for free cups of yogurt, 2 for me and the rest to pass on to friends, so I used my two to get the 2% Honey and 0% Strawberry.  Now, I'm normally a Yoplait Light yogurt person so I'm used to a sweet yogurt.  So I figured I'd start with the Honey in the 2% version since I thought it would be closer to what I was used to.  These are the 5.3oz split cups. 

Unfortunately, I was wrong.  And no, I didn't think it was better.  Sorry all you Greek yogurt lovers out there...I just don't get it.

I did try a tiny portion of the plain yogurt first without the honey just to see what it would taste like...and it was just like the first time I tried Greek yogurt...blech.  So I tried it with the honey, tilting up the smaller compartment to let it all drain on top of the yogurt.  Now, any spoonful that I tried that was totally coated in honey was...well, not necessarily better, but tolerable as long as I wasn't "actively" tasting it--meaning I was just spooning and swallowing the yogurt (I was fine with the thicker texture, it was the taste I couldn't stand).  Any little bit that didn't have honey actually kind of turned my stomach.  I tried really hard to get through the whole cup, but only managed about 2/3 of the cup before I couldn't take anymore.

I really wanted to like this product since I know so many friends who love it (well, Greek yogurt in general, not sure about brands) and I know it's packed with protein-which I have a hard time meeting my daily goals for protein consumption.  There's also not a huge list of ingredients on the package-FAGE Total yogurt actually only has 2 or 3 ingredients--milk & live active cultures or milk, live active cultures and cream.  But I don't like it.  As far as the strawberry flavor, I might be brave and try it tomorrow.  But when the 2% with honey has me making my yucky-face, I don't know if I can make myself try it.

Now, please realize--I am a super-picky eater.  And maybe I've been spoiled by the "sweet stuff" that most major-brand yogurts put out.  But Greek yogurt is just not for me.  I do appreciate BzzAgent giving me the chance to try it though.  And for those of you who keep calling it Fage (rhyming with sage), FYI it's actually pronounced "fa-yeh".  Please don't let my opinion scare you away from trying this product though.

And as for the other two coupons I have left, if you'd like to try FAGE Total Split Cups Yogurt for yourself...the first two people who contact me with your name & mailing address before Saturday 12/14/13 who live in the United States, I'll mail them out first thing in the morning to you as they expire at the end of this year (click here or use the Contact Me tab at the top of this page).  The coupon is good for a FREE 5.3 oz split cup Any Variety FAGE Total Yogurt.  As you can see from the flavors lists I posted above, there's lots to choose from assuming your local supermarket has them all.

So, that's my honest review of FAGE Total Split Cups yogurt.  Have you tried any of the flavors before, and if you have, what did you think?  Let me know in the comments section below!

Review: PowerBar’s Performance Energy Blends

As promised, here is my review of the PowerBar Performance Energy Blends.  I received some free samples of the product to try from BzzAgent, a social marketing site that promotes word-of-mouth advertising.  First I’ll give you what I posted as a review on their website:

When I first received the sample of PowerBar's Performance Energy Blends from BzzAgent, I was excited to try it as I was hoping it could be a good alternative to gels for fueling either a workout or long run.  After trying the product, I can say that it is a good fuel option for a short workout (under an hour), though as for using it on a long run for me it would not be ideal as it would not last long enough.  I would have to carry multiple packets with me to use on a long run which frankly I would not have room for in my pockets/belt.  The other thing that I wasn't too thrilled with was the consistency of the product.  It is thinner/more liquid-y than a gel would be and while the flavors were good, I was a bit nauseated by the consistency.  If you can handle something like that while doing strenuous activity, then this would be a good option for you...if not, do like I'll be doing and pass on it for a different option.

Now here’s some more:

The consistency was really what got to me on these.  See, when it comes to gels (like Gu or Hammer, etc), I was always fine with the consistency until about the last year when having 2 or more during a long mile outing was starting to kind of gross me out.  And so I started using Chomps instead.  The Chomps I can handle no problem, after all it’s kind of just like eating gummies.  The only issue with Chomps is them sticking to your teeth, which after a little bit that goes away.  

With the PowerBar Performance Energy Blends, I thought that even with the sort-of gel like consistency (or what I thought would be gel-like from the feel of the packets) I might be able to handle it fine since it was fruit.  Yeah, not so much.  The Blends were actually a thinner/more liquid consistency than the gels and although I did like the flavors I don’t think I could stomach downing those on a regular basis...especially not on a long mile outing.  Consistency aside, as a fuel source it worked fine, though it doesn’t last quite as long as a gel-at least not for me.  But then again, the Gu gels I use have 100 calories and the Blends had 80 so that is probably a part of it not lasting as long.

I had picked up a few extra packets and still have one left in the apple-mango-strawberry flavor if anyone is interested.  I also still have several “$1.50 off of 2 packets” coupons left if anyone would like.  The packet and coupons I have left will be first come, first served so if you’d like either the last packet or some coupons, either comment below or shoot me an email at thedisneyworldfiles at gmail dot com.

Have you tried PowerBar’s Performance Energy Blends?  What did you think?  What is your go-to fueling source?

*As always, even though I received this product for free thanks to the BzzAgent program, all opinions stated above are mine and mine alone.