Review: Deadman's Tome: Monsters Exist

Deadman's Tome: Monsters Exist by Deadman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love books of this type. So often I find authors whose work I want to investigate further. This book was no exception. The only author I whose work I had read previously was Theresa Bruan.

I was thrilled with the stories I found in Monsters Exist. There is a good mix of stories in this book. We start with rats which nearly killed me. I have been disturbed by rats ever since I watched the movies Willard and Ben. Anyone remember those movies? My skin was crawling and i knew not even a nightlight was going to keep the fear away. The stories go on to include various thriller chillers. You are certain to find at least one story to keep you checking the floor under the bed before you get out of it. I usually pick a story or two that I found to be particularly frightening. With this book, I am truly unable to do this. I look back on them, decide on one only to remember the goosebumps another gave me and I change my mind. i enjoyed every story I read. I recommend this book to horror and campfire story fans.

Thank you to BookTasters for bringing this book to my attention. The editor provided an ecopy for review purposes. The final copy may be slightly different. All opinions are honest ones.


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Color It Review

As a child, some of my favorite indoor pastimes were reading, jigsaw puzzles and coloring. As an adult I have also found them interesting and relaxing to do. Books, of course, come in all genres and for all ages. They grow with you, though I have noticed a tendency to return to my childhood favorites in times of need. Lose a job? Anne was waiting. File for divorce? Anne and her romance with Gilbert was waiting. If you thought you were going to end up an old maid, well, Marilla was happy, wasn't she? Fight with your best friend? Run to Anne and Diana. There was almost nothing that could befall me that Anne of Green Gables, Laura Ingalls, those Little Women or Jane Eyre didn't experience or have advice on. I still turn to them, and a host of others, to comfort me and lead me through the darkness. Jigsaw puzzles also had range. They went from extremely easy pictures of toys with giant pieces to beautiful scenery and 1000's of tiny pieces to complicated 3D adventures that could reduce me to tears. But coloring books, for the longest time, were for children. Not so any longer.

Coloring books for adults have exploded! Quite honestly, I have never stopped coloring. It is, pretty much, the only art I excel at. I'm not saying that I had children, (and welcomed grandchildren), just so I could legitimately purchase coloring books and crayons, but you won't hear me denying that either. So in the past few years I have closely watched the popularity of coloring books surge with a new entry: Adult Coloring Books. Wow! Were there others like me who have sat down to, "color with the children," only to point out all the flaws of a coveted coloring page to those children in hopes of turning their attention to a different page? Don't judge. I didn't fight over the page, (I was Mom so I win. Ha!). I had no idea that so many adults enjoy coloring. I think of all those adults at the store who smiled at me with my coloring books and said things like,

 "we have that one too," or "my children really enjoyed this one."

Were they secretly picking out the best pages for themselves? Going over arguments in their heads so the toddler would let Mommy have the page she wanted? Letting Daddy pick first? With the slew of coloring products now out there for adults, I can only guess the answer is yes. Now, as a result, I have my own coloring books with grown up designs. So are my grandchildren coming to see me or to dip into my coloring books? Hmm. Something to think about.

 A few weeks ago one of those Facebook sponsored posts came up on my feed. I do check out many of those as Facebook has realized they can hold me mesmerized with sponsored posts about books. This one, though, was about coloring pages. Color It was offering 20 free coloring pages delivered to your email. I was on that in a flash, though I did wonder about the quality. Then pages started to arrive and WOW! I loved them! So much so, that, I went to their website. There I found coloring books, coloring pencils and gel pens as well as a journal. Were these people listening in at my house? (No paranoia here. Just because every device has the listening capabilities of Siri, Alexa and Cortana. If they aren't listening until you say their name, how do they hear you say their name? Things that make you go hmm.) I had been talking for weeks about trying gel pens and wanting to do a book journal! Here they were and at a decent price. If I bought them both, I got free shipping. What? Free shipping, for anyone outside of Alaska, is a huge draw, (for me anyway. So many companies charge outrageously to ship to Alaska). The gel pens came in a beautiful kit with zippered case and gel refills. Oh all the coloring I could do! Not to mention how colorful I could make my book journal. So I ordered them and waited. The day came when I got the email with tracking information. Then I kept hearing Tom Petty sing, "The waiting is the hardest part." You know you just sang that. One of the tracking numbers didn't show any information which made me nervous. I contacted the company who were quickly responsive.

 Then came the postman with my journal! Yay!
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Then came FedEx with my Gel Pens. Yes, they were shipped separately but they arrived the same day.

   

Here is my colored Journal cover: 

I love my gel pen kit and my journal! The products are well made and absolutely gorgeous! I'm already planning my next purchase. To keep up with specials, like free coloring pages, and contests be sure to follow them at the links below.

FaceBook

Twitter

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Pinterest

This is not a paid review. I did not get any special pricing or free items, (other than coloring pages sent to my email that are currently available to everyone - check availability on their social media). The review was not requested by the company. I just really love the products and had an awesome experience  with them. I would recommend them to anyone who enjoys coloring. The products I purchased would make great gifts. If you try them, let me know what you think. If you color, feel free to leave a comment telling me about your experiences with it. I'd love to hear about what you are coloring and the supplies you use. 

Review: The Dental Health Cook Book: How listening to your dentist can help you lose weight

The Dental Health Cook Book: How listening to your dentist can help you lose weight by Stephen Hudson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I am really having a hard time with starring this book. It has a lot of information. I liked that and the presentation of it. The recipe part though needs more, in my opinion. I like the recipes included. They went from extremely simple to easy to make. I didn't see any that were very complicated so anyone not comfortable in the kitchen would be able to make them. Unfortunately, in my review copy the ingredient amounts weren't there. This complicates things for inexperienced cooks. There were a few recipes that I tried, guessing and adjusting the ingredient amounts. These turned out well and were tasty, tasty. I would like to see nutritional information added, especially calorie counts since this is cookbook that can help with losing weight.
Though the author makes mention the legal blurbs about entertainment purposes, he makes valid points about eating and dieting. I do believe you can lose weight and become healthier following the diet advice given.
I heard about this book from Reader's House on Twitter. I received an ecopy of the book from the author for review purposes. The final version may be different from the pdf copy. Review based on my honest opinion and thoughts of the book.

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Review: Grooming Mr. Right

Grooming Mr. Right by Tonya Kappes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a cute romance! Tonya Kappes is a favorite author of mine. Her books are so lively and fun. Time really flies while I read them.
Grooming Mr Right brings Luvie back home from New York City to Kentucky. She goes from fashion designer to pet groomer. Her life isn't turning out to be what she hoped it would be. Can she find love in the town she grew up in or is she better off in New York City?
Tonya Kappes has a down home, comfortable writing style. You open a book and immediately feel at home. The characters are colorful and sometimes trouble but are always a hoot to get to know. Grooming Mr Right is the first book in the Bluegrass Romance series. It is a quick afternoon read. The romance is sweet and fun with sprinkles of spicy kisses and hot embraces. The characters are funny, quirky and caring...good people that you enjoy spending time with. Grab a cold drink, a beach towel and head outside to get some sun while you enjoy an afternoon of fun reading.

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Review: Going Gets Hot

Going Gets Hot by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Rachelle Ayala is one of my favorite authors. She writes entertaining stories that also enlighten. Every book I read by her has been fun and informative. I either learn something I didn't know or I see people and situations from a different angle. Going Gets Hot is no exception.
In high school there were two subjects that made me glassy eyed...math and chemistry. They are useful, no denying, but boring to me. In Going Gets Hot we follow the story of two scientist, Chad and Amber. When I saw they were scientist, I thought to myself, oh no, no, don't take me there. But the author did and I enjoyed it! The story was achingly sweet, though it had enough spice to keep things interesting, and funny. Getting to know Chad and seeing things from his perspective, made me think of the geek loving guys from my school days and see them differently.
The story moves quickly as things in Sapphire Falls tend to do. It took me awhile to read only because I had real life interfering. I would say that you could easily finish this at the beach or on a rainy afternoon. There is sexual activity, (it is not erotica though), so if you prefer it clean this is not your book. The author does have those, too, (check out The Have a Hart Series). If your looking for a spicy n sweet read for a quick escape, definitely get this book!
**I received an ecopy of this book from the author for ARC reading. The review is my honest opinion regarding the story. The released book may contain differences from the ARC copy. **

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Review: Black Tied

Black Tied by Rachelle Ayala
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed Rachelle Ayala's first book into the paranormal romance genre. It is a fresh entry into a saturated genre. Since Sookie Stackhouse struck gold for HBO the genre has exploded. We have plenty of vampires, shifters, dragons, fairies, witches, gods and even unicorns represented. It is hard to come up with something new in this arena. That is exactly what Ms. Ayala did though with Black Tied.
Black Tied takes on the lesser known gods with barely a nod at the major players, and adds in Chinese culture for a delightfully entertaining adventure. The kitchen gods and their fire fighting son are the main gods in this story. When Johnny becomes captivated by Sapphire while fighting a fire in her grandmother's kitchen, he discovers the family's missing Wok of Ages. This sets of a chain of events that will have the reader laughing out loud while wondering if Sapphire and Johnny will be able to work through everything, and everyone, that stand in the way to love and wok. With vivid characters, (who reminded me of several people I know), and a blending of mythology with culture the story balances then blurs reality and fantasy. Black Tied is an entertaining contemporary romance with sweetness and hints of spice rolled into a paranormal egg roll. It is a new favorite of mine. I would definitely recommend it!
this may date me but I would like to add that the characters reminded me of a blend of Bewitched and Josie and the Pussycats. Sapphire and her friends are Josie and the Pussycats while Lao-Lao and Johnny's parents made me think of Endora and Darren's parents. If you remember those shows and enjoyed them, give this book a try. I'm already looking forward to the next book in the series!

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Review: Strangers In Another Country

Strangers In Another Country by Lawrence G. Taylor
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book came to my attention through BookTasters. It is different from my usual picks. It is a collection of short stories about life. I enjoyed them. I felt that they rang with honesty. The stories deal with some of life's heavier topics; love, loneliness, racial discrimination, feeling you don't belong anywhere. Yet I did not find the book depressing.
The stories are set in the late 1960's and the main characters are West Indian. The settings are London and Sweden, (my point of view is as an American - I have not been to London or Sweden and speak of things as I see them in the U.S.). I felt they were relevant today, which is sad. You would think with so many years gone by that things would be more balanced with equality. I think books like this one need to be read. It opens your mind to things that still need to be changed. It was, for me, a listening to the other side of things...without anger. In my opinion, this is when we can figure things out. When there is no angry accusations, just listening and reflecting. My favorite story in this collection was Betty and The Black Puppy.
The book is not that long and can easily be read in one afternoon. The stories are not connected so you can also choose to read them between appointments or while riding to work. They are stories that you will want to think about, so give yourself time for that.
Thank you to BookTasters and the author for bringing the book to my attention. A pdf copy was loaned to me for review purposes.


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