for the love of books: 05/21/14

It’s Water Slide Time Event

Organized by: Mom to Bed by 8

Grand Prize: Little Tikes Slam ‘n’ Curve Slide

Event dates: 6/16 - 6/30

Giveaway is open to US Residents.

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Be sure to tell them Nikki @ For the Love of Books sent you!

PRODUCT REVIEW: Coppertone ClearlySheer Sunscreen!

I may be an avid reader and devoted book-lover, but I’m also something else: I’m a mom. And as a mom, I’m always on the lookout for the next best product for my little Bug. Though I usually write about books, I want to take a minute to tell you about a really cool product I got to try thanks to BzzAgent. (If you haven’t heard of BzzAgent yet, you need to head to their website right away to try out and talk about some really cool products, all at a great discount or free!) As a BzzAgent, I get to try some of the coolest things. Food, insoles, health care products, and all sorts of neat things. This time, I was sent free samples of Coppertone’s ClearlySheer sunscreen.

Now, Bug and I are very fair skinned and have to use sunscreen even on a cloudy day. For me, it’s always been easier to stay in the shade because I never could stand that greasy feeling on my skin. I’ve always battled acne, and sunscreen just makes it so much worse. Add to that the horrible stench that accompanies every sunscreen and you’ve just met my worst nightmare. So as you can imagine, I was rather hesitant to try ClearlySheer, but hey, who can pass up a free product?

The first thing I noticed when I applied ClearlySheer was the smell. It seems Coppertone has managed to break the mold and create an actually great smelling sunscreen! The scent is light and fresh, and I would recommend this product to anyone based on the smell alone. But it gets better. Not only does ClearlySheer smell great, it goes on smoothly without any greasy feeling. In fact, I put it on under my makeup and stayed as flawless as ever.

The biggest shock I had with ClearlySheer is that even after wearing it on my face under my makeup for two days, my skin never broke out. No greasy feeling, a great smell, and a formula that doesn’t clog pores? I can’t think of a single downside to this product. If you frequently wear sunscreen, are headed outside, or are a human being, I highly suggest you Coppertone’s ClearlySheer line a try.

Disclaimer: I am a BzzAgent (www.bzzagent.com) and received free samples of Coppertone ClearlySheer to try for myself. These are strictly my opinions, I was not forced or asked to post a positive review.

REVIEW: Destruction by Sharon Bayliss

Title: Destruction

Series: The December People #1

Author: Sharon Bayliss

Genre/Age Range: Contemporary, Fantasy, Adult

Publisher: Curiosity Quills Press

Release Date: April 14, 2014

Links: Goodreads

David Vandergraff wants to be a good man. He goes to church every Sunday, keeps his lawn trim and green, and loves his wife and kids more than anything. Unfortunately, being a dark wizard isn't a choice.

Eleven years ago, David's secret second family went missing. When his two lost children are finally found, he learns they suffered years of unthinkable abuse. Ready to make things right, David brings the kids home even though it could mean losing the wife he can’t imagine living without.

Keeping his life together becomes harder when the new children claim to be dark wizards. David believes they use this fantasy to cope with their trauma. Until, David's wife admits a secret of her own—she is a dark wizard too, as is David, and all of their children.

Now, David must parent two hurting children from a dark world he doesn’t understand and keep his family from falling apart. All while dealing with the realization that everyone he loves, including himself, may be evil.

Sharon Bayliss is the author of The December People Series and The Charge. When she’s not writing, she enjoys living happily-ever-after with her husband and two young sons. She can be found eating Tex-Mex on patios, wearing flip-flops, and playing in the mud (which she calls gardening). She only practices magic in emergencies.

Links: Website + Goodreads + Twitter + Facebook

My Review

I have major mixed feelings about this book. For the most part, I loved it. However, there was one major, MAJOR flaw with it that nearly ruins the entire thing for me. However, let me talk about the positives first.

I’m really happy that this book wasn’t a young adult novel. Don’t get me wrong, I love young adult fiction. But seeing more adult elements to a book dealing with teenagers was a refreshing change. I also loved how in depth Bayliss explained her characters. They were all very complex characters, but not complex enough to throw you off or confuse you. Though they were complex, they were very unique and distinct characters which were developed very well.

I also really liked how in-depth Bayliss was about explaining the magic and the use of it. For her, it wasn’t enough to simply say “then this was done.” There was a full explanation of some of the bigger uses of magic, including why, how, and where it was done. I’ve read many paranormal books that leave you guessing about how or why things were done, so it was great to get all of the details. It let me truly understand the characters’ actions.

The part that really bothered me was dealing with an assault that happened. I cannot give too many details about it without ruining the story, but let me just say that it was not dealt with in a real-life manner. As a victim of a similar type of assault, I was disgusted with how it was brushed aside and the assailant was not brought to justice. However, I will say that this character had a key role in another aspect of the story. I’m hoping that in the next book of the series, this character will get what they deserve and the victim of the assault will get their justice.

Destruction was engaging from the very first page to the very last. I would recommend it to any mature paranormal reader, though some of the more adult scenes may be too heavy for younger readers who may otherwise be interested in this book. I enjoyed this book, but must say that certain things must be addressed in the second book for this reader to continue the series.