product review: Bic Velocity Mechanical Pencil

Now that school is back in session, a good pencil to write with is a must have item. We ( my daughter and I ) tried out these new Bic Velocity Mechanical Pencils with a 75% wider eraser to see how well they performed. Overall we really liked them. The lead did not break too easily and right away I noticed that the lead made for very smooth writing. I feel like the color of the writing was better than expected and was the exact right shade ( not too dark, not too light ). We both really liked the soft gel grip. It made it feel very comfortable to hold, which is great when you may be writing for an extended period of time. The larger eraser is definitely a nice feature and erases markings very well. With that said, even though the eraser took care of cleanly removing all markings, the indentions in the paper from the lead made the previous writing still noticeably etched into the paper. I think this is to be expected from mechanical pencils though. One thing that I thought was just brilliant was the eraser refills! If you erase a lot it is definitely nice to have that as an option instead of having to just toss the pencil or use a separate eraser.   

** I received this product free from smiley360 for review purposes. All thoughts expressed here are

my own. **

#ad With a 75% larger eraser, it's easy to #EmbraceTheErase with #BICVelocity!

http://bit.ly/2tQNNCx  #Freesample 

Review: It Started with Goodbye by Christina June

It Started with GoodbyeNot All Stories Begin With Once Upon A Time

By Christina June
Published by Zondervan

Book Description ( via booklookbloggers.com ) 

Sixteen-year-old Tatum Elsea is bracing for the worst summer of her life. After being falsely accused of a crime, she’s stuck under stepmother-imposed house arrest and her BFF’s gone ghost. Tatum fills her newfound free time with community service by day and working at her covert graphic design business at night, which includes trading emails with a cute cello-playing client. If Tatum is reading his emails right, her virtual Prince Charming is funny, smart, and talented—and he seems to think the same about her. Too bad he’s spending his summer across the ocean in Ireland…not that Tatum would be allowed to go on a date anyway.

But over the course of the summer, Tatum will learn that sometimes going after what you want means breaking all the rules. And when Tatum discovers she’s not the only one in the house keeping secrets, she finds she has the chance to make amends with her family and friends. Equipped with a new perspective, and assisted by her feisty step-abuela-slash-fairy-godmother, Tatum is ready to start fresh and maybe even get her happy ending along the way. A modern play on the Cinderella story arc, Christina June’s IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE will appeal to fans of Sarah Dessen, Stephanie Perkins, and Jennifer E. Smith.

My review: 

I always like modern takes on fairy tales. That is definitely one of the things that interested me in It Started with Goodbye. I would say that it is a very loose take in this case, but still has some similar aspects of Cinderella in a modern day setting. I think it is a very realistic story in regards to choosing to hang out with the wrong people or in the wrong situations can get you into big trouble even if you aren't willingly trying to do anything wrong. Fortunately things turned out pretty well for Tatum in the end. I liked that Tatum starts to see things a bit differently after her experiences and it seems to also push her outside of her comfort zone. I of course also liked the romance in the story and enjoyed the way it all played out. The emails were funny and made me smile. The story is pretty straight forward so it's hard to give details without giving away too much of the story. Everything tied up pretty nicely at the end and even had a happy ending. I would say it was an average read good for a relatively light, quick read.   

** Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers <http://booklookbloggers.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. **

Cover Reveal: Light of the Spirit - book 4 of The Muse Chronicles by Lisa Kessler

LIGHT OF THE SPIRIT – Book 4 in The Muse Chronicles

The gods never sleep...

As the mortal vessel for the Muse of Comedy, Lia Youlos lights up every room with laughter and smiles. But there are darker forces at work, and they want to snuff out her light forever.

Cooper Hanover is a hardworking paramedic who healed Lia after a fire, but something happened that day, something medical science couldn't explain. And if he doesn't figure out how it works soon, the next healing could kill him.

Lia's smile and sharp wit tempt him to love again, and he's not going to let anyone, not even the gods, take her from him.

The Prophecy - "Every generation the nine daughters of Zeus are reborn, and with their rebirth are also nine Guardians. They will be marked by the gods, and given gifts to protect his treasure. Their abilities will only be unlocked when they find their muse."

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Review: Desert Wolf by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Desert Wolf by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

Desert Wolf was immediately fascinating and kept me thoroughly engrossed all the way through. I really liked the characters and enjoyed getting to know them as I tried to figure out the mysteries surrounding Paxton's Father's will, why she was different, and what was going on with the rogue. There were a few clues as to what the mystery was, but I was never quite sure, which I loved. The impetuous romance between Paxton and Grant was so compelling and while she tried to resist his charms, I was not so obstinate. He charmed me from the very beginning and was one of the best alpha male characters I've read about. He knew that alpha does not always mean domineering, it means doing what's best. Yet he still had that strong, protective thing going on that makes him so tempting. The end of the story got a bit hectic when all the mysteries were coming to light, but altogether I was very happy with the ending and the story overall. I highly recommend Desert Wolf to paranormal romance fans who enjoy a little mystery.