The Dream Ten: Where's Tony?

Where's Tony? is the second book in the Dream Ten series by A.D. Erving. Thankfully, for those of us that did not read the first book, there are player profiles in the front and back of the book to try to help us keep track of the book's key characters.

The Dream Ten series are various stories about a New York City youth basketball team. In this particular book, one of their players has gone missing after a semi-final game in the Lower-NYC All-Star League Winter Classic. Concerned, his teammates forgo practicing for their next match-up in order to find him. 

When I heard the book was about basketball, I was a little concerned. I'm not a huge basketball fan but I can read anything so I cracked it open. There actually is very little basketball in the story. The plot mostly revolves around the inner workings of the team and their friendships with each other. There were some super over-dramatic parts (the opening chapter tells us we will meet the devil) but kids that age tend to be Drama Bombs. Overall, it was a decent read. However, I think the book is more appropriate for boys in a 7-10 age range instead of the 7-14 age range it has listed. And, while the book does have some basketball, it feels a little disingenuous to call it a sports book. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

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InstaNatural Stretch Mark & Scar Cream

I don't try very hard to get rid of my stretch marks. Most of my stretch marks are on my abdomen as a result of my pregnancy oh-so-long ago. They are what they are and I live with them, even though I don't particularly like them. When I had the option of getting a sample of InstaNatural's Stretch Mark & Scar Cream, I figured why not. 

First off, I will admit that I did not use the cream every morning and night, as the bottle suggests. I only used it in the morning after my shower. After I dried off, I would use one or two squirts of cream on the stretch marks on my abdomen. 

While it definitely is not a magic cream, I did notice that my stretch marks faded a bit. They didn't disappear but they were less noticeable. They faded enough that, at first, I thought they were actually gone. It wasn't until I squished my belly around a bit that I could see that they are still there, you just can't see them as easily. 

On top of that, I really liked the scent of the product and the nozzle on the bottle. The cream doesn't have one particular scent to it. Maybe I would classify it as kinda "ocean" scented? I'm not sure. As for the nozzle, it looks like you are going to get a foam out of it instead of a cream. I found that this made it easier to control how much product came out. If you only wanted a little dollop, you could just squeeze the nozzle a tiny bit. It was much nicer than some other nozzles.

InstaNatural also sent me a bottle of their Argan Oil. I have heard wonderful things about argan oil so I have been on the search for a really nice one. This particular oil worked well for me. The first thing I noticed is, once again, the nozzle is completely different from every other bottle of argan oil I have ever tried. Most other bottles use a dropper. This one has a squirt nozzle. While the squirt nozzle doesn't usually work well for creams, I found it worked nicely for the oil. Instead of having to count out drops from a dropper, you could just squeeze out a larger amount of oil at a time. (I really don't think anyone is using ONE DROP of argan oil for anything.)

I used the argan oil on my hair as a leave-on conditioner. In my opinion, it worked very well. It left my hair feeling soft without feeling oily and it didn't dry out my hair like some other "conditioning" products. It could be a little messier than some hair creams but I, personally, did not have any issues with it. 

In the end, I really liked both products. Neither of them had any magical powers to make me a gorgeous model but they did make my hair and skin a little nicer to look at. What more could you ask from a product?

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

UNi 100% Rosehip Seed Oil

This may be a little TMI but I'm going to say it anyway. I have stretch marks. Most of my stretch marks are on my abdomen from my pregnancy a million years ago. (OK, it was 12 but it feels like a million.) Since they are kinda gross, I try my best not to look at them. But it would be nice to get rid of them.

I saw that this Rosehip Seed Oil stuff might lighten the stretch marks a bit and I figured I'd give it a try. At worst, it won't do anything. However, it just make might the marks less noticeable, which would be awesome.

The instructions are pretty easy. Put about three drops in your hand, rub your hands together, and smear the stuff on the affected area. I tried three drops at first but it didn't feel like that was nearly enough oil to cover my stomach. I upped it to six drops instead. That seemed to cover my skin a lot better.

So, after my morning shower, I would apply some rosehip seed oil to my stomach and let it dry a bit before getting dressed. Now, it's possible that I am imagining it but, after about a week, I did notice that my stretch marks were fading a little. They were still there. They just weren't as obvious. I have to say that I was very surprised at the results. I don't think that the oil will get rid of the marks totally. But it is nice that they don't stand out quite as much anymore.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


InstaNatural Thangs!

InstaNatural sent me three product to test and review. Their Pore Tightening Vitamin C Facial Toner, their Advanced Formula Vitamin C Serum, and their Youth Express Eye Gel. I have tried all three of them together as well as separately. Here goes:

The facial toner is my favorite of the three. You spray it on your face then wipe it with a cotton ball before allowing the toner to dry. It made my skin feel really soft after using it. I also noticed that my pores did, indeed, look smaller. I thought that it was just me, but my husband noticed it as well. Especially on my cheek area.

While the Vitamin C serum has a lovely citrus smell, I didn't like it quite as much as the toner. It was another product that I had to wait to dry, which makes your routine a little long when you use all of the products. I also think that this is what caused a pinkness in my cheeks. My face didn't break out or anything but my cheeks looked flushed all the time after I used it. I think it was from all the acids in the serum.

My least favorite was the eye gel. It comes in a little pump can that makes it very difficult to get the appropriate amount of product to come out. The directions don't tell you how much you should use. However, when I used a full pump, the area around my eyes got very sticky. When I used a half pump, it was slightly better but I still had a lot of stickiness in the eye area. Every time I used it, I ended up washing it off after about a half hour. 

Since the toner was so good, I am interested in trying some of their other products. I think the serum and the eye gel just weren't for me. 

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Lost in the Tsunami

I recently finished Lost in the Tsunami by Dorit Silverman. It is the story of an Israeli mother, Anna, trying to find her daughter, Ronny in India. 

We begin with Anna's inability to get a hold of her daughter. None of Ronny's friends have heard from her in a few days and Anna fears the worst. She begins to search for the young woman in the city of Tel Aviv. Eventually, she finds that Ronny has traveled to India. Anna goes to India and finds much more than she was expecting.

First, I would like to say that I did find the plot of the book interesting. As a mother, I can understand the panic that floods your body when you think you have lost your child. With that in mind, I do think that Anna was a little insane about the whole thing. She spent a lot of time screaming at people, which is never helpful. (I'm pretty sure the author wanted something more along the lines of "shouting" or "firmly stating" but "screaming" is what is in the text.) She was also very manipulative, which seemed against her character. Perhaps I am misunderstanding the character but it seemed like she was all over the place.

I would also like to point out that there are a ton of spelling and grammar errors in the book. This makes is extremely difficult for me to recommend it to others. They are all words and phrases that would pass a spell check (for example, a pineapple is pealed instead of peeled) so it is painfully obvious that the book didn't have a professional editor read through it. I almost gave up on the book as a result of the errors but I did plow through to the end. 

Finally, the title of the book is Lost in the Tsunami, but the 2004 Indian tsunami is barely a blip in the plot. There are 23 chapters and the tsunami doesn't take place until chapter 18. The majority of the book takes place in Israel. Anna and her guide don't even travel to India until chapter 15. I find it rather fake to title a book after a world-shaking event when it barely has anything to do with the actual story. 

While I did like Anna's story, there are way too many problems and inconsistencies to give it a whole-hearted recommendation. If, like me, spelling and grammatical errors grate on your nerves, stay away. However, if you can push through the errors, there is a fairly good story to be found. I have warned you, the rest is on your shoulders.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using <a href="http://www.tomoson.com/?code=BOTTOM1e0022dde73648d7321c989787876c38" rel="nofollow">Tomoson.com</a>. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

Cogwheels: Ten Tales of Steampunk

Normally, I don't read a lot of steampunk novels. For those of you that aren't sure what "steampunk" is, steampunk is a fictionalized world where steam-powered machinery exists in 19th century civilization. The Time Machine by HG Wells is an example of steampunk fiction.

Cogwheels is a collection of steampunk stories written by a variety of authors. While the title tells us that there are 10 stories, there are actually 12. (Supposedly, the editor's cat required the inclusion of two additional stories with a cat theme.) But, to be honest, if I didn't read the foreword, I wouldn't have known that there were extra stories. I didn't actually count the titles myself. 

Most of the stories involved are fairly short. The one exception is The Clockwork Monk, which actually has chapters. Considering the number of stories involved, I was quite surprised at the variety of plots in the collection. Not one was like another.

My favorite stories were The Clockwork Monk (I'd actually like to read more about this world and its characters) and Midnight Visitors (one of the cat stories). I found the characters to be well-thought-out and very intriguing, even the inner monologue of the cat. But the best part is that the entire world they live in absolutely came to life. The steampunk aspect made their universe interesting and colorful. These two stories may have just made me a fan of the genre.

On the other hand, I was not particularly fond of The Touch of Love (a little too abusive, in my opinion) or Lace, Lavender Salts, and Revenants (for the same reason). Both of these stories revolved around the pain and abuse of other people. While Love featured the abusive love between a human and an automaton, Lace followed this theme by beginning with a rape and moving into murder. If these were longer stories that had ample reason behind the acts, I might not have minded so much. Unfortunately, in short form, everyone seems to be an ass for no real reason.

I think fans of steampunk may not be the best audience for this book. They already know where to go for the really good stories. However, if you are new to the genre and would like to know a bit more, this is a very good place to start. Thankfully, each story ends with a mini-biography on the author so you will know how to find more stories by your favorite. All in all, a worthwhile read.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


Stretching The Borders


I just finished Stretching The Borders by Yael Shachnay. It took me a very long time to read this particular book. Much longer than it takes me to normally read a book. Don't worry, I'll get into that shortly.

Stretching The Borders tells the story of an Israeli woman, Naomi Raziel. She is currently married to Reuben and they have to children together, Uri and Ayelet. However, Naomi is not truly content in her life. On one fateful day, she meets her neighbor, Avinoam, whose wife is dying. Shortly thereafter, Naomi begins a torrid affair with Avinoam. One that will change their lives forever.

First, I'd like to state that I wouldn't classify this book as a "romance" novel. Yes, there are love stories here. Both Naomi with Reuben and Naomi with Avinoam. But I wouldn't say that is really the driving point of the story. The story is really about Naomi's wish to learn more about herself and try to stay the carefree, wild child she used to be. Everything that occurs within the story is a direct result of that one wish - to be the girl she used to be.

Second, I'd like to note that the book can be very difficult to read. This is why it took me so long. The book is written entirely from the first person perspective. That, alone, is fine. But there are times when the narrating character changes and the book doesn't give us any hints that we are no longer "inside" Naomi. It isn't until you get past the 'Wait, what?' moment and realize that we're now "inside" someone else that things make a bit more sense. In addition, the book is written as a very long letter to an old friend. That makes the character shifts even more jarring.

With both of those points made, I did enjoy the story. Granted, I didn't particularly like Naomi. She is a rather self-centered woman only concerned with how she used to be. While she seems to care for both her husband and children, it feels like a shallow thing that only exists so they can love her more. But, overall, I would recommend the book. Just give yourself plenty of time and patience to finish it.

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I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.



The Darkest Tool

I recently finished reading The Darkest Tool by Gerald Barnes. While this isn't normally the type of book I would read, I was immediately captivated by the writing. The book tells the story of Jonathan Night, a young man who has been thrust into the middle of the battle between angels and demons, God and Lucifer. For everything that seems to go well in his life, there is always some darkness following closely behind. Sometimes it is difficult to tell if these occurrences are a result of his own choices or if someone is making him do things he wouldn't otherwise do.

Despite thoroughly enjoying the book, there are a few down sides. There are quite a few spelling errors. (For example, 'barley' instead of 'barely.') Also, there are a few confusingly slow parts in the last third of the book. However, neither of these are terrible enough to ruin the book as a whole. (And I think you all know what a stickler I am for spelling.) If you are willing to look past the book's flaws, I think you, too, will find a great story with interesting characters.  

This is a sponsored post. All opinions contained in this post are honest reviews from my brain and do not reflect the views of anyone else.