Book Review: Storm Siren by Mary Weber

Storm Siren by Mary Weber is a fantasy fiction book geared towards young adults, but the content and storyline is certainly something that can fin into the regular adult category as well. The central character is Nym, a 17 year old slave girl in the Kingdom of Faelen. She belongs to the Elemental kind, which are usually born as males and killed at birth, so Nym surviving is quite a miracle.

When she is auctioned off and her uniqueness is revealed, she is bought quickly by a court advisor of Faelen, who recognizes Nym unique ability to summon and control storms. The advisor recognizes that this ability of Nym could be turned into a powerful weapon that Faelen can use during war. Nym is given a choice, either be used by Faelen to win wars or be killed. She chooses life and is thrown into politics, court intrigues and endless training, which is hard work for Nym. Especially with a trainer that miraculously can calm every lightening trike that Nym creates, the training can be frustrating at times and Nym is also wondering what the secret of her trainer is that has this unusual ability. And soon enough there are hints of romance between the two, especially since we find out that her trainer and a secret to tell of his own.

Like most fantasy books, there is a significant cast of characters, lots of names of people and locations to memorize. The author does provide a map in the beginning that helped me to orient myself, but I still found myself going back to the map several times throughout the book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Crowdtap sampling: Scott Naturals Tube-Free

Through Crowdtap.com I received a 4-pack of Megarolls of Scott Naturals Tube-Free, which is a great new environmentally friendly product because it omits the cardboard insert. Even though the cardboard insert can be recycled, it is still generating waste that needs to be hauled away from your house and somehow turned into another useful product.
I love that the quality is the same, but now when the roll is used up, you simply slip a new one on the holder and you are done. No more disposing of the cardboard insert or trying to find a crafty new use for it so that you do not have to toss it. Scott Naturals Tube-Free make being environmentally friendly a lot easier.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - my Crowdtap sampling kit!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - comparison of traditional and Scott Naturals Tube Free TP

copyright Durhamonthecheap - another comparison, same quality paper, but better for the environment!

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of Scott Naturals Tube-Free to sample, review and share through Crowdtap.com. The opinion expressed in this blog is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Crowdtap Sampling - Hidden Valley Ranch Feast

Through Crowdtap.com I received a huge party pack to celebrate the wonders of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing and the use of Hidden Valley Ranch flavor in dips and as seasoning mix. They included samples for me and my guests to try and so of course I took the pack to work so that everyone there could sample it.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - the great party pack courtesy of Hidden Valley Ranch and Crowdtap!

This is the list of contents for the party pack - what a selection:

• 1 Hidden Valley Team Ranch T-shirt
• 1 Bottle of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing
• 2 Packet of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix
• 1 Packet of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dips Mix
• 1 Party Guide Insert with a coupon, tips and recipes
• 1 Dip Clip 
• 10 Packets of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dressing & Seasoning Mix
• 10 Hidden Valley Original Ranch Dips Mix
• 10 Guest Inserts with a coupon, tips and recipes
• 10 Dip Clips 

But before I took the pack to work, I had to just sample the use of the seasoning mix for cooking at home. So I fixed a quick lunch and added the contents of the HV Seasoning Mix for added flavor to a number of side dishes. 

copyright Durhamonthecheap - make the plain green beans special with a sauce of milk and HV Seasoning Mix

copyright Durhamonthecheap - plain vegetable ground beef turns extra tasty with HV Seasoning Mix

copyright Durhamonthecheap - adding seasoning mix is as easy as 1, then stir, heat and ready to serve!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - of course I had to add some fresh peppers from this year's harvest to boost vitamins

copyright Durhamonthecheap - boxed mashed potatoes can always use some extra flavor

copyright Durhamonthecheap - ready mashed potatoes with HV Seasoning Mix for more flavor

copyright Durhamonthecheap - a quick lunch, made all the better thanks to HV Seasoning Mix!

 I loved how quickly I could add extra flavor thanks to Hidden Valley Seasoning Mix, not only did it add flavor to cheap boxed mashed potatoes, but I also added more flavor and an interesting twist to ground beef (in this case a soy alternative) and it took only a couple more minutes and basically no extra preparation.

 Disclaimer: I received Hidden Valley Ranch samples to review and sample. The opinion expressed in this blogpost is solely my own and has not been influenced by Crowdtap.com or any third party.

Crowdtap - Zep Sampling for a new, versatile cleaner that works!

Through Crowdtap.com I received samples of Zep Cleaner for around the house.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - Zep sampling kit from Crowdtap

 Zep, for those of you that have not heard of it and are not familiar with the product line. offers a great variety of cleaning products. All of the Home Depot stores carry Zep cleaners and you can find the variety offered at Home Depot here. In my sample kit from Crowdtap, I got samples of the All-Purpose Cleaner and Degreaser that works great on a variety of surfaces, including staionless steel, porcelain and tile and is therefore perfect for all rooms in the house, including kitchen, office and bathroom.

I also received a couple of sample bottles of Quick Clean Disinfectant. This cleaner kill more than 99% of bacteria in 5 seconds, including K pneumonia and S. aureus; this product is great for kitchen and bathrooms, in which you want to make sure that the surfaces are not just clean and free of bacteria. I have started cleaning with Quick Clean in the bathroom and limit the use of the antibacterial wipes to the kitchen, where I more frequently need to clean up a spill. Using Quick Clean in the bathroom, allows me to clean the surfaces once daily thoroughly and be sure that the bacteria are all gone.

Kills 99.9% of bacteria in 5 Seconds

Kills common kitchen & bathroom bacteria

Effective virucide, kills cold (rhinovirus) & flu virus, HIV, Canine Parvovirus

Cleans, disinfects, deodorizes in one easy step

* Staphylococcus aureus (Staph), Klebsiella pneumonia

- See more at: http://www.zepcommercial.com/product/Quick-Clean-Disinfectant#sthash.y9Uy65Z9.dpuf

All-Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser is perfect for tile, stainless steel, porcelain and many other surfaces in the home, workshop and office. - See more at: http://www.zepcommercial.com/product/All-Purpose-Cleaner-Degreaser-Concentrate#sthash.0xMmGcI0.dpuf

All-Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser

All-Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser

All-Purpose Cleaner & Degreaser

Disclaimer: I received free samples through Crowdtap.com to review and sample. The opinion expressed in this blogpost is solely my own and has not been influenced by Crowdtap or any third party.

Book Review: Rock Angel (Rock Angel Series Book 1) by Jeanne Bogino

I received a free copy of this book for review through Tastemaker MOM. While I usually review books within the mystery genre, the topic of this book interested me. A story about the music industry and how a young women with a lot of talent would experience such a world. I did not know what to expect from a book with this subject? Would it read like an extended story in Rolling Stone that would describe in a lot of detail wild escapades, while still somehow managing to stand up on stage and make fans happy every night? Or would the book describe how a young girl, full of hope, gets used up in an industry that is always looking for the next big thing and churns out new talent every week only to drop those talents that do not bring enough in sales or fan appeal?

 

copyright Durhamonthecheap - available on amazon

In the end, Rock Angel is a little bit of both with Shan, a young woman landing a job as a lead guitarist, at the center of a drama that has everything and I mean everything in it. There is love, betrayal, loneliness, fan adoration and a cruel, but wonderful, music industry controlling the strings.

Shan seems to have finally made it and that at only 18 years - she gets hired as a lead guitarist for a band that seems destined for stardom and there is the cool Quinn, leader of the band. We immediately find out that not everything is perfect. Shan is addicted to heroin and seemingly can;t beat the addiction and Quinn is addicted to women, sleeping around like there is no tomorrow and so we sense trouble from the beginning between Shan and Quinn.

But we as the readers seem to be the only one that can sense the trouble because Quinn and Shan can't seem to sort things out for themselves. They engage in incredibly self-destructive behavior when together, tearing themselves apart, then taking a break and experiencing some resemblance of normalcy. Only to then have the cycle start all over - with us as readers wondering when will this nightmare stop? At times, Shan's and Quinn's behavior is extremely hard to stomach and I really just wanted the pain for these two people to be over, but I could not put the book down because I was curious whether in the end there would be something to salvage for either one.

This author has not stopped short of providing the harsh reality of the music industry. I would not recommend this book for teenagers, some of the scenes, especially those involving the self-destructive drug behavior, were hard to stomach and get through, even for me. I wold also not classify this book as a summer or beach read, the subject matter is too dark, the characters too messed up and the constant rollercoaster made me want to shake both Shan and Quinn repeatedly and ask them to finally come to their senses.But if you are looking a gripping novel about the music industry and are willing to take the fame with the dark sides, this is a great book.


Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The opinion expressed in this review is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Book Review: Every Bitter Thing Is Sweet: Tasting the Goodness of God in All Things by Sara Hagerty

This book by Sara Hagerty describes an important message about religion and the role that God can play in someone's life. While Sara uses her struggles with fertility as the starting point of the story, the overall meaning of the book is much broader.

copyright Durhamonthecheap - available at amazon

Here is a woman that thought she had a life all planned out. She would get married, then have kids and after the kids were grown and out of the worst childhood maladies, the rest of her life would somehow figure itself out. So what to do if the kids do not come? What to do if kids are not just a planned stage in your life, but you actually long to have kids and you wonder what to do now with your life when the kids are simply not coming and your life seems without content? It is this broader journey of seeking guidance and support from a higher power that the author describes in eloquent terms and invites the reader of this book to join her in.

The story told in the book is of a journey, in which the author realizes in the darkest hours that strength can come through believing and that this belief can stay with you for the rest of your life. This belief in a higher power can lend you support and strength that allows you to overcome obstacles as they arise. It may not always be obvious that God is working his magic, but looking back I am sure almost everyone can point to events in which we considered ourselves either lucky that we made it through them or counted our blessings on help arriving unexpectedly before worse happened. It is these situations that the author points to when indicating that God can be found in the most desperate circumstances sometimes.

Whether you prefer to speak of God, a higher power or some other force that you seek help or guidance from, strength can be derived sometimes from the fact alone that you know you are not alone in whatever struggle you are facing.

I enjoyed this book very much, in large part because the author's style is lyrical and reminds you of traditional storytelling. While dealing with a very religious and incredibly personal subject, the author never appears to want to preach people or force her opinion on the reader. This is a lovely book to read and work through as you determine how you find a solution to your journey or the struggles you are currently dealing with.

Disclaimer: I have a received a free copy of the book from the publisher. The opinion expressed in this review is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.

Crowdtap sampling and review: Advil® Film-Coated - #FastAdvil Solutions

Through Crowdtap I was given a nice kit, involving the latest advance in pain relief by Advil - Advil® Film-Coated for faster pain relief than ever before.

My kit included the following items:

• 8 2-count samples of Advil® Film-Coated
• Sampling Instructions
• 4 Coupons 

I took my kit to work and when hosting a party for another product, I placed the Advil® Film-Coated samples out on the table as well. With the busy time of the year upon us, many people suffer from stress headaches and so the samples were taken quickly. I could have definitely needed more of the samples and the coupons were taken quickly as well.

I have not tried the Advil® Film-Coated, but two of my colleagues commented that the Advil® Film-Coated are fast acting and easy on your stomach. But most importantly, they work as reliably as the traditional Advil!

copyright Durhamonthecheap - only two samples left and some coupons, everyone wanted Advil® Film-Coated

Disclaimer: I received free samples of Advil® Film-Coated in exchange for a sample review. The opinion expressed in this blog is solely my own and has not been influenced by any third party.