Don't Judge this book by it's cover! The Time Garden: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book {review}

A dazzlingly beautiful coloring book for all ages, The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock–inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by the internationally best-selling Korean artist Daria Song. 



Journey through the doors of a mysterious cuckoo clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls—all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up.



Cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?





The Time Garden features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike.



Then, explore the magical world outside the clock through the eyes of a fairy in the sequel, The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Coloring Book!

{Review}

"The Time Garden" is an amazing coloring book created with adults in mind.  This is not your little ones' coloring book!  A beautiful story of a young girl who follows a fairy through a magical clock into a brand new world.  Follow the story from page to page through amazing sketches by artist/author Daria Song.

This book would make a wonderful gift for older kids and adults alike.  It is such a fun and fanciful book with a fun story told through detailed and amazingly artistic sketches that are right there waiting for someone to come along and fill in some color.  All it takes is a little imagination and some sharpened colored pencils to create a whole fantastic world right at your fingertips.

In addition to the fun waiting on each page, coloring can be very relaxing for adults in our stress filled world.  This "Alice in Wonderland" type story combined with all the small detailed areas to color makes for a book that will keep someone occupied for hours and hours.  Don't worry, you don't have to complete each page in one day - it took me a total of 4 days off and on to finish a single page - I even invited my 11 year old budding artist to join me deciding on colors and design ideas and helping fill in much of the page.  It was fun quality time for just the two of us!



I highly recommend this book and others like it as gifts for friends, family or just for yourself!  Check it out -  you can purchase a copy through Amazon or find some in your local stores!

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

Invisible Witness by Lisa Kroulik ~ A terifying look at life as a child in a home of Domestic Violence.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

Adults who witnessed violence between their parents when they were
children often carry emotional scars that last a lifetime. The trauma to
their developing brains can be so great that some psychologists have
compared it to what soldiers experience in war. Like soldiers, children
from violent homes are hyper-alert and expect to see danger at every
turn. Since they don't possess the skills to process what they have
witnessed, these children

often suppress the memories well into
adulthood. It often takes employment and relationship problems, a mental
health diagnosis, addictions, and other serious life issues for them to
make the connection between the events of their painful upbringing to
what they are experiencing in the present.




As a society, we tend to minimize the effects of domestic violence,
especially for those who witnessed it without experiencing direct abuse.
Children are especially vulnerable because they are completely
dependent on their parents for survival. They don't want to do anything
that might upset them even more. Although their behavior might say
otherwise, these kids often insist that they are fine.




In this autobiographical book, author Lisa Kroulik takes readers
back to her early childhood when she witnessed her father abuse her
mother and some of her siblings on several different occasions. Ms.
Kroulik discusses the abuse only to set the backdrop for the rest of her
story. She then goes on to talk about the multiple devastating effects
that witnessing abuse had on her as she became an adult. As she
discusses each issue, the author traces it back to its origin in order
to understand and release it.








My Review:

This book is not a novel, a short sweet read that has a happy ending, but the life experiences of a woman who survived growing up in a household of abuse.  While it is a difficult book to read, it is one that can open the eyes of many who do not realize the extent to which abuse, whether personally experienced, or watched through the eyes of a child as it is happening to others; can significantly impact that person in ways that often are not seen until well into adulthood.



This was a very difficult book for me to read and still haunts my dreams even now, days after I finished reading it.  I wasn't sure what to write in my "review" as I felt such a personal response to the "child" in the story.  It is well worth reading, but not for the faint of heart, or young readers, or anyone who is not willing to take the subject of abuse seriously.  Please read with an open mind, and a prayer in your heart.



*During my review time, the ebook was redone and reposted under a new title and new cover, but the story remains the same.



Invisible Witness can be found on Amazon for only $1.99

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review using Tomoson.com. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden ~ Review & Giveaway on Mom Loves 2 Read

 


Sanctuary by Pauline Creeden

“Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation”
In a heart-racing thriller described as Falling Skies meets The Walking Dead, Jennie struggles to find a safe place for what’s left of her family. But it seems as though there is no place sacred, no place secure. First the aliens attacked the sun, making it dimmer, weaker, and half what it used to be. Then they attacked the water supply, killing one-third of Earth’s population with a bitter contaminate. And when they unleash a new terror on humankind, the victims will wish for death, but will not find it…When the world shatters to pieces around her, will Jennie find the strength she needs to keep going?


 

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book.  I could definitely see the "Left Behind for the Hunger Games Generation" idea and loved the mixture of Christian Fiction, Suspense and Science Fiction.  But the story was a bit chaotic for the first half.  I really didn't care for some of the characters and got quite aggravated with them at times.  I was thrown a bit when zombies and aliens became part of the story.  I love the author's original take on the "End Times" yet could not really get into the story as I like.  I'd have to say that it is pretty well written, yet definitely a book that needs the readers' full attention.  It is not a light read, and one that is not easy to anticipate as surprises have a way of sneaking up on the reader. 

I'll have to put this one away for a while then come back and reread it again to see if I have the same reaction the second time. 

Author Pauline Creeden 

In simple language, Pauline Creeden creates worlds that are both familiar and strange, often pulling the veil between dimensions. She becomes the main character in each of her stories, and because she has ADD, she will get bored if she pretends to be one person for too long.


Pauline is a horse trainer from Virginia, but writing is her therapy.


Armored Hearts, her joint effort with author Melissa Turner Lee, has been a #1 Bestseller in Christian Fantasy and been awarded the Crowned Heart for Excellence by InDtale Magazine. Her debut novel, Sanctuary has already been nominated for two awards in YA Science Fiction.


One of Pauline's short stories has won the CCW Short Story contest. Other short stories have been published in Fear & Trembling Magazine, Obsidian River and Avenir Eclectia. An urban fantasy short will appear in The Book of Sylvari: An Anthology of Elves from Port Yonder Press, and a vampire short will appear in Monsters! from Diminished Media Group.


  

Website * Twitter * Goodreads * Pinterest * Facebook

Blog Tour Giveaway

$25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash

Ends 11/30/13

Open only to those who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent enter for you. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and announced here as well as emailed and will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. Giveaway was organized by Kathy from I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and sponsored by the authors. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

 


a Rafflecopter giveaway



 

Disclosure: I received free the item(s) mentioned in this post in exchange for my honest review. Regardless ~ All my reviews are my honest and personal opinion. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”.

Enter Today ~ #The Ultimate Life Blog App, GIVEAWAY & fun on Mom Loves 2 Read

Welcome to Mom Loves 2 Read

Today I have a special post about the new movie coming out: The Ultimate Life

Read through, have fun with the Blog App

then enter the Giveaway for The Ultimate Life Prize Pack

Are you living
THE ULTIMATE LIFE?  

How can you know if you are?

Between the
pressure of running a foundation started by his late grandfather, being sued by
his greedy extended family, and seeing his beloved Alexia leave on an extended
mission trip to Haiti, Jason Stevens' world is unraveling. But when Jason
discovers a journal that his grandfather began as a Depression-era lad, his
writings transport Jason on an incredible rags-to-riches ride. With everything
he loves hanging in the balance, Jason hopes he can discover THE ULTIMATE
LIFE. 



The movie is opening in
theaters September 6, THE ULTIMATE LIFE (the sequel to The Ultimate Gift)
reminds us some things are worth more than money! 



With The
Ultimate Life Blog App, take the quiz to find out if YOU are Living Life to
the Fullest! Read six great ways to start living the ultimate life NOW, as
written by Jim Stovall, author of The Ultimate Life book. And watch the official
trailer for this inspiring movie! 



To see if you are living the ultimate life - Do YOU ~



Live
Life to the Fullest? QUIZ - Some things are worth more than money. Take the
quiz to see if you are truly living your life, or merely spending it! 



6 Ways to
Live The Ultimate Life PDF - Read Jim Stovall’s (author of The Ultimate Life
book upon which the movie is based) insightful ways to live better!

Tweet using the #TheUltimateLife hashtag about the
release of The Ultimate Life in theaters September 6!

How would you like to WIN an Official Ultimate Life Prize Pack! 

The prize pack
contains:

• DVD of The
Ultimate Gift
• The Ultimate Gift book by Jim Stovall
• The Ultimate
Gift charm bracelet
• The Ultimate Life leather-bound journal

Then enter below!  US only 18+ - NO PO Boxes please.

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

I received all info in the post above through PartnersHub through The Ultimate Life for this promotion and giveaway. For more info, see my FTC disclosure or Review Policy.