I was given the chance to review The Hangman’s Daughter and the sequel, The Dark Monk by, Oliver Potzsch and translated by Lee Chadeayne.  The Hangman’s Daughter is what I would classify as a historical mystery novel.  It takes place in the era of the witch trials in Bavaria.  Jakob Kuisl is the town’s hangman.  Although he is highly needed for his work in the town, he is not well respected as a citizen of Schongau because everyone thinks that it is a curse to acknowledge him or his family.  He is not even allowed to live inside the city walls and hangmen’s children are not allowed to marry in the town.  Jakob on the side is also asked for his knowledge with healing remedies and is often sought out to help cure ailments.  Because of this the physician’s son Simon Fronwieser is enamored by the books and knowledge that Jakob has acquired and frequents his house to look through the books and gain more knowledge; and it doesn’t hurt that Magdalena, the hangman’s daughter is there also.  Simon’s father is the town’s physician and he himself has gone to the university to study as well.  He isn’t fond of his father’s old tactics of healing with bleeding patients and likes that Jakob’s knowledge of the human body goes deeper then the common practices.  After several children are found missing or dead the town quickly comes to the conclusion that a witch is among them and is even quicker to point a finger at the individual they think did it.  After the “witch” is locked up Jakob and Simon seek to find the true culprit of the crime.

This is a book that I didn’t want to put down.  It was beautifully written and translated into English.  I love historical fiction and this book added just a bit more and kept you guessing the whole time as to who had done it.  It was full of action, mystery, and history and I absolutely LOVED it.  I would highly recommend this to anyone who loves mystery, history, or both.

I have been able to start the beginning of The Dark Monk but have been unable to finish it with the limited time that I have to read.  I know that I am going to pick up my e-reader every chance that I get though and read the sequel.  I can’t wait to see who did the crime in this book and to further the story of Simon, Jakob, and Magdalena.


Thank you to BzzAgent for allowing me to review these books for free in exchange for an honest review.

"The Fiddler" by, Beverly Lewis

The book entitled “The Fiddler” by, Beverly Lewis is an Amish love story that the author is so famous for.  I have read several other Amish fiction stories by Beverly Lewis as well as other authors and have thoroughly enjoyed them.  This book did not disappoint.  It was a lighthearted story of two unexpected individuals falling in love.  Amilia Devries is a woman violinist that wants to be free from the chains of expectations that her family put on her to be a concert violinist.  She enjoys violin but also loves the upbeat fiddle music; but knows that it won’t be accepted by her family.  After a wrong turn in a daunting rainstorm, she finds herself lost on back roads and with a flat tire.  Luckily, she finds a cabin that is being occupied by Michael Hostetler.  Michael is an Amish man trying to find out his purpose in life.  He also feels pressure from his parents and community to become a member of the Amish Hickory Hollow community, although he feels a deeper calling to be part of the English world.  These two meets and instantly become friends like they had known each other their entire lives.

I really enjoyed this book as it is fun, easy to read, and lighthearted.  I would recommend this book to anyone that is looking to get a sense of Amish culture, loves romance stories, or is just looking for a good read.  I want to thank Bethany House Publishing for allowing me to receive this book for free in exchange for an unbiased and honest review of the book.

Dr. Scholl's Massaging Gel Insoles

I received Dr. Scholl’s Massaging Gel Insoles through BzzAgent to try out and give my honest opinion.  I was so excited to get to try this campaign out because I have never used insoles before but had always wondered how comfortable they would be.  When I received my package in the mail I was a little concerned that the size of them was a woman’s size 6-10.  I am a size 5.5 in shoes and so I was nervous that they would not fit into my shoes.  You have to cut the insoles to fit into the size that you are anyways and so I just cut a little extra off and they fit perfectly into my black loafer shoes that I wear almost every day.  Being 9-months pregnant at the time of trial I was getting back pains, feet pains, and just generally uncomfortable at that point.  The insoles helped dramatically take away the foot pain and allowed me to walk around in comfort instead of pain.  This was particularly great because I have a 2 ½ year old that is constant movement and doesn’t slow down for anything.  These were even on me when I went into labor and up until I was about 9 ½ centimeters dilated.  I will have to say that although the rest of my body was crying out in pain, my feet weren’t.  I have continued wearing these insoles now with a newborn and busy 2 ½ year old and LOVE them!  Thank you to Dr. Scholl’s and BzzAgent for letting me be a part of this campaign.

"Thank You, God, For Blessing Me" by, Max Lucado

I received the opportunity through Booksneeze to review a digital copy of the book Thank You, God, For Blessing Me by, Max Lucado.  First of all, I have to say that I love any of Max Lucado’s books for kids.  I am sure that his Biblical studies books are excellent too, but I have a certain love for children’s books and therefore have read a lot of his books and have never been disappointed.  This book did not disappoint either.  When I first downloaded the book for my Kindle I thought that I had not gotten the entire book as it is VERY short; so don’t expect an average amount of pages.  It is meant as a board book style (minimal pages) and is formed in the way of a prayer for young children.  This book looks at the popular Hermie caterpillar character and follows his bedtime prayer as he prays for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon him.  The book kept my 2 year old daughter entertained with its rhyming nature and adorable illustrations.  I would recommend this book to anyone with young children or are beginning to teach a child to pray.  It will be a book that my daughter will love for a long time. I received a free copy of this book for an honest review through BookSneeze.com.

Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil

I was thrilled when I got the opportunity through BzzAgent to try and review the Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  It is 100% natural, high in monounsaturated fats (the “good fats”), has no trans fat, and no cholesterol.  It came with a substitution chart for butter/margarine and says that you can substitute it in most recipes for a healthier alternative (You can find the substitution chart at filippoberio.com).  As I am not an olive oil connoisseur, and honestly tend to get my olive oils on sale and the cheapest that I can find, my review will be from a novice olive oil perspective. 

Although I do not buy the most expensive brands out there I do use olive oil several times a week in my cooking.  I appreciate that it is healthier than butter and margarine and contains the “good fats”.  I  began using olive oil a lot when my daughter was an infant and the doctors were concerned that she was underweight.  One of the things that we did was to put olive oil onto her food because it gave her the “good fats” without changing the flavor of the food she was eating.  We tried the Filippo Berio Extra Virgin Olive Oil on our steamed vegetables and using it for stir frying meat and veggies.  In both cases it turned out great!  It heated up nicely for the stir fry and didn’t give our steamed veggies a funny taste.  In the future I am looking forward to tying it for salad dressings and in marinades.  Thank you to BzzAgent and the  Filippo Berio company for allowing me to try this product for my honest review.

Neutrogena Cosmetics

I received five of the new line of Neutrogena make-up products to try out through Neutrogena and BzzAgent.  I tried the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector; Neutrogena Nourishing Eyeliner; and three of the Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balms in petal glow, sunny berry, and healthy blush.  I love Neutrogena because I have sensitive skin and have never had any problem with any of their products making my eyes puff up from an allergic reaction.

Being a mom of a two year old and 9 months pregnant sleep is sometimes hard to come by.  The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector really did the trick in reducing my dark eye circles and making me appear more awake then I a really am.  The only downside that I saw to this product was the applicator itself.  It took me a while to product to come out onto the brush end and would have preferred something that you just squeeze out because it is faster and with a busy mom, time is of the essence.  Once I got the product to come out it was easy to brush on, dab with my fingers, and get that smooth appearance without it looking like I was wearing under-eye make-up.  My normal mineral make-up went easily over the top of it and I was ready to go.

The second product that I tried was the Neutrogena Nourishing Eyeliner.  I don’t wear black eyeliner very often but was anxious to try it out.  I was going to a party, actually my own baby shower, and so I decided to try it for the special event.  My eyes looked great!  The eyeliner went on smoothly and stayed on the whole day.  Although I don’t wear this dark of eyeliner usually, I will continue wearing this product for special occasions when I really want my eyes to pop.

The last product that I tried was the Neutrogena Revitalizing Lip Balm.  I received three of these in the colors of petal glow, sunny berry, and healthy blush.  The lip balm claims to transform your lips by making them softer, rosier, and more defined in just one week.  Although I really didn’t see any significant change to my lips in one week I did like the product.  The lip balm went on smoothly, was creamy, and was slightly colored to give my lips some added color.  I also like that it has an SPF 20 built in which comes in handy during the summer time in Southern California.  My favorite color was the sunny berry.

Thank you to Neutrogena and BzzAgent for allowing me to be invited to this campaign to try out free products in exchange for my Bzz and honest review of the products.

Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo and Conditioner

I was lucky enough to receive a free Garnier Fructis Triple Nutrition Shampoo and Conditioner to try.  I really love their products!  It has a bold citrus smell to it, it makes my hair look healthy, and makes it feel clean.  Although I like the shampoo just fine, the product that won me over is the conditioner.  The first time I used it I used the normal amount that I would with my typical brand of conditioner but it took me forever to rinse out of my hair.  I found that it is so creamy that I only need a little to go a long way.  Thank you BzzAgent and Garnier Fructis for allowing me to be part of this campaign and try this great new product free for posting an honest review.