Book Review – A Princess’s Duty by Sloane Murphy
Blurb:
Emilia Daarke has wanted to escape the Summer Court her entire life. She’s not brutal like the other Fae. She’s not savage. But they are.
When the boy she loves, Cade Vasara, Crowned Prince of the Winter Court, kills Emilia’s twin, they are torn apart and Emilia’s love for Cade dies just like her sibling did.
Years later, she has fallen in love with a hunter – a forbidden love that goes against all that she has been taught. A man her father will never approve of. When her secret is outed, her father captures her Hunter and gives Emilia an ultimatum.
If she succeeds, she’ll lose the one she loves. But if she fails, he will die, and she will never be able to forgive herself…
This is the first book I’ve ever read of Sloane’s. It’s the mention of the fae that drew me in! And I wasn’t disappointed! Whew what a page turner that was! I love the writing style, it was so easy to get into. I love the chemistry between both Emilia and Oberon, and Emilia and Cade. I was actually torn about who I wanted to ship her with. I love how gory and dark it was in some places and how heated things got in others! I REALLY enjoyed the twists; and that cliff hanger at the end? Oh. My. God! I was about 90% through reading when I had an inkling that a certain character would turn. I’m a bit gutted though, I really liked them! A part of me is hoping it’s all some kind of act. Speaking of characters, I didn’t warm to Lex. He’s definitely one shady dude! However, maybe I’ll be surprised in the next book and he actually turns out good? Who knows? But I’m dying to find out what happens!
Book two, A King’s Oath, will be released in December.
*this book was sent to me in exchange for an honest review.
The Land of Steel and Honey Cover Reveal!
Land of Steel and Honey is coming October 31. Today is the cover reveal, and you can even preorder this book for only 99 cents. Keep reading to find out more!
The blurb:
Freedom has never been further away…
Jovi faces a precarious situation when Cappa teams with Belisandre to kidnap her. When she finds herself right back where she started in the castle, she tries to escape. Before she can break free, Cappa forces her on another journey, this time into the heart of Lyenhaus.
It doesn’t take long to learn how untruthful Cappa has been about his life. In order to survive, she must make him believe that she trusts him, and that she still loves him, which isn’t an easy feat when she can barely stand to be in the same room as him.
Lyenhaus is the Dwarf land, and soon Jovi finds a friend in the Dwarf king, who sees Cappa for what he is the moment he meets him. With his help, she might actually break free, but when Cappa escapes, she has an important decision to make.
Can she return to her life as Queen of the Frost Mages knowing Cappa is out there?
Land of Steel and Honey is the second installment in Secrets of Orendor, a YA epic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of Sarah J Maas and Victoria Aveyard.
And Book 1 has a brand new cover too! Check it out below!
The blurb:
One cure can save them all…
Princess Jovi’s sheltered life has taught her nothing about Orendor, the kingdom she will one day rule. Longing for adventure isn’t the same as being thrust in the middle of one, which is exactly what happens when the Frost Mages attack the castle in Kingsperch.
Determined to save her kingdom, Jovi must gather an army of brave warriors to defeat the Frost Mages and protect the people she loves. She seeks help from the bravest Mammoth Rider in all of Orendor—her fearless uncle, Meical.
Jovi will endure harrowing trials she never imagined she’d face, but as a daring new enemy emerges from the darkness, she will discover a startling truth about herself that might open the door to a brand new future.
Will she choose the lives of many, or the heart of one?
Land of Strength and Sorrow is the first installment in Secrets of Orendor, a YA epic fantasy series that will appeal to fans of Sarah J Maas and Victoria Aveyard.
Here is the best part! Since it’s my birthday month, I’ve decided to offer Land of Strength and Sorrow for only 99 cents! And you can also preorder Land of Steel and Honey for 99 cents too! How awesome is that?
Land of Steel and Honey releases October 31, so be sure to preorder now so you don’t forget! Just click those buy links below!
P!nk Beauty Rose and Hemp Face Mask Review.
On Wednesdays we wear pink! P!nk Beauty that is! 😀
I decided to have a mini pamper and try out the Rose & Hemp face mask which was part of my PR package from P!nk Beauty. Of course Willow wondered what the heck was going on when I walked into the room looking like this. 😂
What I love about clay masks is when you feel the mask hardening. I dunno, maybe I’m weird that way but I find it quite satisfying haha; It makes me feel like it’s doing its magic. I left it on for about 15 minutes then rinsed it off with warm water. Before I took it off I glanced at myself in the mirror and saw it had drawn out the oil and dirt from my pores around my nose (showed up as little black dots on the clay mask) which I thought was really cool! The mask was really easy to rinse off and my face felt so smooth and soft afterwards.
Featuring my little Willow who insisted on holding the pot for me lol.
This mask is perfect for those with sensitive combination skin like myself. It helps fight against the signs of aging, relieves inflammation and skin conditions such as psoriasis and eczema, and also helps relieve acne too. The rose clay draws out all the dirt and oil (which is what it was doing on my nose). As well as being an anti-inflammatory, hemp seed oil moisturises the skin and creates a protective barrier that locks in the moisture. This is just some of the benefits from the ingredients in this face mask (drop by P!nk Beauty’s Instagram page to learn more). The ingredients are all natural too and is cruelty-free and lovingly hand made by @christalsmakeup.
I absolutely adore this brand and would definitely recommend. The fact that the products are all natural just speaks to my Boho natural skincare loving heart. The brand is a US brand but does ship internationally (I’m from the UK). When I get a chance I’ll be stopping by and buying more products!
All my friends and followers will receive 15% off your P!nk Beauty purchase. Just use promo code: Dayna15
Home made oat milk
Happy Monday! I made my own oat milk today after seeing A Virtual Vegan’s recipe for it. It was really simple to make. There’s a few tweaks I need to make next time but for a first attempt, it’s not bad at all.
I’m actually really proud of myself. It’s currently chilling in the fridge in its lovely Kilner milk bottle. I need to buy me another one of these bottles for sure; they’re so cute!
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P!nk Beauty skincare products.
Thank you so much to the lovely Christal at P!nk Beauty for sending me over a PR package of some of her products. I am SO excited to use them as I’ve been dying to try her products for ages now. I love that her products are all natural, cruelty free and have no nasty chemicals so are pure goodness for the skin!
The products I received are:
🌹Rose water shimmer setting spray
🌹2× Rose & hemp clay masks
🌹Lady love chocolate clay mask
🌹Lavender rose sheet mask
I shall do individual reviews for each product. Can’t wait to share my thoughts with you guys!
All my friends and followers will receive 15% off your P!nk Beauty purchase (they are based in the US but ship internationally too 😀). Just use promo code: Dayna15
#pinkbeautyskincare #pinkbeauty #naturalbeauty #naturalproducts #naturalskincare #skincare #pr #rosewater #claymask #facemasks #settingspray #blog #blogger #bblogger #bbloggers #bblog #mummyblog #mommyblog #mummyblogger #influencer #ambassador #beauty
Book Mail!
Book mail yay! When Penguin approached me about reviewing the book, Dear Evan Hansen (to be released 9th October 2018), I jumped at the chance. I was really intrigued by the fact that it was a stage to book adaptation as I hadn’t heard of it being done before. I definitely have to look up the musical on YouTube and the Internet! And must also check out the soundtrack so that I can listen to that whilst reading the book! The other thing that drew me to the book was the mention of “Benj Pasek” and “Justin Paul” 😮! OMG if you love The Greatest Showman like me, then you will have heard of them and you’ll know how amazing their music and songwriting is! This is another reason why I need to check out the Dear Even Hansen soundtrack!
Here’s the book blurb:
Dear Evan Hansen,
Today’s going to be an amazing day and here’s why…
When a letter that was never meant to be seen by anyone draws high school senior Evan Hansen into a family’s grief over the loss of their son, he is given the chance of a lifetime: to belong. He just has to stick to a lie he never meant to tell, that the notoriously troubled Connor Murphy was his secret best friend.
Suddenly, Evan isn’t invisible anymore–even to the girl of his dreams. And Connor Murphy’s parents, with their beautiful home on the other side of town, have taken him in like he was their own, desperate to know more about their enigmatic son from his closest friend. As Evan gets pulled deeper into their swirl of anger, regret, and confusion, he knows that what he’s doing can’t be right, but if he’s helping people, how wrong can it be?
No longer tangled in his once-incapacitating anxiety, this new Evan has a purpose. And a website. He’s confident. He’s a viral phenomenon. Every day is amazing. Until everything is in danger of unraveling and he comes face to face with his greatest obstacle: himself.
A simple lie leads to complicated truths in this big-hearted coming-of-age story of grief, authenticity and the struggle to belong in an age of instant connectivity and profound isolation.’
Makeup Collab – National Donut Day!
It was national donut day yesterday in the US so my makeup collab girls and I each did a makeup look to celebrate. I chose a jam donut as my inspo. 😀
Foundation: The Body Shop Matte Clay Foundation
Brows: Freedom Makeup Brow Pomade
Eyes: Juvia’s Place Mini Masquerade Palette, K Rose B Cosmetics loose pigment in Poseidon. Revolution Makeup Awesome Dual Eyeliner Line & Flick, E.L.F Volumising & Defining mascara.
Cheeks: New CID Cosmetics I-glow-mini shimmer powder in Ice Pop and Revolution Makeup Vivid Baked Highlighter in Golden Lights (more noticeable on nose)
Lips: Saturated Colour Cosmetics lipstick and vinyl lip gloss in Lady In Red.
I had so much fun. Of course, the red lip represents the jam and the shimmer on the eyes is the sugar.
Beautiful Fluid Painting.
Wow I am actually an owner of a genuine piece of art!
I am so in love with this fluid painting by Foxx Art Official! This piece of art is called “Sahara” and I’m so happy that it’s now home with me and I can call it mine. I have been admiring Foxx Art’s pieces for quite a while now, just waiting for the right piece to call out to me, so as soon as Hannah from Foxx Art posted about this piece I knew I had to have it.
I love the orange with the gold glitter running through it. It’s so beautiful! I don’t think I’ll be stopping at owning just this gorgeous piece, there’s sure to be more of her art that I’ll want to own. You should definitely stop by her Facebook page or her Instagram and check out more of her amazing art!
Happy Hooves Tee Shirt Review.
“Let’s Avocuddle!!” Happy Mother’s Day to all you mamas out there (we celebrated back in March here in the UK) but we wanted to share the love and celebrate again with you all!
Willow is modelling this seriously cute tee from the vegan run brand, Happy Hooves! The tee is really good quality and made from 100% cotton. It’s age 2-4 so plenty of growing room for Willow. Absolutely love this design and the quirky slogan! I’ve also got my eye on a Harry Potter inspired hoody (you’ve gotta check it out!) and their Happy Hooves mug. For all you makeup addicts out there, there’s even a design for you guys! Happy Hooves is regularly coming up with new designs so keep your eye for them. I can’t wait to see what else they come up with. If you pop on over to their site and see something you like, I have a 20% off promo code for you guys so feel free to use it (valid until 11.59pm on 19th May) : JPXV0S2C9ZC5.
I hope you’re all having a wonderful day and that you mummies are up to something really special!
Greek Goddess Makeup Collaboration.
Hey all. I hope you’re having a fab weekend so far! I wanted to share with you a look I did for a makeup collab I recently took part in with a bunch of lovely women over on Instagram. I had sooo much fun doing this! I chose the Greek Goddess, Nyx, Goddess of the night for my look.
Nyx – Goddess of night.
I’ve used black pressed eyeshadow and blue eyeshadow pigment (both by K Rose B Cosmetics) to portray the night and silver pigment (also K Rose B Cosmetics) to portray the stars. Love these eyeshadows so much and looked like a sparkly vampire afterwards. 😂 Not that I minded haha. The choice of Goddess was also a nod to one of my fave YA book series, House of Night by P.C. and Kristin Cast. If you’re familiar with the series then you’ll know she plays such a major part throughout the series.
Let me know what you think of this look in the comments. There’s so much more that I wanted to but I just wasn’t able to. 😭
