Review: Disney x BaubleBar Minnie Mouse Rainbow Bow Earrings

Last year I purchased a Disney x BaubleBar jewellery collaboration mystery box from the now defunct DoubleboxToys. I finally got around to unboxing the items to use as prizes so here’s my take on the Minnie Mouse Head Silver Tone Stud earrings. 

These Minnie Mouse Head Silver Tone stud earrings are for pierced ears and measure 1/2x1/2”. They are based on the iconic Minnie Mouse head and bow. They are small elegant studs which stay true to the instantly recognisable silhouette of Minnie’s ears, head and iconic bow. It’s a shame that they are only silver tone as they would be great to wear as everyday studs that don’t need to be taken out as they lie flat against the way and there is nothing that can snag and rip the earring out. I haven’t worn them as they are a prize. 

I like these earrings. They are different to the existing Disney/ Minnie Mouse designs. Sadly it doesn’t look as though BaubleBar have any stockists in the UK and can only be found in TKMaxx which is a shame. I like both the Disney collab and BaubleBar’s standard lines. I am put off, however, by the original £€£ RRP and the fact that the majority of their designs are gold or silver tone not at least gold or silver plate. There are a few sterling silver designs on their website but they do not shop to the UK and they have no plans to start doing so. I would expect some type of plating for the prices that are charged. 

I purchased these earrings myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own 

Last Few Purchases from Tada and Toy

 

A glimpse of my last few purchases from Tada and Toy  before they close tomorrow (14 Feb 2025). I Will never be able to replace my friendship bracelets - elephant, rhino, pangolin, lion, cheetah & giraffe - my safari stack but I will have my underwater stack of bracelets!!

   

Book Review: In The Greek Midwinter by Mandy Baggot

   

Set in Athens, Greece, this novel follows the story of Jen who has decided to surprise her boyfriend by visiting him in Athens after they had to cancel a romantic trip to Paris due to his work commitments. When she and her best friend, Bonnie, arrive in Athens (surprise) David isn’t there to greet them. 

Jen is obsessed by Christmas, she is immersed in it all the year round as her business is based upon it! whereas Astro, the Greek waiter she meets via an dating online website detests it! Slowly their relationship develops but will their pasts, especially Astros’s prevent them finding a future together? 

I loved the vibrant and in-depth descriptions of Athens and the green Christmas traditions. I also enjoyed reading the day to day interaction between Astro and Jen as their relationship grew and developed. 

Both characters are complex and they need to deal with the past before they can truly move forwards. The novel has two storylines, one is about the characters finding themselves and the second is their romance slowly developing  with a gorgeous backdrop of Athens at Christmas. 

This is a fun, festive romantic comedy coupled with self discovery for the main characters. A great novel to snuggle up with next to the Christmas tree over the festive period. 

I received this book via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review. Gray 

Book Review: Nobody’s Fool by Harlan Coben

This psychological thriller written by Harlan Coben is the follow on novel from Fool Me Once. Sami Kierce’s whole life changes 25 years ago after he goes backpack in Spain with friends for a holiday. He is a medical student who works with the college football team. He meets Anna. at a disco and they hook up. Anna is a free spirit who is involved with drugs. Sami also starts to partake. One morning Sami wakes up with a knife in his hand, covered in blood and Anna’s lifeless body next to him. She had been stabbed to death. He has no recollection of the previous night. He goes to the police but when they return to the scene of the crime Anna’s body has gone. His father tells him to leave. He flees from the scene of the crime and the country. Shortly after returning home there is a huge news about a local heiress Victoria Belmond being kidnapped 

His whole life changes. Prior to Anna’s murder he was a medical student but he instead becomes a NYPD police officer. Several years ago he was engaged to  Nicole Brett, also a police officer Sadly she was murdered by Tad Grayson. He is now married, to Molly,  lives in NYC and has a baby boy. 

Career wise Sami is  a disgraced cop, kicked out of the force after chasing a suspect off a roof.  He works as a private investigator for a law firm  and teaches criminology night classes. He is sure he has seen Anna alive and well at one of his lectures. There eyes lock and she runs as soon as she realises he has recognised her. Tad has also just been released on a technicality. Tad asks the firm Sami works for to investigate Nicole’s case and Sami agrees to help. 

Sami enlists his criminology students to help solve the two murders, the kidnapping of Victoria and the possible link between her and Anna,  find out what really happened in Spain and figure out who is stalking his family. There are lots of twists, red herrings and cliff hangers in the storyline. The ending cannot easily be guessed, leaving enough room for a third book in the series?! 

I enjoyed this book. It is fast paced, well throughout with lots of sun plots. The humour is brought in by his amateur detective club which is run by Sami. The characters add variety and dimension to the plot and direction of the storyline. I don’t normally enjoy novels written in the first person but with Sami acting as the narrator I felt it drew the reader into the story. 

I received this book via Netagalley and Random House UK in exchange for a honest review. 

Review: Disney x BaubleBar Minnie Mouse Rainbow Bow Earrings

Last year I purchased a Disney x BaubleBar jewellery collaboration mystery box from the now defunct DoubleboxToys. I finally got around to unboxing the items to use as prizes so here’s my take on the Minnie Mouse Rainbow Bow gold tone earrings for pierced ears.

These earrings are for pierced ears and measure 1x1.5”. They are based on the iconic Minnie Mouse posing in her red dress and bow but they have elevated her look. Her red dress sparkles with red gems and her iconic bow is covered in sprinkles making the whole look seem very tactile and eye catching. The earrings feel very light despite looking like they should be heavy (I haven’t worn them as they are a prize). They are gold toned. 

I like these earrings. They are different to the existing Disney/ Minnie Mouse designs. Sadly it doesn’t look as though BaubleBar have any stockists in the UK and can only be found in TKMaxx which is a shame. I like both the Disney collab and BaubleBar’s standard lines. I am put off, however, by the original £€£ RRP and the fact that the majority of their designs are gold or silver tone not at least gold or silver plate. There are a few sterling silver designs on their website but they do not shop to the UK and they have no plans to start doing so. I would expect some type of plating for the prices that are charged. 

I purchased the item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own.

Book Review: Rachael Stewart What Happens At The Beach… (Mills & Boon True Love)

After losing her home and career as a bar worker, Fae Thompson is housing/ dog sitting for 6 weeks. She is minding Precious the poodle for her rich step sister Sasha in Sydney’s very expensive Bondi Beach area whilst she is on her honeymoon with her wife Gigi.  Sasha left Fae a long email of dos and don'ts but most importantly of all Precious wasn’t to come into contact with the neighbour Lord Cedric Alexander Pennington, otherwise known as Rick, as his dog, a Great Dane called Ralph, according to Sasha had gone for her baby like a piece of meat.

Fae meets Rick for the first time when they are walking the dogs and rather like 101 Dalmatians they end up entwined in the dog leads. Both romances progress, culminating in a disastrous gala for the humans, will they get their HEA?  Precious is unwell after the gala turns out she is pregnant and puppies are born just as her human mama gets back from her honeymoon so everyone gets their HEA!!    

I enjoyed this book and read it in one sitting The dogs added a touch humour and could have had their own mini romance told from their perspective as they were definitely part of the main storyline not just there to bulk out the word count. There was a sense of sadness and loss for Fae, she is the step sister who doesn’t fit in and has lost the places that she felt safe and wanted. She has an inferiority complex as her father abandoned her and her mother and created the perfect family with someone else   This has shaped her life and could ruin her future if she doesn’t change. Rick hadn’t smiled in years before coming to Australia as he fought to save the family home and business after being let down by his dad. The characters work well together, are realistic enough to both appeal to and be relatable to the reader.  The storyline is well paced, doesn’t drag has interesting and complex characters both human and canine.

 I love Mills & Boon UK and I think you will too! Click my personal referral link to get a discount on your first purchase http://rwrd.io/f4yjeqp?c 

I received this book via BookFunnel and Rachael Stewart in exchange for a honest review. 

Book Review: Unexpectedly His After-Party Consequences (Billion-Dollar Bet) / Princess Bride Swap (Rebel Princesses) by Heidi Rice; Lorraine Hall

Unexpectedly His contains two Mills & Boon Modern novels, After Party Consequences by Heidi Rice (which is part of the Billion Dollar Bet mini series) and Princess Bride Swap by Lorraine Hall (part of the Rebel Princess mini series). 

After Party Consequences’ storyline focuses on a billionaire staying faithful over one summer, to prove he is not a playboy. This time it’s billionaire Cade Landry, if he remains single or with just one woman for the summer he will win ownership of the only place that holds memories of his mother. Instead of remaining single, he is caught in a one night stand with Charlotte Courtney, Charley. She is an ex teenage model who turned her life around, went to fashion college and trained to be a fashion designer. She is using her savings she earned as a model to fund her little flat in the East End of London. They first encountered each other 4 years ago when she was an out of control model/ socialite. Very embarrassing for her. Now she is a grown up 22 year old determined to achieve her ambitions. The press and everyone involved in the bet discover that they had a one night stand and he gets Charley to agree to faking a relationship. The chemistry between them makes this easy but then a third little person makes its way in to the mix! 

Both characters have childhood issues that have shaped their adulthood. He was abandoned, she had disinterested parents. It is interesting to see how the author makes these characters complex but likeable to the reader. Showing how they both grow and develop as they face parenthood. I enjoyed this book and would recommend. 

Princess Bride Swap is the second book in this mini anthology. Princess Beaugonia replaces her twin Zia in the arranged marriage to Prince Lyon Traverso after she has a rare night of freedom as end up pregnant. Beau arranges the new marriage contract between Lyon and herself before informing her father, the King of the Kingdom of Lyon, so he could not scupper her plans. Her father bad never liked Beau. Even though she is the eldest twin he made Zia his heir. Beau and Lyon have chemistry between them but will he support his new bride when he discovers her secrets that have kept her in the shadow of her sister? 

I didn’t enjoy this novel as much as the first in the duo. I found the storyline rather fanciful and this trope has been done so many times. The book, however, is well written and the characters, although not particularly believable, are interesting as the reader watches/ reads their interaction.

This duo of novels makes a good combination of storylines and makes for a good introduction to these authors writing styles.   

 I love Mills & Boon UK and I think you will too! Click my personal referral link to get a discount on your first purchase http://rwrd.io/f4yjeqp?c 

I received this book via Netgalley and Mills and Boon in exchange for a honest review. I am a #MillsAndBoonInsider #netgalley #gifted