Skinfix Ultra Rich Hand Repair Cream

I believe there is two "different" hand creams but, they both have the same tube design. I found both the "rich" and the "regular" hand cream to be the same. I am thinking they might have updated the packaging. 

The dermatologist-recommended hand cream is enriched with shea butter, allantoin, aloe leaf juice, chamomile, calendula, coconut, and sunflower oil to provide hydration and moisture to dry skin. The creamy lotion goes on smoothly and absorbs quickly. It does leave hands slightly greasy but, not unbearably so.

Rituals Honey Touch Indian Rose & Himalaya Honey Rich and Nourishing Body Cream

The Rituals honey touch body cream is packed with Himalayan honey, Indian rose extracts, shea butter, sunflower seed oil, and cocoa butter. The creamy luxurious cream goes on smoothly and doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. I found the soft rose scent to be relaxing and stayed on my skin throughout the day.

Book Review - The Farm by Joanne Ramos

Photo Credit - Amazon

Somewhere hidden in the Hudson Valley, New York is  luxurious retreat with every amenity imaginable available. Participants have access to organic meals, personal fitness trainers, massages, beautiful and personal rooms. People who stay at the retreat reeive a small fortune in exchange for living there for full nine months of their pregnancy on the retreat property. The hosts are not allowed to leave the property and have their movements monitored in hopes that they will produce the perfect baby for someone else.

Jane is recently divorced single mother, who lives with her older cousin, Ate in a boarding house. As an immigrant from the Philippines, she has limited opportunities for a better life.  She is desperate to find a job that pays enough to take care of her daughter. Without much options, she takes on the opportunity to be a host at the Golden Oaks retreat. Jane becomes homesick and begins to miss her daughter. She yearns to be reconnected with her life outside of Golden Oaks. However, she cannot leave the retreat otherwise, she will lose out of the bonus on deliverying her child.

When I first read the summary of this novel, I was very excited to start reading it. However, I felt disappointed after completing the novel. I felt like the novel built up some great horrorific story about the retreat but, didn't actually quite deliver. Yes, being monitored and having limited outside interaction is scary but, quite understandable for the safety and privacy of the clients. After reading the novel, the story felt pointless especially, the ending. It was abrupt and jarring. I am not sure what the purpose of not only the ending but, the entire book. After I finished reading the novel, I was left wanting more from it. Maybe a secret plot of producing multiple babies for each client and only the best speciem survives (yes, this makes me terrible human to say that but, I was hoping for something that was so shocking and scary). Although, I did like that the author included a lot of minority women but, as one can say, they were taken advantage of. Overall, I would have liked this book if it had more going on and the writing was smoother and more fluid.

*Disclosure - This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my link. Please note, there will be no any extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Book Review - Together Forever by Jody Hedlund + Giveaway

Photo Credit - Amazon

Marianne Neumann is searching for her younger sister, Sophie. Filled with desperation, Marianne becomes a placing agent with the Children's Aid Society in hopes of locating her sister. As a placing agent, Marianne hopes to locate a better life for the orphans, while locating her sister in the process. 

Andrew "Drew" Brady is accompanying Marianne on her first placing trip. He is a former schoolteacher who gets along with the children. However, underneath his charm and beauty, lies a dark secret that continues to torment Drew. The pair finds themselves growing closer until a devastating accident threatens to break their bond. Will Drew be able to put aside his feeling of guilt? Will Drew and Marianne be able to move past the accident?

This historical romance was an enjoyable read. It was an interesting topic about placing orphans from New York City to other small towns. While the book was good, I found the beginning a bit slow but it picked up towards the end. The characters were all flawed but they were trying their best with the cards they were dealt with. 

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion**

About the Book

Title: Together Forever, Orphan Train Book 2
Author: Jody Hedlund
Genre: Inspirational historical romance
Release Date: May, 2018

Determined to find her lost younger sister, Marianne Neumann takes a job as a placing agent with the Children’s Aid Society in 1858 New York. She not only hopes to offer children a better life, but prays she’ll be able to discover whether Sophie ended up leaving the city on an orphan train so they can finally be reunited.

Andrew Brady, her fellow agent on her first placing-out trip, is a former schoolteacher who has an easy way with the children, firm but tender and friendly. Underneath his charm and handsome looks, though, seems to linger a grief that won’t go away–and a secret from his past that he keeps hidden.
As the two team up, placing orphans in the small railroad towns of Illinois, they find themselves growing ever closer . . . until a shocking tragedy threatens to upend all their work and change one of their lives forever.

About the Author

 

Jody Hedlund is the author of over a dozen novels, including Love Unexpected, Captured by Love, Unending Devotion, The Preacher’s Bride, and A Noble Groom, winner of the 2014 Carol Award for historical romance. She received a bachelor’s degree from Taylor University and a master’s from the University of Wisconsin, both in social work. She lives in Michigan with her husband and five children. She loves hearing from readers on Facebook and on her blog at www.jodyhedlund.com.

Giveaway

To celebrate her tour, Jody is giving away a grand prize of a $25 Amazon gift card!!

Click below to enter: https://promosimple.com/ps/cee5/together-forever-celebration-tour-giveaway

Book Review - Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

Photo Credit - Amazon

Susan Ryeland is the editor of popular bestselling mystery, crime writer, Alan Conway. When she receives his latest novel, she assumes is like his other novels. Conway's famous detective, Atticus Pünd is a fan favorite and Susan has to put up with his odd behavior if she wants to keep her job. His latest novel is about a murder at Pye Hall with an eccentric cast of suspects. However, the more Susan reads the novel, the more she realizes there is an overlap between Alan and Atticus's lives. What is the secret behind the Conway's last novel?

I was intrigued by the cover of this novel and it reminded me of "The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez", which I enjoyed.  (The similarity of having "murders" in the title). The telling of the story is from Susan reading about Atticus and the story about Alan Conway. Both of the stories read like they were written by two different authors and I personally found the Atticus Pünd story more interesting than Susan investigating Alan Conway's death. I found the portion with Susan to be drawn out and tedious to read. The ending was also a bit of a disappointment and one could see happening after all she mentioned it in the beginning before we even began to read the book. 

L'Occitane Shea Butter Ultra Rich Body Cream

Photo Credit - L'Occitane

The rich cream is packed with 25% concentration of shea butter with a sweet scent of Jasmine. The whipped cream is packed with extracts of linseed, mallow, sweet almond and honey along with apricot oil and Vitamin E. The body cream is thick [perfect for the winter] but still light enough for the summer. It made my skin, soft, smooth and left a soft delicate scent on my skin. I love applying this after exfoliating [with Sundari Gotu Kola and Walnut Body Exfoliator] and then going to bed and waking to super soft skin.

Zents Mandarin Ultra Rich Shea Butter Soap

The triple milled, 100% vegetable based is formulated with organic shea butter, glycerin, neem oil and coconut oil. And none of the bad stuff like parabens, phthalates, sodium lauryl, colors and dyes. The soap promises to condition, hydrate, protect, deodorizes, and balance skin zones. The citrus scented soap lather well and left my skin smooth and soft while delicately scented.

Sephora Super Supreme Body Butter

Photo Credit - Sephora

I recently bought this for my trip to Amsterdam. Usually, my skin has a habit of acting up every time I am on vacation trying to look pretty. Not this time! Good bye dry scaly skin and hello smooth, soft baby skin! I love how moisturized it left my skin.  The body butter was thick and was absorbed quickly. I was especially in love with the fact that my skin didn’t feel sticky after application. I like how the butter was packed with HydroSenn+,  shea, illipe and mango butters. I will definitely stock up on this and use it through the year.