Book Review - The Midwife's Dilemma by Delia Parr

Photo Credit - Amazon

Midwife Martha Cade has finally decided that when Mayor Thomas Dillion returns in February, she will marry him. With everything else in her life spinning out of control, Martha feels this is the only thing she has control over. Her daughter, Victoria, is besotted with the town's younger doctor. Martha feels that she is ready to settle down and pass on her role as a midwife to someone younger.

The Pennsylvania town has grown in size and population. It has become an important hub for agricultural and economic needs. There are plans of canal allowing the town to be connected with the outside world. With everything changing, Martha will need to decide how she will spend the rest of her life.

I have read the first book of the series but, didn't realize this was the third book. Unfortunately, while each book can be read as standalone, I felt like I was missing portions of the story because I didn't read the second novel. I felt like the novel dragged and most of the time, Martha was spent debating her marriage proposal or about her horse. I also had a hard time understanding why Martha couldn't get married and continue being a midwife. I understand that she will eventually need to retire but, the constant pushing by Thomas to get his way seemed like drummed drama for an otherwise boring book.  I didn't also understand why there was a need for her to be a midwife and if she didn't want to do it, why not say she is no longer a midwife? Perhaps, I am looking at her struggle through a modern lens. I also didn't understand why Martha was stubborn and did things that she didn't like other people doing. I liked the first novel in the series but, this one was quite disappointing.

**Disclosure - I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. 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 extra charges to you. Thank you for your support.**

Day of the Dead Cookie Kit

I came across this cooking kit and thought it would be fun date night idea ( a very cheap date night idea as it was only $10 ). The kit came with sugar cookie mix, royal icing mix, edible watercolor palettes, brushes, black icing pen and a plastic cookie cutter. The instructions were pretty easy and straightforward.  The kit included most of the ingredients except for butter, egg, water, and powdered sugar. 

First, we made the sugar cookie mix and made the frosting while the cookies were baking. Since, we didn't have powdered sugar we used regular sugar and that was a bad idea. It came out too light and also grainy.  After we finished, frosting the cookies we used the watercolor paper palettes to paint the cookies. Perhaps, the kit was old but the colors took a lot of water before anything appeared on the brush. Sadly, the watercolors included was not enough for all the cookies we made. The kit was a fun idea but we probably would not get this particular one again.

The Body Shop Chocomania Sugar Body Scrub

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with chocolate. This deliciously chocolate scented sugar body scrub is packed with cocoa butter and organic cane sugar. The sugar scrub removes dead skin cells, stimulates circulation, and leaves skin feeling softer and smoother. I love how soft my skin felt and the sweet chocolate scent on my skin. If you love chocolate and body scrubs, you  should definitely give this a try.

Suki Exfoliate Foaming Cleanser

I have heard many good things about the Suki skin care brand and I decided to get this cleanser. I had thought I wrote a review about this as this my second bottle.  Alas, I digress. The cleanser has a sweet citrusy scent, thanks to the lemongrass extract. At first, when I ordered the product I was very curious how the sugar based scrub would be foaming.  It is quite interesting, that you take a little bit of product and mix a bit of water and rub your hands together with the product in the middle and it starts to foam. You then apply that foam to your face and wait a couple of minutes to wash it off. The cleanser does a good job exfoliate and it left my skin a bit tight the first time but my skin was so smooth and soft. I use this once a week to keep my skin fresh and clear.

Sephora Tropical Jasmine Body Scrub

I came across this while cleaning my room. I honestly should organize and clean my  stuff more often because I come across awesomes treasures. This tropical sugar scrub is scented with jasmine, coconut, sandalwood, tahitian vanilla and white amber. The body scrub lathers well and left my skin feeling soft and smooth. It also left my skin sweetly scented. I am a bit disappointed that it was discontinued at Sephora but I have one more bottle before I have to start worrying.

Basq Citrus Sugar Body Polish

Exfoliating gets rid of the dead cells on top while promoting cellular renewal on the lower levels. This body polish is packed with whipped shea butter, essentials oils, jojoba, rosehip, grapeseed, wheat germ, hazelnut oil and Illipe butter to hydrate, moisturize, nourish and exfoliate.  The citrus sugar scrub has scents of neroli but it was a bit overpowering  for me. The sugar scrub was liquidly which made it easy to scoop  up. I like how the scrub lathers and foams up when I rub it in. I love how soft, smooth, and moisturized it left my skin. I also like how softly the delicate scent was on my skin.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment SPF 15

I bought the holiday set for these mini lip balms and finally got around to using one. I love the Fresh brand and I heard a lot of good things about these lip treatments, so I figured I should give them a try. This is a hydrating treatment that nourishes, protects, and plumps the lips. Unlike the other treatments this lip balm goes on clear.  The lip balm is packed with reparative oils, waxes, real sugar, black currant oil, grapeseed polyphenols, Vitamins A, C, and E. It is formulated without parabens, sulfates, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, triclosan, lanolin, petroleum and mineral oil.The lip treatment made my feel buttery soft and my lips had a sweet taste to it. The one thing I hate about this lip treatment is that the stick is too thin that it broke after a couple uses. I might buy the full size version as I did like the product but I was annoyed that the lip balm broke so quickly.

Verve Organics Soul Sister Lavender Nut Sugar Scrub

With an ingredient list that sounds like a recipe - turbinado sugar, coconut oil, macadamia nut oil and lavender oil, it smells good enough to eat! The gritty body scrub exfoliated my dry skin and left it soft and moisturized after stepping out of the shower. While it was recommend for use on your feet, I used it all over my body for silky smooth skin. The lavender scent is soft and barely scented my skin.