New York Color BB Creme 5 in 1 Instant Matte Skin Perfector Review

Good Morning,

As I have mentioned before I have been in love with the Maybelline Dream Pure Skin Clearing Perfector BB Cream for quite some time now, but as my skin type has changed from the dryer side to the more oily side (so annoying) I have been finding that the Maybelline BB Cream just isn't working as well with the change in my skin so I needed to look for something else.

I was flipping through a magazine a couple of weeks ago and came across a picture of NYC cosmetics and amongst the goods was a picture of their 5 in 1 Instant Matte BB Creme, so I took a picture on my phone so I would remember to check it out! While we were home last week I grabbed it while at Target one day and have been using it since. I think I have used it enough to form a good opinion so I thought I would stop by and share it with you guys!

NYC 5 in 1 Instant Matte Skin Perfector BB Creme 

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Now because I had only seen a picture in a magazine I was basing my interest on the fact that it was a BB cream which is what I wanted as well as the fact that it said 'instant matte' which is exactly what I need right now. Unless your skin is super dry I think the matte option is great for summer in general, unless you are really going for the super dewy look! 

When I picked it up in Target it said 5 in 1, which is referring to offer the following:

1. Provides instant mattifying coverage

2. Minimizes appearance of pores and lines

3. Beautifies & Smooths skin

4. Minimizes appearance of skin imperfections

5. Brightens skin tone for healthy, flawless complexion. 

I will say I absolutely agree with all of the above except maybe number two! I'm not sure it really minimizes my pores at all but 4 out of 5 isn't bad and if that is an issue for you there are definitely primers that will take care of pores that you can apply prior to the BB Cream. 

This product cost is $3.49 compared to the $7.49 for the Maybelline one that I have been using which is a plus considering I will definitely say I like this product better. If you have dry skin with dry patches this will definitely NOT work for you as it will cling to your dry patches no matter what. If you are interested in trying this product there is a regular option as well as a bronze radiance which will add a slight tan like tint to your skin. 

I really love this product, it absolutely brightens my skin while still leaving it completely matte. I am really impressed about how well it holds up in the hot summer weather, naturally nothing is going to hold up perfectly against extreme humidity but I am really impressed with how long it does last. Obviously an oil free primer as well as a setting spray will also help the length of time your makeup lasts. 

The product itself is thicker than a lot of BB Creams I have tried therefore a little goes a long way and I don't find that it looks cakey on your face by any means. In the past I have always applied my BB Creams just like I would a foundation, with a dense kabuki brush and buffing it in but I have been applying this one with my fingers (make sure to wash your hands first, so not to spread bacterial all over your face) rubbing it in like I would a moisturizer and I really like the way it applies. I think you could use a brush and it would give you a more sheer coverage then it already it but the product itself is buildable if you would prefer to use a brush and just add an extra layer. 

I am really happy with this purchase, I have tried quite a few BB Creams and always end up returning them because I don't like the way they apply, sit on the skin or couldn't find a good color match for my skin. I will say the color range for this product is limited which is a downfall, I am really fair and 01- light is a great match for me, but I highly recommend swatching it in stores before buying it to make sure it will work for you. 

All in all I highly recommend this, I don't know why when looking at makeup I always skip over the NYC section, but now that I know they have great products these are a few things I would consider picking up in the future:

1. NYC Sun 'n Bronzing Powder - $4.49

You can purchase this in Tan which is matte or Radiance which would give you a sheen. 

2. NYC Color Wheel Mosaic Face Powder (Blush) - $4.49

This as well can be purchased in a variety of colors depending on your skin tone. 

3. NYC City Proof Eye Shadow in Brooklyn Mocha - $2.79

This is a chubby stick cream eye shadow which I really love, I have recently been into cream products and I find they look a lot more natural and in the summer last longer! 

Have you tried anything from the brand NYC? If so what did you think?

Just a side note, we are heading home really early tomorrow morning! Today is Jason's last day of work here and then tomorrow morning we will be on the road again. We will only be there until Tuesday and I am hoping that between now and then I will be able to pop in and give y'all an update but if that doesn't happen there may be some down time on the blog until next week when we are settled and have internet and stuff again!

I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks as always for stopping in!

Fourth of July Festivities 2015

Good Morning,

Are you all recovering nicely from the holiday weekend? I'm sure Monday was rough but at this rate you are already half way through the week basically!

Although we had a pretty low key 4th of July I thought I would stop by and share what we did do because I thought it was worth a mention. Besides although obviously not all posts but some posts I write I think will be great to look back on later and see pictures and read about the things we have done and where. If you know me at all you know my memory is crap so I need all the help I can get!!

Jason worked on Saturday which pretty much sucked, although I am use to him working all the time it always seems to bug me just a little bit more on a holiday. Having said that it really is the norm so we just roll with it and make the best of the time we do have. Jason had intended to only work until noon but that ended up turning into 3:00pm so by the time he got back here and showered and we got out the door it was a little later than we had expected!

We had considered booking a late night dinner cruise in Manhattan to have the option of watching Fireworks from the boat which would have been amazing but I wasn't keen on paying the large price tag, especially when Jason's work schedule is so unreliable! We considered going into the city to watch fireworks but sadly with the terror threats they were being extremely strict in the city and I worried that with Jason working late and them putting a limit on the amount of people allowed in certain areas (the best areas to see the fireworks) we wouldn't get there in time to actually get a decent spot.

In the end we decided to go to Liberty State Park in New Jersey, they were having a fair with food trucks, carnival rides, games, entertainment and so on! Plus they put on their own huge fireworks display and we figured if we got to the right spot we would be able to see not only the Jersey ones but the ones Macy's was putting on over on the East River as well.

Finding parking and getting into the park was OUTRAGEOUS! I expected it to be bad but not nearly as bad as it ended up being! We managed to get parking at the Liberty Science Center which was pretty ideal and then walked over to the park. By the time we got there we were both starving so we scoped out the food trucks!

Aren't these little rescue vehicles amazing? I thought that was such a great idea!!

Guys, how excited was I to see the Nuncha's food truck there!! I am a sucker for a good empanada and I have had these quite a few times and they are AMAZING! If you happen to come across one of these, the spicy chicken empanada is where its at! 

Jason's converting to a truth southerner and went directly for the Carolina BBQ. Pulled pork sandwich and baked beans! The Pulled pork was on point, the beans were not Carolina Style though.. we were not impressed!

Lady Liberty in all her glory! 

People were legit camped out! There were tents everywhere and people had brought their own charcoal BBQs and what not, I wish we had the whole day and could have had a setup like that, it looked like a really good time! 

Manhattan from Liberty State Park. 

After eating we spent a ton of time just walking around the park and enjoying the beautiful day! They had a TON of food and live entertainment and of course the park is on the water which is always really nice. After touring around for a long time we decided to go back for more food. I just wanted an ice cream because its something we really never have but Jason decided he needed to have a smoked turkey leg. Jason's been talking about smoked turkey legs for quite some time now and even looked at them in the grocery store last time we were home but decided not to get one. After his BBQ we continued walking and when he saw them he absolutely knew he had to get one, but he needed to walk off his first meal. 

Generally smoked turkey legs are just plain but this particular venue offered Buffalo, Bourbon BBQ as well as plain so Jason went with the Bourbon BBQ. 

Jason's shoes are a size 12 and this thing was as book as his foot!! 

That's basically as far as he got, he put a good dent in it. The lady sitting a few feet away from us was eyeing him while he was eating it and eventually her husband went to get them some. When he came back Jason made sure to warn them all that the key to eating one of those things was to pace yourself, he said that he forgot this time. HA! Jason hates to waste food. 

When Jason was done eating we decided to just hang around where we planned to watch the fireworks! It seemed like a really long wait because they didn't start until 9:30pm but really it wasn't, neither Jason or I are overly patient. I will say though it was soooo worth the wait! The fireworks display put on by the park was absolutely AMAZING and we got to see the Macy's display right behind it, it was perfect! Jason absolutely LOVES fireworks and he was beyond impressed and overwhelmed. Liberty State Park actually put on two displays, once on either end of the park so no one missed a thing, and if you were in the right spot you got to see the same show in two places simultaneously! 

This is a crappy picture but you can see the Freedom Tower lit up red, white and blue at the top and to the right you can see part of the Macy's Fireworks display. 

The Macy's fireworks display right in the center, the barges were behind the buildings on the East River but the fireworks went high enough that we got a perfect view. 

Getting out of the parking lot was the worst part of the drive home, mostly because people drive like assholes. If every person let one other person in, it would go so smooth and everyone would get out but instead no one wants to let anyone in and people are honking and so on.. its outrageous! 

The drive home was nice, there were fireworks everywhere which was great! We didn't get home until quite late so it was straight to bed as Jason had to work on Sunday. Although we didn't get to spend the day having a big BBQ and all that jazz I am really happy with what we did do!

I hope you all had an amazing holiday and enjoyed your festivities to the fullest!! 

Products I've been Trying & What I Think 7.7.15

Good Morning,

If you have been following along in the past few weeks you might have heard me mention Big Lots and how I have been finding amazing deals on makeup there and therefore trying more things. Contrary to popular belief (by men) you can never have enough makeup! So I thought I would pop in today and share with you some things I have been loving that you may love too!

1. L'Oreal True Match Mattifying Mineral Finish - Translucent. 

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I don't actually use a lot of powders, I have a Sephora pressed powder and two powders in my Blank Canvas cosmetics palette but when I saw this I was intrigued. I don't know if its because its the summer months or what by my skin has become so oily and I'm not going to lie its been awful. I thought I would give this powder a shot because it was only $2.50 (no I'm not kidding) and I would say it was definitely worth the $2.50! I don't generally care for loose powders but I would say the packaging makes it really easy to use! You can get this to match you skin color as well and I would definitely recommend it. 

I don't know if the things I have found at Big Lots can still be found in store, but if you happen to come across it or be by a Big Lots its definitely worth popping in!

2. Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer - Nude

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Now this I know you can still get in Target and Walmart because I have been eyeing it for quite some time, therefore when I came across it at Big Lots for $3.00 instead of the $7.00 + dollars I have seen it for I grabbed it. I purchased the nude color because that's all that they had and figured it might work for me having a little bit of color from summer sun.. sadly it was still a little dark for me but no fear, I found another use for it. I recently ran out of an eyelid primer and just haven't purchased a new one yet and this works PERFECT for that! It conceals the veins on my eyes and because its luminous gives a nice bright base for my eye shadow! I would definitely purchase this in the lighter color to use as a highlighting concealer but for now I am super happy with how this is working out as eyelid primer! 

3. L'Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara - 983 Carbon Black

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Always on the hunt for the perfect mascara? Well you can stop looking because I just found it for you! This mascara is AMAZING!!! The wand is absolutely PERFECT and so is the formula! This stuff makes me lashes thick and gives great volume, it lasts all day long and never flakes! With such a small wand it is also perfect for your bottom lashes and wont get it all over your face! These are $3.00 at Big Lots so I wont lie I have stocked up! $3.00 for mascara is super cheap, let alone for this mascara! This does also come in waterproof. 

4. Body Image Body Benefits Face & Body Faux Sea Sponges

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I bought this mostly for the little sponge, I have been looking for a little sponge like this for washing my face and this is absolutely perfect. It was $1.80 for both sponges which is a great deal, I would have paid that for the little one! It basically works as a light exfoliator with my cleanser and I definitely feel that with using this my skin feels a lot cleaner and fresher after cleansing. 

What do you use to wash your face? Any recommendations?

5. Maybelline Bouncy Blush - 15 Rose Petal & 40 Pink Plum

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I had never used cream blush before and I was really interested as everyone said it was much more natural looking than your regular powder blush. I came across this at Target quite some time ago and decided to give it a try. I purchased 40 Pink Plum first and totally fell in love with it! I apply it with a duo fiber stippling brush and it applies so amazing and blends out seamlessly! You can apply it with your fingers if you would like, I have seen a lot of people do it that way but I really like the brush. I like this stuff so much that I purchased another shade! 

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You can picture a few of the colors available above, there is really something for everyone. They definitely are so natural looking and if you are new to cream blushes this would be a great option for a beginner! 

6. Rimmel Scandalize Waterproof Eyeliner - Kohl Kajal

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The color that I have (Kohl Kajal) is the dark blue, third from the top! But let me tell you after finding this picture I plan to purchase the brown one on top! 

People have been raving about these for a really long time because they blend wonderfully and have great straying power for your water line! The nude one is the most talked about shade but for me because I wear glasses I use a white Wet n' Wild eye pencil for my water line.. the brighter the better! I decided I wanted to branch out and try a different color for my eyes and although I always thought blue eye shadow and eye liner wasn't for people with blue eyes I have learned that done right it absolutely can be. These eye liners are very pigmented and blend out so nicely so a little can go a long way. You can go for a really deep dark line or smoke it out with a brush and it looks great too! I think these are $4.00 or $5.00 and well worth it! 

7. Milani Lipstick - Nude Creme

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I have been wanting this lipstick for soooooooo long and don't know why I didn't ever buy it! Milani isn't sold everywhere and I don't go to Walmart all that often so when I came across it a couple of weeks ago I bit the bullet and got it because I thought it would be really great for summer. First let me just say I absolutely LOVE the packaging, its super classy, the lipstick itself smells very strongly of watermelon and I don't know how I feel about that, but its not terrible. The formula of the lipstick is great, this is the only Milani lipstick I won and I would definitely purchase more. I think this color would suit all skin types, its a great everyday color! 

So those are a few products I have been trying in the last little while, I would love to know what you guys have been trying and would or wouldn't recommend. The great thing about sharing what you like and don't like is you can potentially save someone else money by giving them the down low first! 

I hope you are all having a great week, thank you for stopping by!!

Last Order By Graham Swift : A Book Review

Good Morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend! I thought I would start off the week with another book review because I  will most likely have another one later in the week and I didn't want to have them back to back!

Sadly this is another book that I didn't love but none the less I thought I would write about it because there was a lot of mixed reviews... a lot of great reviews so I really do think its the style of writing that wasn't for me.

Since being here I also read Graham Swift's The Sweet Shop Owner and I didn't review it I believe because I was reading a bunch of books at the time and reviewing them all I didn't want to include one that I wasn't crazy about! I don't know where I got all these Graham Swift books from and although I think he is an amazing writer I must say its not my style and it makes it really hard for me to get into the books. Lets talk about Last Orders.

Last Orders By Graham Swift

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Reading the synopsis of this book it sounded like it would be right up my alley, something I would really love. 

This is the synopsis from www.goodreads.com:

Winner of the 1996 Booker Prize, and now a major new film starring Bob Hoskins, Helen Mirren and Michael Caine. Four men once close to Jack Dodds, a London butcher, meet to carry out his peculiar last wish: to have his ashes scattered into the sea. For reasons best known to herself, Jack's widow, Amy, declines to join them. On the surface the tale of a simple if increasingly bizarre day's outing, Last Order is Graham Swift's most poignant exploration of the complexity and courage of ordinary lives.

Obviously this book is well written, it won the 1996 Booker Prize and that it no small feat! Like I said above it just is not my style of writing and I have a really hard time getting into it. You get to know the characters really well throughout the book and about their lives, how the past, present and future is all but one basically. The idea behind the book is fabulous I think but for me you kind of get lost in the rambling. 

When it says in the synopsis "exploration of the complexity and courage of ordinary lives" complexity is basically hitting the nail on the head. The writing is complex, as is the relationships and I think in trying to define that it becomes very convoluted.

Again this is just my opinion, I read a huge variety of books but at this point I think its Swift's style of writing is just not for me. I think I would still recommend this book because I really did think the story behind it is great and maybe some of you would really enjoy it! 

Have you read this book? Is it just me feeling a little baffled? Let me know what you think!  

June 2015 - Visiting Home

Good Morning!!

So as you know my recent hiatus was on account that we went home for a much needed long weekend in the South. I honestly couldn't wait to get home and make the most of the time we had there, and although it didn't quite go as I had expected it was awesome!!

We left here Thursday afternoon and made decent time getting there, as usual the whole state of Virginia is a cluster screw of awful traffic.. I would absolutely never live there just because I could never cope with any kind of commute. I will say as a passenger I do a little better but its mostly because someone in the car has to be rational and when it comes to traffic it just isn't going to be Jason.

On the way home we witnessed the most amazing lightening storm I have probably ever seen! There was no rain or thunder, just a bunch of heat lightening that literally lit up the entire sky for over the last hour of our drive... it was unbelievable! When we arrived home the neighbors daughter was parked in front of our driveway and sadly we could just not get around her without destroying the grass. I hated to text at that time and truthfully it was my fault, I have said that she could park there and usually I give them a heads up as to when we will be home and this time I didn't do that. I felt so terrible, I didn't want to bother anyone and then they felt terrible that they had blocked us out. I mean it wasn't a big deal at all, I just really should have made sure to let them know we would be there.

I unloaded the truck while Jason got everything running in the house and then honestly we headed to bed pretty quickly as we had to be at the dentist at 8am the next morning. I know what you're thinking, why would I book 8am dentist appointments knowing that we would be getting in so late the night before, and the answer is simple.. it was Jason's idea. Jason is way more of an early bird than I am, in fact he is a morning person and I absolutely AM NOT so he figured if we just got it out of the way then we could get on with our day and make the most of our time there. He talked me into it and I booked the appointments.

We arrived just before 8am, I had all of our paperwork filled out as we have never been to this dentist before and didn't have to wait long. Long story short I have had one filling since I was like 8 years old and its been needing a crown, I have been avoiding it mostly because it has never actually bothered me but this time I wasn't really given much of a choice, it needed to be done! With our schedule and how long we are ever in town they pretty much talked me into doing it then and there. I wasn't exactly for it, I talked to Jason and he said just do it because we didn't have anything important planned and when else would we have the chance? So he took off to do things that he wanted to get done and I stayed at the dentist until 3:30pm (yes I was there from 8am until 3:30pm!!!!) for what turned out to be a root canal and crown. Ugh!

It was an extremely LONG and painful day, I really don't do well with any kind of dental work and it was absolutely MISERABLE! Not to mention I was running late that morning and ended up eating a granola bar running out the door for breakfast and that's all I had all day!! Then when I was done my face was frozen and I couldn't eat so when Jason picked me up we went straight across the street to the grocery store for yogurt and a fruit smoothie!

After that our running around commenced, we are looking for a few things for the house which sadly we were unsuccessful in finding and stopped at MAC for me to get the new coconut scents Fix +. Guys if you use Fix+ or any kind of setting spray for your makeup I highly recommend picking these up. They also brought out other scents, Rose, Cucumber, Coconut, Lavender and I believe there is another one. They are limited edition so run!

We had planned to go The Pit for dinner because we wanted BBQ and the place is incredible but I was really anxious on account that the freezing was coming out of my mouth and it wasn't pleasant!! None the less I ordered a big plate and figured worse case I could just take it home! It was amazing, but it was definitely a bunch of LITTLE bites and I took a lot of it home. Seriously though if you are ever in the Raleigh area and are looking for amazing, authentic BBQ.. this is the place to go!

The night definitely ended on a better note than the day, that's for sure!

Spot the rainbow?

Before going home we had purchased a dresser at Ikea for my closet. I have a lot of stuff to say the least and basically I needed somewhere to put it and so it would be organized. Truth be told it hasn't been organized and therefore I don't utilize as much of it as I would like because its not right in front of me. God love Jason he put it together and in my closet Saturday morning which sparked a afternoon of cleaning, decluttering, organizing and it felt GREAT!!! I have a TON of stuff to donate when we go home and the stuff that I kept is now organized and easily accessible! 

My not so everyday makeup is now basically organized into bins in my new dresser.. 

Bin 1 - Face. Bin 2 - Eyes. Bin 3 - Hair. Bin 4 - Lips. 

Love it! 

Saturday night we grilled outside which was fantastic and went to bed early. Its great just being at home and enjoying the simple things. I honestly don't pick up my phone much at all when we are home, I feel so content and happy to just be there! I feel like Saturday we definitely got a ton accomplished around the house, me inside and Jason outside! 

Sunday we made breakfast and just enjoyed the day! The weather was absolutely PERFECT all day, I sat and read outside and Jason puttered around outside. We grilled dinner again and Sunday night we (Me, Jason fell asleep) watched Gone Girl. I read the book quite awhile ago and have been dying to see the movie, it wasn't as good as the book (the movie never is) but it was GOOD! I totally recommend seeing the movie if you are not a reader because it was amazing. Its so twisted and screwed up and although the book gets into it a little more the movie is pretty epic! 

Monday came all too fast, as it always does. We had decided not to leave until later in the afternoon to try and avoid the horrific traffic we always encounter. We super cleaned the house and packed up, making the most of the day as we could and then hit the road just before 3:00pm. Thankfully we literally missed all the traffic and it was smooth sailing the entire way back! That was definitely a nice turn of events, it makes traveling a lot nicer! We still got back late but we would have gotten back at the same time regardless so I would rather leave later and enjoy more time at home than sit in traffic! 

Sadly Tuesday turned out to be a really crappy day! We had figured we were coming back here for about 3 weeks and then looking at a month off before heading to Maryland. In fact we talked in depth about it while we were at home about all the things we wanted to do on our time off. Well Tuesday Jason told me he was told we would be leaving here next Thursday or Friday and would have to be in Maryland the following week... no time off. I'm not going to lie I have cried a lot, and beyond my control I am going into this next job already hating it! I just wanted some time at home.. I wanted to do the things we had planned after being stuck here for over a year. So basically that's why I haven't been around because I have been in a STATE about the whole thing. 

I think we have chosen an apartment and we have sent in the paperwork so we will see what happens there. I still don't want to talk about it! I will keep you all posted though as things start to progress but basically we will be leaving here next week Thursday or Friday. 

So that is what has been going on with us, it was so wonderful to be at home longer than a day or two.. I guess I enjoyed it while I could because the hope of doing it again just went out the freakin' window! 

I hope you guys have an amazing weekend! Happy 4th of July!! I hope you enjoy beers, BBQ's and Fireworks! Be safe!! God Bless America!!!

The Ha-Ha by Dave King: A Book Review

Well hello there, long time no see!

I had intended to come back here on Tuesday and tell you all about our trip home and review a few books and get back in the saddle basically, but that didn't happen. I do plan to tell you all about our trip home and so on but its just happening a little later than I had expected.

Tuesday wasn't exactly the greatest day, being back here obviously SUCKS and we got some news about work that I am not overly thrilled about but I will tell you about that tomorrow probably. Right now I thought I would review a book I finished while at home and try and get caught up on those things!

I hope you guys all had a great weekend and I hope all of you Canadians had an amazing Canada Day yesterday!!

Lets get into the book shall we?

The Ha-Ha By Dave King

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I remember getting this book years ago and being really excited to read it.. but I guess I didn't because while reading it nothing sounded like I might have read it before. The idea of the book is really great but I wont lie.. I wasn't overly impressed with it. 

This is the synopsis as you can find it on www.goodreads.com:

Rendered unable to speak, read, or write after a Vietnam War injury thirty years earlier, Howard Kapostash feels trapped by his disability until his high school sweetheart, recently forced into rehab, asks him to care for her nine-year-old son.

I believe there is more on the actual backside of the book, I'm sorry I don't have the book with me though. Basically that's the run down though and it leaves you wanting to read about what this 9 year old boy would teach Howard and improve his quality of life, right?

That's basically what I expected to find reading the book and I cant say that was the case. I wasn't impressed the way they talked about how he inquired his injury and I don't want to ruin the book and give away everything but he was on patrol in Vietnam and was high on weed? Really?

Obviously Howard's life is hard, he is completely nonverbal and throughout the book I never understood why he decided not to help himself, not to try therapies, not to do everything he could to find a way to communicate somehow, especially when they constantly display his frustration.. then Ryan comes into the picture and I suspected that because he couldn't communicate with Ryan he would make the effort. Nope. 

Basically I felt there was no resolution to the book, nothing changed from start to finish really. I have to say other people obviously felt differently because when I went to rate the book when I was finished a lot of people gave it a much higher rating, so maybe I was missing something? I honestly wouldn't recommend the book. I didn't finish it really liking Howard at all. 

I still think its important to review books no matter what I think because maybe you would feel differently if you read it. My opinion is strictly my opinion and I'm obviously not going to like every book that I read, which sadly has actually been happening a lot lately. 

Have you read this book? If so what did you think?

I am almost finished all the books I brought here to read which is a good thing, but that also means I will have a few more book reviews coming in the next week or so! 

As I said I hope you guys had a great weekend, I plan to be back tomorrow to tell you all about our trip home! 

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great day!!