Universal Yums Review

Universal Yums is a monthly subscription box that sends you snacks from all over the world. A different place each month. This month's box is from Taiwan. There are two box sizes to choose from. The 6 or more snacks or 12 or more snacks. I chose the 6 or more snacks box.  For my box size, it's $13.00 a month. And they sent quite a bit in my box. The other box costs $25.00 a month.

This month's box was from Brazil and it had 16 treats in it. 

There were quite a few really good snacks and a few flops as far as I'm concerned. So let me tell you a little about my favorites. 

This was a crunchy puffed chip type snack with a really interesting lime and spicy flavor to it. At first I wasn't sure I liked them but they grew on me. 

Caramel corn. You really can't mess up caramel corn and this was really good. The popcorn was fresh and crunchy and the caramel was really sweet and tasted good. 

Now this was my favorite. It was chocolate and peanut butter and really tasted like a reeses peanut butter cup. It was good. 

There ere also some coffee candies that pretty much tasted like all the other coffee candies I've had but that's a good thing. And there was a chocolate wafer cookie which was really good. 

The flops for me were a very crumbly powdery type treat that had a weird taste and the fruit rolls that tasted like fruit but not the fruit pictured on the package. They both tasted like fig to me and Ken. 

All in all not a bad box of treats and it was fun to try things from Brazil. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

My favorite picture this week is the one I took at the beginning of the month when my brother and sister in law came into town. My dad, brother and hubby all standing around the bbq as the food cooked. 

Product Review: Finether Cordless Handheld Household Power Scrubber with Rechargeable Battery, 7 Brushes

Product Description

Description:

The light weight and low noise tool will save your hands and wrists from the tedious work of scrubbing. It can be used to clean kitchen, bathroom tub and tile, carpet stains, auto body, outdoor furniture, barbecue grill and more. Say HELLO to finether cordless handheld household power scrubber!

Specifications:

-Color: Blue

-Battery: 3.6V 1300mAH Ni-Cd Rechargeable Battery 

-Battery Charging Time: 6.5-8.5 hours

-Operating Time Per Charge: About 2 hours

-No-load Speed: 180-200 r/m

-Dimensions: 9.4 x 3.9 x 2.8 in/ 24 x 10 x 7 cm

-Circumference of Handle : 5.3 - 5.9 in/ 13.5 - 15 cm

-Net Weight (of Main Unit): 15.4 oz/ 436 g

Package Contents:

1X Power Scrubber 

1X Rechargeable Battery

1X Battery Charging Dock

1X AC/DC Adapter 

1X Battery Charger 

1X Hard Brush 

1X Fine Brush 

1X Scouring Pad 

1X Crevice Cleaning Brush

1X Oil Brush

1X Polish Brush 

1X Micro Fiber Brush

1X Assembly Instruction Manual

My Review

I've never used a power scrubber for cleaning purposes even though I've looked at them on Amazon a few times. I charged this for 8 hours, then put one of the scrubbing heads on the base and scrubbed the bathroom sink. I have to say that in spots where it's hard to reach and right around the water handles it did clean it better than I could have done by hand. It's gets into those hard to reach places that I have to use a toothbrush to get to and it did it in no time. I wasn't actually sure this was going to be a good scrubber because when I turned it on it wasn't swirling around as fast as I thought it should be going but I was wrong. It worked great and on the bathtub, sinks and I even used one of the heads to dust out around the bottom of my sliding glass windows and it got out all the debris that was there.

I'm very happy with this and it does hold a charge for a full 2 hours. I used it for more than 2 hours and it was still going strong but I wasn't using it continuously for 2 hours, I did take a break here and there. I love all the different heads/tools that came with it for doing different jobs and I really like that it came with a battery charger. I also really like that there are no cords to get in the way and that it's really easy to use. 

The only thing I would change is the addition of a carrying case to keep everything together instead of having to keep it stored in the box. 

Disclosure: I received this product free, in exchange for an honest review. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of MrRat395*

"I'm not moving until someone serves me breakfast...."

*Picture courtesy of MrRat395*

"Ha! I knew that would work."

*Picture courtesy of Poppy's Mischief*

"You're poking me in the eye with your whiskers again. That's it, I'm making an appointment with the hair dresser. Maybe she can curl them." 

*Picture courtesy of Poppy's Mischief*

"I think she said food. Don't just sit there, she's bringing food!"

Amazon Prime Tooth Whitening Sample Kit Review

Amazon has been having a few sample boxes that if you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping.  Amazon sends you a credit for the full price, this one was $4.99. The credit can then be used towards the purchase of similar items. In this case, teeth whitening products. 

This sample box contained a full size tube of Crest 3D White Toothpaste

A sample of Crest 3 D White whitening strips

Oral-B Glide Pro-Health floss

When they sent me the credit back I bought another tube of toothpaste because you can never have to many tubes of toothpaste in the closet and that stuff stays good forever or as long as it doesn't dry out. 

If you haven't tried the sample boxes that Amazon has and you like some of the products that I keep showing you are in them, it's actually a pretty good deal since they give you the money back in the form of a credit to buy more stuff in the same category. 

Review: Bite of a Vampire by Anna Belsky

Book Blurb

I never was a romance novel kind of girl, maybe that’s why I decided to get in the business of proving that love was meant to be unfaithful. Call me bitter but my full name is Emily Johnson, and I work as a private investigator for Jonesville Extramarital Affairs. It’s my daily job to investigate, snap photos of and usually proves that a spouse has found someone else to dilly-dally with. It was a bit of a dream job after having my own respect and dignity broken so many times in college by a guy named Robert, Bob for short. I don’t hold a grudge against him, he was my first, and he taught me that love relationships are not really things that exist. My best friend Abby doesn’t believe me so I decided to prove my point and become a Private Investigator. 

On this night Emily's world turns upside down when she comes across a vampire attacking one of her investigations. She is swept into a world of the supernatural and must draw from all her experiences as Private Investigator to survive... or so she thinks until she meets Michael. 

My Review

Emily is a private investigator. She doesn't believe in love but she does seem to believe that if a spouse thinks the other is cheating, they probably are. She's on an assignment, taking pictures of a woman who she thinks she's caught cheating on her significant other when she witnesses something that can't be real. Or at least she can't believe is real until faced with the fact that vampires might jut be real and she's now in danger. But who is she in the most danger from? The vampire who wants to save her or the vampire that wants to kill her? Now that's the real question. 

Mark lives near Emily and has a night job. He's tall and cute and is interested in Emily. So when he hears Emily screaming from a nightmare, he rushes into her apartment to make sure she's alright. 

Michael is a vampire and he's intrigued by Emily but because he's shown some interest in her, his enemy is showing interest in her as well and Michael knows she's in danger. So he shows her who he really is...a vampire. But is Michael there to save her or kill her...that's the big question. 

This first book in the series was really interesting and since I love vampire romance and paranormal romance, this had some pieces that I really loved. But and there's a big but here, this felt more like a Thriller with a little romance thrown in for good measure instead of a full fledged romance, at least it did to me. 

The big story line is the fact that Emily is in danger and the vampire who is after her is killing woman and someone close to her. There's blood, carnage, ghosts, gruesome nightmares and vampires. There's some hot sex in this book but the romance in this story took a backseat to the thrill of the chase and the murdering that went on. I'm not saying it wasn't a good first book because it was, I just hope we see more romance and a more in depth look at a relationship in the next book. It was free on Amazon when I read it and it might still be. 

If you enjoy paranormal romance, and vampires then you should give this book a try. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received...

A box of coffee cups, lids, straws and sleeves

2 oz samples of Mauricettes shampoo and conditioner

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Twilight Dreams by Amanda Ashley

Book Description

Holly Parrish has never met anyone like Micah Ravenwood: his dark eyes, his movie-star smile, the indefinable way he looks at her. Even when she thought he was no more than another client for her investment firm, her lust overpowered her logic.

But she never expected this attraction to whisk her from her busy southern California life to a silent and eerie ghost town in Wyoming. Only vampires call the deserted place home—and one of them is Micah. He says he’s brought her to Morgan Creek for her safety, that vicious creatures are hunting her. But how can Holly trust him? One look and she can see the need barely restrained behind Micah’s polite words. The heat of his kiss, the pleasure of his touch—none of it can tell her whether he wants her as his lover—or his prey . . .

My Review

As you know by now I love a good vampire story and I've loved Amanda Ashley for years. She really knows how to write an awesome vampire romance. This is the sequel to As Twilight Falls, and you can read my review of that book here. Here's a spoiler for you...I liked that one as much as I liked this one. 

Micah is a vampire but not a very old one. About a year ago he lost his girlfriend. He had wanted to turn her into a vampire like himself but she was old and didn't want to be a vampire, so he let her die of natural causes even though it killed him inside. About a year after her passing Micah meets Holly and asks her out. 

Holly is out to meet a potential client when she runs into Micah thinking he is the potential client but he's not. It was a fun meeting and I love it when a story can make me smile or illicit some emotion from me. 

They meet a couple of times for dinner and movies ect... then something happens so that a female vampire hell bent on revenge is out to get Micah's friend. Being a vampire she can smell his friend's scent on him and follows Micah. When Micah feels like he's in danger and therefore Holly is in danger, he acts but the action he takes scares Holly and Micah has to tell her the truth about who and what he is. 

The female vampire would be easy to kill but she has a body guard who is human but maybe something else as well. They just don't seem to know exactly what this body guard of hers is. Is he a Djinn, ogre, fairy or maybe a troll? They have no clue but he's strong and can walk over threshold's that vampires cannot and that makes him dangerous to vampires during the day when they sleep and are vulnerable. 

The romance between Holly and Micah is so sweet. Sure, she's scared and a bit uncertain about the vampires around her that keep telling her she has nothing to be scared of and she can't deny her attraction to Micah. She still feels like it all happened too fast and she needs to take some time to herself to come to terms with it all and figure out if a relationship between them can really work. Micah is patient and gives her space and time. 

This was a great story, one that I read in one sitting. It kept me wanting more and it was really good to see some of the characters from the previous book because I really liked them. If you like vampire romance with a little action and a sweet romance, then give this one a try. While this can be read as a stand alone book, it will make more sense and you'll understand the characters better if you read the previous book, As Twilight Falls. If you'd like to read this one, you can find it here.

I give this book  5 out of 5. 

I received this book free from NetGalley. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

A picture of my daughter, grandson and sister in law sitting on my couch 2 weeks ago. I'm glad we all had a nice visit.

Review: Viking Warrior Rising

Book Description

When Loki's forces descend

Immortal Vikings are humanity's only protection against the dark

Under attack from Loki's minions, immortal warlord Leif is shocked to encounter a dark-haired beauty who fights like a warrior herself. Wounded and feverish, the Viking kisses her, inadvertently triggering an ancient Norse bond. But when Naya Brisbane breaks away and disappears before the bond is completed, Leif's warrior spirit goes berserk. If Leif doesn't find her fast, he's going to lose himself to permanent battle fury.

But Naya doesn't want to be found...and they're both running out of time.

My Review

This is my first time reading this author. I won this book in a blog contest and I'm so glad that I did because this was like paranormal romance meets Norse mythology. Ever since Loki and Thor popped up in a few movies, I've been seeing more vikings and references to Valhalla in books and I have to say I really like it. Of course I had to brush up on my Norse mythology and thanks to Google, I know who those old players are and what Valhalla is. 

I had a lot of fun with this and I have to say I absolutely loved Naya. She is one badass, kick you in the teeth type of heroine. She can kick a big guys butt and she's really good with computers. 

Naya just wants to find a way to save her brother from the same hell hole and effects from his captivity she escaped from but she is side tracked when she encounters Leif and a couple of demon like guys that she knows aren't human. When Leif finds himself outmatched, she helps him, kills the evil minions and calls Leif's buddies to come help him. But in doing so, she doesn't realize that by helping him she has just triggered some sort of old bonding ritual that has Leif and his men looking for her...and finding her right at the right time. 

They both have secrets and aren't quick to trust each other but they are both after the same group of baddies and if they're going to help each other, they'll have to find a way to trust each other a little. 

There's enough action, secrets, twists and romance to keep a romance reader entertained. I'm looking forward to reading more in this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of Rat Logic*

*Photo courtesy of Martymousehouse.com*

*Photo courtesy of Martymousehouse.com*

*Photo courtesy of me*

"No doggie, I'm not sharing my yogies."

Review: Target Beauty Box

Target has a beauty box that you can sign up for each month but supplies are limited and they run out really fast. Last month's box was just $7 each and they have at least $20 worth of products in them. I usually try to get the Target bx each month but sometimes I miss it and by the time I see they are available, the boxes are all sold out. Thankfully, that was not the case with the latest box. 

This is what was in my box last month. 

Up and up Women’s 5-Blade Razor

Juice Organics Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner – Coconut

Laneige Water Sleeping Mask

NYC Color Get It All Lip Color 

Olay Make-up Remover Wipes

Secret Clinical Strength Invisible Solid Antiperspirant/Deodorant

CoverGirl Katy Kat Eye Mascara – Black

Crest 3D White Professional Effects Whitestrips 

That's a good amount of products for just $7 and I liked everything in this box. 

Have you tried any of the Target Beauty Boxes? Did you like them? 

It's A Falcor Photobomb Day

I thought it would be funny to post most or all of the pictures that Falcor photobombed while I was taking a picture. Like the above picture. I was trying to get a picture of the Christmas presents on the table for our grandson and right as I clicked the picture, Falcor decided he needed to be in it too. 

He is watching very closely as the presents are opened. Just in case there's something else for him. 

When I went to take a picture of Ken fixing a plumbing problem under the sink, boom! Falcor decided he needed in on that picture too. 

Falcor checking out Ken's new robe. 

It's like he knew the dog food and dog treats were for him. 

Ken was helping me take a picture of this very long shoe horn I got for free for him and Falcor made sure he was in the picture. lol 

I got this dry erase board for free and I was trying to get a good picture of it...Falcor decided to jump on the chair. 

Then he wouldn't get down. Might as well just take the picture, he wasn't moving until I did. 

I received a box of food from Green Chef and Falcor was busy sniffing everything while I tried to get a picture. 

I tried to get a picture of the bike I ordered for Ken for his birthday and Falcor made sure he was in the pictures.

Oh yeah, he was there. When I open a box he's so nosy, he wants to see what's in it.

I opened the box and boom! there he is. lol 

He just waited there until I was done taking pictures and gave him one of the treats. 

LOL "Open the box, mom. I know it's for me." 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a 'Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

A sample of Purina One Smart Blend and a couple for 6 free cans of dog food from Smiley360.

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap.

A swag pack from Author Chloe Neill that I won in a blog contest.

A sample bag of Nutrish Zero Grain dog food.

A sample of Fiber One 90 calorie brownies.


Did you receive any freebies this week?

Falcor is very happy this week, he received 2 samples in the mail. lol 

Product Review: Paper Hot Cups Sets (100 Count) - 16 oz Cups, Lids, Sleeves, Straws by Novo Basics

Product Description

This bulk office pack of 16 oz cups, lids, sleeves and straws has everything you need to kick your morning off right! This package includes 100 cups, 100 lids, 100 sleeves and 100 straws so it can supply a whole office or a family. The stylish contemporary design uses dark colors to keep your cup looking clean throughout the whole day. Novo cups have rolled rims to give our cups rigidity and strength, so you can rely on them all day long.

My Review

This set comes with everything your office or home needs if you serve a lot of hot drinks and need lids, straws and sleeves for them. The cups, lids, straws and sleeves are the same quality that you would get if you went to a brick and mortar store and ordered a $5 cup of coffee to go. 

This set comes with everything you'll need in order to be ready for a family get together, office party of whatever get together you are planning where you'll need a set like this. 

The cups are sturdy and the lids fit really well. The cups don't leak and the sleeves make the cups really easy to handle hot beverages without having to worry it'll be too hot for your hands. 

I've now used the set several times and while I used the straws to stir my coffee and tea, some people might use the straws to drink. They work for both purposes ad the cups are a nice size. This is a really nice bulk pack of cups and everything you need to go with them. 

Disclosure: I was sent these products for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Description

In Son of No One, next in the blockbuster The Dark-Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, it's not easy being life's own personal joke, but Josette Landry has made an unstable peace with the beast. Completely down on her luck, Josette takes a job with a local paranormal group as a photographer and camerawoman. Yeah, they're even crazier than she is. The only paranormal thing she believes in is the miracle that keeps her rusted-out hoopty running. But when something truly evil is released into the world, they are forced to call in reinforcements.

From the moment Josette meets Cadegan, she knows something about him isn't quite right. Mysterious and armed with lethal sarcasm, he seems a lot older than his age.

Centuries ago, Cadegan was viciously betrayed into an immortal prison by the only person he'd ever trusted and was cast into an immortal prison. Forced against his will to do good, he hates everything in life. All he wants is a way out. But for the damned there is only eternal suffering. And yet there is something about Josette that intrigues him. Something he can't seem to fight and the last time he felt this way about a woman, it cost him everything.

He knows he has to stay away from her, but the unleashed demon is hell-bent on consuming her soul. If one more innocent is taken, he will be sent back to an unimaginable prison that makes his current hell look like paradise. But how can he keep her safe when his being with her is the greatest threat of all?

My Review

This is book 18 in the Dark Hunter series. Because so many characters from past books have popped up in this book, I would advise reading the series in order to be able to understand who the other characters are. 

Cadegan has been trapped in an alternate realm for more than a thousand years. Trapped there by his brother, the one person he thought he could count on. He doesn't understand why his brother wouldn't at least listen to his side of the story before sending him to this hell. 

Josette has a strange family but they are there for her when she needs them the most. Her divorce took all of her savings and now that she's been laid off, she's in a real pickle. But once again her family comes through for her and she gets a photography job that pays well because all previous people hired, ran away soon after getting hired. The job? A haunted house, but Jo isn't scared. She's more fascinated since she really doesn't believe in the paranormal like her family does. That is, until she falls through a mirror and is transported to the realm that Cadegan is trapped in. 

Cadegan finds Jo soon after she finds herself in this alternative realm and saves her from some monsters that like to bite. Right away they hit it off and the banter between the two of them is so much fun. While he's really old and from another time, he's been able to get glimpses of how the world is from where he is trapped and while he understands some of what she says, not everything is clear language wise between them, which was really funny. 

They fall hard for each other, get sent on a quest and even meet a dragon along the way. Cadegan wants nothing more than to see her safely back home and puts his life on the line to do it. I don't usually go for the insta-love story line but it really works for these two when you find out who Artemis thinks they are and their whole back story. I liked seeing characters from previous books including, Ash, Styxx, Artemis and Simi. I love getting a glimpse into the lives of some of the characters that I've come to love and after 18 books, I'm fully immersed in the lives of these characters and wanting to see what's happened after their books. 

I let this book sit on my kindle for about 6 months because Acheron and Styxx are two of my very favorite books in this series and I really wasn't sure either one of them could be topped. But I came into this not wanting for those books to be topped, just for this story to be a good continuation of the series and this was definitely a great book in the series. The book ended with me feeling very satisfied as to where this series has gone and I'm looking forward to reading more. The different lores, the different mythologies and story lines as well as different genealogy lines and reincarnations of characters make this a series that you really have to pay attention to the details but if you like that sort of series, then I would definitely give this one a try.  

I give this 5 out of 5 stars.