Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #209

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 21 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 21 years here in a weekly blog post.

This week an ambulance and fire truck was parked across the street from my bedroom on the street and then I saw that one of the firemen was talking to someone in a blue car around the corner. They stood there talking for a few minutes and then everyone left. I have no idea what that was about. 

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For those of you that have an electric stove you probably knew exactly what this was when you looked at it. For those that have a gas stove, this is the heating element on one of my burners. It's supposed to be smooth like the top and bottom but that one side of that ring in the middle decided to get super white hot, start throwing out sparks like the 4th of July and partially melt that part of my heating element on the burner. I will tell you it scared the holy jeebus outta me. When I saw it sparking like molten metal and that small part was white hot while the rest of it glowed red, I quickly turned that burner off, ran into the living room, grabbed my daughter and grandson and hid in the hallway just in case it exploded. LOL Yes, we did. But it cooled down and I was able to turn in a work order to get a replacement. 

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Life Update: 

Ken still hasn't seen the Oncologist for the test results, we still have to wait a few days for that. There's a lot of hurry up and wait it seems. 

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Review: Dreaming of the Dragon Shifter by Rinelle Grey

Book Description

Together they can end a three hundred year war. But only if they don’t fall in love first…

Jayrian is a dragon shifter with a plan. It’s a plan that will defy the council elders and put his life at risk—but if it works, it’ll save his clan and help end a war that’s raged for centuries. The key to making it all come together? The sweet, shy, and all-kinds-of-adorable small town librarian he’s starting to like way more than he should.

Gretchen isn’t looking for adventure. She’s perfectly happy getting her thrills from books, thank you very much. But when she invites the handsome mystery man she’s been crushing on at work to dinner, she might just end up with a bigger adventure than she knows what to do with …

It’s not long before Jayrian learns there’s more to Gretchen than meets the eye. She’s everything he ever wanted … and nothing he can have if he wants his plan to succeed. He’s ready to give up his life for his people, but can he give up Gretchen when the time comes?

Dreaming of the Dragon Shifter is a delightful paranormal romance, with a little bit of action. If you like hot dragon heroes, the strong women who mate them, and a heartwarming HEA, then you'll love joining Rinelle Grey's growing clan of satisfied readers.

Download Dreaming of the Dragon Shifter to visit the Australian outback and find your hot dragon shifter today.

My Review

Jayrian wanted to send Gretchen into the cave to wake up their prince who had been sleeping for over 300 years. The humans were going to start mining where the Prince slept and they would discover him which would be bad. But every time he brought it up with the elders they wouldn't hear of it. 

A rival dragon shifter clan guarded the cave where the Prince slept but they couldn't go in because the cave was warded against all dragons except its own clan and his clan couldn't get near him but they wouldn't be able to detect a human which is why Jayrian wanted to send in one to wake him. 

As Jayrian gets closer to Gretchen and let's her know what he is and what she would have to do to wake the Prince, he finds it harder and harder to let Gretchen be the one who has to go in the cave to the Prince even though it's his idea. The woman who wakes the Prince will also have to mate (have sex) with him to replenish his magic. The longer Jayrian is around Gretchen the more he knows that she is his mate and he can't let her go. Jayrian knows that having a relationship with a human is not something the elders will ever approve of but it's time for his people to try and get along with the humans. Gretchen has a plan and it's a good one. I don't want to say much more because that would give too much away but her plan is a really good one. I like how this ended. 

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 great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

I was sent this book from the publisher and was surprised to find it in my mailbox since I didn't even request it. #SurpriseBookMail

Macy's was giving away some samples of perfume on FB and so when I saw it, I signed up for it and they sent out a good bit of samples. 

I also received a couple of peel off face masks from Influenster. 

I love getting perfume samples. I have a bunch of them that I've been trying out. I read the book and liked it.

Did you receive any samples or freebies this week?

Review: Ancient Protector by Katie Reus

Book Description

Even as he fights for their future…

With the world still rebuilding after massive dragon attacks, famous singer Star isn’t willing to rely on a stranger to protect her family—though dragon shifter Lachlan is difficult to resist. Something about him is strangely familiar, but she doesn’t understand why. He’s already helped Star rescue her sister from a recent abduction, but trust doesn’t come easy when his kind has nearly hunted her race to extinction. When her sister’s kidnapper launches another violent attack, Star has no choice but to accept Lachlan’s aid. But no matter that he’s stepped up to protect her, she’ll never allow the ancient Scottish dragon into her heart.

They’re bound by the past.

Lachlan lost the woman he was meant to mate a millennia ago. Unable to live in a world without her, his pain drove him to hibernation. He never thought he would move on—until Star. He’s well aware the feisty shifter is his new destiny, so if tailing her to New Orleans is what he has to do to be near her, then so be it. When Star is attacked, Lachlan resolves to protect her at all costs. And he won’t have to do it alone. It will take Lachlan, his clansmen, and Star’s misfit band of friends to rain fiery vengeance down upon their enemy if she and her sister are to ever be truly free. Only then can he claim her and discover the shocking truth that lies buried in their past.

My Review

Star is a singer and makes plans to put on a show so she can get closer to Oscar's home. Because she's sure her sister is being held against her will somewhere in Oscar's home and she and her friends are there to help her escape. 

Lachlan is at Oscar's estate to watch Star sing and decides to bid on her celebrity auction to have a date with her. But after he wins a date and listens to her sing, all hell breaks loose. 

After rescuing her sister Aurora, things get a little dangerous for Star and her friends when a bunch of dragon shifters come after her. But they get help from another dragon shifter who Star is sure was Lachlan because of his coloring. She's not sure why he helped her but she's thankful but when he finds her while they're in hiding and says he wants his date now, she doesn't trust him. I can understand why she doesn't trust him after hearing what all she and her sister have been through especially with dragon shifters. But he more than proves that he can be trusted and she let's him into her circle where he worms his way into her heart little by little. 

When Oscar comes after her sister again, it's Lachlan and the another alpha named King that help them. This story had me on the edge of my seat. The action was great, the romance was so sweet and heartbreaking at times that it really made me feel for them. They had been through so much over the years. 

Star and Aurora have spent their whole lives protecting and hiding what type of shifter they are and while I tried to figure it out, I couldn't find out until it was revealed to me. It was a really fun twist that had me smiling. I really liked the interaction between King and Aurora and hope they get their own book in the future. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series now. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an ARC via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Girls of Summer by Nancy Thayer

Book Description

From star-crossed matches to unexpected love triangles, summer on Nantucket always holds the promise of romance in this sensational novel from New York Times bestselling author Nancy Thayer.

Lisa Hudson feels more alive than she has in a long time after hiring hunky carpenter Mack Whitney to renovate her old Nantucket home. There's no denying the spark growing between them--despite the fact that Mack is ten years her junior. But her twentysomething children, Juliet and Theo, on the island for the summer, worry that the new relationship will only lead to Lisa's heartbreak.

Yet Juliet and Theo are in for tangled love stories all their own. When dreamy Cooper Hastings moves to the island to pursue a new environmental venture, Juliet feels an unwelcome attraction, her rocky romantic history pushing her to steer clear of love. Theo only has eyes for Mack's daughter, Bethany, with whom he was bound by an unspeakable tragedy in high school--but can they overcome their past? By August, when an impending storm threatens to shatter the peace of the golden island, everyone discovers what they can and cannot control. Nancy Thayer dazzles again with this new tale of a magical summer. 

My Review

Lisa's husband left her and their kids a couple of years ago and it left a huge whole where her self confidence used to be. Her ex was a jerk for sure and she's better off without him. She raised her kids on her own and they are now off living their own lives. 

Mack is hired to fix a few things around Lisa's home that are falling apart. But sparks fly between then even though he's 10 years younger than her. 

I'm used to reading one romance at a time in most books but this comes with three of them. When Lisa's son is hurt in a surfing accident, he comes home and it's pretty obvious that he has a thing for Mack's daughter. And then Lisa's daughter comes home after having her heart broken more than once only to find an attraction to a new guy. But she's been hurt and isn't sure she wants to try her hand at love again. 

Ken and I are 9 years apart in age so I really didn't see a big deal about the 10 year difference between Lisa and Mack. I felt like they made too big a deal of the age difference, at least for me. 

Things seem to be going pretty well for all three couples for the most part with a little family thrown in for good measure and then there's a big storm about to hit the island. While I liked the book alright, it wasn't great for me. But then I don't usually read this genre. 

I give this 3 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I received a free ARC of this book in the mail from the publisher but all thoughts and opinions are my own. This is actually the first non-requested ARC I've ever received from a publisher that just showed up in my mailbox. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me the book. 

Review: Flame by Donna Grant

Book Description

If she believed in destiny, she would believe they were meant for each other.

But that fire was put out long ago. . .

Living among the Dragon Kings, Cain has spent lifetimes learning to distrust both mortals and Fae. He is a warrior born—and every instinct demands that he fight to keep his own kind safe. But when a fringe member of the Dark Fae contacts the Kings with an urgent warning, Cain is torn for the first time. How can he trust this beautiful creature when resisting his primal attraction to her is battle enough?

Noreen is horrified by what her kind and the malevolent Others are planning for the Dragon Kings. Dark Fae or not, there are lines she will not cross—even if it means risking her life. But she never imagined that she would risk her heart until she meets Cain. She wants him with a soul-deep desire that frightens her…and endangers them both. Is saying goodbye to everything Noreen has ever known worth a love that will span time and realms?

My Review

Noreen, a dark fae was in danger and needed a Dragon King to listen to her and hopefully help her before he killed her. She had been alive for thousands of years and had once believed the Others belief that The Dragon Kings should be killed, but she no longer felt that way and now wanted to help the Dragon Kings overthrow the Others so they were no longer a danger to the dragons. 

Cain is picked to go to Noreen and make sure it isn't a trap and if it isn't offer to help keep her safe from the Others. But she thinks the Others are on to her and she's scared. It takes a little persuasion on Cain's part but she agree's to go with him. 

They find the perfect place to hide but there's more to this realm than they first think and they might know who is behind the magical transformation. Rhi is powerful and I knew that from the last book but I didn't realize just how powerful she was. So while Cain and Noreen are talking, getting to know one another more and she tells him what she knows of the Others, Rhi is facing a truth of her own. 

Once Cain finds out what he needs to, he heads back to tell his fellow Dragon Kings so they can prepare but not before getting a lot closer to Noreen than he would have thought possible. They make for an opposites attract kind of couple, but it works. 

But then a horrible secret comes to light and I could have cried for the both of them. In fact a lot of secrets and betrayals are revealed which led this story in an entirely new way. This story ends up going in a new direction that I couldn't have seen coming and it ended masterfully. I was rooting for the Dragon Kinds and all of their mates. I am loving this series so much. Definitely looking forward to the next book. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an eARC of this book via NetGalley but all opinions and thoughts are my own. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #208

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 21 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 21 years here in a weekly blog post.

This week was quiet but we have a new next door neighbor who just moved in directly next door to us. They seem nice and they're quiet but they have a large dog that barks and howls the entire time they are gone during the day. I am hoping that the dog gets used to his new place and will stop howling all day soon. 

There have been a lot of police patrolling my neighborhood lately. Seems like every time I go outside to walk the dog there's a police car driving slowly down my street. Not that I'm complaining at all. I think we need more patrolling around here to keep the nonsense to a minimum. I haven't been seeing as may drug deals on the streets or as many cars being broken into or even as many fights going on. Quiet is nice.

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Life Update: 

Ken did finally get his lung biopsy but they punctured his lung so he had to stay in the hospital a few hours longer than expected to make sure his lung didn't collapse. So now we have to wait until next month when he sees his doctor for the test results and hopefully start treatment.

So that's it for this week's Apartment Hell  Life! Be sure to come back next week for more.

Review: BloodGifted by Tima Maria Lacoba

Book Description

A serpent ring,

A cursed legacy,

And a vampire of her own weren't exactly what primary schoolteacher, Laura Dantonville, wished for on her birthday.

What would you do if you learned you were responsible for freeing your family from an ancient curse, especially if it involved getting dangerously intimate with a hundred-year-old vampire?

Just because he's a jaw-dropping vision of male hotness doesn't make it any easier.

Or does it?

Laura is about to find out.

With only five years left in servitude, Alec Munro must bow to his sire's wishes to act as Laura's guardian ... or risk slavery forever. But getting Laura to willingly accept him is another matter.

He has three days to win her over before she makes her choice.

Torn between two worlds, Laura must decide to which world she belongs - human or vampire?

But as a white-hot sizzling attraction grows between her and Alec, the choice becomes even harder.

Can she survive long enough to make the right one?

Or will her fate - and that of her family - be decided by another, unexpected source?

My Review

Long ago Roman soldiers had been killed by a woman who cursed a soldier sent to find his men. She cursed the soldiers in the name of Melusine right before she died. The soldiers then killed all of the rest of the women and children in the village and moments later the soldiers who had killed her and her people...turned into vampires. I can't say that I felt the least bit sorry for them after what they had done. 

The soldiers now vampires killed everyone they came in contact with, including their own friends. They were told by someone they went to help for that only the woman who had cursed them could lift the curse. So they sought out her spirit and asked for forgiveness but she had none in her. But because one of her children had escaped she said that Marcus's wife would give birth to twins, the boy would be like him a child of the dark and the girl would be a child of the light. She would have long life and youthfulness. The children of the light will feed the children of the dark and sustain them with their blood. And Marcus, the soldier that killed her will be cursed to live until one of his blood and one of her blood willingly have a child together and is born on the spot that she died. 

Laura turned fifty years old and her whole life changed. Laura's aunt took her aside and tells her that in their family the people with the gene that let's them look younger well into old age have had a vampire protector 'guardian' and she was going to meet her's. His name was Alec and he had been her aunt Laura's vampire guardian for the last almost fifty years. If she didn't agree to take on a vampire guardian then vampires all over would come out of the woodwork to claim her for her blood that let's them walk in the daylight. Alec was given a choice by his sire Luc, get Laura away from her boyfriend Matt and have a child with her. Luc who was the son of Marcus, the Roman soldier cursed by the witch all those years ago wanted to try and break this curse and since Laura was actually his daughter, he hoped that Alec and she could break the curse by having the child that the witch had spoken of all those years ago. But Alec would have to get her to agree to let him be her guardian first. 

As Alec and Laura get to know each other it's obvious that they feel something for each other right away. That spark was there in a way that she didn't have with her boyfriend, Matt. So when danger starts coming at them and especially her from everywhere, Alec gets more and more attached to her every time he saves her. Laura's feelings for Alec are there but she feels so bad that she doesn't have the same feelings for Matt that she keeps her feelings for Alec subdued for a time. There are a lot of family secrets that come to light and each time a new secret is revealed it seems that it puts her in more danger. 

This was such a good vampire book. The romance takes place over the course of her finding out what lies in her future, family secrets and a lot of action. Alec is such a great character, I loved him. The only thing I didn't like about him was the fact that he called her, "darling" all the time and I find that so pretentious. I don't know, maybe it's just me but I hate to be called that. 

All of the secondary characters, and there were a lot of them, were great. I'm really looking forward to seeing them in future books because I know that some of them have really interesting stories like Marcus. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.