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.

This week I received a pair of slip on shoes from the Spark Reviewer Program. 

I like the shoes, they fit good and are comfortable. It's been a slow freebie week.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: A Nurse For the Wolfman by Eve Langlais

Book Description

What happens when a nurse falls for the wolfman?

The job offer is a dream come true. Three times her usual salary. Free meals and a suite. The only catch? Margaret can't tell anyone about it.

Hidden in the Rockies, the clinic is well protected and...odd. It doesn't take her long to realize the doctors and scientists are up to no good. Especially once she meets Luke.

Her patient is an angry man who used to be a soldier. Now, he's something else. A savage beast with gentle eyes that glow green when he's agitated.

What has he become?

And will she be next?

My Review

Margaret takes a nursing job in a secretive facility in the mountains that pays her more money than she'll ever make in any other job. The doctors, guards and the guy running the place are all secretive and the guards all have guns with sedative darts in case the patients get out of hand. 

Luke got hurt while in the military and after being discharged he knew he was too broken to be able to do anything like his old life ever again. So when a doctor comes to him and tells him he can fix everything wrong with him, he jumps at the chance at this experimental treatment. 

After being experimented on by the doctors in the secret hospital for years, Luke has had enough and is so volatile that he's kept shacked to a bed under armed guards at all times. In comes nurse Margaret who gets him to eat, talk and be civil after a while. Only she doesn't know that he's only being nice because the person that runs the place has told Luke if he doesn't comply that she'll be hurt so what else can he do. 

After a while they really do start to care for one another and when they start to have dreams together at night, they can talk without the doctors knowing everything that they're saying. There's something weird going on at this place but at first Margaret doesn't see it and just thinks that Luke is being paranoid and not being cooperative.  Little by little she starts to see the truth of what's going on there and begins to think that Luke is right that they'll never let him leave so they'll have to escape. 

This book had me on the edge of my seat wondering how far the staff was going to take things and wondering what would happen next. But then I got to the end of this book and was shocked at the ending. Utterly shocked at that twist. Never saw it coming even though I probably should have. It actually made me a little mad for a minute but then since this is the first book in this series I'm hoping that we get to see these two in subsequent books and find out what happens with them. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens and finding out what else is going on at this secret facility. The experiments alone were enough to make me cringe and subjects once we find out what's been done to them, creeped me out at times. This was a great book to begin a new series. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Alien Mischief by Cara Bristol

Book Description

She’s pretending to be a man. Will he see through her disguise in time to prove to her that she’s the right woman for him? Or will a little mischief ruin her second chance for love?

My name is Madison Altman. Don’t think because I’ve disguised myself as a man and have accepted a job that takes me away from Earth that I’m running away from love. That’s not true. I met the love of my life--but he was killed on our wedding day.

Chaperoning crazy women traveling to Dakon to become the mail order brides of aliens is just a way to pay the bills.

Unfortunately, on this latest assignment, the ship returned to Earth without me! Luckily, Enoki came to my rescue. He might be hot, and sexy as hell with his gravelly voice and throbbing horns, but he believes I’m a man, and we’re friends, not lovers. That’s how I want it. That’s how it has to be. As soon Enoki can get me a flight to Earth, I’m leaving this frozen planet for good.

I’m Enoki, leader of Dakon. For the longest time, whispers in the wind told me my Fated mate was coming. Whispers turned to shouts when the recent shipment of females arrived, but none of them were mine. I must accept the Fates were wrong. I’ll never get a mate.

My purpose now is to help the stranded Earth man return to his home planet. Even though Madison is a Terran, we’ve developed a strong bond. I know I’ll miss him, but because we’re friends, I intend to do everything I can to help him leave.

Why do the whispers tell me not to let him go?

My Review

Madison tried getting the job as herself but she didn't even get an interview. So she applied as a male and got the job ferrying Earth females to Dakon in the exchange program. Earth got the ore they wanted and Dakon got the females they needed. 

Enoki is the leader of Dakon and as he watches time after time as his males get picked to get a mate, he is lonely and wants nothing more than to be picked for a mate in the lottery. He actually thought for sure that he would win the lottery this time but he didn't so he didn't get to pick a female. 

An asteroid had hit Dakon many years before and destroyed so much. Along with the destruction came a virus that prevented the population from having female babies. With so many men and so few females, Dakon made a treaty with Earth that in exchange for the ore from Dakon, Earth would send willing females to mate with the males. The males were so happy to have mates that thy did everything in their power to make sure they were happy there. It's a win win situation, except for the bitter cold that Dakon has there almost all the time. 

Madison cut her hair, binds her chest and dresses like a man so no one suspected she wasn't exactly who she said she was. She was the chaperone of sorts for the women on the ship headed to Dakon but she never wanted to be picked by one of the males, it wasn't her ideal love situation. She found the whole thing a little barbaric. So when the ship leaves to Earth without her and she's stranded on Dakon until the ship can come back and get her, she's glad that Enoki finds her in the snow storm or she might have died. She and Enoki spend a few days together but then someone in the tribe finds out she's a female and tells her to tell Enoki the truth or he will. So she really has no other choice. Of course he's a little mad but as the pieces fall together he's more mad that he didn't notice what was right in front of his face. 

I have been reading this series from the beginning and am loving all of these couples. The guys are, big, hot and sexy and will do whatever they have to in order to keep their mates happy. I love the extra's that the females are bringing to their society and helping them get more from the treaty than they thought they could get. It's so much fun to watch these people interacting together and getting along. This is such a fun series so far and I'll definitely be reading the next book. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Awakened by Brenda K. Davies

Book Description

Traumatized by her past, Sera spent the last three years at college hiding from the world.

She’s content to stay locked away until a chance encounter with Liam changes her life. Though she’s frightened by the powerful emotions he awakens in her, Sera finds herself opening up to him more every day.

Harboring a dark and deadly secret, Liam knows he should stay away from Sera.

His world is dangerous for her, but he can’t deny the irresistible draw he feels. However, when Sera’s past comes crashing into the present, Liam is forced to expose his secret to save her.

Is their growing love strong enough to survive the savagery of Liam’s world, or will they be torn apart forever?

Download the first book in this USA Today bestselling series and see where the legacy began. 

***Due to sexual content, violence, and language, this book is recommended for readers 18+ years of age.*** 

My Review

Sera spends her time at college with her nose in books and studying. Her roommate is bubbly, outgoing and makes her come out to a party with her where she spots Liam. 

When Liam spots Sera at a party, his friend Mike tells him not to ever try with her because she doesn't date and is very standoffish. But he's intrigued by her so he goes to talk with her.

Sera never dates and is very shy and standoffish with the guys at school but she has a different reaction to Liam when he comes to talk to her. There's something about him that makes her feel sorta safe around him. It was easy for Liam and his friend, Mike to see that something must have happened to Sera in her past to make her so afraid and skittish around the opposite sex so Liam takes things really slow with her. But another girl who he had a one night stand with before he met Sera makes things hard for them and tries to break them up. 

When the old boyfriend from her past shows up and hurts her, it's Liam that saves her. There's more to Liam and his friends than I first thought and when he tries to tell her his secret, it doesn't go over very well at first. Of course there has to be an element of danger and we get that when Liam's maker comes back to cause trouble for him and his friends. 

I really liked this take on a vampire tale. I liked Liam and his friends. Sera was at first a shy, skittish thing that just needed time to get over what happened to her before she came out as strong female character. Liam and Sera fall hard for each other is a relatively short amount of time but I really liked watching these two get to know each other. This was a fun read. 

I give this 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #205

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 20 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 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

We saw the police were across the street talking to someone. Ken saw them outside and told me so I could get pictures. 

They didn't talk to this guy for very long before they left. I have no idea why they were there. 

The police car was parked a little ways down the street. 

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

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Life Update: 

Ken is still being sent for more tests before they start treatment. They are going to do a lung biopsy and a pancreas biopsy to see what kind of cancer it is so they can target the treatments to that specific type of cancer. We are hoping they find nothing on his pancreas. 

Our daughter has been going to the doctors appointments with Ken since I have a really hard time going out because of my Agoraphobia. In this picture they are waiting in the doctors office for the doctor to come in. 

Review: Thrill of the Chase by Layla Nash

Book Description

Up-and-coming chef Natalia Spencer has enough on her plate dealing with a struggling restaurant and a corrupt manager selling her out of pantry and kitchen. She doesn't have time for arrogant customers, even a gorgeous corporate raider in a bespoke suit with muscles that just don't stop. Until, of course, he buys her restaurant and saves her life.

Logan Chase, alpha of his lion shifter pride, is intrigued when the feisty chef kicks him out of her restaurant. He's enraged when someone attacks her. And he's intoxicated when he finally gets close enough to kiss her. But when he shifts in front of her and his lion comes out to play, he risks losing Natalia forever.

Natalia just wants to cook and snuggle with a nice guy. Shacking up with a man who's also a lion means inviting a new level of crazy into her life, along with his unruly brothers, and even her werewolf best friends warn her away. Can she and Logan create a steamy relationship from scratch, or are they a recipe for disaster?

My Review

Natalia and Logan's first meeting didn't go very well when he sent back his steak at her restaurant twice and she told him to leave. She knew how to cook a steak, it's not her fault that he couldn't figure out that it was perfect. She actually yelled at him which made the guys he was with smile and laugh. 

Logan is a lion shifter and the leader of his pride. He and his brothers don't have mates because there aren't a lot of female lionesses around anymore. The lion shifters could soon been in a dangerous predicament if they didn't take mates and start producing cubs. 

Natalia was having her own problems in her restaurant with her manager constantly selling or giving away the food so there wasn't enough to make in the restaurant. They weren't making enough money to pay the bills most months so she was really in a bad way and ready to quit and move on if things didn't get better. 

Later Logan buys the restaurant from the owners and hires her to make dinner for him and his brothers at his house. The sparks flew between them when she spots him and finds out that he's her new boss. She wanted to throttle him but instead makes the dinner she was hired to make and they talk about the restaurant. 

There's some really shifty things going on at the restaurant with her manager and the venders but things really heat up at one point and Natalia is attacked. Logan as well as his brothers come to her aid and Logan is great with her after what she's just been through. They really get close at this time and start making plans to be together, even move in together. Then she accidentally finds out what he is and it scares her so much so that she needs time apart from him which slices him up inside since he knows she's his mate and he feels like she rejected him. 

Even though there's a bit of a hiccup in their relationship for a bit, they never stopped caring for each other which helps bring them back together. His brothers are great and I really loved how caring they are. I'm looking forward to reading them get their own stories now. 

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.

This week I won a bunch of books from a blogger contest. (I actually won them a couple of weeks ago but didn't publish a Friday post last week)

I got a mini DVD player from Walmart Spark Program. I don't have a link to the program because there isn't one. They have to invite you to it through email. 

I won a book through the Goodreads Giveaways. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: A Toy Story by Hannah Murray

Book Description

Grace reviews sex toys for a living — arguably the best job in town. Ben is her college sweetheart, all grown up and fine enough to convince any girl to leave the vibrator in the drawer. Ten years after their passionate relationship ended, they're finally back to being friends. But the spark is still there, and they both wonder — what if?

When Grace gets a new assignment — turn her column for single gals into a column for couples — Ben oh-so generously offers to give her a hand with the research.

And the hottest job ever just got a lot hotter.

My Review

Ben and Grace broke up 10 years earlier and are now good friends so when Grace is telling Ben about the new owner of the paper she works for changing her column from reviewing sex toys to reviewing couples sex toys, Ben has a helpful thought. He'll help her out with her sex toy reviews and they can rekindle their relationship. 

Grace isn't sure this is a good idea but her other alternatives are to let other couple test the sex toys out or find some random guy to help her test the toys out. Neither of those options seem good to Grace so she considers Ben's offer. She still has feelings for Ben and they always got along so giving him another chance isn't the worst idea. 

This was such a fun quick read. First, what a fun job to have. *giggles* When Ben and Grace get down to business and she pulls out the box of sex toys she's supposed to test out, it was like the little kid in him came out. It was fun to watch. This was definitely a quick, fun, sexy read. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Forbidden Love by Lee Colgin

Book Description

When an esteemed vampire doctor treats an injured young werewolf, desire sparks between them.

Dr. Benjamin Arleth has devoted his life to finding a medical cure for his species’ most devastating weakness—sunlight. Finally, one of his pharmaceuticals shows promise, but sabotage looms large in the lab.

Wolf shifter Nathan Cramer is ready to finish grad school and begin his career when a trip to Center City’s Peace Conference goes awry. Weak and bleeding, Nathan knows his wounds could prove fatal. Dr. Arleth is his only hope.

Can love flourish between enemy species despite a society in turmoil? Could vampires walk in the daylight or will darkness reign? It’s a race to find answers, and Ben will have to put his trust in Nathan if they’re going to make it out alive.

Forbidden Love is a MM urban fantasy/paranormal romance and the second book in the series They Bite but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

My Review

I loved the first book so much that when I saw there was a second book, I grabbed it. 

Ben is a doctor who happens to be a vampire. He's happy being a doctor and researcher who is trying to find a cure for vampires sunlight problems but he's lonely too. 

Nathan is a wolf shifter and still in college trying to get through the last year. 

This book picks up directly after the first book when there was an explosion and Nathan got shot. Nathan ends up on the operating table of Dr. Ben and they flirt after he starts healing which was fast since he's a shifter. They make plans to see each other and stay in contact when they go back to their lives but it doesn't work out right away. Later when Nathan goes to find Ben and they make up for lost time and get closer. They both know they made mistakes and are determined not to let that happen again. 

There are a few problems that arise because of the vampire-shifter relationship and because not everyone approves of that. But once they find their happy place and really get to know one another, things start moving smoothly and these two are so cute together. Of course there's some danger in the middle of all of this because something has to stop all the fun, but seriously it does get dangerous for both Nathan and Ben at one point and I held my breath waiting to see what would happen. 

So far this series is so much fun and this is just the second book! I can't wait for more.

I really love some of the secondary characters and really hope we get Samuel's book at some point because even though the dude is scary, he's really interesting too. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Caught by the Dragon by Mac Flynn (Maiden to the Dragon #1)

Book Description

An unexpected journey to an unexpected love

Miriam Cait seeks love, or rather, her friend seeks it for her. Her friend’s latest date suggestion is refused on account of his dark eyes. There’s something not quite right with them, and Miriam soon finds out why when he comes knocking on her door, and knocking her out.

Miriam wakes up from the confrontation with more than just a headache. Shackles cover her ankles and wrists, and she’s on her way to being auctioned off to a bunch of self-proclaimed dragon lords. It all seems too fantastic to be real, but as the evidence starts mounting against sanity Miriam realizes she may be in deeper trouble than she thought.

My Review

Miriam turns a guy down when her friend introduces her to him and later she finds herself kidnapped and in another dimension, being auctioned off to dragon lords. 

Xander is a dragon lord, the rule of his world says that human females are taken and brought to his land to be picked as ether mates or servants. Bringing humans to his land helps keep the bloodlines good by bringing in new blood. His own mother was one of these females but he has fond memories of her, she had a good life. 

Once the women are rounded up and shown to the dragon lords, they get to pick the females they want but Miriam doesn't make things easy for Xander. She tries to run away and go home only to find out that once you go through the portal, you can never go back or you'll be killed by it. It's a one way trip. Only the kidnappers who are from another world can travel back and forth bringing women when they have a need for new blood. 

Miriam and the other women are taken by their new mates and while some of the women are happy with their new lives because they are taken care of very well and will want for nothing, Miriam still wants to go home but she gives Xander a chance. 

This book surprised me because Xander and some of the other dragon lords are actually decent people. Xander didn't think it was right that women were kidnapped and brought here against their will but it was the way of his world. He was a nice guy and tried to make sure Miriam was made comfortable and tried to give her what she needed so she could get used to her new home. After a dangerous fight with another dragon, Xander is hurt and we can see that Miriam genuinely cares about him. I thought it was a good first book for this series. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #205

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 20 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 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

Unbelievably it's been pretty quiet around here this week. We've seen the police patrolling around quite a bit but I haven't seen them parked or at anyone's apartment this week. 

Of course when I had the dog out for a walk I did spot something that shouldn't have been there in the alley by one of the parking curbs... a needle. Thankfully it had a cap on it so I threw it in the trash so a kid didn't get a hold of it. 

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

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Today is also my 15 year Blogoversary!

I can't believe I've had this blog for 15 years. So thank you to those of you that have been here a long time and to those who are fairly new. I hope to be around many more years. 

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Life Update: 

Ken found out that the cancer has spread to his rib bones on the left side but it hasn't spread anywhere else. They did tell him that he has stage 4 cancer since it went from his lung to his brain and rib bones though. They surgically implanted a chest port this week so he can start chemo and they are going to start radiation on his brain lesions as well soon. 

Review: Tempting The Dragon King by Kiersten Fay

Book Description

On his way to reestablish an old alliance, Tristan Okora, king of the dragon shifters, discovers a beautiful human female aboard an enemy vessel. He offers his protection until she can be safely returned to Earth. But the more time he spends with Juniper Jacobs, the faster he falls for the little mortal.

Meanwhile, amidst the trouble brewing in his kingdom—a terrible rumor that threatens his crown—Tristan must make a difficult decision; accept an arranged marriage with a neighboring princess, or risk everything for the beguiling human.

TEMPTING THE DRAGON KING is the first book in this Shadow Quest spin-off series, focusing on dragon shifters and witches, but there are plenty of cameos from the original series.

My Review

Tristan inherited the throne when his father was killed by an enemy they hate. He's not comfortable with his new title yet and he needs to form an alliance with a female he hardly know because mating with her will strengthen his throne and position even if he's not looking forward to it. 

Juniper is from Earth but while out on a hike one day stumbles onto an alien ship and when it takes off for outer space she thinks her days are numbered. When Tristan's ship starts firing at her because she on the type of ship that killed his father, she thinks times up and she's going to die. 

Tristan is a dragon shifter, he finds Juniper (June) on a ship and agrees to take her back to Earth but there's something about her that attracts him to her the more time they spend together. She's like a kid seeing all these new things for the first time and Tristan likes watching her experience his world for the first time. 

The longer they spend together, the more time Tristan wants to spend with her but he knows that he'll have to give her up at some point and he's not looking forward to that. But they spend more and more time together which some of the staff don't like because she's human I guess. But that doesn't stop the fireworks from going off every time they're together. There's a small amount of his people that believe a rumor that Tristan had something to do with his father's death which causes a big problem from which a huge twist is thrown at us. It was a good twist though and I didn't see it coming or the after effects of what would happen because of it. 

I do love this author's books and I will keep reading them as long as she writes them. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Review: Soulfire by Juliette Cross

Book Description

Tensions are rising in the Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and Morgons has begun to blur. While the human aristocracy strives to maintain distance between their daughters and the dragon-hybrid race, fate has other plans.

As the daughter of the corporate king, Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs for more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.

Lucius Nightwing is the eldest son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the greatest enemy of Jessen’s father. When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen into his arms, his dragon roars to the surface, craving to sate his carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast in Lucius recognizes her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the truth.

My Review

I started reading the Vale of Stars series and didn't realize that this series, the Nightwing series was connected to that series. All I knew is that I wanted to read more from Juliette Cross so I picked this one and I'm glad that I did. 

Lucius is part of the powerful Morgon clan and a serious enemy of Jessen's father but that doesn't stop him from falling head over heals for Jessen. 

Jessen knows that she's supposed to marry a man that her father has picked for her to strengthen her family's ties with his. But she's not in love with this guy, she doesn't even like him and with good reason. So when she's around Lucius, a supposed enemy of her family, she's not sure how to feel but it sure isn't hate. 

Jessen needed to get away from her father and brother because they were both control freaks, hell bent on telling Jessen what she was allowed to do with her life and I hated them. So when Jessen and Lucius started hanging out more and acted on their attraction, I knew Jessen would not be stuck in a marriage that would have been awful for her. 

Lucius is a Morgon and has an inner dragon as well as wings so he can fly and I loved the flying scenes when he either swoops in for some reason or takes her for a flight around. Lucius doesn't want to be attracted to a human and Jessen has grown up believing all kinds of bad things about Morgonkind so they both have some things to work through. But once they do, there's no stopping these two from becoming one of my all time favorite couples. Now I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Wolf Under Fire by Paige Tyler

Book Description

For the cases no one else can solve, they send in the Special Threat Assessment Team

Supernatural creatures are no longer keeping their existence secret from humans, causing panic around the globe. To investigate, monitor, and—when necessary—take down dangerous supernatural offenders, an international task force was established: The Special Threat Assessment Team.

STAT agent Jestina Ridley is in London with her team investigating a suspicious kidnapping. Over her radio, Jes hears her teammates being savagely attacked. She runs to help, but she's too late. The only survivor, Jes calls for backup and gets former Navy SEAL and alpha werewolf Jake Huang and his new pack. Convinced that the creature who butchered her teammates was a werewolf, Jes doesn't trust them. But if they're going to uncover the facts and make it back home alive, she'll need Jake's help. And with everything on the line, Jes will have to accept Jake for who he is, or lose the partner she never expected to find...

STAT (Special Threat Assessment Team) Series:

Wolf Under Fire (Book 1)

My Review

Jes was on a mission with her teammates when some kind of paranormal creature took out two of her team. She calls for backup and that when Jake and his werewolf teammates come in to help track down the paranormal that killed two of their own. 

Jake is a werewolf and once he sees a picture of Jes, he's smitten with her before he joins her team. But once they meet he's a little disappointed in how she reacts to him and his team being werewolves. She doesn't know them, does't trust them or him and pretty much expects him to act like a monster and not the cookie eating, gentleman that he actually is. 

It isn't until they find themselves in dangerous situations and have to rely on one another that the ice starts to break and they start to trust each other. Jake has felt possessive and wanted to keep her safe even before they became friends but he didn't really understand why. Once they reveal just how much they care about each other, it's hard for them to keep their hands to themselves, even while they still find themselves going on missions to find the kidnapped children. 

Tracking down the paranormal that killed Jes's teammates and are also kidnapping children brings them face to face with a hard to kill opponent. But once we find out who the bad guys are and what they are really doing it was quite the shock and I really enjoyed the ending. I enjoyed getting to know all of these characters and am looking forward to reading more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book via Edelweiss but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Forbidden Blood by R. L. Kenderson

Book Description

A repressed vampire princess. A handsome stranger. A forbidden night that changes everything.

Next in line to lead the vampire species, Naya Kensington is set to mate with a male of her parents’ choosing. But before she’s trapped in a loveless relationship forever, she breaks the rules and crosses the river to attend a new nightclub.

Discontent and numb, everything changes when she meets Vaughn Llewelyn. He’s unlike any human she’s ever met before, and he makes her feel something again.

What Naya doesn’t know is that Vaughn is a cat-shifter, and once he senses Naya, he and his cat want her.

Breaking her own rules, Naya takes Vaughn home for the night and does the unthinkable.

She drinks his blood. Something she’s only allowed to do from other vampires—and never from a male she’s not mated with.

Neither Naya nor Vaughn could imagine how this act will change both of their lives forever…as well as the world of everyone around them.

Forbidden Blood is the first book in R.L. Kenderson's hot paranormal romance series. If you like alpha males, spicy supernatural characters, forbidden love, and steamy sex, then you'll love the first installment in this page-turning series.

My Review

Naya is the vampire princess and she's expected to marry a vampire that her parents choose for her. But she knows that as soon as she's married she'll be unhappy in a loveless marriage and having kids out of duty. She's not happy about the turn her life is about to take so she goes out to a club with her human best friend. 

Vaughn is out at a club with his friend Sawyer when he spots Naya and later comes to her aid when a drunk is hitting on her and doesn't want to take no for an answer. 

Naya and Vaughn are instantly attracted to each other but Vaughn has a secret that Naya doesn't know about. He's not the human that Naya thinks he is, he's much more so when they spend the night together things happen and now both of their lives are going in directions neither of them ever saw coming. 

There are side stories with secondary characters that I hope we'll be seeing in upcoming books like Sawyer and Naya's best friend Kenzie. Sawyer gives Kenzie a ride home after Naya leaves the club with Vaughn, he's grumpy and standoffish but Kenzie finds him drop dead attractive, not that she plans on telling him that with the bad attitude he has. But it was so obvious to me that Sawyer felt something for her because the way he was acting jealous of the guy she was dancing with at the club and the way he kept looking at her. 

This is the first book in the series so it was nice getting to know a lot of the characters that will be in subsequent books.  Naya's parents aren't always nice or take Naya's feelings into consideration before they make a decision about her and at times in this story that really made me mad. I can only hope that they chill the heck out in this series. I don't want to give too much away but Naya and Vaughn are such a sweet couple. You can just tell that they really love each other and belong together but there are so many things in there way. 

There's a huge twist near the end of this book that totally took me by surprise, but has me wanting the next book right now! I need to know what happens next. I just love when that Happens. I can highly recommend this book, it was a lot of fun and kept me guessing. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Apartment Life #204

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 20 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 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

The police showed up a couple of times this week but I only got a couple of pictures because I didn't have my camera with me when I went outside with the dog and saw them on the street. They were in my courtyard but I don't know why.

Then on Thursday we spotted a police officer at the apartment that always plays their music stupid loud. 

He had paperwork with his that he was showing the guy that lives there and then I got a picture of him as he as walking away. I actually think this guy was a constable because his uniform was different than the police that I usually see so I don't know why he was over there talking to the guy. It sure didn't stop him from playing his music crazy loud a little while later. 

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Life Update:

I want to thank everyone who donated to our fundraiser for a car and/or taxi money last Sunday for Ken's doctor appointments. The links and info are still there if anyone else wants to help out. We are really surprised and overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. 

This week Ken had a bunch of tests and next week he is having a PET scan to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else. And then he's having a chest port put in for chemo. 

But here's an interesting picture for you. 

Ken's doctor ordered a chest X-Ray to rule out pneumonia and the technician came right here to the apartment to do it. 

How cool is that? Good news, he doesn't have pneumonia but he does have COPD. 

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

Review: Broken by Rebecca Zanetti

Book Description

Dangerous: Former Navy SEAL Clarence Wolfe’s unit was taken out with a land mine. Injured and devastated, he hasn’t been quite right since. Worse, the tragedy was no accident. All Wolfe wants now is to take down the man responsible. In the meantime, he’s good with being the muscle for the Deep Ops team—and leading a steamy no-strings-attached personal life. Until one intriguing woman changes everything . . .

Determined:  Reporter Dana Mulberry is on a mission to avenge the death of a fellow journalist. She’s finally hot on a trail—right to a sex club—where she runs into . . . Wolfe? It seems both their leads have led to the same spot. To keep from blowing their covers, they’ll have to at least pretend to have a little fun. Trouble is, they genuinely like each other. And that’s way too risky for Wolfe, especially when, to his surprise, Dana agrees . . .

Complicated:  Drawn to each other in ways they can’t understand, Wolfe and Dana keep it professional—until they’re shot at one night. And when their adventures land them both at the heart of corruption in D.C.—and at odds in their missions—they’ll have to dig deeper than ever to succeed in their quests—and with each other . . .

My Review

Dana and Wolfe end up at the same BDSM club on the same night both looking for different people because of their jobs. Wolfe was dressed as a Dom while Dana was dressed as a sub and to protect Dana, Wolfe slapped some pink cuffs on her so other Doms wouldn't mess with her. But she was just about to throw a fit when the men they were there to find ended up dead. 

Wolfe makes her come back to his place to keep her safe but she's a reporter on a story and staying there under his protection doesn't sit well with her. Once they find themselves in danger again and it looks like not only are bad guys after him but they're after her too, she realizes that she needs to stay with him and his team to stay safe. But staying safe is hard to do when there's more than one bad guy after them. It seemed like no matter where they went, someone was there to try and kill them. Plus there's one guy that Wolfe is talking to and taunting to come and fight him. That guy ends up being a bigger player than he thought he would be in the danger they've been facing but he's determined to keep Dana safe. 

Wolfe never wanted to fall for her and doesn't seem to think he's worthy of her or his life is too dangerous to have someone like her in it but they do fall for each other and I'm glad because he's actually a really nice guy underneath it all. 

Once Dana finds out what happened to her friend and Wolfe finally gets the fight that he has wanted with his enemy, the danger picks up and they find themselves and parts of his team in some seriously dangerous situations. The action was great, the romance was wonderful and now I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

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.

A couple of month's back I was sent an invitation in my inbox to become a Walmart Spark Reviewer. So I signed up and this month I received my first two products to review.

A mini grater and some Christmas lollipops.

So that was cool. I like both of the things I got to review so that's good.

Did you receive any freebies this week?