Favorite Picture of the Week

 

We have a small red oleander bush out front of my apartment complex. It's not as big as the white one but it's a nice splash of color around here. No clouds this week, how about some flowers.

There are a couple of these bushes with the purple flowers. Not sure what they are.

The flowers are pretty though.

And across the street I spotted these pink flowers right before the landscapers cut the bush down really small. 

Book Review: The Last True Vampire by Kate Baxter

 

Book Description

He is the last vampire king, and he has finally found his mate.

Michael Aristov survived the massacre that erased his race. Now an immortal predator hiding in the nightclubs of Los Angeles, he longs for vengeance and hungers for the woman whose blood can restore his power.

Claire Thompson survives by stealing from men who underestimate her. Fast, fearless, and sharp-tongued, she never planned on crossing a monster until one claims her.

The moment their fated-mate bond ignites, it does more than tie them together. It makes him stronger and paints a target on her back.

The Slayers who massacred his kind are still watching. They will kill her to destroy him.

Claire has spent her life running from danger. Now she must choose.

Walk away from the immortal king who would burn the world for her.

Or step into the shadows beside him and become something far more dangerous than prey.

Explicit open-door heat. Fated mates. Immortal alpha vampire and defiant street thief. A power bond that could resurrect a kingdom or get them both killed.

My Review

400 years ago, the Sortiari vampire hunters backed by the church annihilated the entire vampire race, save for one, Michael.  The Sortiari were actually Berserkers so they were strong and fast killing machines. 

Claire is a pickpocket and goes to a club to try and pick the pockets of those partying at the club. Michael just happens to be there to feed on someone. They meet when Claire spots him as an easy mark but things get tense when he realizes that she's his mate. She feels the pull and makes out with him but as soon as she gets the expensive watch off him, she runs and he can't find her for a while.

While there were no other vampires, there were Dhampirs, which were a product of birth. To be turned into vampires the Dhampirs would have to be drained of blood and feed on a vampire but Michael couldn't do that for any of them since he hadn't found his mate yet and was too weak to do anything but exist until such time as he found his mate. 

Claire and Michael find their way to each other again and again even when Claire runs and tries to stay away from Michael after she finds out what he is and she feels the pull towards him. Michael knows shortly after meeting her that she's his mate and wants to be with her but it's dangerous with the Sortiari around every corner just waiting for Michael to show himself. When the Sortiari find out that Michael has found his mate and taken her blood, they want her dead and that puts Claire in a lot of danger. 

I really like the fated mate storyline and the Sortiari made things really dangerous for all of them. Berserkers after the vampires and Dhampirs was very different from what I have read in vampire romance before. This was a thrilling ride from start to finish and can highly recommend this book. Now I need to go read the next book in this series. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures today are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #419

 

This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I'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 27 years here in a weekly blog post.

Life Update: 

My daughter ended up in the ER last week because the pain got so bad. They gave her something for the pain and she was alright for a couple of days. Sorry I haven't been coming around your blogs much. I pulled a muscle in my back, pinched a nerve also and have lightning nerve pain shooting down the back of my leg when I walk. I've have to use one of my crutches to walk outside to let the dog potty. I've been in a lot of pain the last week and couldn't sit at my computer desk for very long. Hopefully it gets better soon. That's why this post was late in getting published today. 

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I've talked quite a bit about the homeless people in my area. I know not all of the homeless are drug addicts, thieves or out for nefarious purposes. I am friendly with most of the homeless people in my area. Some of these people have been homeless around here for many years and I've talked to them for a long time. 

Not to mention all the veterans and others with PTSD or similar disorders that just want to hunker down on a little piece of property in their tents and be left alone. The world is too big a place, too loud and too disorienting. I feel for all of them.

There are homeless shelters but a lot of them don't want to go to them because they can't do their drugs there. 

But there has been an influx of homeless people since the RV's have settled around here. The picture above is of a makeshift tent one new homeless guy made for about a week. he used wood, metal and a sheet to make himself a tent. I have no problem with the homeless, I feel bad for them. The problem I have is the mess they leave behind. 

When the guy who made the makeshift tent, left. He left behind all of his mess. There's a trash dumpster not 40 feet from where he left this stuff. 

And then there's this. The Water Authority boxes that the homeless like to sleep or set up camp next to for a few days. They tore the door off one of the boxes again this week and left a mess. 

Those water bottles aren't filled with water, it's urine. 

And then there was this uncapped syringe on the sidewalk near the mess. This is not the first syringe that I've seen laying around where the homeless camp out. This is what makes me mad. 

A lot of these people do have drug issues and drugs are easier to get than keeping a place to live. 

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I walk the dog a lot. This bullet was laying in the rocks near the sidewalk, in front of the apartment office one morning. It wasn't there the day before, I would have seen it. 

Did someone put it there on purpose?

Was someone loading their gun?

Did it fall out of a pants pocket?

Will we hear gunshots tonight?

These and other questions "might" be answered on the next episode of, "As the apartment burns!"

I now give you back to your regularly scheduled programming. 🤪🤪🔫

Hey, at least they didn't set the dumpster on fire this week. 

The high this week was 98F/36C

The low this week was 66F/18C

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

Falcor Turns 12 Years Old

 

Happy Birthday to my little, old man.

He still has some much energy. No one ever believes me when I tell them he's 12 years old now. 

Book Review: All I want For Christmas Is An Alien by Julie K. Cohen

 

Book Description

‘Santa Claus is Coming’ has a whole new meaning on an alien world

Sure, the aliens here don’t know what Christmas is, we don’t have Christmas lights or chocolate (yes, that one’s hard to accept), but we’re all together. Zyanthan-human mated pairs and their children, all celebrating the holidays.

Lucky me, I have my very own Santa! A warrior with striking white hair, magnificent horns, a smile that melts my heart, and two, um, candy canes to warm my bed…. until duty calls. Instead of descending down our chimney as ol’ Saint Nick, Havok flies off on a mission. Now, he’s on my naughty list!

Dear Santa, bring my alien home for Christmas! I promise, when he returns, I’ll show him why landing on my naughty list comes with some very nice rewards!

(Warning: Contains one determined human woman who won’t give up hope, a missing alien warrior who better make it home AND have one drekking good Christmas gift to make up for being late, questionable holiday cooking by a dear friend, and the kind of love that makes the galaxy hold its breath. HEA guaranteed!)

◆◆◆

Mine to Love!

All I Want For Christmas Is An Alien is a steamy holiday romance where a military family learns the true meaning of Christmas. This short story is filled with friends and family, joy, hope, and lots of love. Expect heart-warming moments and a very Happy Ever After.

This title is intended for readers who have read my Zyanthan Warriors series, but all readers are welcome to read (there may be a few spoilers, so I encourage you to read Alien Awoken first). Enjoy!

My Review

While I haven't read any of the other books in this series, that didn't detract from this story much at all. 

Havok gets called away on a mission right before Christmas. He's an alien with horns and Jade is a human woman. since I haven't read the other books I don't know how they met but they have a couple of small children together, so it's safe to say they've been together for a little while. 

While Havok is away trying to get back for Christmas, Jade is getting things ready for the big day with some friends and family around to help her. 

Havok is in trouble and I wasn't sure he was going to get out and get back to Jade but with the help of some surprising people, he's got a chance to escape the danger and get back to Jade and their kids. 

It was a fun, spicy novella. I will have to go back and read the other books now. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Favorite Picture of the Week

This picture was taken at 2PM one day this week. Some sun was trying to poke out between the cloud above and it made the clouds look blue for a moment, but there were so many dark clouds. Not a drop of rain though.

Just a few minutes later on the way home.

Same time just looking towards the North.

Later that night as the sun was getting ready to set, the wind picked up and was blowing around 40 mph for a while. Gusts were higher. The clouds were moving by fast.

The next day we still had clouds and some wind.

And then that night as the sun was setting there was just this one big cloud close to me, so I took a picture of it. Most of the clouds cleared out with the winds.

Book Review: Legacy Of Chaos by Larissa Ione

 

Book Description

Stryke, son of Shade and Runa, grew up a happy, well-adjusted incubus alongside his four brothers. A supergenius, he took an interest in science and technology at an early age, with a dream of joining NASA…until a moment of carelessness resulted in the death of his little brother. Unable to forgive himself and desperate to prevent a similar tragedy from happening to others, he started up his own anti-demon tech company and sequestered himself behind its walls. Now he’s a household name and one of the wealthiest people on the planet.

Cyan, a technomancer who works as a cybersecurity expert for DART, lost her best friend to a weapon designed by Stryke’s company. She’s hurt, angry, and wants revenge. So when an opportunity to work with Stryke on a project arises, she jumps at the chance to help DART and make Stryke’s life miserable.

At first, Cyan and Stryke butt heads about everything. But she soon finds that deep down, he’s desperately wounded and willing to sacrifice everything, including his family, to achieve his goals. Can she help him heal before he destroys himself—and everyone around him?

My Review

I've been reading this series out of order but that's ok, I wanted to read this book because I felt like I knew Stryke a little better after reading Legacy of Desire and wanted to read his story. 

Stryke blames himself for his brother's death because he was responsible for him at that time. But it wasn't his fault. Cyan blames Stryke for her best friend's death because it was one of his companies' weapons that killed her. Cyan goes into this book seeking revenge for her friend's death. These two are both in pain, both ended up needing each other and not knowing it. 

I really like being able to see the old characters I have grown to love in the Demonica and Lords of Deliverance series. Plus, we get to see what's going on with some of the other storylines like the Angels who are actually in trouble because others have taken over heaven. Hell is being rebuilt and people are being punished for it being destroyed in the first place. Demons are escaping Hell and that's really not a good thing.

I actually felt bad for Stryke because losing his little brother broke him and caused him to pull away from his family. He was hurting, blamed himself and even though he acted like a jerk, it was because of how much it hurt him inside. 

Cyan and Stryke go from not trusting each other to working together on something and slowly they start to form some trust and other feelings. Stryke is an incubus (sex demon) and if he doesn't have sex, he'll die. There are injectable medicines he can take in emergencies, but they're not supposed to be taken regularly. So when Cyan and Stryke get stranded on an oil platform while water demons are attacking them, Cyan is more than willing to help him out...a couple of times. This brings these two closer together and I really liked watching how being around Cyan changes Stryke from the grumpy, serious demon to a guy willing to try and mend fences with his family. 

If you've read the Demonica, or Lords of Deliverance series, I can't recommend this series enough. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #418

 

This is a weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I'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 27 years here in a weekly blog post.

Life Update:

I'm almost 100% back to normal. I've been working out my arms and shoulders with 5lb weights. It helped. 

My daughter saw her Rheumatologist, and he said the Lupus medication she's on is not enough, so they are going to have her come in for infusions of that medication every week now. He said that should help with the pain she's in but she still needs to see pain management when she finally gets the referral. (Still waiting on that) The usually give steroids for Lupus but because she also has Congestive Heart Failure, she can't take high doses of steroids because it can cause fluid buildup around the heart. She's still in pain but hanging in there. 

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While this place may be a dumpster fire, we had an actual dumpster fire!

Monday evening I was out walking Falcor and smelled smoke. So I went and looked in our alley and sure enough the dumpster was on fire again. I took 2 quick pictures, knocked on my neighbors door because hers is the red car right next to the dumpster but she wasn't home, so I went inside and called 911 and had my daughter call the neighbor. 

I knew they'd get here pretty fast.

And they did. 

They got the fire out pretty fast. 

At least they got it out without it spreading anywhere. 

  

 Here's a video of the fire department getting here and putting the fire out. My daughter felt good enough to come stand out there and watch the firemen for a few minutes. 

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Earlier on Monday the police were across the street for a domestic disturbance. 2 people were fighting in that apartment complex where the police cars are parked. No one was taken to jail though. 

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Friday evening, I heard the police helicopter up and went outside to see if anything was going on down my street. Of course there was. 5 cop cars, including a white undercover police car were parked on both sides of the street. 

I saw 5 of the police officers come out as I walked down to get pictures. Didn't look like anyone was getting arrested as they all left soon after. No idea what such a big damn deal was to have the police helicopter, 5 police cars including an undercover car, show up when no one was arrested.

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Since you guys liked the Oleander bushes at my apartment building, I took a picture of the bigger Oleander bush across the street. It's as tall as the 2-story house behind it. This one doesn't get trimmed at all and has been growing for years. This bush is huge and I love it.

The high this week was 87F/30C

The low this week was 56F/13C

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