Freebie Friday!

 

I won a pair of sunglasses in this instant win game.

And I received the sunglasses.

I received an Amazon giftcard.

Cashed in my points for a Vitamin Shoppe gift card.

And got all the vitamins I take for free with the giftcard.

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, 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.  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: 

I won a pair of sunglasses from an Instant Win game.

Got $50 Amazon giftcard

I cashed in my points for a Vitamin Shoppe giftcard and was able to get all the vitamins I take and got them for free by using the giftcard. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Book Review: Moonlit Feathers by Sarah Makela

 

Book Description

After faced with crippling loss, a heartbroken raven must find her wings again...

Treasure hunters are trained to find things, but all Morgana has known is loss. When someone she loves dies because she can’t protect them, she shies away from the world, too afraid to let anyone else get close. That won’t last long because ravens aren’t ones to pass up on shiny things.

Cody has never really felt accepted. He’s a coyote shifter of Native American heritage, but he gets his looks from his Scandinavian mother, unlike his siblings and the rest of his people. That makes him all the more dedicated when what seemed like a freak tornado becomes something much scarier.

When Cody realizes that his family’s powerful talisman has slips into the wrong hands, he desperately needs help. But he never imagined he’d be fall head over heels for the beautiful, if not, mysterious treasure hunter. Morgana will need to let go of being hurt again if they have any hope of saving not only each other, but also the small town that they both love from disaster.

No cliffhangers. Moonlit Feathers is a standalone paranormal romance.

My Review

Morgana lost her parents and her human boyfriend and now pushes anyone away that tries to get close to her. She doesn't want to feel that pain and loss again. Morgana is a raven shifter and a treasure hunter. Her gift for finding lost treasures is known and she is always taking on new clients to help them find what was lost. 

Cody comes to her to ask for help finding his families talisman after it was lost during a tornado. Later it becomes apparent that someone bad has the talisman and is using it or at least trying to use it and not for good. When the bad guy, kidnaps Morgana to get her attention and let her know what will happen if she doesn't help him find an object, the danger for everyone involved gets deeper. 

Morgana has feelings for Cody and Cody likes her back but she keeps pushing him away because she doesn't want to feel the pain of losing him if they were to get really involved with each other. Cody has his own problems because of how he looks. He's a coyote shifter and of Native American ancestry but looks more like his white mother, which makes his own family treat him like an outsider. 

I liked the story for the most part but it starts out slow and didn't keep my attention most of the time. At some points the action gets better and I kept thinking that it was getting good, only for it to slow down in the pacing again and got boring for a while. 

It's not a bad story if you keep with it and I did like how it ended. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Favorite Picture of the Week

 

One night while walking over to the store right next door, the sunset was so pretty. All of the pictures today are from the same sunset just a few minutes apart. 

Standing in front of the supermarket next door.

The colors kept changing.

The clouds were so big and in different places. So some were lit up really brightly while others were dark.

Panoramic view.

The sun was starting to set more but still really bright.

Then as the sun began to disappear, the darker clouds were more visible.

Last picture from outside my apartment door. That was a huge dark cloud but we didn't get any rain.

Book Review: Protected By The Alien Mercenary by Robin O'Connor

 

Book Description

Trapped in a terrible situation, I decide to hire a mercenary to help me escape. Pay him? I’m sure we’ll figure that out…

Rikki

I’ve been kidnapped and auctioned off. I’m not waiting around for my new ‘owner’ to do whatever he wants with me. When he leaves me with his guard in a sleazy bar, I see my chance.

There’s this even more terrifying looking male, horns, glowing blue lines on his skin, and a freaking tail! The glances he gives me leave no room for interpretation. He wants me. I can work with that…

When I hear he’s a mercenary, I take a gamble, and offer him the sweetest of payment if he helps me escape. Once he has me alone, I soon discover that the price is much steeper than just my body. He might just demand my heart.

Thar’oc

When I see her, I’m not the only one who stares, but I am the only one who cares. A tiny little human, trapped in a terrible situation. She’s all fire, bravado, pale skin, and wild curls.

Then she offers me a deal I simply can’t refuse. Against the wishes of my friends, the advice of my mentor, and my sanity, I take her. Once I’ve taken her, I won’t let her go. Ever. She’ll soon discover that she’s mine to protect, to spoil, and to pleasure.

Those that seek to steal her from me will learn that nothing gets past a Kertinal in mating rut.

This is a standalone novella and part of the My Monster, My Protector series. This steamy sci-fi romance features one stoic, pistol-wielding mercenary, a plucky, desperate heroine, and a steamy HEA.

My Review

Rikki has been abducted and sold to a new owner as a sex slave. When her owner leaves her in a bar with a guard, she speaks to Thar'oc who she overheard is a mercenary. She asks to hire him to take her to safety and in exchange she will "Work something out with him" we all know what that meant. Thar'oc cannot leave her to this fate so he accepts her offer and gets her to safety, only they aren't safe for long. 

On the run and hiding until he can get her on a ship and to safety, they get to know one another better and feel a strong pull towards each other. Thar'oc knows she's his mate but he waits to tell her anything or touch her until she makes it known that she is attracted to him too and wants to be with him. 

If I'm ever abducted by bad aliens, I can only hope a good alien takes pity on me like Thar'oc does for Rikki. He's a force to be reckoned with, his friends were great and helpful when he needed them. 

This was a quick, sexy read. I really liked the spicy moments between these two and how they had a hard time keeping their hands off each other. I loved the wonderful ending as well. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

More Blogger Glitches?

 

I spent 3 hours yesterday writing 4 book reviews and setting them to publish next month. After I had gotten them all done and set to publish, I looked at my scheduled posts and all 4 of the reviews I had just written were nowhere to be found. 

I don't know if anyone else is having this problem but you might want to take a look at your scheduled posts and make sure. Looks like Blogger is having more glitches again. I almost deleted my entire blog yesterday I was so mad. 🤣🤣🤪

But instead, I'm just going to wait a couple of days, see if it gets fixed, write the reviews all over again and this time save them in my email drafts folder in case they get deleted again. 

Just wanted to give you a heads up that you might want to make sure the same thing hasn't happened to you, and let you know I'm taking at least a couple of days break from Blogger. This really annoyed me. 

Happy Raturday!

 

"Just making some candy"

"I think this cookie is big enough to share."

"Anytime is a good time for a hamburger"

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

Apartment Life #537

 

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.

The police have been driving around, parking and just hanging out quite a bit. Not sure why but it sure has been quiet around here lately with them doing that. 🤣🤣

There's a group chat between my daughter and a few of the women neighbors in my courtyard. A couple of the neighbors said that 2 guys that looked like gang members were watching them and following them into our courtyard, watched them go to their door and then left. The guys were scoping out cars in the alley too. A bunch of us went outside in the alley to make sure none of their cars were being broken into. Nothing happened thankfully. My daughter and I did see 3 more gang member-looking dudes walking by though. 

A couple of weeks ago I was talking with a police officer from the Gang Unit and he told me that there were more gang members in my area. They have been tagging walls all over the place. He said they were all Hispanic, male, teenagers and all of these guys fit the description. Thankfully it was quiet after that though. 

The high this week was 107F/41C

The low this week was 86F/30C

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

Saturday Vittles

 

Zucchini and Carrot Zoodles with Chicken

I have a vegetable peeler that makes these thin "zoodle" strips of vegetables. So much easier than trying to julienne the vegetables. 

You will need:

1/2 carrot cut with a zoodle peeler or julienned

1/2 zucchini cut with a zoodle peeler or julienned

3 ounces of chicken breast

McCormick's Mesquite seasoning

McCormick's Montreal Chicken seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

No calorie cooking spray

Cut the chicken breast into small bite sized pieces, add a little of the spices to the chicken and toss with a spoon so it's all coated. Add a little no calorie cooking spray to a pan. Cook chicken to your desired doneness. Add the vegetables and add more of the spices if you choose to. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the vegetables are done to your liking. 

This bowl is 1 serving. The entire bowl has 150 calories and 5 carbs. 

Would you eat this?

Freebie Friday!

 

One of the packages got misdelivered and I had to contact customer service to get a replacement, and they sent out a replacement with no problems.

Back in August I was notified that I would be getting a Hamilton Beach toaster oven for free to review from Influenster.

And this week I got it!

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, 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.  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 4 pack of Amsety bars. I ate one before I took the picture. lol They say they are good for liver health. They are pretty good. I really liked the dark chocolate ones. 

I won a Sinister Remnants blog tour giveaway from Anita Dickason. I won a cute tote bag with my initial on it.  

I received a Hamilton Beach Sure Crisp Air Fryer/Toaster Oven from Influenster. 

I did a product test for IL Makiage again and they sent me 2- $150 gift codes to use on their website. So I got $300 worth of Makeup for free.

I received Mascara, 2 eyeshadow palettes, foundation and a bottle of facial firming cream. 

This is what I ordered. Yes, their makeup is expensive. I would not ordinarily be ordering from their website. lol But I've now completed a couple of product tests for them and received a few gift codes for their website. So if you ever see that ad on FB where they are looking for people to test one of their products, it's not a scam. It's definitely for real. I've done it a few times now. 

I love the new toaster oven!

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Product Review: Catalina Crunch Protein Cereal- Dark Chocolate

 

As most of my readers know I've been trying to eat healthier and so far in the last 2 years I've lost a total of 70 lbs. 

I've been trying different products that are high in protein because eating protein with your meal is supposed to help you feel fuller, longer. 

When I first tasted this cereal, I didn't like the weird crunch it had. It's a crunch as if it's been in an open container for a month and is now old and stale. If you let it sit in the milk for a little while and get a little less crunchy, you won't have the weird crunch this has. The taste isn't horrible, I do taste chocolate. But if you're looking for a sweet cereal, this isn't it. 

The price for a small 9oz bag was $6.99

A serving size is 1/2 cup. There are 150 calories for 1/2 cup. 

I ate this for a couple of days for breakfast. Did it keep me fuller than the 2 boiled or scrambled eggs I sometimes have? No, it lasted about the same as eating eggs for breakfast. 

Would I buy this again? No. Straight talk, I didn't like this cereal. 

I tried it as a snack by itself, and I would rather have something else. 

I added a handfull of the cereal to my zero sugar Banana Cream Pudding and let it sit to get a little soggy. Again, I didn't like the taste of the cereal. I did try it several times and came to the same conclusion, this just isn't for me. 

If I'm going to eat cereal because I'm craving cereal or something sweet, I'd rather eat a traditional sweet cereal instead of this. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

 

It was overcast and rainy on Sunday because of hurricane Marie.

It hardly rained but it was cooler and we had lots of great clouds.

Sunday morning at 8AM. 

Sunday morning 8AM.

Sunday morning 10AM

Monday afternoon. 

I took this picture on Friday as I was walking over to Mariana's Supermarket next door. That was a huge cloud.

Monday Afternoon.