Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I'm the new King of Amazon. I saw what you bought."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"We has a present."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Dis my strawberry, you find your own."

Apartment Life #86

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.

This week we saw one of our old apartment managers that got fired back in 2012. He came here because he's still friends with one of the guys who lives here.

Back in 2012 he said they got fired because his wife got caught embezzling thousands of dollars from the company and she had 2 civil court cases against her from residents who she borrowed money from and never paid back. She had been taking all the petty cash the office had for paying small things like quick plumber calls, after hours maintenance calls ect. But she had been writing down all of these after hours calls that never happened and pocketing the petty cash. 

She had also been messing with rent papers and telling people they were late on their rent on the 2nd of the month even though we have until the 3rd to pay rent and then charging them a $30.00 late fee. And she was keeping all the late fee's that were bogus and she got caught.

Her husband had to sell his motorcycle and give the apartment management company $5000.00 or they were going to file embezzling charges against her. When they moved out of here they went into hiding because of all the charges they were facing. I know because we had been friends with them and the Marshall's as well as the Constable's office called us and came by several times looking for them and asking us if we knew their new address. We didn't know it so we couldn't help them so it was weird to see him the other day. 

Then the woman who I had to call the police on a couple of weeks ago was back knocking on my neighbors door screaming that she needed her phone. She left some of her stuff at his apartment when she left and now she wants it back. When he wouldn't answer the door she started knocking on all the neighbors doors. 

She knocked on my door too but I didn't answer the door. This is the same woman who used to live here and got evicted. She and her boyfriend would get into a big screaming match and she would yell that she was going to f*ck all the guys in this building so she could get money for some coke...and I doubt she was talking about the drink. And yes, she saw me taking her picture so I took the dog outside for a potty break and looked right at her. She just tried to stare me down...didn't work. She said nothing! That's what I thought. 

And then on another day the police helicopter was up in our neighborhood but no police cars showed up.

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

Review: Drakon's Knight by N.J. Walters

Book Description

Drakon Jericho Drake, the child of a pure-blood dragon and human, has a simple plan: Kill the leader of the Knights of the Dragon and start a war. Except, when he meets his target, Karina Azarov, she can’t remember who she is. Worst of all––he can’t kill her. His dragon side has just claimed the dangerous woman as his mate.

Karina has no idea why these Drakon’s have taken her to their home. And she most certainly does not understand why she’s so drawn to her captor. Maybe because he’s strong, intelligent, and caring, in his enigmatic sort of way. One thing she knows, he’s not going to hurt her. If only she could remember something from her past that would explain why these Drakon’s hate her so much.

But if her memory returns, mated or not, he may get his war.. And one of them will die.

My Review

Karina was marked for death by the Drakon's because she's the leader of the Knights of the Dragon but when they pull her from the car crash, Jericho can't kill her because his dragon has claimed her as their mate. When the Drakon's talk to her they find out that she can't remember who she is or what she does. She has no idea why they would want to kill her. Even more curious is a tattoo on her that has a big wound through it from the crash that the Drakon's find is magical in some way. She's been having horrible migraines and has been taking pills for it but the pills aren't what they seem either. So she's been lied to by the Knights and didn't realize that either. 

Jericho knows she could get her memory back at any time and he and his team members know they can't trust her because of who she is but she's not what they expected at all. The Knights of the Dragon kidnap the Drakon who are half dragon half human and drink their blood to heal themselves and live longer. Drakon's can shift into a dragon so that's another reason they are caught, caged and experimented on. So there's a real problem with keeping Karina around since her people will be looking for her.

When they all finally come face to face with the person who has really been pulling the strings behind the scenes for the Knights of the Dragon, a shocking revelation will be revealed. Poor Karina has been lied to and manipulated for years and she didn't even know it. 

There were so many secrets and twists right from the beginning of this story and I was excited to see where it all was going. The second half of this book was filled with so many twists and turns, lies and intrigue that I never knew exactly where it was going. This is the 7th book in this series and while it would be better to start reading from the beginning, you can read this book and still understand what's going on. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I give this book 5 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.

Here's what I received this week:

Cheez It Snap'd chips
Coupon for a free Oreo flavored Creamer
Coconut oil
L'Oreal Sublime Bronze Towelette
10 free Snapfish prints
And I won a kindle ebook from a Goodreads giveaway.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

The Oreo creamer is good. I've never used coconut oil before so I'm not sure what to do with it yet. I haven't used the self tanning towelette yet. 

Review: Fire & Rescue Shifters Collection 1: Books 1-3 by Zoe Chant

Book Description

Three unique shifter heroes who will set your heart aflame!

Whether it's a rogue dragon or just a scared little lion cub shifter stuck up a tree, the firefighters of Alpha Team can handle any emergency. But there's one inferno even these powerful shifters can't fight... the fiery passion sparked by their true mates!

In this red-hot box set, you’ll find strong curvy heroines, sexy British shifters, interracial fated mates, and absolutely no cliffhangers! The set contains the first three novels in the hilarious, heartwarming Fire & Rescue Shifters series:

FIREFIGHTER DRAGON - Welsh dragon shifter Dai rescues a curvy archaeologist with a priceless find and a ruthless enemy who’ll do anything to get his claws on it. Can Dai protect his mate, and convince her the only treasure he wants is her heart?

FIREFIGHTER PEGASUS - No one know that Pegasus shifter Chase’s ready grin and reckless ways hide a broken heart. But now fate has handed him a second chance to win back his one true mate...

FIREFIGHTER GRIFFIN - Torn between two inner animals, retired firefighter Griff has only months to live. But his true mate and her young son need a man who can protect them forever...

My Review

I'm going to do a mini review for each of the books that I read in this collection. 

Firefighter Dragon (Fire & Rescue Shifters 1)

Virginia had been looking for proof that she'd found Brithelm's burial place when someone found her in a place she wasn't supposed to be. After running away, a huge dragon appeared in front of her and she ran. Virginia had inadvertently stolen something from a dragon's hoard and he wanted it back. Dai and his team save her from a fire but Dai realizes that Virginia is his mate. Dai has a face to face with the angry dragon who wants his coin back and assures Dai that he will be coming for his stolen property so Dai tells her that he is there to protect her from the dragon. The story was a fun one and ends with Dai and the other dragon facing off to see who will win. 

Firefighter Pegasus ( Fire & Rescue Shifters 2)

Connie was always finding her father making another gambling bet that he couldn't cover. She was always looking for him in the seediest of bars and making sure he got home before he got himself in over his head. When her dad gets caught cheating, she starts a fire in order for them to get away. When Chase and his team get there to put out the fire and he finds Connie in the fire and pulls her out. He can hardly believe he's found her again because they had a falling out years ago even though he knew she was his mate. He's hoping to explain what happened all those years ago and have her forgive him and have a second chance with her. Connie's father had gambled her plane in a bet and the thugs broke his arms so he couldn't fly the plane in a race so Chase decides to fly in his place and win so she doesn't lose her plane. Things don't go as planned, a surprise enemy surfaces to put them in danger and Connie finally finds out the truth. This was such a good story. 

Firefighter Griffin (Fire & Rescue Shifters 3) 

This was my favorite story in this collection. Griff  has two animals inside him, a lion and an eagle but he's never been able to shift because neither animal will give up control and they fight all the time. Because he can't shift, he's dying and only has a couple of months to live. He's a dispatcher for the fire department and when one of the other dispatchers gets a call about a little boy turning into a lion and getting stuck up a tree, he knows he has to go check it out. He helps the cub down from the tree and finds out the boys mother is his mate. Hayley hasn't seen her son's father since before he was born. The guy just took off and wanted nothing to do with their son. But she sends him an email about him shifting into a lion cub which causes all sorts of problems because now that his son has shown that he inherited his shifter gene, he wants custody of him. The boys biological father turns out to be a complete jerk and Griff turns out to be exactly what she needs in her life. I felt bad for Griff with all her had to endure because his inner animals fought for supremacy and stopped him from being able to shift the way he should have been able to. But this story has a great ending and now I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series. 

I give this collection 4 out of 5 stars. 

Makeup Favorites

I was going to call this Makeup Haul but these are the 4 things that I buy every other month, so makeup favorites was more appropriate. So how about a review or 4?

Some of you are going to think I'm crazy but I wear two different foundations for two different reasons. lol I apply the NYX Stay Matte But Not Flat foundation first but only in places where my skin is red. It's great for covering up redness without having to cake the stuff on. I like a medium coverage foundation so you can still see through it to some of my skin which is why I use the Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid #30 on top of the NYX foundation. I like a medium coverage foundation that has pink undertones and this one has the exact right color for my face and you can see my freckles peeking through it. But using both of these foundations cover the redness on my face as well as making my skin all one color with pink undertones so I look like I got a little sun. That's what works for me, you might use something different. 

My next favorite thing is the Revlon Colorstay black eyeliner. It has a twist up top so you don't have to sharpen it but if you like a sharper point it comes with a built in sharpener and smudger. It's soft and glides on so smoothly. It's the best one I've found and I've tried a lot of them. 

Last but not least is my favorite Finishing Powder. I had been using a Maybelline powder until I found this NYX Mineral Matte Finishing Powder in light/medium. It's even more finely milled than some of the other loose powders I've used but what I really like is it keeps me from looking oily. I can use a fluffy brush to put this on in the morning and not have to re-apply it at all during the day and I don't get oily in my t-zone at all. This is the first powder that I've found that will do that and so once I started using it, I've stuck with it because it works so well. 

I use a lot of drugstore brands because I see no reason to pay $30 for a foundation or $40 for a powder when you can find great priced products elsewhere. I buy most of my makeup either from ELF, Walmart, ULTA or Amazon. The prices are just as good as going to the store and I don't have to leave my apartment. 

Here's the prices for the products when I bought them from Amazon. 

NYX Foundation $ 7.50

Maybelline Dream Satin Liquid Foundation $7.67

NYX Finishing Powder $5.99

Revlon Colorstay pencil $3.51

Review: Real Men Howl by Celia Kyle and Maria Maddix

Book Description

Mason’s inner wolf will go crazy without her. Lucy thinks he’s already crazy. Werewolves aren’t real. Right?

Lucy Morgan left Ashtown, Georgia, ten years ago and planned to never return. Unfortunately, life didn’t get that memo. She’s back and now painful memories follow her everywhere. Until she meets him. Mason Blackwood is over six feet of sinfully gorgeous man who—for some reason—wants her. He also thinks he’s a werewolf so… yeah. He’s crazypants. But when he wants to have his wicked way with her, his sanity doesn’t seem all that important anymore.

Mason isn’t sure how much longer he can remain Alpha over the Blackwood pack. Without a mate to balance him, his wolf snatches more control every day. It won’t be long before he loses himself to the animal entirely. Then he meets Lucy—a sassy, curvaceous beauty who calms his beast with a smile. One sniff is enough to tell him she’s his mate, and nothing will keep them apart.

Not even the pack’s deadliest enemy who’s determined to kill Lucy before Mason can claim her.


My Review  

Mason was quickly losing control and was slowly going feral. If he turned feral his pack would have no choice but to kill him. The only thing that stood between him and death was a mate, if only he could find her. So when Mason meets Lucy, he knows he can't let her go but she just thinks he's bossy and irritating.

Lucy moved back to her home town after being gone for ten years. She'd left after she'd witnessed her parents murder and it still haunted her. Lucy is accidentally hurt and goes to her childhood home to recover. She's not expecting Mason to show up at her door to make sure she's alright. She's instantly attracted to him but assures him she's fine and shuts the door in his face. He's stunned because women usually fall at his feet, but not this time which amuses him a little. 

Lucy is awesome! Omg this woman is all snark, snarl and verbal jabs. She's clever, smart and funny. I loved her character so much. At first she does not like how alpha Mason is or how bossy he seems and she lets him know... all the time. It was hilarious because he's not used to anyone talking to him like that. He's not used to a female not giving into his charm and good looks right away either and Lucy resists him at every turn. 

Watching these two get to know one another and slowly realize that Lucy is quickly falling for Mason as much as Mason has already fallen for her was a lot of fun. There's also an enemy causing problems for Mason's pack which turns into a huge twist towards the end but it fit so well in this story. I love a good curve ball when done well and this was. 

Mason's pack mates are very welcoming, so nice and everyone is so happy that Mason found his mate and not just because not finding her would have meant a death sentence for him. The best secondary characters were definitely Charlie and Ghost. I really liked how rambunctious the kids or pups were and Ghost the cat was a great addition to the story. 

I had a good time with this book and Lucy had me smiling more times than I can count. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of me*

"Dis bed is very comfy."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #85

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.

2 years ago I had a new neighbor and he had 3 little dogs. He didn't walk very fast because his legs and feet were terribly swollen so when one of his dogs ran out and he tried to call him back and it didn't work he started yelling, "Hamburger! Chicken nuggets! Din din! C'mon, I'll feed you something extra good if you'll just come back. Treat!"

Treat was the word that finally got the dogs to run back in his apartment. LOL

I remember laughing so much because it happened a lot while he was there.

Nothing crazy happened this week, which was nice so let's hope it stays quiet for a while.

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

Review: The BEARly Tamed Grizzly by Jenika Snow

Book Description

Oli

I didn’t know her, what she looked like, where she was, but I knew my mate was out there. And it was that truth that had me saving myself for her. Only her. If I couldn’t fully give myself over to my fated mate, what kind of worthy male was I?


But staying in town, hidden deep within the forest, wouldn’t bring my mate to me. I had to go and find her.
I had to make her mine.

India


As a former foster child, I never had real family, no roots. I’d always felt like something was missing, so I worked hard on helping others. My mobile medical van was where my passion lay. It’s how I made sure no one else felt helpless.


But when my van was broken into, and my safety compromised, it was a big bear shifting male who came to the rescue.


Oli said I was his. He claimed I was his mate. He seemed certain of it just by looking at me. It was insanity, but I couldn’t deny the pull I felt for him, the way my body craved his.


Pushing him away wasn’t an option, not when he was always there, watching me, making sure I was protected. And it was that need inside of me, the one that grew and consumed me, that finally had me giving in.
I soon realized being mated to a bear shifter meant he was grumpy, protective, possessive, and wanted only one thing. 

Me.

My Review

Oli was having a hard time because both of his brothers had found their mates and he still hadn't. He decides to take things into his own hands and go looking for her. 

India is a nurse who has a mobile medical van and helps people who are in need.

Oli felt like something was about to happen but he didn't know what, didn't know when, he just had a strange feeling a few times. He finally put it together that the mobile medical van had been around when he had the strongest strange feelings so this time when he spotted it he went to it. That's when he realized it had just been burglarized and India was inside having just been attacked. They don't meet under the greatest of circumstances but she needed help and he was there to do what he could. 

When he realizes he just found his mate he does what he can to keep his grizzly from coming out and scaring her even more. She's not sure what the heck is going on but she feels better with him there. 

It almost seemed like it was a sort of intuition that made a shifter or their mate go in a certain way or stop in a certain place in this trilogy or at least it seemed that way to me. They always seem to go to the right place to find their mates which was fun. 

Watching these two get to know one another and get closer was fun. They are so good together and it was a great story and ending to the trilogy that I've really enjoyed. I like the little look at the end of each of these books where we get to see a little while in the future and how they're doing. This was a great novella and I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.