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:

I was sent an artificial indoor tree for free this week. You might have seen the review I wrote for it on Saturday.

I also received a free bottle of Lysol Daily Cleanser from Crowdtap.

I love my new tree, it's cute and small enough that it fits in my living room. The Lysol Daily Cleanser works really well. I've used this brand before and think it's a really good one.

Did you receive any freebies this week. 

Review: Beauty and the Beast by Skye Warren

Book Description

FALL IN LOVE with this modern day fairy tale...

Erin cleans Mr. Morris's house twice a week, soaking up every moment with the reclusive ex-soldier she secretly loves.

Blake Morris knows he's scarred both inside and out and is no good for the beautiful young woman who cleans his house to pay for college. But when Erin walks in on Blake touching himself and moaning her name, all bets are off.

Blake receives an offer to return to his alma mater as an associate professor. This is his chance to reenter the world-and to be worthy of the woman he loves. But when they both enter the classroom on the first day, everything is on the line-his career, her future, and a love greater than they knew possible.

Can beauty save the beast?

Find out in this steamy contemporary fairy tale retelling!

WARNING: This full-length novel contains a scarred military hero, a young college student working as a maid in his house, and a happily ever after!

My Review

I picked this up when it was a freebie on Amazon. 

Blake Morris has been hiding out in his house since he got out of the military where he was injured. He's scarred on the outside as well as the inside. He has some serious emotional baggage that he hasn't worked though. 

Erin cleans Blake's house a couple times a week and has feelings for the guy. She's using the money she makes to help put her through college. 

First off, I would have liked a lot more back story on Blake, his military service, how long he's been out...ect. We really don't get a lot of back story on this guy and a lot is left up to our imaginations. The second thing that bothered me was the instant sex in this story. Sure, they both have feelings for one another but to jump right into sex without giving time to get used to the characters with very little back story was disconcerting. 

Blake falls for Erin fast and hard but she also has strong feelings for him. They're in a relationship and he takes a teaching job at the college that she goes to. That wasn't awkward at all but they seem to pull it off until someone from his past makes trouble for them. They have a few hurdles to jump over during their time together but I think they made good choices for the most part. There is an abundance of of sex in this book and Blake comes off quite needy and clingy but given the circumstances of what he's been through, I forgive him. But if a lot of sex throws you off, then I wouldn't pick this book up. 

I actually like both Blake and Erin and like where this story was going and how it ended. I just think it could have been a bit more engaging, a bit more of a slow build up to a relationship so that the reader is kept wanting more. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Baby I'm Howling For You by Christine Warren

Book Description

WELCOME TO ALPHAVILLE, where the she-wolves and alpha-males play. . .for keeps.

Renny Landry is a wolf on the run. Pursued by a shapeshifting stalker and his slobbering pack of killer coyotes, she is forced to flee her job as a librarian to find sanctuary in the wooded hills of Alpha, Washington. A well-secluded safe space for troubled shifters, Alpha is Renny’s last hope. But the first person she meets there is a gorgeous alpha male with fiery eyes, fierce tattoos, and one ferocious appetite—for her…

Mick Fischer thought he left his past behind when he moved to Alpha. But fate has a way of biting him in the tail when a female wolf shows up on his property. Wounded, desperate—and disarmingly hot—Renny brings out the snarling, protective alpha beast in Mick like no other woman he’s known. Can these two haunted, hunted wolves manage to mate for life…even as the deadliest past demons howl at their heels?

My Review

Renny found herself on the run from coyote enforcers who were sent after her. She stumbles onto an alpha wolf's territory as she's being chased and even though the wolf shifter might kill her for invading his territory, that was better than being caught by those who were after her. She had taken a job as a librarian but when the coyote alpha of the town wouldn't take no for an answer regarding her, she had to run and she ran right into Mick's cabin. 

After people in the town found out about her, they made her feel very welcome. Mick especially wanted her to stick around since he was completely enamored with her but was taking things slow. He had lost his mate and was a little gun shy about new relationships even though his wolf was wanting to get a lot closer to her. 

You would think that the guy who has been chasing her would give up now that she's in a town full of shifters that are protecting her but no, he's not right in the head and it shows so many times in the actions he takes. 

Family secrets come to light at the same time old enemies come back into Mick's life. There's danger, crazy shifter fighting and a stalker. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Unbridled by Diana Palmer

Book Description

A lone wolf takes on the threat endangering everything he loves in an unforgettable story in the sensational Long, Tall Texans series

Widowed Texas Ranger and single dad John Ruiz hardened his heart years ago. Day after day, he tracks the roughest criminals in the Lone Star State, leaving little room for love. So when John butts heads with the beautiful nurse who’s helping his young son, he’s floored by how quickly the sparks fly.

Ever since her mother’s and brother’s brutal murders, Sunny Marlowe has devoted her life to helping save others. Adorable Tonio Ruiz is just another youngster she’s trying to help—or so she tells herself. Little does she know he’s John’s son. When her life comes under fire, can one mysterious rancher rescue her?

My Review 

I've been a huge fan of Diana Palmer's books for a long time. So I was so excited when I got this book because it was one that I wanted to read. 

John Ruiz, a Texas Ranger isn't looking for a relationship because his son didn't like the thought of his dad dating after his mom passed away. His son, Tonio is a troubled kid with an attitude problem and John just didn't know how to react to his sons outbursts.

Sunny is a nurse with a tragic past. She's painfully shy and lives by herself. So when John shows her a little attention a couple of times, she doesn't know how to act but she knows she doesn't want to give him the wrong idea. She's not looking for a relationship. 

Sunny and John go out to eat a few times as friends even though they are attracted to each other they don't act on it. They both have their reasons just to stay friends. 

There are two gangs in the area that Sunny lives in and she helps a young boy from being bullied by one of the gang members not knowing that it's her friends son. Sunny finds the boy who was being bullied in the hospital cafeteria and they start to talk. Tonio has no idea that Sunny knows his dad and he confides in her when one of the gang members beats up a friend of his. Tonio agrees to talk with a cop friend of hers about a gang member. There's an investigation going on where they are tying to get enough evidence against one gang member to put him in prison but the investigation is slow going. 

Meanwhile John and Sunny are getting closer until they have a misunderstanding and their relationship falls to the ground in shattered pieces. Things are said in anger that shouldn't have been said. It was a sad part of this book for me. What John said to her in anger coupled with the fact that he's a workaholic and never has anytime for his son, made me not like him a whole lot. 

But John made up for it in big ways when Sunny finds herself in danger and this one had a great ending. I've always been a big fan of this author's books and this was no exception. If you like romance with a bit of danger thrown in then I would definitely pick this one up. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

I received a free copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of (me) Mary Kirkland*

Apartment Life #33

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 house is across the street from where I walk Falcor, just down the street from me. They have two large dogs, a Doberman and a Rottweiler. The dogs will bark at anyone walking their dogs on the walking path across the street from them. About 2 years ago the Doberman learned how to scale the chain link fence and jump right over it and would run and charge anyone walking their dog. It even happened to me once. 

The dog never bit anyone as far as I know and hasn't attacked any dogs as far as I know but it's scary having a large dog jump a fence and charge at you when you're walking your small dog. I picked Falcor up and the dog just stayed back about 10 feet from me and barked at me until I started walking home and then he turned around and went back home. 

Several people complained to animal control who was at their house several times. They still have the dogs but now as you can see, they've put up plywood along the inside of their fence so the dog can't climb over it. It's actually worked so far but the dogs still bark like crazy when they see other dogs. And there are a lot of small dogs in my apartment complex that walk their dogs along the walking trail that I was standing on when I took this picture.

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

Review: Museum Trees

I've said before that I like having indoor plants but I can't seem to keep them alive so I rely on artificial plants to bring color and life to my apartment. I have several artificial plants but I'm always on the look out for more because they really do brighten things up. 

So this week I added another artificial plant to my apartment. It's bigger or rather taller than the others that I have and I really think it fits in nicely in the living room which is small so it's hard to find new pieces to fit. Museum Trees offers custom artificial trees and plants that fit in anywhere you'd like to add them. 

I've been thinking of adding a taller plant in my living room for a while so when I saw this one, I knew it would fit in nicely and it really does. This artificial plant came with the pot and it really looks real. When our daughter came over she said she couldn't tell that it was an artificial plant at all. I really like the look of it and it just takes a damp cloth to clean the leaves when they get dusty. I don't have to worry about dirt, pollen or dry leaves falling off and making a mess. 

Living in a small apartment with no balcony and no place to have a garden outside makes it hard to have live plants around but artificial plants are just as nice in my opinion and I'm happy I don't have to deal with insects and dirt. I stood this plant right next to my bookshelf and think it goes well where it is. 

If you think you and your family would enjoy having an artificial tree in your home, you can visit Silk Plants Direct and use promo code BLOGGER10 to save 10% on your order (custom orders excluded).

Disclaimer: I was given a free artificial plant in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

Favorite Video of the Week

If you've never seen Alonzo Lerone then, you're welcome. lol I think after seeing him the first time I was hooked, he's so darn funny. He usually reads Tweets that have bad spelling but this time is was Tinder Profiles and those are funny as well.

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 free sample of Dove Body Wash, Face Wash and Body Lotion.
2 samples of Lubrigyn cleansing lotion.

and

A free DegustaBox! That's a $20 value. I entered one of their fb contests and submitted a picture of a dish I made with one of their products and I won! They DM'd me on fb but she got my name wrong at first. LOL


So did you guys get any freebies this week?

Review: Smoldering Ashes (book 4) by Annie Anderson

Book Description

Kyle Brennan can't catch a break.

After centuries without a mate, he finally found his only to have her ripped away from him. But the woman who came back doesn't remember the first thing about him. Kyle doesn't know this woman, and he's not so sure he wants to.

Nicola Miller has a big problem.

She can't remember a single second of her life before she woke up in a hospital bed in Knoxville, Tennessee. Not just that, but she has a huge, hulking man in her hospital room claiming to be her husband - a man she obviously doesn't know. She's not sure how things could get any worse.

But the last shards of Nicola's life are about to be burned to the ground. Because someone has to pay for the sins of the past, and she's wearing the face of the woman who committed them.

It looks like the last of their luck has just run out.

My Review

So I picked this one up when it was a freebie but I didn't read the 3 books in the series before this one. The description on Amazon said it could be read as a standalone so I took a chance and it worked out fine as a standalone. 

Nicola wakes from a coma to find a huge man next to her that she finds out is her husband. She's scared because she doesn't remember anything but she knows the nurse isn't human but then she finds out that neither is she or Kyle, her husband. 

This book goes back and forth from past to present so you get a lot of information as to what happened to her and Kyle to bring them to this place. 

There are a lot of people mad at Nicola because of what she did before her coma but some understand what really happened and have forgiven her and are ready to give her a fresh start. She's not sure where she fits in with Kyle or his family and since they all seem to be in the same house as her and Kyle when he takes her home, things are tense. Things get said and she takes off but gets kidnapped. A lot is going on at that point and some revelations are brought to light and the book wraps up nicely after a few really tense pages. So even though I haven't read the rest of the series this was a good read and I didn't feel like I was missing a lot by starting where I did. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: DegustaBox Subscription Box- June

DegustaBox is a monthly subscription box filled with food and drink products. The price for the box is $19.99 a month.  

You do not get to pick any of the products you get, it's a surprise each month. But they say each box contains 10-15 items and each box is worth at least $30. I like trying boxes like this because they usually contain products that I've never tried or haven't seen before. 

What was in this month's box?

Tickle Water watermelon sparkling water. 

That's It fruit bar. 

Mutti Peeled Tomatoes. 

Walkers Shortbread. 

Goya Black Beans. 

Lundberg Family Farms Cinnamon Sugar chips. 

True Lemon. 

Goya The Perfect Seasoning. 

Zollipops. 

Goya Corn Tortillas. 

I really love the Goya products. Since trying them in these boxes, I've been buying them and it's a really good brand. I love black beans so I'm always happy to see those in the box as well as the tortillas. I used the Mutti Peeled Tomatoes right away and made chicken cacciatore and white rice. 

Ya'll it was so good. 

We ate or tried everything with the exception of the True Lemon because we've had that before and knew what it was like. It's good as a mix for water. Makes a good lemonade. It was a good box this month as I enjoyed everything in it. 

If you don't live in the US, they have a Great Britain Website.

If this box looks like something you'd like, you can use code MARYK-ACB and get your first box half off. That's a big box of food for only $10! and you can cancel anytime. So if you're interested, go to the DegustaBox site and sign up and don't forget to use my code to get your first box for just $10.

Have you tried any of these products?

Review: Target Beauty Box- June

This month's Target Beauty Box was $7 and totally worth it in my opinion. 

Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb.

What was in this month's box?

Eyelure Accents- Fake eye leashes. 

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Mascara. 

Sleek MakeUP Major Matte Lip Cream. 

Good Chemistry Fragrance Perfume. 

Garnier Micellar Water. 

Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste. 

Up&up Premium Cotton Rounds. 

As soon as I saw that they were offering a mascara in this box, I scooped it up because they can be expensive so this was a good deal.  That mascara is $8 all by itself if you go to buy it in the store, so like I said, a good deal. 

I've never used fake lashes before but I put them away for one day when I might want to try to put them on. Let's just hope that I don't glue my eyes shut. 

The matte lipstick is nice and a shade that I can wear. I already like the micellar water, I've used that before and it works good. The perfume was nice, a little goes a long way. Cotton rounds? Eh, they're cotton rounds. They works the same as all the others do. The Colgate toothpaste works well but I still like Crest the best.

Were you able to get this box?

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Rat Logic*

Apartment Life #32

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 is a hole on the outside wall of my apartment building. It's called the clean out and that's where plumber's go in to access the plumbing if they have to snake out a line. These clean outs are outside every apartment so the plumber can get to each apartment's plumbing line's if there's a backup and he has to use the snake to clear it. 

So now that you know what they are, I can tell you what has happened with them. The opening is small and right at the opening are the plumbing lines so there's no way for anyone to crawl in there. But when maintenance or the plumber doesn't replace the board that covers the hole and it's left open like this, sometimes stray cats in the area will crawl in there and start urinating in there right under our apartments. In the summer time the smell can get bad so when we see the covers off, we usually say something to maintenance so they will nail them back on.

This is how it's supposed to look with the boards up covering the hole. 

So a few months back when I saw it was off, I told the maintenance guy when I saw him in a vacant apartment. He said he'd get to it when he gets to it. 4 days went by before it was finally replaced. Now it might not seem like a big deal but twice in the 20 years that we've lived here, an older stay cat has wondered in there and died. And because it's impossible to crawl in there... the maintenance and the manager informed us that we would just have to deal with the smell until it went away which was months. Not even kidding. In the summer when the temperatures reach 117F, it just makes the smells coming from under the buildings even worst. So if I see the cover off of these holes, I say something. I would have nailed that board up my damn self if they had left it out there in the dirt. But no such luck. He finally put the board back up but that night I heard a cat meowing when I was in my bathroom. My daughter came over the next morning and she heard the cat meowing when she was in the bathroom too so Ken went out with a hammer and pried the board off so the cat could get out. If we had waited for the maintenance guy to do it, who knows how many days that would have taken. As soon as ken removed the board we stopped hearing the cat meowing, so I'm assuming it got out. I never saw it.

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

Review Target Beauty Box- May

In May there were two different boxes available. This one and a regular Target Beauty Box. *I know it's late but I was lazy and didn't write this post until this month. Better late than never. lol *

Each box was $7 and I liked what I saw so I bought both of them. Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb. 

This is the Sonia Kashuk Box which is the first time I've seen it but I liked what was in it so I decided to give it a shot. 

What was in this month's box?

Makeup Beauty Blender

Angled Eye Shadow Brush

Blush Brush

Slanted Tweezers

3 Quick Dry Makeup Brush Wipes

Those two makeup brushes are outstanding. I didn't have an eye shadow brush exactly like this one so I was happy to get it. I have several pairs of tweezers but you never know when you'll need another and the beauty blender is a really good one. It's always nice to have another one of those around. I haven't used the brush wipes yet.

Target Beauty Box

This box was also $7 and there were quite a few products in it so I feel like it was a really good deal. 

What was in this box:

OGX Coconut Miracle Oil Dry Shampoo

Conair 3 piece Ponytailer

Soap & Glory The Scrub of Your Life Body Butter

Neutogena Ultra Sheer Lotion Sunscreen SPF 55

St. Ives Cleansing Stick

La Roche' Posay Lipikar Moisturizer

Free & Lovely by Bodycology Body Mist 

I'm really happy with everything. I was happy to get yet another dry shampoo. I now have 4 of them since I just gave my daughter 3 more. It seems the beauty boxes really like to have these in them and I've received a couple of them as free samples as well. They do work alright as long as you work it in vigorously. Someone told me to actually spray it in right before you go to sleep and all the moving around you do at night will work it in so you don't see a white powdery residue. That does help.

The body mist smells really good and I can always use more sunscreen.

I wanted to pay special attention to this because it's interesting. It's a stick cleanser. You twist the bottom and rub this across your face, then massage it in and rinse off. I just want to say that it smells so good! Not even kidding. The scent is so nice. It's easy to use and easily twists up from the bottom. It does cleanse really well and it made my skin feel really soft. It was a big hit with me. I love it.  That's one of the reasons I like these boxes. I would never have known about this if it hadn't come in this box and I would have missed out. I definitely recommend this product, it's my favorite from this box.

Did you order either of these boxes?

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 $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap.
A coupon for a free 8 pack of sparkling water.

For anyone else that uses Crowdtap, they are finally back up after all their updates. It's been at least a couple of weeks since I was able to get a gift card from them and re-validate my account on their new system. Things are running a little slow for me but I was still able to get enough points to get a gift card.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Bengal's Quest by Lora Leigh (book 30)

Book Description

He was a shadow, ever shifting and insinuating, able to blend in everywhere and anywhere. The elusive ideal conceived and created by the Genetics Council, he went by just as many names as he had identities—the last one being Gideon. 

Now calling himself Graeme, he hides in plain sight, terrifyingly close to his goal. A rogue Bengal Breed, he has loyalties to no one but himself. And he has a need for vengeance that surges hot and swift through his veins.

Graeme plans to exact an extreme and ruthless vendetta against those who wronged him—Breed and human alike. All will suffer his wrath: those who created him, those who pretended to love him, and those who betrayed him.

That includes the one at the center of it all: a seductive, enigmatic woman helpless against the man whose desire is just as desperate as his need to destroy.

And he’s on her scent…

My Review

I've been reading this series for years and each book has been so good but I always look forward to the next book in this series. 

Graeme was made in a lab. He was tortured and had to watch and listen as others around him were also tortured as they were experimented on. He's a Breed, a Bengal shifter and is as lethal as any shifter has ever been. Cat saved Graeme years ago by giving him some of her blood. But when they both escaped, they didn't have much to do with each other until now because she was a child and his mate.

Cat was born human but turned into a Breed when she was a child to save her from an illness. She's been hiding from those who want to kill her. She's had to take on a persona that was not her own in order to keep herself hidden but that is coming to an end.

If you haven't been reading this series then reading this book would be very confusing because of the different souls that remember their past and the differing names of the same people. The Breeds see Graeme as a monster or boogeyman because of what he is and what he's capable of doing. It was interesting to finally see Cat and Graeme come together and all the secrets to out and there were quite a few. 

I really like that this book tied together a lot of loose ends about Graeme and now I understand him more. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

*Click picture to enlarge*

I went to take a picture of Falcor while we were out on a walk and right as I snapped the picture he did a little shake. So he looks goofy as hell. 

Review: My Plan B by Shelley Munro

Book Description

Plan A sucks. Move over for plan B… 

Sports commentator and reporter, Megan Saxon, has it all. The perfect career and freedom to do anything she wants, but as the years creep by she realizes love, or at least male companionship, has thumbed its nose at her. With the help of her agent-friend, she hatches Plan B. A brief love affair with a younger man will cure all ills and help her plan for the future. 

The problem with plan B? Nothing, I repeat nothing, goes the way she plans, and she’s left gasping for breath, dodging reporters and suffering acute embarrassment. 

The. Worst. Blushing. Epidemic. Ever. 

Long-term widower and werewolf, Jacey Anderson, has moved to small country town Middlemarch to be near his grieving adult stepson, Henry, and to embrace the wide, open spaces with his wolf. He’s not expecting romance and especially with a public figure who attracts reporters like flies at a dung heap. His attraction to the sexy, sassy Megan has disaster written all over it, yet try telling that to his moonstruck wolf. 

Yes, this Plan B has potential calamity for both parties. A pity that neither of them has a lick of good sense when they’re in the same room, touching… Kissing… Caressing… 

Contains: werewolves, feline shifters, and creatures that howl at the night moon. There is also hot love, laughter and lots of teasing. 

My Review

While Jacey, his son and friend are out for a run in their animal forms, they stumble across a woman taking pictures. She didn't spot them but she got pictures of them. They don't know how but they know they have to get to her phone and delete the pictures. 

Megan gets sent to cover a piece in Middlemarch after getting replaced by a younger female in the space she had been reporting on. While there reporting on the Rugby teams, she meets Jacey and starts dating him not knowing he's a wolf shifter. 

After getting caught in their animal forms and getting caught on Megan's phone in the form of pictures, Jacey and his son know they have to delete the pictures but they aren't sure how to go about it. While Jacey is in Megan's room he and his wolf both end up wanting her. So the next day when he spots her and they end up having coffee together, Jacey takes the opportunity to talk to her and get to know her a little better. Later he wins a date with her through a raffle, that's when things really heat up. These two are seriously attracted to each other but Megan has no idea this guy is a wolf shifter. 

There was a huge twist towards the end of the book that I kinda saw coming but loved nonetheless. The secondary characters are just as great as Jacey and Megan and I really liked them. His whole family are a bunch of great people that made Megan feel at home, I really liked that about them.

I loved this book and think it added greatly to this series as a whole. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

Apartment Life #31

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 has been relatively quiet. This block wall is in my alley, I've showed it to you before. It separates my complex from the strip mall you can see through the wall on the other side. Over there is a K9 training center, Cal Ranch, liquor store, smoke shop and now a Mariana's Mexican supermarket. 

The opening you see in this block wall has been there the entire 20 years we've been here and that's how people around here walk to these stores. It's the fastest route. Mariana's just opened last week and they hired someone to fill in this opening and the ones further down the wall, blocking access to the strip mall unless you walk all the way around the block. Everyone around here knew that someone would eventually knock down the wall they put up and 3 nights ago they did. I told Ken as soon as he told me they were out there filling in the wall that the people around here would not stand for this and a lot of others said the same thing because people were mad when this access way was closed off. I don't know if they'll try and fill this hole in the wall back in but if they do, it'll just get knocked down again. 

On Thursday night my dog started barking because a couple of guys were running through our courtyard. Several minutes later the police helicopter was up shining their light on my street, Ken was looking out the bedroom window and they kept shining their bright light in our window but they left pretty quickly. Then a couple of hours later around 11pm, the police helicopter was shining their light in my courtyard and several police officers were standing in front of apartment #8. They stood out there for a couple of hours before Ken and I got too tired to wait and see what was going to happen. I don't know if they were waiting for a warrant or what. Friday morning I saw an envelope on their door. I still have no idea what that was about.

The saga continues...

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

Favorite Video of the Week

I've been listening to this band for years and still love them. This is a good song but the video is flippin awesome. I hope you enjoy it too.

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:
The first picture was a PinchMe box. In it was...
Sweet and Spicy Skittles.
Whole Blends Shampoo and Conditioner.
Garnier Fructis Hair Mask.
A coupon for a free Slim Fast shake.

The second picture is a book I won in a blog contest over at The Reading Frenzy.

I love that Whole Blends shampoo and conditioner. I've received several samples and love them. My hubby and daughter tried those skittles and said they were really spicy, enough to burn their throat.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Kenya Calling by Tori Knightwood

Book Description

Tragedy made her a shifter hunter. He would die to protect his family’s secrets. When business brings them together in Africa, sparks and claws will fly.

Ryenne Cavanagh is a kick-ass shifter hunter in a world where most shifters are law-abiding, but rogues like to make trouble. Successful in a male-dominated field, Ryenne doesn't take shit from anyone. Especially not from shifters.

When a rich Kenyan businessman hires Ryenne to protect him and his entire village from a rogue leopard shifter, she soon finds herself the target of the most cunning rogue she's ever faced. Worse still, her new client forces her into competition against a sexy French shifter hunter with a dangerous secret. She needs to solve the case first or lose her fee. Despite their rivalry, the French hottie is breaking down the protective walls built around her heart since she lost her brother and father.

Will she uncover the identity of the rogue first or lose her heart along with her fee? More importantly, will she bring the rogue to justice before she becomes his next victim?

The Shifter Hunters Ltd. trilogy is filled with action, adventure, and steamy love scenes. It is intended for readers aged 18 and up. Kenya Calling does NOT end with a cliffhanger but is only the first part of the story.

My Review

This book is a novella, the print length being 147 pages. So if you're in the mood for a quick read this is a good pick. This is book 1 in a 3 book series. 

It's Ryenne's job to track down and stop rogue shifters and stop them before they kill innocent humans or turn them into shifters. Ryenne and her partner get hired by a businessman in Africa who gives them half their fee to find the rogue shifter that he thinks wants him dead. Ryenne is the one to travel to Africa and deal with the rogue shifter but he or she is harder to find than Ryenne first thought they would be.  

Along with Ryenne and her partner being hired, the businessman also hired another hunter and whoever finds the rogue shifter will get the second half of the payment. Of course she's not happy about this little twist of plans but she agree's because she thinks she can find the shifter before the other guy does. 

Lucian is the other hunter that is hired and even as he's there to do a job, he finds himself attracted to Ryenne. He has a few secrets that are shocking to Ryenne when they come to light but she still has the hots for him. 

There is a slow building romance. I call it slow building even though they jump each other's bones pretty quick but they don't really know much about each other. But as Ryenne and Lucian get to know one another and find out who the rogue is, they face a lot of danger and it brings them closer together. 

I loved the twist that came towards the end of this book. I kinda saw it coming but it was still a good one and just when I thought I had this story figured out, another twist is thrown at us and it's a good one!

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.