Review: Wyoming Legend by Diana Palmer

Book Description

Micah Torrance could use a helping hand. Between managing his expansive Wyoming ranch and caring for his willful little girl, Janey, Micah’s plate is more than full. Usually, it’s not in this cowboy’s nature to ask, but when beautiful Karina Carter offers her help, Micah can’t resist. With her sweet smile and her easy way with Janey, Micah wants to trust her. But he knows better than anyone that love only leads to heartbreak.

Champion ice-skater Karina Carter needs a fresh start while her body heals. Caring for little Janey is just temporary until she can get back on the ice—or so she keeps telling herself. But the longer she spends with this gorgeous single dad, the more drawn she is to him and the family they could share. Now if only she can convince him that she’s here to stay, this new life with him could be beyond her wildest dreams.

My Review

After a bad accident and break, Karina had to think of another career since she could no longer skate. In the mean time she was running low on funds so she takes an in-home babysitting job at a ranch for a 9 year old girl. Janey seemed much older than 9 years old and she just happens to love ice skating. Her soon to be step mother has been teacher her but she's been teaching her some wrong things and she has no patience for the child. So Karina starts taking her to the ice rink and giving her pointers. 

Karina almost leaves at one point because Micah is a big, grumpy man who tends to yell when he's mad. Karina doesn't like getting yelled at so it's a good thing he apologized before she quit. Things seemed to get better between them after that, but he's still dealing with a soon to be wife that likes to boss him around, which isn't sitting well with him. 

I really liked this story but the employer/employee relationship started right off with a lie and a big one. Karina never told Micah that she was a figure skater and that's how she broke her ankle. But he was more than just grumpy, he was at times a real jerk. I would have told him where to go a few times. I know I would have quit that job instead of staying there taking this guys BS. There's just no reason to talk to someone the way he talked to her a few times. Plus, he saw how his fiance was treating his daughter and how it hurt her and he did nothing. I actually didn't like either of these characters until about 75% into the book and then things seemed to change a bit. But it's hard to change my opinion of these two when I've seen the dark side of their personalities. 

Things do get better between these two and they fall for each other. It was nice seeing him change from a grumpy jerk into a romantic nice guy. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for free via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

Happy Gotcha Day, Falcor

On this day in 2014 we got Falcor from our apartment manager who was moving and didn't want her 5 month old puppy anymore. Ken already loved the dog and had been asking the manager if he could have the dog for a while because she and her husband weren't treating him well. 

This is the dog pen that Falcor spent his first 5 months in. The manager said he was too hyper to let out so she had him in this all the time. Every time Ken or anyone went into her office, the dog was always in this so when she gave him to us she also gave this dog pen to us and we just used it at night until he was potty trained. He wasn't house trained and had never walked on a leash before we got him. He was scared of everything and we suspect that he was abused since he always acted so scared and would start screaming when he saw a belt, broom or shoe. 

He's a happy dog now and doesn't act the way he did when we first got him. He isn't scared of us anymore and loves going for walks, rides and getting spoiled. He even let me put this bandanna on him...for a minute. 

The looks he gives me are funny. He will just sit and let me takes pictures when he hears the camera come on. As long as he's getting some attention, he's happy.

My daughter took this picture of him. Cracks me up. He likes having his picture taken.

Now he has a bed, blanket, toys and loves to go for walks.

He doesn't even mind wearing his t-shirt. 

Again with the weird looks.

Oh and he had a potato fetish. We have to keep them up away from him or he'll toss them all over the living room. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #51

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.

I got up early last week to walk Falcor and saw a police car on my street. I found out later that they were there for a reported robbery and break in to some guys apartment in the next courtyard. 

The guy later told everyone who would listen to him that he started selling marijuana out of his apartment last month *he didn't tell the police this* and everyone around here knows he works nights. So while he was at work that night someone broke into his apartment and stole all his marijuana, his tv, stereo, game system and all his prescription medicine. He's so pissed off, omg. He said he's not selling marijuana anymore because the coughassholescough around here can't be trusted. lol 

One more thing. 

9pm last night I heard a bunch of yelling. My neighbors had about 8 people at his apartment and they were fighting. Someone broke the living room window, someone was kicking the door and the woman who was involved yelled at everyone that she called the cops so they better leave. So of course everyone left except for the 2 people that live there. The police show up in about 5 minutes. The woman who lives there was outside telling the police that the guy who broke the window had a sledge hammer and broke a bunch of stuff in her apartment. She stood out there writing out a statement. Hopefully the little idiot gets arrested. 

UPDATE:

I snapped a picture of their broken window this morning. All is quiet over there now and I didn't see anyone get arrested last night. Hopefully the drama from that apartment will be gone for a while now. 

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

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 won a pillow and hand cream in the Amazon giveaways!

And I won a book in a Goodreads giveaway.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Target Beauty Box- October

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 month Target released 2 different Beauty Boxes and I bought both of them. They were both $7 a piece and were well worth the price. 

This box contained: 

Acure Radically Rejuvenating Under Eye Hydrogel mask. 

Lumity Eye Drops. 

Covergirl Get In Line Liquid Eyeliner. 

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara Mini. 

Sonia Kashuk Essential Brush Brow & Spoolie. 

I can always use more eye drops. This time of year my allergies act up and my eyes get itchy so I can always use that. 

The eyebrow brush is going to my daughter since she fills in her eyebrows and I don't. I did try a few times but I end up looking like caterpillars are sitting above my eyes, so I'll just stick with what I've got for now. lol 

I tried the under eye hydrogels and didn't really see any difference in puffiness from allergies but it did make my skin there feel soft, so still a win. 

The liquid eyeliner is always welcome. I do like it when these boxes contain makeup and this eyeliner goes on easily and stays on. 

This second Box as just $7 as well and I was excited when I saw the contents of it. So many great things that I will actually use. 

What was in this box?

Tom's Luminous White Toothpaste with Flouride. 

Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Shampoo. 

Love Beauty and Planet Coconut Water & Mimosa Flower Conditioner. 

Bliss Makeup Melt Dry/Wet Gentle Jelly Cleanser with Rose Flower. 

Cetaphil Moisturizing Lotion. 

Olay Total Effects Whips. 

I love the Olay products so when I saw that this box had that in it, I snatched this one up fast. I love the Whips products. They really are a great moisturizer. 

Cetaphil products are really good and this is a nice big sample of that, so I am pleased with that. 

The shampoo and conditioner smells really good and left my hair feeling so soft. it smells so good. I just had to add that again. I'm really big on good scent and I love this one. 

This is the second bliss product that I've received and I am loving these products. The last one smelled so good, like candy. Not even kidding and the scent lasted a long time. This one has a more subtle scent but works really well at cleaning my face and leaving it soft. So I am pleased with this. 

The toothpaste is just ok. I've tried this one before. I've never really liked Tom's toothpaste but I keep getting samples of it that I end up giving away to others. 

So all in all, I really liked both of these boxes and for $7 each, it was a great price. I love these boxes and highly recommend them. 

Did you get either of these boxes?

Recipe: Pork Fried Rice

I made a bowl of Pork Fried Rice with peas, carrots, broccoli and onions. It came out really well. 

Fried Rice

1/2 cup diced Yellow Onion

3 cups day old Steamed White Rice

1/2 cup Peas and Carrots - Sauteed (You can use frozen but fresh is better)

1/2 Cup broccoli- Sauteed

1 Pork Chop

2 beaten eggs

4 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tsp powdered Chicken Bouillon Cube dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water

3 Tablespoons of soy sauce

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 tsp Onion Powder

Cook your pork chop over med. heat until done. Set aside and chop into small pieces. 

On medium high heat add 1 TBSP oil to pan and saute peas, carrots, onion and broccoli. Cook until fork tender. 

On medium high heat, heat the remaining oil in a large skillet. Add the pork, broccoli, peas, carrots, onion and rice. Stir fry until heated through. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the spices and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated. 

Review: Dark Thoughts by Cynthia Sax

Book Description

Can love redeem a monster?

The Refuge is home to some of the most violent beings in the universe. Kralj, its leader, reigns over the remote outpost with terrifying ease, ruthlessly squashing any rumors of rebellion, killing anyone who breaks his rules. Primitive, deadly, powerful, he’s a monster, scarred both on his face and his soul. He has never met a being he couldn’t control.

Until he meets her.

Dita has one mission—to kill the three targets claiming sanctuary within the Refuge. Or so she claims. For the first time in his long lifespan, Kralj isn’t certain of another being’s intentions. The tiny assassin is immune to his powers, her thoughts unreadable. He can’t predict her movements, can’t control her, can’t stop wanting her.

Dita is rare, as unique as he is, and, to keep the residents of the Refuge safe, Kralj will have to kill her. But first, he’ll touch her, taste her, show her how passionate the beast inside him can be.

Dark Thoughts is a STAND-ALONE SciFi Romance.

The hero might be tall, dark, and scarred but don’t be fooled by his appearance.

He’s truly a monster.

This story is not for readers with delicate sensibilities. 

My Review

I won this ebook earlier this month from an Amazon giveaway. I was excited because it has the same title as my blog. I thought it was fitting to get this one for that reason and to read it this month since it's Halloween month and this seemed like it would be a very dark romance from the description. 

Kralj is such a weird character. I wanted to refer to him as the hero but I can't think of him as that, the lead male character, yes but hero...no. He eats people. He. Eats. People. That fact should have stopped me from reading this but that just made this book have enough of a crazy edge to it that made me want to read this and I'm glad that I did. Kralj is part beast, and part human so it's really no wonder that his appetite calls for something a little different. His human half had been enhanced and now he was practically unstoppable and vicious. 

He had made the refuge that he lived in and saw to it that the residents that also lived there were safe. His beast half was a Beta Taurian Shadow Beast and they mated for life. He didn't think he would ever have a mate but when his beast smelled the woman who was hiding just outside the walls of his refuge, he knew she might be his mate. He found her and she didn't seem scared of him which was strange since most everyone was. 

Dita was an assassin and not afraid of Kralj, in fact she found him attractive. Their first meeting knocked him off balance but he knew he couldn't lose control or people would die. So he sent her away but she didn't stay away for long. He knows she's his mate so when she shows back up, he allows her to stay for a while. They get to know one another and it turns out she is as crazy as he is. She's a killer and so is he but both of them have hearts neither of them knew they had. They end up caring for one another and for others. 

I was worried this was going to be all about his crazy killer beast side and while that did make an appearance more than once, it was also nice to see the softer side of both of them. This book surprised me quite a bit because I ended up really liking this story. There's a lot more to both of them than being killers. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

"Why does this pillow smell like poo?"

*Courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"Take them off, I want to try them on."

*Courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

"I'm just doing a little shopping."

Apartment Life #50

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.

A few years ago we had a neighbor named Chuck. He was a sarcastic jerk and was always doing things to irritate me. I was standing outside one day trying to get a good picture of all the hail we were getting that day and this fool starts gathering up handfuls of hail and throwing it at me. So I started snapping pictures of him since he hated to have his picture taken for some reason.

I just wanted a picture of the hail. 

He also had this plaque in his window that said, National Sarcasm Society. He was definitely sarcastic.

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

Recipe: Malanga Root Mash

Ever since the Mariana's Mexican Market moved in next door to where we live, we've been trying all kinds of foods that we hadn't tried before. Case in point this root vegetable called Malanga Root. Ken saw people picking these up and buying them and asked me if I wanted to try it and I'm always up for trying something new. So he brought one home for us to try. It was only .69 cents for this and it's about as big as 3 medium size potatoes so one of them was enough to have as a side dish for dinner. 

I looked up a few ways to cook it and mashed was my preferred way to try it the first time. So all you have to do is peel it and make sure to peel off any dark spots or discolored spots and then rinse it really well so you can hold on to it while cutting it into chunks because it will be slimy and hard to hold on to if you don't rinse it. 

Then just boil it for about 40 minutes until fork tender, drain and mash. Add milk, butter, salt and pepper just like you would with mashed potatoes. It tasted so similar to mashed potatoes but it's a bit creamier when mashed than potatoes are. My daughter said that she wouldn't have even known it wasn't potatoes if I hadn't told her. 

This is easy to make and it tastes really good. So now you have something new to try if you've never had it before. 

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 won a $5 Amazon gift card from a blog contest.
I won a book in an Amazon giveaway. The title of it is Dark Thoughts just like my blog!
And I won a book in a blog contest.

A Serial Killer's Desire by C.F. Rabbiosi

Book Description

He's a rich bad boy. She's a damaged beauty... Same old story?

Not even close.

Because he's not just gorgeous, he's deadly. He lures women into his deceptive web and tortures them into submission, LOVES them to death, and won't stop until they've fallen for their captor. Won't stop until they've loved him with their last breath...

But this time, he's taken the wrong girl. This time, he may be captured instead, his heart chained by an astonishingly well matched foe.

My Review

The description of this book is what made me read this one. I've always had an unnatural fascination with serial killer's so after reading the description and a couple of reviews, I figured I'd give this one a shot. It sounded different from what I usually read and I was right, it's different...and dark. Unless you have a strong stomach, a fascination with how a serial killer's mind works and are in the mood for some twisted scenes, I wouldn't recommend this one. But if that sounds good then by all means give this one a try because it will take you on the dark, twisted ride of your life. Holy hell, this guy is one sick, demented dude. 

Antone kidnaps Jynn but he might have found his match with her because she has the same dark, twisted tendencies that he does. That by itself made this story interesting and totally flipped the story at one point which made me even more interested. These two together are one twisted mind fuck after another but I think that's what kept me reading and enthralled in the story.

This story was hitting me pretty hard, the dark nature of his fantasies and what he does is disturbing beyond belief but when Jynn enters the picture and he realizes that he now has someone that he might want to keep around instead of killing, it makes him think twice. I was on a hell of a ride...and then it ended on a cliffhanger. I wanted to throw my Kindle across the room. That's one of the reasons I read a few reviews before reading a book if I can help it but none of the reviews said anything about a cliffhanger. So I'm letting you know...there's a cliffhanger. Grrrr!

The story itself was good. Seeing inside a serial killer's mind was twisted but interesting. Their romance was scary as hell because of who they are and what they think. But the cliffhanger just ruined this for me. Give me an entire story or don't give me anything at all. This book would have rated much higher for me if it hadn't ended on a cliffhanger.

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

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

Review: Degustabox- October

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 months box?

Brown & Haley Caramel Sea Salt Roca

Sixlets chocolate candy

Sixlets fruit candy

Tastycake peanut butter candy cake

Tastycake chocolate icing cake

Pirates Booty white cheddar popcorn-4

Bush's Best Crisp Roasted Chick Peas

Welch's Fruit Snacks

Bahlsen chocolate waffles

Garoto candybar

Idahoan Foods Potato Soup Mix

Peanut butter chips

This months box was a good one. Our daughter was over when the box was delivered so we all sat around trying different foods that we hadn't had before. I think my entire family has a big sweet tooth so those candies were gone fast. The chocolate waffle crisps were tried and liked by all and so was the Roca.

The crispy chick peas were really good in salad. I was surprised even though I hate garlic and these are roasted garlic flavor but they were good. 

We sat around tasting a bit of this and that until most everything had been opened. 

We haven't tried the Potato Soup mix or the peanut butter chips yet. Everything else has been tasted, sampled and liked. We always have a good time with these boxes. It's fun to try foods that I wouldn't have normally bought. 

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: Sentinel of Darkness by Katie Reus

Book Description

She thought she’d put her past behind her…

Local artist Keva might be human, but she knows about the things that go bump in the night. Years ago, a dragon shifter saved her from certain death. Ever since, she’s lived in his clan’s territory and put her life back together. But the feeling of security is only an illusion, because her past has come back to haunt her. A past with claws and fangs, demanding blood.

He’ll do whatever it takes to defend his mate…

Dagen has finally met his mate—except he insults her the first time they meet. He’s not too proud to grovel to get back into her good graces. But when a threat from her past emerges, he realizes that he’ll do anything to keep her safe. Even if it means dying—or losing her forever.

My Review

Keva lives on the dragon clan's territory ever since a dragon saved her life years ago. She's finally putting her life back together when danger comes looking for her. Dagen and Keva met in an elevator when they were on their way to a meeting and they don't get off on the right foot. Dagen goes to her shop and apologizes to her about what happened during their first meeting. He knows that she's his mate and wants to spend time with her so he ends up asking her out. They start getting to know one another and getting along. She doesn't want to date anyone or get involved but she agrees to be friends with him not knowing that he sees her as a mate. 

Then a shifter wolf from her past shows up and threatens her and Dagen takes things into his own hands to protect her. I loved how protective he was about her and how safe she felt when he was around. When the danger ramps up Dagen's clan helps out keeping her safe and battling the people who want to hurt her. But she's no push over and proves that she can take care of herself when she has to.

I love dragon shifter stories and this novella was a great quick read that showed the dragons quite a few times. It was filled with romance, danger and fight scenes. I loved Dagen's crazy clan and am looking forward to reading more about them now. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

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

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Count Furcula, Doctor Poo, Ratchie McCaw & Peego Mortensen FB page*

"Did you say play time?"

Apartment Life #49

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.

In May of this year Ken and I heard a lot of yelling and screaming from across the street. We were looking out our bedroom window and saw the people in that courtyard running up and down the stairs and going into other apartments. Within 5 minutes of this happening, the first police car pulled up and they ran over to the stairs with their guns drawn. 

They brought a few people down stairs and talked with them for a few minutes. 

A minute or so later, several more police cars showed up and ran over to the stairs and more people came down to talk with the police. 

The police stood around talking to everyone for a few minutes. 

Then the fire truck and ambulance pulled up and went up stairs. But they all came back down stairs within a few minutes and left. 

Ken talked to someone that lives over there a little while later and found out what happened. One guy got out of prison and was living with his mom and brother. They all got into an argument and the brother who just got out of prison pulled a gun on the mother. She came down stairs and called the police on her son. But when the police came they couldn't find the gun and so no one was arrested. But because she said he had a gun there were over 9 police cars that responded on this street and in the alley behind them. 

One more thing...

Earlier this week my neighbor started screaming. Then she and her boyfriend ran out to the alley. She said the two guys that had been at her door pulled a gun on them and when she screamed the two guys took off. I saw the whole thing go down from where I was sitting and Ken had been outside and saw the two guys running away. She said she was calling the cops but an hour and half went by and no cops showed up so I'm guessing she didn't call. It was probably a drug deal gone bad anyway. Everyone's door came bursting open when she started screaming.

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