Gummi Vitamins vs Pills

Since I found out I was deficient in two different vitamins, I now take Vitamin D and Folic Acid pills. So when I received a free bottle of Vitamin D gummies in one of the Daily Goodie Boxes, I was pretty happy about it. Then I also received a free bottle of Hair, Skin and Nails gummies and Vitamin C gummies. 

I wondered if the Vitamin levels in these gummies were the same or as good as they are in the pill form so I stopped taking the pill form of the Vitamin D and only took the gummies for 2 months because I knew I had a doctors appointment and blood tests coming up at the end of the two months that would check my Vitamin D levels. 

At the beginning of this month I had my blood tests done and my vitamin D level came back perfect, just as it was when I was taking the pill form. So this tells me that it doesn't matter which form you take if you need it, because both work just as well as the other. I might start taking both the folic acid and the vitamin D in gummi form from now on since they are a lot easier to take. 

All 3 of the gummies that I was taking had a good taste and I've tried a few gummi vitamins that didn't have a good taste so this was a plus for me this time. I can see the gummi version being better for people who have a hard time swallowing pills too. My mom had throat cancer and radiation which shrunk her throat and made it hard for her to swallow so she used a pill splitter to cut her pills in half or more so she could swallow them. A gummi would have been a lot easier for her to swallow.

After taking the Hair, Skin & Nail gummies, I found my skin less dry and softer which was nice. it didn't really do much for my nails and I didn't see any difference in my hair.

So if you've ever wondered if the gummi vitamins were worth it or as good as the pill form, I can say they are.

Favorite Picture of the Week

I was out walking Falcor when I saw this on the sidewalk next to my apartment complex. I'm curious who wrote this sign and why. 

Review: Degusta Box monthly subscription box- January

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?

Chocolat Frey- chocolate bar. 

Partners Crackers- Olive Oil and sea salt crackers. 

Idahoan Foods- Instant mashed potatoes. 2

MaraNatha- dark chocolate, caramel and coconut almond butter. 3

Vitabella- Strawberry pillow snacks. 

La Tortilla Factory- low carb flour tortillas. 

Michel et Augustin- cookie bite. 

Lundbery Family Farms- Vanilla Chai chips. 

Smashmallow- rice krispies treats. 2

Sweet Baby Rays- Hot sauce. 

We tried everything and really liked most of it. The hot sauce was even a win this time because it wasn't overly hot and had a good taste. 

I loved the vanilla chai chips. They have such a good flavor. I've actually been buying low carb tortillas recently so I was happy to see these in the box. I can't tell the difference between low carb and full carb tortillas. I'm still on the fence with almond butter. I tend to like peanut butter better. The Vitabella 'pillows' are good. But not great as a cereal. Better as a dry snack. 

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

If this box looks like something you'd like and you live in the US, 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?

Happy Raturday

*Picture courtesy of Cindy Rogers*

"My last girlfriend taught me teh french kiss. *slobber slobber*"

*Picture courtesy of me*

*picture courtesy of me*

"Mmmm freeze dried worms, crunchy with a hint of nuttiness."

Apartment Life #65

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.

The tar truck was sitting right outside my bedroom window back in 2013. The hose from the tar truck goes right to the left hand side of my bedroom window so they can get the tar up to the roof they were redoing. I woke up at 6am wondering why my bedroom stunk so bad...the stinky aroma of tar was seeping right through my air conditioner.

The manager had the maintenance man remove all of the 'dish' type cable satellite dishes from the roof after she sent out a notice that they would all be removed in 30 days and were no longer allowed. 2 years before that both my building and the building across from me had brand new roofs put on and when the Dish and Direct TV people went on the roof after that to install the satellite dishes they made holes up there either by their feet or installing the dishes. So now they are no longer allowed here. So this day all the holes that were leaking on the roof from the satellite dishes were being fixed.

There were a lot of pissed off people when she had the dishes removed and told everyone they would no longer be allowed on the grounds. But of course 2 years after this in 2015 we had a new manager that allowed people to get the satellite dishes again and that caused holes in the roof's again that had to be fixed...again! So now it's in the lease that no one is allowed satellite dishes on the property even though some older ones are still one the roofs. Now if you want cable you have to get one that doesn't require a satellite dish. 

I just hope they don't have to tar the roof anytime soon because it was awful smelly and the truck was right outside my bedroom window which made it even worst.

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

Kids try food from France. I couldn't stop laughing at their reactions. I don't think I've ever had any of this food.

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:

Coupons for free Udi's Bread and Caesar wet dog food.
5 samples of Charcocaps gas medicine.
Sperry stickers for phones and laptops.
VDL makeup primer sample.

I also won an Owlcrate box is a blog contest over at Insane About Books.

I love the Owlcrate box! There were so many interesting things in this box. 

There was a book, socks, luggage tag, wolf pin, makeup bag, wooden sword...

a bracelet and a cute cloth wall hanging. I've never had an Owlcrate subscription but I really like the box I won. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Kissed By A Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton

Book Description

A dark elf prince. A demon-hunting doctor. One bite will change their lives forever in...

Olivia thinks it’s her lucky night when a dangerously handsome unconscious fae ends up on her inspection table. He’s her chance to redeem herself with her employer, the demon-hunting organisation, Archangel. But when the tall, dark and deadly immortal warrior awakes, she gets much more than she bargained for…

Attacked by his enemy in the elf kingdom, the last thing Prince Loren expects when he comes around is a beautiful angel watching over him and medical technology of the mortal realm. Hazy from his injuries, all he can focus on is the pulse ticking in her throat and the sweet allure of her blood.

One single bite reveals she is his eternal mate, triggering a bond between them that will leave him weakened until it is completed… or broken, and pulling Olivia into the crossfire of his ancient feud.

To protect his people and his mate from the machinations of a madman, Loren must risk everything by working with Olivia at Archangel to find a way to break the bond blossoming between them.

But will Loren be strong enough to place duty before desire and give up the one thing he has waited millennia for and craves above all others—his eternal mate? And will Olivia be able to resist the incredible heat that burns between them and the temptation of her dark prince’s kiss?

My Review

Olivia worked for the Archangel Organization studying fae, demons and other paranormals that ended up in the facility. The first time she meets Loren he was unconscious on her table and she was studying him before he woke up. She's never seen his species before and finds his body attractive. He was torn up pretty bad until he suddenly wakes up and takes her blood to heal himself. 

Loren had transported himself out of the room when the hunters showed up and put her in danger. But ever since he took her blood, he couldn't get her out of his mind. But Loren and his brother Vail had been at war for centuries and now that Vail was back, he needed to focus on that and not the woman who was never far from his thoughts. 

Loren figures out fairly easily that in biting Olivia he's found his fated mate but she's human so that's not a good idea. He's sure that his brother put her in his way to find her so he can use her against him in some way. She's a scientist so she thinks that she can find a way to break the bond between them and he agrees to go with her to her laboratory so she can run some tests but that doesn't go off without a few hiccups. 

As Loren and Olivia try to stay out of danger and get to know one another, it's very apparent that they are more than a little attracted to each other. But Loren's first job is to protect his people from Vail and not get involved with a human. 

There's a lot of action, fighting and growling in this book. I loved Loren, he's a really interesting character and Olivia and he are a great pair. They are smoking hot once they do get together and find that they have all kinds of feelings for each other. This was a great start to a series. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

So a funny thing happened earlier this month. I ordered some paper products online from Walmart and when the box came it was beat up pretty badly. But imagine my surprise when I opened it and didn't find paper products. 

Inside the box was 6, gallon size bottles of All laundry detergent. 

So I called Walmart's customer service and told them I was sent the wrong items. They resent all the items I had originally ordered and told me I could keep the laundry detergent. Now I have enough laundry detergent for a long time (the rest of my life) lol. 

I have to say that any time I've called Walmart's customer service with an order problem, they get it fixed really fast so at least that's a good thing. But imagine my surprise when I opened that box. lol 

Review: January in Atlantis by Alyssa Day

Book Description

She could see only him.

There was no bar, no Noel, no Dark Angels. No Scott, no troubles, no worries.

There was only a searing flash of heat from the raw, primal desire she saw in this man’s eyes when he looked at her.

It was too much—too intense. Suddenly she felt fragile, as if her bones had been hollowed out and replaced with air and light. As if she might float away if this man didn’t stop looking at her.

As if she might collapse in despair if he did.

* * *

A warrior returned

When black sheep Flynn returns to Atlantis after more than a decade away, he discovers that his brothers thought he was dead and moved on with their lives. But before he can wrap his brain around that problem, Poseidon himself taps Flynn to be one of a new generation of elite warriors. Now he only has to: learn how to be part of a team, rescue a group of kidnapped girls from the Hell’s Dark Angels motorcycle gang, and try to understand why a certain redhaired bartender with an affinity for animals is driving him mad…

A woman reborn

Eva Calandar needs to run. Again. Her ex-boyfriend, a black magic practitioner, has tracked her down. Again. But she might be the key to rescuing a group of girls from becoming human sacrifices, and there’s a certain astonishingly hot Atlantean warrior with a fierce protective instinct who is making her think longing thoughts of finally making a stand. Together, they’re so much stronger than they were apart, but the heat between them may be enough to burn down the world.

No matter what the temperature is in January . . . in Atlantis.

My Review

Flynn left Atlantis a long time ago but decided to return just as Denal was out to find warriors for his newly formed team. He's sent out on his first mission and can't understand why he's so attracted to Eva. 

Eva is on the run from her biker gang member ex-boyfriend. He's abusive and doesn't care about her but just won't let her go. She's just about to run again when she meets Flynn and he asks for her help in rescuing some girls that the biker gang has kidnapped.

The biker gang is no usual biker gang and that realization along with what is about to become of the kidnapped girls is what sparks Eva into action to help even though she thinks it might cost her, her life. There was quite a bit of action and I thought the whole story line abut the biker gang, the kidnapped girls and Eva was a lot of fun to read.

Eva and Flynn make such a great couple, they were so good together. She's a lot stronger than she thinks she is and he has a big heart. 

There's more to Eva than just having a gift with animals and that twist comes towards the end of the book. I felt bad for everything Eva had given up while she was on the run, especially since there was a sweet dog she had become attached to but didn't think she could give Daisy a home. It was so sweet to see them together. I really liked Flynn together and getting to know some of the other people of Atlantis. Some of the secondary characters are great and I look forward to seeing them again.

I've been reading this authors books for a long time and I've always liked them. I love the whole Atlantis theme in these books and the male characters always seem to be so alpha, and if you've read any of them you know what I mean.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Ratzfurever*

Apartment Life #64

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.

Back on May 21st, 2016

 I heard a couple of people running through the rocks in my courtyard. I get up to look and the cops are chasing a guy down the middle of my courtyard and so I go tell Ken. He gets to the door and the cops chase another guy right past our door and quickly get him down on the ground at gunpoint. Then the police helicopter starts flying around shining the light on our apartment complex. All of the sudden there are 20 cops and half a dozen cop cars on the street. The police were in our courtyard, the courtyard across the street, in the alley...they were everywhere.

I only got a couple of pictures before the police were yelling at everyone to get back inside. I didn't want to get arrested so I took my happy ass back inside. lol 

Turns out they were down the street for a burglary call and the first guy they chased was seen at the burglary according to his sister the next day. The second guy they chased wasn't involved at all but it's a felony to run from the police when they tell you to stop so he was arrested also and they impounded his car. The first guys sister wouldn't let the cops search her apartment so the police made her handcuffed brother sit in front of their door for almost 4 hours until they could get a search warrant. In all, 3 people went to jail. The sister lived in my courtyard which is why he ran through here.

Ken went out walking the dog a couple of times while all this was going on and saw our apartment manager who was drunk and mouthing off about how the second guy that ran (she was dating him even though she's married to a guy in prison) didn't do anything wrong because he had been at home with her. But Ken told her that he saw his dumb ass run from the police which is a felony. She was too drunk to get it. 

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

Here's the latest Lucas the Spider video. These are so cute.

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:

Samples of Seventh Generation Baby Wipes and Cleaning Wipes from Generation Good.
I also won a Jimmy Dean ornament from their promotion.

I like the cleaning wipes. They work really good on the surfaces in my kitchen.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Claimed By Her Her Cougar by Felicity Heaton

Book Description

Rath is one alpha shifter not looking for a mate... until Ivy strays into his territory.

Having lost his parents and mate in a brutal attack on his cougar shifter pride by a hunter organisation, Rath burns with a need to keep humans off his land and out of his life. He’ll do whatever it takes to protect his pride from them, but when a lone female wanders into his territory, it isn’t a burning need to drive her away he’s feeling and it isn’t his pride that needs protecting—it’s his heart.

Down on her luck, Ivy follows a lead to a spot where she hopes to photograph black bears, but what she discovers there is a mountain of a man who lacks manners and seems determined to drive her off his property—a man who stirs unbidden fire in her veins and a strange sense of home.

With a pride gathering on the verge of happening at Cougar Creek and the air charged with a mating heat, the last thing Rath needs is a human on his land, especially one as beautiful and alluring as Ivy, one who rouses a fierce need to fight for her, but he can’t convince himself to let her go… and that proves dangerous for them both.

My Review

This is the first book in the Cougar Creek Mates series and since it's about shifters, I decided to give it a go. 

Rath is busy repairing the cabins on his land for a pride gathering he knows is about to happen. Cougars being solitary animals, it's dangerous to have so many males in one place looking for females to mate with. So the last thing he wants is a human female wandering onto his property trying to take pictures of bears. But he's attracted to Ivy even though he doesn't want to be. Rath is curt, rude and gorgeous so even though Ivy knows he doesn't want her there she is attracted to him and sticks around when he offers to let her stay for the night. 

I love a gruff, growly alpha male who ends up being a big teddy bear or in this case kitty cat. Not that I would be saying, "Here kitty, kitty." to a cougar if I saw one but in this case it fits. 

Danger comes when someone unexpected shows up and Ivy finds out exactly who and what Rath really is. I'm not sure I would have taken that as well as she did. We find out more about his past and Ivy has a big decision to make. I like the appearance of Rath's brother and how it looks like he'll probably be a big part of the next book in this series. 

It was fun watching Rath and Ivy get to know one another and try to fight their attraction in the beginning. He was rough around the edges but we soon see he's not as rude and gruff as he appears to be. It was a good beginning to the series. 

I give this 4 out of 5 stars. 

Baytril Coupon Code thanks to All Bird Products

Hey you guys, I've talked about where my rat friends and the rat community can buy Baytril at a great price. If you have a rat, it's always a good idea to keep Baytril around in case your rat gets an upper respiratory infection because they can be prone to them and rats can get sick really fast so you want that on hand so you can start treating them immediately. Of course you can take your rat to a veterinarian first but veteran rat keepers usually know the signs and how to give this medicine.

So my friends at All Bird Products sent me a coupon code to share with you all. If you want to buy a bottle of Baytril 10% 25ml, this code will give you $5 off your order, just use code SCARYMARY to get the discount. 

The regular price is $24.95 but with my code it will only be $19.95 and that's a good price. 

Lots of thanks to All Bird Products for contacting me and giving me the code for my readers. 

More of My Makeup Favorites

Any woman who wears makeup has probably tried out a lot of different mascara's. I know I've tried at least 10 different kinds before I finally found Loreal Voluminous mascara and mascara base/primer. This is the best mascara I've ever tried. It makes my lashes longer and fuller and if you use the Loreal Mascara Base first and then apply the mascara, your lashes will look even longer and fuller. And they are really affordable. 

The other product I wanted to share with you was the Lamora Nudes Eye Shadow Palette. It's also really affordable, only $14.99 on Amazon and once I got it, it's been my go to eye shadow ever since.

As you can see I've really been using this one a lot. I love the colors in this palette and I don't have to keep re-applying it during the day. The colors are so pretty and since I like light browns, this really works for me. 

I don't usually post a lot of pictures of myself because of the large nodules I have on my neck from the Hashimoto's Thyroiditis condition I have but I wanted to show you that I really do use these products and how they look. This is my everyday makeup look and I don't wear false eyelashes since I think the mascara I use works great. 

So there you have more of my favorite makeup products. I'd love to know if you use any of these products. 

Review: Stygian by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Description

Born before man recorded time, I lived for thousands of years believing myself to be something I’m not.

Someone I’m not.

Lied to and betrayed by gods, Daimons and Dark-Hunters, I’ve struggled to find my way in a world where I’ve been cursed since the moment I was prematurely ripped from my mother and planted into the womb of an innocent woman who thought me her son.

Trained as a slayer and predator, I learned to fit in and stay low. To become a tool for evil. Until I was sent to kill the one woman I couldn’t. My hesitation cost her her life.

Or so I thought. In an act of betrayal that makes all the others pale in comparison, I’ve learned that this world is an illusion and that my Phoebe still lives.

Now I will have to travel into the very pits of Hades to try and save her, even as everyone around me attempts to steal what little soul I have left. There’s only one person at my back and I’m not sure I can trust her either, for she was born of an enemy race. Yet sometimes the road to redemption is one that singes us to our very core. And if I fail to find the answers I need to save Phoebe, more than just my wife will die.

We will lose the world. Both human and Daimon.

My Review

This series is really good but some books are better than others and this is one of those books. 

Urian had a really hard life. He looked different than others of his race and because of that he was picked on. But he had no idea that Apollymi had ripped his from his real mother's womb and implanted him into another before he was born. Apollymi was crazy grief stricken when she killed many of the gods because she thought her son to be dead. It was interesting to see things from her side of things as well as from Stryker's side of the story and why the Apollites lived the way they did. 

I liked how this book touched upon how all the different factions were made and why and how the gods were messing with them for their own pleasure and means. It's no wonder that all these different people were angry at the gods for how they messed with their lives, they had every right to be angry. 

For most of the first part of the book we see Urian growing up, falling in love, having great losses and being lied to. When he finally realizes how many times he's been lied to, all hell breaks loose and I think he has every right to be angry. 

If you've read Acheron and Styxx, this books goes over some of the same things that happened in those two books but just in smaller detail. And if you've read those two books, you'll want to read this one as well. While this book didn't gut me emotionally the way Acheron and Styxx did, it was told in the same way as those books were since we get to read everything that happened to Urian from before he was born to present time, which is more than 11,000 worth of story. 

I liked that we see some of the great characters like Acheron, Styxx and Kat but make no mistake this is a book all about Urian and seeing things from his point of view and what happened in his life.

I really liked the twists and turns this story took and who he finally did find love with at the end of the book and it actually made sense who he ended up with. While Styxx is still my favorite book in this series, this was incredibly good too and if you're a fan of the series I recommend reading this book but I would seriously read this series in order if you want it to make sense because there are so many characters it's hard to keep up with them all. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Welcome to my hood"

Apartment Life #63

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've been playing musical chairs, table and stroller with one of my neighbors. They keep leaving all this crap on the sidewalk in front of their door so no one can walk on the sidewalk near their door and I keep moving it out in the rocks late at night. This week someone else must have got upset with this crap all being in the path of the sidewalk because they stole the folding chairs and tossed the table and other chair into the garbage. The guy that lives there started yelling at 7am that his stuff was missing and broken in the garbage. But no one came out and said they were the ones that did it. The only thing left by their door was the stroller and they finally took that back in their apartment. I don't think they'll be leaving anything else outside blocking the sidewalk anymore. 

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

Review: Broken Angel by Cynthia Eden

Book Description

What happens when an angel falls? Find out in Book 3 of Cynthia Eden’s “Bad Things” series, BROKEN ANGEL. 

Angel Lila is being hunted—she can feel the hunter closing in behind her. Every move she makes, he’s stalking after her. But does the werewolf on her trail want to destroy her—or can he protect her from the growing darkness that she is trying so desperately to fight?

Werewolf Rayce Lovel doesn’t know what to do with an angel—especially one who makes him think too much about paradise. Lila may be heavenly, but every time he’s near her, Rayce wants to sin. Angels aren’t supposed to feel, but Lila was introduced to the world by way of pain. Pain is all she’s known for far too long, and now, Rayce is tempted to introduce gorgeous Lila to pleasure.

But the longer an angel stays out of heaven, the more dangerous she can become. Lila sinks deeper into the darkness with each night that passes, and she finds herself becoming a pawn in an eternal battle…good versus evil. Is Rayce really her protector? Perhaps he is just the hungry wolf who has been sent to ensure that Lila never sets foot back in her paradise.

A fallen angel has a bad side…and that side is about to be set free.

My Review

Rayce is a werewolf and is looking for Lila but he's not the only one looking for her. Rayce has more powers than a typical werewolf which was interesting. Luke the 'bad' brother sends Rayce after Lila and tells him to bring her back. 

Lila is an angel who has fallen and was used by Leo who is supposed to be the 'good' brother. She escaped the evil guy who was holding her and is on the run. But angel feathers are a hot commodity on the black market and she might be turning into a demon.

In this series there are two twin brothers, Leo who controls the light paranormals and Luke who controls the dark paranormals. It seems to me that both brothers make some mistakes and the lines of light are dark are subjective after a while. 

Rayce and Lila are attracted to each other but they'll need the help of both Leo and Luke if they stand a chance to be together, which comes with it's own problems. There's another evil guy after Lila, but this one is after her because Leo made a deal with him a long time ago and really messed up with this deal. 

I really liked Rayce and Lila and seeing Leo and Luke together and actually talking was interesting. They actually brought up some interesting ideas that I hope are discussed more in the next books. I'm hoping that the fact that they've been told that eventually one brother will kill the other doesn't stop them from working together in the future. 

I loved all the action in this book. All the crazy twists and turns this story took and how it ended. You're in for a wild ride with this story but a really good one. 

I give this book 4 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.

What did I receive this week?

I won another ebook in the Amazon giveways. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Chosen Mate by Juniper Hart

Book Description

Forbidden love. Dragon royalty. An international conspiracy that threatens to ruin everything.

Keppler Parker was the least princely of the five dragon brothers, preferring the sun on his face to the shadow of the Hollows.

Rather than ruling the world, he was more interested in a life of surfing and running his beachside restaurants and hotels. 

Nothing fazed Keppler until the day he saw her, jogging in the park…

***

Bryn Castillo was on a mission, one which was five millennia in the making. The key to success was remaining hidden from the Parker Princes. It was easy enough to do as long as she stayed on the Sunside of the earth to perform heists as she’d been doing for a decade. 

Her plan to avenge her family was progressing perfectly, until she was betrayed by her own team and caught the eye of Keppler Parker. 

From that moment on, her world was turned upside down, their love threatened at every turn because someone was a double agent…

If you love dragon shifter romances, bad boys, and alphas who know how to take charge, then you will love Chosen Mate.

Content Warning: Explicit love scenes and lots of sexy shifters. Intended for 18+ audiences.

My Review

Keppler is one of the Princes of the Hollows. The Hollows is where the supernaturals live. He and his brother's are dragon shifters and rule the Hollows. Bryn who is also a dragon shifter thinks that he and his brothers are responsible for her parents deaths. But when she meets him, he figures out that they are mates and decides to help her find out who really murdered her parents. 

But when their families find out that they're seeing each other, no one is happy. Her brothers think that Keppler and his brothers are responsible for their parents deaths and Keppler's brothers think they are the enemy who are out for revenge. But all Keppler really wants is to find out who really killed her parents. But if it wasn't Keppler's brother's, then who was it and why? Since it happened so long ago, they end up talking to people who were around back then, trying to piece together who else was around back then and who would have wanted them dead. 

When the truth comes out, a lot happens at the same time and the trust Bryn put in him is broken by some misunderstandings. 

This was a quick read with a little under 200 pages to it but I really liked Bryn and Keppler. I think they were well suited for one another even if there were a few slip ups on both their parts. Bryn has a tough exterior but she's actually not as tough or as mean as she's made out to be. I'm looking forward to more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Recipe: Roasted Vegetables and Shrimp Salad

I saw a video on FB for a roasted vegetable and shrimp salad but it had some different ingredients so I decided to make the recipe a little differently to fit my own tastes. 

You'll need: 

2 carrots, shredded

4 roma tomatoes, cubed

1/2 bell pepper, cubed

1/2 yellow onion, cubed

3 cups lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces

2 avocadoes, cubed

Chili Powder

Adobo Seasoning

3 TBSP lime juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 TBSP olive oil + more to sprinkle over vegetables

1 LB shrimp

Salt and pepper to taste

What to do: 

Add peppers, onions and carrots to a roasting pan, sprinkle with olive oil and coat. Sprinkle chili powder, Adobo seasoning, salt and pepper and roast in a 400F oven for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and tomatoes to middle of pan and sprinkle with chili powder and Adobo seasoning. Bake for an additional 8-10 minutes. 

Add the hot vegetables to the lettuce and avocado. Mix together, 3 TBSP lime juice, 2 TBSP olive oil, 1/2 tsp. chili powder, and sugar. Pour over salad and toss well. 

I had shrimp and Ken had roasted chicken breast.

This is the salad with chicken breast but I really think this salad would be good with any protein. 

Review: Cross Breed by Lora Leigh

Book Description

The Breeds are humans altered before conception with the DNA of the predators of Earth. But although they all carry the genetic material of beasts within them, Cassandra Sinclair stands apart. A unique mix of wolf, coyote and human, she is revered by many—but preyed upon by others. She is fiercely protected by her community…but no one manages to stop her when she slips away one day to offer her body in exchange for her sister’s safety.

The man she succumbs to surprises her by unleashing her inner animal in ways she never dreamed possible—and provokes her deep, furious rage. To Cassie’s shock, he is the mate she has long awaited. She may never be able to forgive his deception. Still, as dangerous enemies track her, and as the threat of all-out war between Breeds and the humans who despise them hovers in the air, they must join forces and hold fast to each other.

But the passionate union between them holds a potential that could change the world—and some will do anything to stop it…

My Review

Cassie has had a hard life and not just because she's a hybrid wolf/coyote breed. She's kept secure so the bad guys can't get their hands on her and experiment on her. But her mate finds her and they begin to play a cat and mouse game that spans a few years until they finally meet. She has no idea that Dog is her mate until they are together and then there's no denying it. But she's furious that he lied to her and he knew all along that they were mates. 

Dog is a wonderful character and exactly what I wanted in a mate for Cassie. He's lethal, strong, smart and even though we think he's working for the council, we find out things are not exactly what they appear to be. 

I was completely blown away by this book and the twists this story line took. I did not see that ending coming or how they would find out who Dog was or who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. I also loved finding out who the angel spirit was that Cassie had been talking to. That revelation was actually heartbreaking in a good outcome sort of way. 

Oh and Graeme makes an appearance which I loved since he is one of the most interesting characters in this series. 

This book takes us on an emotional journey filled with action, fighting, love and of course the mating heat. There's always some kind of drama because of that mating heat with these Breeds but it always seems to work out in the end. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.