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.

I received: A box from PinchMe. 

A Nexcare Bandaid. 

Biosteel electrolyte Drink mix. 

Yardley Bodywash. 

The bodywash samples smell so good. I loved those. I love that Nexcare sends out bandaids all the time. I can always use more bandaids. The drink mix was not good. 

Did you get any freebies this week?

Reiew: Brax by Athena Storm

Book Description

I am Brax the Unstoppable!

I crack the heads of my enemies in combat.

And now I do dishes…

I’ve been given a chance to be the warrior I was always meant to be.

To fight for honor and glory and do all the warrior-y things that champion gladiators dream about doing when they’re children.

But there’s just one problem.

In order to do get this chance, I must take a mate.

At first I hate the idea. I am an alien savage. A brute. I answer to no one.

But then I meet Bonn Ventara. And she becomes my world.

At first I was an alien gladiator.

Now…I’ll be glad to mate her.

She’s my fated one. She possesses my soul as much as I need to claim hers.

My thoughts revolve around protecting her.

Loving her, forever.

All my glory I bring now belongs to this cute and tiny human woman.

She belongs to me. Even if she doesn’t know it yet.

Together we’ll face an adventure worthy of story and song as we save the galaxy.

But first, I’ll need her help to tackle the most insidious enemy of all…

Housework.

My Review

Brax is like a wrestling star but a warrior too. He's called upon to be the first in a group of warriors for the Coalition against the Alliance. He's bored with the fighting ring so he jumps at the chance. 

Bonn is a companion. She was raised in the academy where they are instructed on how to be the perfect companion. They are then selected and sent off to someone. 

This book starts off really rocky for me because of the whole companion/slave thing. I didn't like that, especially since her last thought before meeting Brax is she hoped he treated her well. But I kept reading, hoping that this story would be alright. Brax didn't want a companion but he was given one anyway and he did seem to like her when he first saw her. She was a lot different than what I thought she would be. I was expecting some shy, mousy girl that did whatever he wanted and got the complete opposite. 

It was a lot of fun to watch them get to know one another because they're both really funny. I expected Brax to be a bit of a bossy caveman but he was gentle and when he was wrong about something, he admitted it and changed. I loved that about him. 

This is the first book that I've read by this author but I didn't feel like I was missing much while I read this book. I'm sure there are things about this series and universe that would be more clear had I read some of the other books but I was able to read this one just fine and understand what was going on. 

When Brax goes on his first mission, he decides to take Bonn with him and what they found was not good. They get into some highly dangerous situations on this mission and when they think the other is dead, they realize just how much they mean to one another. This was a fun read and I plan on going back and reading more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Bound by Shadows (previously published as The Bear Who Loved Me) by Kathy Lyons

Book Description

Between singlehandedly running her bakery and raising her teenaged nephew, Becca Weitz thought she had a decent grip on "normal." Then her nephew vanishes, and life as she's known it changes forever. Local legends are true: bear shifters exist . . . and her nephew is part of their clan. As is Carl Carman, the sexy, larger-than-life man who has sworn to find her nephew-and the other young shifters who've gone missing.

As the leader of his clan, Carl is surrounded by enemies. He's learned the hard way that keeping a firm leash on his inner beast is key to survival, though his feelings for Becca test his legendary control. Then danger stalks too close, and Carl realizes he must unleash the raging, primal force within to protect everything he holds dear. But can Becca trust his grizzly side with her life-and her heart?

My Review

Becca is raising her nephew and owns a bakery. Things are going alright until her nephew, Theo ends up missing. She melts down a little bit not knowing what to do until Carl walks in her bakery. 

Carl is a bear shifter and the leader of his bear clan. He's been watching Theo because he knows the boy is a bear shifter from his clan. So he tries to tell Becca about shifters but she isn't having any of it. 

Young shifters are going missing and Carl wants to find out what's happening to them. So when he tells Becca what he is and she doesn't believe him, he still wants to help so he believes he has no other choice but to kidnap her and bring her home so he can show her the truth about him and his clan. 

The more time Becca and Carl spend together the more they seem to fall for one another. But Carl is the alpha of his clan and Becca is a human and he knows that she would never fully be accepted as the alpha's mate because of that. Plus he's seen how his brother who can't shift has been treated by everyone and doesn't want Becca to be treated badly. 

While they are getting to know one another and getting closer, there's also the search on for the missing kids. When Becca finds herself in danger, I could only hold my breath and hope that Carl found her in time. 

This book was a mix of fun, danger, sadness and action as well as a really well done romance. I very much enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the next one. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given a free ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Something Shifter This Way Comes by Josie Walker

Book Description

What if her dream job is really a nightmare?

I shouldn’t have taken a job I knew nothing about, but I was desperate. My new boss was sinfully hot, and did I mention he’s a billionaire? Too bad he’s also rude and domineering! I tried to ignore my feelings, I wasn’t looking for a relationship... and then he had to go and save my life. He warned me falling in love with him was dangerous, but I might not be able to stop myself. Will I discover the truth about my mysterious employer before it’s too late? (A sexy, fast-paced paranormal romance)

My Review 

Eric Steele is a billionaire and has an ad for a live in assistant so there are a lot of people that come for the job but when he abruptly stops the interviews and sends people home, Crystal is at the end of her rope and barges into his office pleading for the job. To her astonishment she gets the job but he boss is a grumpy jerk. Still, she's up to her ears in debt and has no money so she's happy for the job. 

Crystal's jobs around the mansion seem to be cooking while the cook is on vacation, re-organizing the kitchen pantry, getting the shopping done and any other list of things that Eric gives her. When she gets into an accident on the way back from the market and Eric comes to her rescue, I thought that his gruff behavior would tone down a bit but it doesn't. 

Eric had weird rules and his mansion had murals of death and destruction. At first Crystal thought the place had just been decorated in some sort of gothic manor until weird things started happening and she saw what he was hiding behind the door that he told her to stay away from. I knew this story was going to have some kind of paranormal twist because he told her to stay in her room between the hours of 10pm and 8am. But I had no idea what the paranormal twist would be. I just know that whatever I had been thinking of, I was way off, way off. I really liked the twist that this book came with but it ended kinda quickly, it seemed rushed after the story and sexual tension had built so slowly. I would be interested in reading the next book though because I'm definitely interested to see what else happens with these characters. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

Welcome to my weekly blog post I call, Raturday! I've seen Caturday and while that's really cute, I think the rats needs some photo time so everyone can see how cute these little animals are. I've gotten permission from the owners of the photo's to share their pictures on my blog. So get ready to smile because these are cute. 

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #212

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 21 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 21 years here in a weekly blog post.

On Tuesday I opened my door to take Falcor out an there were 4 police officers at the apartment right across from me. So when I went outside I took a picture of the cop cars near the sound wall. I don't know what they were talking to the guy that lives there for but they stayed for about 20 minutes and then left. The guy is quiet most times so I have no idea what the police were there for. 

On Friday night I took the dog for a walk at 4am and there was some guy banging on the drug dealers door 4 doors down from me. Ken got up and stood outside to make sure I was alright because this guy started banging on a bunch of the doors and woke a bunch of people up. When the drug dealers wouldn't answer their door, he started yelling that he was going to kill them. On his way out he stopped in front of Ken and just stood there staring at him for a second. He passed me on the sidewalk and when he was just a few feet from me he started screaming at no one in particular and I couldn't make out what he was saying. 

That same night someone broke into a bunch of the mailboxes for our apartment complex. Our neighbor came over in the morning and told us to go check our mailbox to make sure it wasn't one of the ones that were broken into. Thankfully it wasn't. I told you guys a few years ago that my mailbox had gotten messed up and it's really hard to open and close and I put in a work order for the usps to fix it. They never did even though I called several times so now I'm wondering how long it will take for this to get fixed. 

-----

Life Update: 

Ken went to have eye surgery on Monday. They said it could be a couple of things but wouldn't know for sure until they got int here. He came through the surgery fine. On Tuesday he went back in for a check up and was told the bad news. It was retinitis and the surgery didn't work. There's nothing more they can do for that and so he's permanently blind in his right eye. Not good news this week but he's doing alright. I just feel bad because so much more keeps getting piled on him all the time it seems. He starts radiation treatments on Monday for the 11 brain lesions he has. He goes 5 days a week for 2 weeks. 

*Ken with his eye patch after surgery.*

One very nice thing that happened this week though was my daughter mentioned on her fb page that I was getting the run around with the doctor and the DME place to get Ken a shower chair. I've been waiting 3 months for them to deliver it and was just going to buy one at this point. One of my daughter's old teachers from high school saw her post and bought this shower chair and brought it over to us. I thought that was so nice of him. 

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.

I received a free Wok from the Spark Reviewer Program. 

It's been a while since I had a Wok but I really like how deep this one is. It's big too, a really nice size. I can get a lot of vegetables i this one. 

I don't have a link for the Spark Reviewer Program because it's an invite only program. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Walmart Beauty Box

The Walmart Beauty box is a subscription box that comes out 4 times a year. You sign up for it and it comes automatically every 3 months. These boxes are free and you just pay $5 for shipping.

What was in this box?

Hello charcoal toothbrush. 

Hello toothpaste. 

Calm drink mix. 

Head and Shoulders conditioner. 

NYX lip oil. 

Biore facial cleanser. 

I've received the Calm drink powder before and I didn't like it plus it did nothing, so in the trash it went. I can always use a new toothbrush and this one has activated charcoal built right in the bristles which is interesting. It had no taste so why not. The toothpaste is one that I've tried before and liked so that's a plus. 

My favorite things though are the lip oil which is more like a slightly tinted lip gloss, the conditioner which makes my hair really soft and the Biore cleanser which works great and smells really good. These boxes have either been a hit or miss for me most times but this one was a good one. They said they won't be sending a Summer box because they are re-doing the boxes to make them better and will have it out after that. But for $5 this was a good box. 

Did you receive this box?

Review: Alpha Turned by KB Alan

Book Description

Not all men are bad…

Strong, independent, and happy on her own, Hillary has grown from the naïve person she was four years ago after a brutal rape turned her into a werewolf. The normal life she’s made for herself is only upset once a month when the moon calls to her and she has an uncontrollable urge to turn furry and chase small creatures. And she doesn’t need a man for that. Until she finally meets another werewolf, this one a gorgeous, sexy guy who is determined to change her mind about one furry man in particular–him.

No, some men are very, very good…

The minute Zach scents Hillary he knows she’s the mate he’s been searching for. Though both the wolf and the man are itching to claim her, first he has to convince her that he’s one of the good guys, and that there are certain benefits to being an alpha werewolf. And there’s no better way of making Hillary see that, than giving her himself—body, mind, and soul.

My Review

Hillary had thought her boyfriend was just taking her home to meet his family but once there things took a violent turn. She was assaulted by not just her boyfriend but some of his family members as well. She was bitten and turned into a werewolf against her will and when she didn't shift, she was left outside to die. But she did shift after everyone had left and now years later she's making furniture in a small town and holding her own. 

Aaron Jenner orders a custom table from Hillary for his brother and when he comes to her shop to take a look at it, she can smell right away that he's a werewolf and is instantly angry and fearful. He can smell what she is as well but is confused by her reaction. They agree to meet somewhere else to talk but when they meet they are both ready to change forms and run...or fight if necessary. It doesn't take long for Aaron to figure out what happened to her and figure out why she's so wary and isn't part of a pack. 

Aaron goes back to his alpha who is also his brother and tells him about her. But as soon as Zach smells her scent on his brother, he knows that Hillary is his mate and that changes the entire situation. Aaron and his mate are so nice and try to answer all of her questions and make her feel safe with them before meeting other pack members. Zach is sweet, gentle and takes things slow with her even though Hillary can feel the pull of the mate bond right away. It takes only a couple of days of getting to know Zach to know that he's nothing like the monster that turned her. Because he's her mate and she feels it and feels somewhat safe with him they fall into bed pretty quickly. Meeting the pack and starting a life as an alpha packmate is all new territory for Hillary but she does great. 

Then they have to contact the werewolves in charge and let them know what happened to Hillary and how she had been turned. Those in charge make sure to find out what's going on in that pack and make sure the member's of that pack are brought to justice. 

This book was so good. Yes, right from the beginning there's a terrible assault and if that bothers you, then don't read this but the book is really about Hillary and Zach finding each other and making a life together and dealing with the other pack. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #211

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 21 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 21 years here in a weekly blog post.

More police cars on my street but it looked like they were just there talking to each other. I didn't see them get out and go anywhere. They were there for about 20 minutes and then they left. The police seem to like to stop in this area to sit and talk. Other than this, it was quiet in my neighborhood. 

-----

Life Update: 

Ken went to the Radiologists office and got fitted for the head mask and they did the CT mapping of his brain so they can start radiation treatments. They told us that it would be everyday for 10 days and then he'd be done with the Radiation on his brain. In a few weeks he does another round of chemo and he'll probably have to stay in the hospital for a few days for that again. On Monday he going to the hospital to have surgery on his right eye. He's blind in that eye because he hit his head when he fell down and blood coagulated in his eye blocking his vision, but the eye doctor is confident that he can clean that out and restore his vision. 

*This is Ken with the mesh mask over his face getting the CT mapping of his brain for radiation.*

I just want to thank all the people who donated to our fundraiser for funds to get him back and forth to all these doctor appointments. We don't have a car so he's taking a taxi or the Paratransit bus back and forth to all of the appointments and we really appreciate the help with paying for all of these rides back and forth. 

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

Review: Alexandra's Legacy by N.J. Walters

Book Description

Alexandra Riley’s predictable world is turned upside down when she discovers she’s the half-breed daughter of a legendary alpha werewolf—a sought-after prize to some, an abomination to others. The tall, dark stranger who bursts into her father’s garage shatters any illusion that she can continue with her normal life.

From the second Joshua Striker, enforcer for the Wolf Creek pack, sees Alex, she becomes a distraction he can’t afford. He’s come to the city to bring Alex to the safety of the pack. That’s it. But who is going to keep her safe from him? Because the wolf inside him is demanding he claim her—now.

From city streets to the mountains of North Carolina, the pair must evade bounty hunters out to kill any werewolf they can, wolves who want to claim Alex, and purists bent on eradicating half breeds. And with all this going on, Alex still has learn what it means to be a wolf and deal with the overbearing male determined to keep her safe.

Each book in the Legacy series is a standalone story that can be enjoyed out of order.

My Review

Alexandra (Alex) thinks she's just a normal girl until her father tells her he has something important to tell her and her world is blown to bits. 

Joshua comes to Alex and her father to make sure that she safely makes it back to their pack so she can pick a mate from the eligible males there. 

James (Alex's father) had been the leader of his pack many years ago but when his mate died in childbirth, he took it really bad and left. Years later he met a human woman and had Alex with her. James in a wolf shifter and had hoped that his daughter would be more human than wolf but he's known for a while that she was about to go into heat and the male wolves would be coming after her to claim her. But before he can tell his daughter what's going on, the wolves come busting into his home and Joshua shows up to keep her safe.

Alex and Joshua try making their way back to his pack's home but with rogue wolves and hunter's on their backs every step of the way, it's no easy task. I thought Alex took things really well, a little too well in my opinion. I was glad that she wasn't a hide in the corner while the men do all the work type of girl but I expected her to not just take everything in and be alright with it all like she was. 

I really don't like the world that the females have in this pack society because as soon as a female goes into heat, the unmated males come to fight for her and she has no choice but to go with the winner. Uhm, what? Thankfully she ends up with the male she wanted but I don't like that males either didn't like that she was a half breed and wanted to kill her or were ready to fight each other in order to claim her and she had no choice. It's a little barbaric and with her being half human I am hoping that she brings a little new kind of influence into their society. Her father has lived around the humans long enough to pick up some new habits and I hope he brings something new to the pack now that he's back. 

There was a lot of action, a lot of fighting, and I felt bad for Alex because she went through a lot, too much in my opinion. The fact that she hardly broke down after everything she went through in order to get to safety was a little unbelievable but I really liked her for it. I am hoping that their society comes out of the middle ages with their beliefs at least a little, as time goes on. But either way I liked the overall story and plan on reading more of this series. 

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.

I received a sample of Tom Ford foundation. A small bottle of Micellar water. And 2 samples of face cream. 

I already like the Micellar water for cleaning makeup off my face. The foundation samples are good but I've heard that brand is really expensive. I haven't tried the face creams yet. 

Did you receive any samples this week?

Review: Virgin On Vacation by Emily Vincent

Book Description

Shelly

He was the sexiest man I’d ever seen. We met by accident. I was in such a hurry, but I wasn’t in such a hurry that I didn’t see how his eyes stared into mine. I lost my breath for just a second. I wondered if I would ever meet a man like that again. It was by chance and chance alone and I had a flight to catch.

Jackson

She had the bluest eyes and I think I got lost in them. Though she was a mess and had dropped her passport, when I handed it to her there was something in the way she looked at me, something in the way she carried herself that told me I would see her again. I am not a man who can be surprised easily but there were many things that would soon change everything.

My Review

Shelly saved her money so she could go on a vacation with her friends to Hawaii. Once at the hotel she runs into a man she saw at the airport and finds out he owns the hotel. Jackson asks her out and they spend time together but she doesn't understand why he's bothering with her when he could have any woman he wanted. 

Jackson finds Shelly interesting so he upgrades her hotel room and asks her out. He finds her attractive and wants to get to know her better. Shelly feels like she's falling for him and feels depressed in the days before they have to leave. So when she decides not to see him again before they go back home because saying good bye will be too hard for her, she thinks he'll just move on to the next girl. But his feelings for her go deeper than she could ever imagine so what he does next shocks her. 

This was a great, quick romance. Both of these characters are really sweet so it was nice seeing them get a happy ending. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Daily Goodie Box - July

The Daily Goodie Box has been around since about July of 2016. I signed up for an account right after I heard about them. They are 100% free, you don't even have to pay for shipping. And for a free box it's a nice sampler box of products.

What was in the box? 

Rise Brewing Co  - Rise Nitro Cold Brew Coffee-  I really liked this coffee drink. I thought it was tasty and great for a cold coffee. 

Paleo Powder - Seasoned Coating Mix- I tried this coating on some chicken tenders and fried it and I didn't like the taste of this at all. When I fried it, it burned and when I baked the chicken with this coating on, it just wasn't a good coating. 

Pretzel Pete - Salted Caramel Mini Twists- I love caramel and I love pretzels but these were very disappointing. I thought they would have actual caramel on them but it was a thin caramel powder that really didn't have much of a caramel flavor. 

EyePromise® - Screen Shield™ Pro- I've been taking the pills for about a week and haven't seen a difference in my vision. I wear reading glasses in order to read small print but otherwise my vision is good. I'll update this if anything changes. 

Natrapel®  - Picaridin Insect Repellent-  We get mosquitoes around here and there are ticks up in the mountains. I really don't have a use for this at this time but if we go up to the mountains or the mosquitoes get worst, I'll try this out. 

Just The Cheese® - Aged Cheddar Bars- I didn't like these at all and neither did Ken. They have a horrible burnt cheese flavor that neither of us liked. I couldn't eat this at all. 

Blake’s Seed Based - Raspberry Snack Bar- There were so many seeds in this bar, it made it hard to eat and I don't like flax seeds. The raspberry part of the bar was good there were just too many seeds. 

Balm of Gilead - All Natural Handcrafted Lip Balm- This was pretty much the only thing in the box that I liked. I can always use anther lip balm and these 2 that I received seem to work well. I like the scent of them too. 

All they ask you to do is try the products and leave reviews for the products you got in order to be eligible for more Free Goodie Boxes. As you guys already know, I'm a fan of all these types of boxes. I love all the different subscription boxes and it's really nice to be able to try new to me products for free. This is a great box to try for.

Oh and one more thing, if you visit their FB Page, they give away Goodie Boxes to people who interact with their posts. So if you've tried before and weren't able to get a Goodie Box, there's even more ways to get one now.

Daily Goodie Box. It's more than just Free Samples!

Have you signed up? Have you received one of these boxes?

I'm a fan of subscription boxes and love trying new products for free so this was a huge hit with me. New products+free box = Fabulous!

Disclosure: I was given and free box in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own.

Review: Billionaire's Mate by Dawn Wilder

Book Description

An assignment that could change everything...

When Jordan is assigned a story on Curt Beckett, she's not sure she wants the hassle. She can already see how much she'll be hounded when people find out she's spending time with the gorgeous bad boy Alpha's son turned billionaire.

He's just having a good time...

Curt isn't looking for anything serious, content to date around, keep things casual and focus on his company.

He doesn't expect that the interview he reluctantly agrees to could change his mind. But Jordan catches his eye and his thoughts in a way he couldn't have predicted...

My Review

Jordan is assigned to do an article on Curt who is a billionaire businessman. When they meet, he knows she's also a wolf shifter like himself. She stays with him from morning until quitting time so she can see what his days are like. But the more time they spend together, the more Curt ends up liking her. Jordan likes him but is not going to fall for him and she's doing well until he asks her to be his date for an event. While they're dancing, Curt kisses her and all bets are off. They go back to his place and things are going well, after a few days it looks like they might get their happy ending after all and then someone leaks info about his company and he questions Jordan about it. 

A lot happens in this quick novella and I liked that there was so much story in such a quick read. I'm not sure I would have given him a second chance after the way he treated her but she did and the rest of the story was great. For a novella this packed quite the punch. I really enjoyed it. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #210

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 21 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 21 years here in a weekly blog post.

Three police cars pulled up at the end of my apartment building and they talked for a minute and were looking in the back of their cars and then stood around for a while. 

We all thought that they were staging for something or were waiting for backup but then they all suddenly got back in their cars and left. 

----

Life Update: 

Ken was told by his Oncologist that what he has is metastatic stage 4 adenocarcinoma non small cell. So at least we know what we're working with. His doctor admitted him into the hospital on the 9th to start his first round of chemo and he's still there today. He should get to come home soon after a few more tests.

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

Review: Claiming Mia by Alisa Woods

Book Description

LUCAS

I’m a mess. Broken. Lost my mate and almost myself. In no shape to help anyone.

Then the sexy girl serving me drinks stumbles into trouble with a bunch of wolves who are bad business—I should know. They’re the competition. And they’re as dirty at dot-com investing as they are predatory on young things like her. So I save her. Because I may be broken, but I’m not an ass.

Only she shows up the next day at my office. As my intern.

And now the Red pack is after her, putting us square in a pack war—one she doesn’t even understand. I’m in no shape to claim a mate—not happening—but if I don’t, the Red’s jackass of an alpha will.

MIA

I’m just trying to earn my degree and dig my way out of poverty.

I was born a shifter—more of my bad luck—but I’ve kept that a secret, so it doesn’t ruin my life. Shifters are monsters. Criminals. And I’m trying to make something of myself. This internship at the hottest internet business development firm in Seattle is my ticket out… only the boss is a wolf. And insanely hot. And he saved my life.

I’d break all the rules for this guy—except he wants nothing to do with me.

The wolves who do are the Big Bad Wolf kind. The kind I’ve always heard about.

I’ve got nowhere to turn… but to the one guy who doesn’t want me at all.

Claiming Mia (Dot Com Wolves 1) is a super-hot complete story with HEA.

My Review

Lucas was a mess ever since his mate died, he'd even left his father's pack but still helped out with the business. But when he saw Mia in trouble he had to help her. But doing so made the wolves from the red pack think that they could hurt him by hurting Mia. 

Mia lived in a dorm with her roommate and worked at a bar. All that changed when three wolves from the red pack had come at her and tried attacking her. The only reason she got out unscathed was because Lucas had stepped in. 

Lucas couldn't stop thinking about Mia after he saved her and was very surprised when she showed up at his business as the new intern. But now that she was here he knew that he had to keep her safe. She didn't take the danger seriously until the wolves came after her a second time. Lucas took her to his home to keep her safe and when they couldn't keep their hands off of each other it looked like things would change for the better for both of them until Lucas learned her secret...she was also a shifter and kept it a secret from everyone because she didn't have a pack. 

Once he knows what she is, he let's her know that they have to keep their hands off each other because he doesn't want another mate since he blames himself for his mates death. But when an alpha from a rival pack kidnaps Mia, all bets are off because now Lucas wants her and nothing is going to stop him. 

Holy shifters, Batman! This was one hot read with some really great characters. So much more happens and it had me on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

Welcome to another edition of Freebie Friday, where I tell you what free samples and full sized products I received in the mail and how you can get them too. Someone asked me why I do a "Freebie Friday" each week, so I'll tell you.

A while back I listed all the free samples and wins that I had received that previous year and so many people didn't believe that I could have gotten so many free things. So I decided to prove it by taking a picture every week and sharing the sites that I found the links to the freebies at. So now you too can get great free samples coming to your mailbox each week.

  You can find links to great samples at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.

It was a slow week. No freebies this week.

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Since there were no freebies this week I thought I would share something else with you. This week I was a guest reviewer at I Smell Sheep. I reviewed this book. If it sounds like a good book to you, I'd love for you to come over and read my review. 

Take the ride of your life with the Torpedo Ink motorcycle club in this thrilling romance novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

Torpedo Ink is Aleksei “Absinthe” Solokov’s whole life. They’re his brothers, his family—his everything. But that doesn't stop him from wanting something that only belongs to him. That’s why the tough biker has spent the last six weeks at the library, reading every book he can get his hands on and watching the prim and proper librarian who makes his blood rush.

For the past six weeks, Scarlet Foley has been fantasizing about the handsome, tattooed man whose eyes follow her every move. She senses he's dangerous. She wants him to get close enough to touch. She wishes she could let him know the real woman, not the one she pretends to be. But Scarlet has a plan to carry out, and she can’t afford any distractions.

Absinthe is well aware that Scarlet is hiding something. She’s a puzzle he intends to solve, piece by intoxicating piece….

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I'll be over at I Smell Sheep if you would like to read my review and let me know what you think. 

Review: Bond by Tasha Black

Book Description

When aliens arrive, they expect a warm welcome...

Posey Quinn has always believed there was more to the world than what she can see. So when she arrives in Stargazer with her head full of conspiracies and high-end hairspray, she isn’t entirely surprised to learn that instead of donating eggs for tuition money, she is being asked to make an alien fall in love with her, and become an ambassador for humankind. What she doesn’t expect is how irresistible Bond is, and how hard it will be not to lose her own heart to the man who plays her body like a violin.

Bond learned about human culture from the collection of ‘80s movies his planet received in an interstellar time capsule. Now he is is on Earth to fill one human female with as much pleasure as she can bear, a mission he’s finding very agreeable. But he’s not just here to fall in love. Tasked with using his powers of human seduction to glean what he can about Earth and its inhabitants, Bond knows that if the planet’s resources are worthy and its residents aren’t, his days of pleasing Posey will soon be at an end.

If you like strong women, sexy aliens, wild adventures, steamy sensual scenes, and happily-ever-afters, then you’ll love the world of Stargazer:

Stargazer Alien Mail Order Brides: Funny, sexy, alien romance with an '80s twist.

My Review

Posey decided to donate her eggs and meets two girls who are now her best friends. Now a year later, they all get a call that it's time for the egg donation process. But when they get there they're told that they're going to become alien mates if they agree to this. Posey isn't sure if this is something that she wants to do, I mean they're aliens. 

Bond is one of the aliens that Posey and her friends meet and he has his eyes on Posey as a mate but she hasn't agreed to this since she thought she would just be donating eggs. 

The aliens had contacted Earth years before and had to grow human like bodies before they came here because their natural state is a gas one. Some of the town's people don't like the Dr. or the people that are at the building Posey, her friends and the aliens are staying in and they let the guys know it. Right from the beginning there seems to be some danger from some of the guys in the town. There are a couple of run-ins and confrontations so when one of the aliens challenges some of the town's people to the Fall Festivities Games, the bet is set to staying in town or leaving town and never coming back. 

As the aliens and humans get to know one another it made me laugh at times because the aliens really were trying. 

What follows is a fun and romantic tale of aliens getting to know the humans they've chosen and the humans getting to know the aliens but this is mostly about Bond and Posey and not her friends. They have their own books. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Barbarian Prince by Michelle M. Pillow

Book Description

Breaking up is hard to do...

Going undercover at a mass wedding as a bartered bride, Morrigan Blake has every intention of getting off the barbaric alien planet just as soon as the ceremony over. Or, more correctly, just as soon as she captures footage of the mysterious princes rumored to be in attendance.

After a euphoric night, Morrigan discovers her ride left without her and an alien dragon shifter is claiming she's his wife. It's not exactly the story this reporter had in mind. And to make matters worse, the all-to-seductive alpha male refuses to take no for an answer.

Being cursed by the gods was never so frustrating...

Prince Ualan is prepared to follow dragon shifter tradition and marry the woman revealed to him during the marriage festival. When the stubborn, yet achingly sexy, Morrigan refuses to accept their shared fate, it is all he can do to keep from acting like the barbarian she accuses him of being.

My Review

Morrigan decided to make a name for herself and uncover the Galaxy Brides Corporation scheme that they were restoring female virginity so the women could then be traded to the aliens as brides. Because if she were able to prove this and break the story she would make a name for herself in the reporter field. 

Prince Ualan just wants a bride and he thinks he's found his mate at the marriage festival. But Morrigan refuses to believe what is happening to her after her ride leaves her stranded. 

Morrigan goes undercover at the marriage festival to get the story she thinks will make a name for herself. But for Ualan this is very real and he's very confused by her actions when he picks her to come to his tent and be his wife. The men think the women read up on their customs and have come there ready to be picked as brides so Ualan is very confused when she doesn't understand what to do in the tent and then the next day doesn't realize that he now thinks of her as his bride. 

Once back at his home, she does everything she can think of to make him not like her so he'll send her back to Earth. But it backfires in a big way and she finds herself in a pickle of a predicament. I found some of the things she did really funny and the fact that Ualan found some of the things she did funny, made it funnier. There are so many times that they just needed to communicate better in order to clear up the miscommunication between them and that was a little irritating to watch. But they really cared for each other and while I loved the fact that he's a dragon shifter, I thought that didn't play as big a part in this story as I would have liked. I really wanted to see more dragon action, more dragons flying around or something more to do with the dragons but it just wasn't there. 

I loved the Queen and how she came to the new brides to give them advice and how helpful and caring she was. She seemed to know exactly what to say to them to help them with their new husband's. 

At times I thought they were going to work thinks out only for some other problem that they didn't talk out to come between them again and they would have to start all over again. Both Morrigan and Ualan felt hurt and betrayed at times because they refused to talk about what was bothering them. If she is such a good reporter she should have done more research on their customs before she got there so she would know what she was getting herself into. But overall I really enjoyed this book and plan on reading more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.