Recipe: Pancakes

 

Ya'll, I actually didn't realize how easy it is to make homemade pancakes until now. I've always bought the Aunt Jemima complete pancake mix and while it's good, these are just as good and so easy to make. 

Recipe: 

1 1/2 cups flour- sifted

3 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. salt

4 TBSP Sugar

1 1/2 cups milk

1 large egg

4 TBSP butter- melted

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. vanilla

Sift together all dry ingredients in one large bowl. 

In another bowl mix milk, egg and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Add melted butter and mix just until incorporated. 

Let sit at room temperate uncovered for 30 minutes. 

Heat griddle or large non-stick pan to med. Add batter 1/4 cup at a time. Flip when you see bubbles forming on top. 

I don't have a griddle so I use a large non-stick pan and make one large pancake at a time. This will make 6 large pancakes or 12 normal size pancakes. You can also add different flavorings to this recipe. 

Have you made homemade pancakes before? Do you have a good recipe?

Freebie Friday!

 

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

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

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

This week I received:

A $15 gift card from You Gov Surveys. 

A Halloween Costume from Walmart Spark Reviewer. 

2 free Luna Bars from Any Cart when I ordered using them. 

I'm really liking You Gov surveys. It's pretty easy to cash out with them. 

I got this cool looking Halloween costume for my grandson from Walmart Spark Reviewer. 

I ordered a couple of things using Any Cart and in the bags was a free Luna Bar. That was kinda cool. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

I'm Going To Bug You

 Warning: This post will have pictures of bugs. If you don't like bugs, you can leave now. 

Every Summer and sometimes in the Winter the bugs seem to come out and I find weird things in my apartment. One year it was spiders, another it was lady bug larvae and this year it's been beetles. This is a baby stink bug. They don't bite, or at least I've never been bitten from them and I've handled several of them. You don't want to squish these things because they put out a really bad smell when you do. So just take them back outside. I take all the bugs I find, back outside.

This was a tiny beetle. It was really tiny and was crawling near my laptop.

This is how tiny it was which is why I couldn't get a good picture of it.

So imagine my surprise when I took it outside and it sprouted wings and flew away. Flying beetle with wings. 

I'v made these kinds of posts over the years and if bugs interest you as much as they do me, then you might like these posts... Baby Ladybug Larvae, Sowbug, Stink bug. 

Aren't you glad I bugged you today?

Book Review: Godhunter by Amy Sumida

 

Book Description

Godhunter—what a dumb name.

Hunting implies an advantage. It speaks of tracking and skills and swift kills. That's not what I do. I'm more of a “sneak up on them when they're asleep” kinda gal. And don't give me any crap about that; didn't you catch the god part? I do what I have to do to survive. Yes, survive. I don't do this for pleasure. I'm not a crazy person. I kill gods because I don't want them to kill me. Okay, yeah, that still sounds a little crazy.

But then he showed up: eyes full of lightning, a jawline that could cut glass, and the body of a Norse god... which is exactly what he is. One of them. He's the one who gave me that stupid name. He also says he's on my side. I should probably kill him. And by that I mean that I should run away and sneak up on him later when he's asleep. But I have the strangest feeling that I can trust him. As a witch, I always trust my gut but as a woman, I suspect that this time, those feelings are coming from somewhere a little lower.

Trigger Warning: Although there is NO rape in this book, there is a dream scene with an enemy that involves consensual sex which the MC considers to be rape after she awakes. The dream itself is not violent nor does it involve force, but some readers may be disturbed by the reaction of the MC after the fact.

The Godhunter Series is a slow-build Reverse Harem Paranormal Romance series with Gods, Shapeshifters, Witches, and mythical beasts that will keep you hunting for more.

My Review

I wanted to like this book, the description sounded promising but I couldn't get into it for several reasons. I DNF'd this book at 40%. This is my very first dnf but it won't be my last I'm sure. I used to try and read the books that I started but I don't have time for books that I cannot get into and this was one of those books. 

Vervain is a witch and when someone comes after her to kill her, she kills him and a god. She decides to go through the god's things and finds a book that teaches her how to do more magic. So she kills a couple of gods and gets the name Godhunter because of it. 

In walks Thor, yes, that Thor and he wants her help. There are a few other gods that join them and want to change how the gods treat humans. Sacrificing humans gives the gods more power but we find out that the gods already have all the power they need so there's no need for all the killing. So Vervain decides to stay and help if she can. 

Now my first problem comes when we start meeting some of the other gods. A good looking man walks in and we're told he's Indian but then this happens... " (Indian with a dot not a feather)". I actually had to read that a couple of times because I couldn't believe what I had just read. The author could have said so many things. Indian from India. Indian but not Native American. I mean, I just had a lot of problems reading the rest of this after that. 

It was overly descriptive to the point where I started skipping over some of the descriptions. The conversations didn't flow and was immature at times. 

And then there was Blue, the sun god who is also pretty much Dracula or the father of all vampires. After he kidnapped Vervain and she gets away, he enters her dream and pretty much mesmerizes her and tricks her into sleeping with him and letting him bite her in her dream. But when she wakes up she has real bite marks. Blue was a total creep. I love vampires but I didn't care for this guy at all.

It was so slow. I kept waiting for the storyline to pick up and things to start happening and when it didn't, I just got bored and quit. A book has to keep my attention and unfortunately this one didn't. 

I give this book 1 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Book Review: Fierce Cowboy Wolf by Kait Ballenger

 

Book Description

Cowboys by day, wolf shifters by night: These bad boys are ready to heat things up in a sexy paranormal wolf shifter romance from author Kait Ballenger.

Sierra Cavanaugh has worked her whole life to become the first female elite warrior in Grey Wolf history. With her nomination finally put forward, all she needs is the pack council's approval. But those stuffy old wolves refuse to elect her unless she finds herself a mate.

Packmaster Maverick Grey was reconciled to spending the rest of his life alone. Now, having entered into treaty renegotiations with all the Seven Range clans, he needs the elite warrior vacancy filled—and fast. If Sierra needs a mate, this is his chance to claim her. But Sierra has an agenda of her own for their union, and they'll need to work together against the assassin intent on barring the deal.

For these two rivals, the only thing more dangerous than fighting the enemy at their backs is battling the war of seduction building between them...

My Review

Sierra worked hard to become the first female elite warrior for the grey wolf pack but she was denied by the council because she doesn't have a mate. 

Maverick needs the council to comply with his wishes in order to do what he needs to do. But he never expected to have feelings for another woman after his mate died but here he is about to be mated to Sierra even if he only wants a business arrangement. 

Their mating started out as a mutually beneficial arrangement but when Sierra asks him to tutor her in the art of all things sexual, it's hard for him to keep feelings out of the mix. 

Sierra is a fierce woman and I loved that about her. She's been in love with Maverick for ages and was upset when he didn't pick her to be his mate and instead picked another female years earlier. I liked that she found out why but that didn't change the fact that Maverick is a different guy than the friend she had when they were younger. But as they get closer she gets glimpses of the boy she knew and knows that he still has feelings for her but is scared to love her which melted my heart. These two had a lot of get through in order to be a real mated couple. 

On top of everything else these two are dealing with they also have to contend with someone trying to kill Maverick. I really liked the storyline and watching it unfold as we find out who was behind the attempt on his life and why. I had no idea what was really going on which was fun. This might have started out as a marriage of convenience but as time went on, they both had to admit that they loved each other but watching the trouble they had in order to get there was sad. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was sent a free e-ARC via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

"Hey you, human. You realize I have no idea what I'm doing, right?"

"This new math is so confusing"

"Will you read me a bedtime story?"

*All pictures today are courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #262

 

This is a 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 23 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 23 years here in a weekly blog post. 

Since I had so many comments about the window locks last week I thought I would share something that makes window locks even safer. 

This is the kind of window lock that I use. You twist the screw down and the end tightens down against the window frame preventing anyone from sliding the window open any more. In the Winter time I do keep the bedroom window open about 5 inches to get some cool air. Forgive my fingernails. I took my fake nails off and was letting my nails breathe.

Ken was a maintenance man and he drilled little holes into the metal window frame that the screw end fits into when you tighten it down. I removed the window lock so you can see the holes he drilled there. There's a couple of different holes so I can open the window 4-5 inches depending how much I want it open. This makes the window lock even safer since the window really won't be opening any more than where I put it by doing this even if they push it really hard. 

And if someone smashes my window, I have an ax and now a taser. I know how to swing the hell out of this ax too. I lived in West Virginia for a year and we only had a wood stove for cooking and heating. I cut a lot of wood that year. This ax is made from one long piece of solid metal with a rubber coating over the handle. Yeah, it's rusty and old and hell but if I swing this at your head, you're gonna feel it. lol 

But I've been here a long time and haven't ever had this kind of problem. Falcor will bark his head off if he hears something too, alerting me that something is going on. He's half Chihuahua so barking is in his blood. 

----

Falcor woke me up at 4am on Monday because he had to go out. I open my door to go outside and Jessica is walking by and she stops right in front of me and is like, "Hey". So I said hi and she's just standing there in front of me. I'm thinking, "Bitch, you better move." And I just keep walking out as Falcor starts barking at her. 

She backs up and I come out and walk past her and she plops her skinny ass in one of the chairs by my door. I'm staring at her that's when Mikey walks up and stands right in front of her. He starts yelling at her, "Come on, we need to go." 

She says to me, "Can you call the cops for me, I think he's gonna hurt me." 

Now if you've been reading my Sunday posts you know she has been doing this for years. She's the one that hits him and then asks people to call the cops so she can try and get him in trouble. I've seen her do it. He's just standing there and they start to argue. 

Jessica: "You're not a man, Mikey. You're a little boy. You're not a man"

Mikey: "Come on, we gotta go"

They're getting loud so I walk the 10ft back to my door and stand in front of him. 

Me: "Look, you're being too loud and my daughter is asleep. You need to get away from my door." I said to Mikey. 

He doesn't look at me or acknowledge me at all. 

Jessica: "Yeah, you need to leave." She says sarcastically to Mikey. 

Before I can say anything else Jessica gets up and walks away down the courtyard yelling, "Mikey, you're not a man. You're not a man, Mikey!" 

Walking by people's doors screaming. I'm sure she woke a few people up. 

Good grief.

----

And I shared a video of two people having a little argument to FB. I made it public so anyone can see it. Blogger wouldn't let me upload it here because they said the file was too big even though it's a really short video. I don't know why. What made the video funny was her getting so mad she smashes her drink down on the sidewalk. You can find the video here. 

----

And, my daughter was waiting at the bus stop and was listening to music on her phone and this lady at the bus stop thought she was recording her so she started calling my daughter names so my daughter started recording her. Warning there's some bad language but the video is gold. My daughter shared it on FB. You can find it here. 

---

The High this week was 105f/40c

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

Book Review: Gifted Lance by Brittany White

 

Book Description

Sasha Morrows was tired of dating. After a disastrous blind date with a man her sister through would be perfect for her, Sasha was ready to give it up all together. When her boss calls her in for last minute help finished the pastries for a Hairy and Fluffy party, Sasha is happy for the distractions. After all, she certainly isn’t going to meet her perfect man at a shifter party.

Cole Grayson hasn’t taken a lover in quite some time. Both he and his inner wolf are tired of loveless sex, and he’s starting to think that his mate doesn’t exist. When he gets a mysterious invitation for a Hairy and Fluffy party, he thinks his mother is up to something. She blackmails him into the part, and once there, he only finds more women interested in taking a shifter to bed.

This content contains hot romance with some scorching sex scenes, adult language and possible violence. Only for 18+!

My Review

Sasha is called in to help cover the Hairy and Fluffy party. The party is a shifter party and Cole's mother had an invitation sent to him because she wants him to find his mate. He doesn't think that he'll find her there but he makes an appearance anyway hoping to find a female to at least spend the night with. Sasha is making pastries when Cole spots her and flirts with her. But she's not interested at first. It doesn't take long before they are going back to her place though. This was a quick, hot novella. I would have liked a little more story because this book was 90% sex and 10% story. But for what it was, it wasn't bad. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

 

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

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

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

This week I received: 

A dot ruled notebook. 

Several perfume samples. 

I was sent the dot ruled notebook from Walmart Spark Reviewer. I like using these when I graph out a new beaded earring design. 

I like the perfume samples. A link to free perfume samples from Macy's popped up when I was scrolling through my Instagram feed. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Book Review: The Dryad's Pawprint (Paranormal Council Book 1) by Laura Greenwood

 

Book Description

He'll give up his happiness to help his people - but can he give up his soulmate?

When Kem is called before the Shifter Council, he's told he needs to marry to secure an alliance for them. There's only one problem; a year ago he met a woman he can't forget.

After meeting a mystery man a year ago, Lia has a secret. One that she can't even tell her sister, Aella. When fate brings the two of them back together, even the most carefully laid plans get disrupted.

The Dryad's Pawprint is book one in the completed Paranormal Council series. It is Kem and Lia's full story.

My Review

Kem had met Lia a year before and they spent time together but they didn't realize that the mate bond had started to form. In that year they both thought about each other but didn't know enough about each other to find the other. So when Kem is called to The Shifter Council, he's not having good feelings about it. He's told he has to mate with a female in order to form an alliance with her people. He doesn't want to but you don't go against The Shifter Council. So when he goes to the party to meet her, it's obvious that she's Lia's sister. He can't marry Aella because Lia is his mate. 

Lia is keeping a secret and because of her secret, it's pretty obvious to her that they are mates. So when she explains it to her sister and father, thankfully they understand. This was a quick, sweet read. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Book Review: Deal With A Demon by Fae Owens

 

Book Description

Delilah, a succubus and petty thief, is about to make the deal of a lifetime. All for the sake of her makeshift family. She needs to take down King, the demon lord of Las Vegas, and she needs a traitor to do it. But he’s not going to help her for free. Zeke is dangerous, and he’s holding back the one thing she needs the most: the truth. Her attraction to him is magnetic but the stakes are too high to give in to temptation. It’s hard to know which is worse: being stuck in this death-trap of a city or being stuck with him. Delilah needs to use every wile to get what she wants, all while Zeke is playing a very different game. But when things start to crumble, she has to make a decision. Can she trust him?

My Review

The King of Las Vegas is a fierce demon who went by...King. A name that he gave to himself because he's just that full of himself. Zeke was tired of working for him and being abused even though he was second in command. So when he comes across Delilah stealing a rich guys wallet, he makes a proposal with her. He won't tell King about it which could get her killed if he knew and in exchange she will take him to her boss so he can strike up a deal with him. Zeke wants help killing King and Delilah's crew just signed up to help him. 

Zeke gets them the ID's they need so they aren't getting in trouble being there and gets them rooms in the building he lives but Delilah stays in his place because he couldn't get enough rooms and he has the room in his place. So they end up getting to know one another really well. Zeke is a demon and Delilah is a succubus so neither one of them really trust the other one. Delilah doesn't want to fall for him but the attraction is there for both of them and they have a hard time not acting on it while they are living together. 

I really liked the dynamic of Delilah's crew because they were all like family even though they shouldn't have been for various reasons. As Delilah and Zeke get closer and eventually really fall for one another we also get to know the people in Delilah's crew and they all have their own secrets. But Zeke has a huge secret that does come out in the end and makes a lot more sense as to why he has stayed working for King even though he hates the demon. 

If they thought that killing King was going to be easy they were so wrong. He's much more stronger than they thought and he has some very sadistic demons working for him. 

I really liked this book. It was a little different than I thought it was going to be but in a good way. I loved the romance between Delilah and Zeke because they both turned out to be so much more than I first thought they were. Some secrets about the fall when demons were born were left open but I'm sure we will get more answers in the next book. I look forward to getting to know all of the secondary characters because they were all interesting. 

When I read the blurb for this book and saw that it was set in Las Vegas, I wanted to read it right away since that's where I live. I love reading books set here and this was such a fun book to read. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an e-ARC of this book for free via BookSprout but all opinions and thoughts are my own. 

Amazon

Book Review: Witches Get Stitches

 

Book Description

Violet Savoie has a plan. A dream, rather. To open her own tattoo shop, which caters to supernaturals in need of permanent charms. As a powerful Seer, she has the potent magic to cast every kind of spell. Except the kind to give werewolves control over their beastly side. And her business partner Nico needs help in the worst kind of way.

Nico Cruz has a secret. A motive, rather. To subtly stalk and seduce Violet until she finally recognizes they are fated to be together. Ever since their heated encounter in Austin on New Year’s Eve two years earlier, he’s been dying to get his hands—and his tongue—back on her body. He knows a woman like Violet can’t be courted in the usual way. Luckily, Nico has no scruples about misbehaving to get what he wants.

But when his former pack roams into town, and an old friend is far too interested in Violet, his focus shifts to the threat venturing into his territory. Nico may come across as the quiet, broody one, but the intruders are about to regret stepping foot in New Orleans. And when Violet goes missing, no charm or spell can keep Nico’s wolf at bay.

My Review

When Nico and Violet meet at a bar, they hit it off right away but Violet leaves town right after they hook up and she figures she'll never see him again. She knows that her one true guy is out there and she's waiting for him to show up. Her relationships don't last long, she moves on pretty fast after she hooks up with someone. She thinks she'll know when she meets the one guy for her. 

So when Nico turns up in New Orleans, Violet is surprised but after doing a tarot reading on herself she's sure that Nico isn't the true love that she's been waiting for even though she lusts after him and is completely infatuated with him. She likes him and doesn't want to chance hurting him if they hook up and she ultimately dumps him a short time later. So she chooses to keep him at an arms distance away and keep her feelings to herself. Or so she thinks because he knows that she has feelings for him and pushes her buttons more than once. But when she spies him flirting with another girl, she can't stop the surge of jealousy that goes through her. Nico and Violet end up seeing where their relationship will go after they finally stop ignoring their feelings for each other. 

Some members of Nico's old pack end up coming into town and barge into Violet's tattoo shop because she's a witch and is working on something that might help them. Nico and his old pack are werewloves so Nico gets all territorial and a little blood thirsty because he wants to keep the other members of his old pack away from Violet. Nico and Violet are working on getting to know one another better and on their relationship. Nico already knows that Violet is his mate but he hasn't brought that up to Violet yet. So when Violet goes missing, it's all he can do to keep it together and make sure he doesn't lose control and kill all of them when he finds out who has kidnapped her. 

One of my favorite parts of this book is the Grims helping to find Violet and helping again towards the end of the book. We don't know much about the family of Grims but they are very interesting and I hope we see a lot more of them in the future. 

Violet wants to use her magic to help all werewolves but she's going to need help in order to do that. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures today courtesy of www.martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #261

 

This is a 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 23 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 23 years here in a weekly blog post. 

On Wednesday night at 1am. I was woke up to flashing lights outside my bedroom window and looked out and saw an ambulance out there. It's not a great picture but I think you can make out the back of the ambulance. No idea what happened.

I saw my neighbors bedroom window screen bent and asked her what happened. She said someone tried to break into her window but her dog started barking and he ran away. She said it's a good thing because she sleeps with a gun under her pillow and if someone breaks in she's gonna shoot them. She said the screen had looked worst before her daughter straightened it out a bit. She has window locks on her window so unless they smash the window, no one is getting in. I have window locks on all my windows as well. 

It was a fairly quiet week.

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

The high this week was 115F/46C

Book Review: I'm Not Lion To You by Krystal Shannon

 

Book Description

He wants her more than life, but can she trust him with her biggest secret?

Kann is a lion shifter from another world. Literally. Even though he’s learned how to walk, talk, dress and sound just like everyone else in Mystery, Alaska, he still can't find his mate.

Until she walks right into the local grocery store. Her blue eyes and killer legs make his lion stand up and roar. Well, that and her soul is glowing just for him. That only happens…

…with soulmates. Which means the magick of his world did cross over to earth with the survivors.

Penny is on the run, being chased at a breakneck pace over the Alaskan countryside. She can't trust anyone and knows it's only a matter of time until she's caught.

When she meets Kann, the sexy backwoods, plaid-shirted man from Mystery, she’s instantly attracted. However, she can’t afford a distraction and she doesn’t want anyone else to get hurt when they come for her.

Except, Kann has never met an objection he couldn't overcome. With patience and determination, he wins Penny over inch by inch. But will Penny's past steal everything from both of them?

I’m Not Lion To You is the second book in the new Soulmate Shifters in Mystery, Alaska series. It’s a full-length, standalone fantasy paranormal lion-shifter romance story featuring a strong human female and an alpha male lion from another world with an inclination for safe-guarding and satisfying his mate. Happily-ever-after and more guaranteed!

My Review

Penny saw something that she shouldn't have and ran away as fast as she could. She came to Mystery, Alaska and everyone seems to want to help her but she doesn't know if she can trust them and doesn't want them to get caught in the cross fire if the bad guys come looking for her. 

Kann cannot believe that his mate walked right into the store he was in but instead of falling for him right away the way he thinks she should, she's scared. He knows that he's going to have to give her some room and some time.

Penny is attracted to Kann but she's not sure she can trust him, he might have followed her there so he can kill her. It isn't until the store owner tells her that he's been there for a while and his friends are in the cabin near hers that she finally calms down enough to let him help her a little bit. Since the snow is thick when she gets there, she needs a little help getting around and he has no problem helping her out. He knows she's running from something and it takes a little time before she shares with him what made her run away from her life. Once these two give into their lust though, there's no stopping them from getting closer. When she is introduced to the rest of his friends at their cabin, I loved all of them. This is the second book in the series and I started reading this out of order but half way through this book I went and grabbed the first book because I want to read the whole series now. 

The real surprise is that Kann has a huge secret too. He's a lion shifter and he and his friends are from another world that was destroyed by volcanoes. All of his friends are shifters and they are great. I cannot wait to read their stories now When danger does come looking for her like I knew it would, they find themselves in more danger than they thought they would be in. I really enjoyed how this wrapped up. Kann might be from another world but he and his tribe are definitely getting used to being on Earth even if some things aren't completely understood by them yet. That just made some of the scenes funny. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Freebie Friday!

 

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

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

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

This week I received:

A men's cologne sample. 

Vitafol Ultra First step prenatal supplements. 

A pack of 64 crayons. 

I didn't like the men's cologne sample, that stuff stinks. lol I buy cologne for family members for birthdays and other holidays so it's nice to gets sample and see what it smells like. 

Th prenatal supplements have all kinds of vitamins as well as folic acid. I take folic acid supplements since I'm always low in that when I get tested so this came in handy for me. There were 12 softgels in the box and easy to swallow. Always nice to get a sample of something that I already use. 

I received the crayons from Walmart Spark Reviewer. I'm sure I'll be getting some use out of them or my grandson will. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Book Review: Firefighter Unicorn by Zoe Chant

 

Book Description

Sarcastic. Short-tempered. Definitely not sparkly.

Paramedic and firefighter Hugh Argent is no one’s idea of a unicorn, and he’s careful to keep it that way. His life depends on hiding his secrets…and on never meeting his true mate.

Outcast. Unwanted. Untouchable.

Ivy would give anything to be touched, just once. But as a wyvern shifter, her skin is lethal even in human form. Targeted by a shifter crime boss for her deadly abilities, Ivy finds herself in trouble over her head…and pulled out of danger by a cranky, mysterious, and jaw-droppingly gorgeous firefighter. Literally pulled out of danger.

For the first time in her life, someone can touch her…

Caught between protecting his secrets and protecting his mate, Hugh struggles not to reveal how Ivy penetrates all his spiky defences. The more he gets to know this brave, fierce, infuriating woman, the more he longs to claim her.

But a unicorn can only take a mate at a terrible cost…

My Review

Hugh is a firefighter and he's a shifter like the rest of his team but most of his team have no idea what kind of shifter he is and he has to keep it that way. If people found out what he is, he might be hunted. 

Ivy is a wyvern shifter and can't control her deadly venom. She can't touch anyone and no one can touch her because she could kill them or make them really sick. Her little sister who is disabled lives with her and she takes care of her as best she can. 

When Hope, Ivy's little sister makes friends with people that are not what she thinks they are, Ivy finds herself in danger because the leader of these new friends wants Ivy to work for him. He isn't going to take no for an answer and Ivy finds herself and Hope in trouble. So when the shifter firefighter's come to their rescue, they don't care for Ivy because she has a bad reputation of hurting people with her venom. But Hope was hurt and Hugh, the paramedic with healing gifts helps Hope. But when Hugh and Ivy get a look at each other, they know they are mates and neither of them are really happy about that. 

Hugh has a huge secret and there's a secret reason why he can never take a mate. So even though he feels the mate bond and is attracted to Ivy he knows he has to keep her at arms length for both of their sakes. 

Hugh is a gruff, ill-tempered and always seems to be in a bad mood but that's mostly because he's always in pain from being around people. I'd be cranky too. You wouldn't think that Hugh and Ivy would make such a great couple but as this story unfolded, my heart broke for both of them. They've both has such hard lives but the end of this story was one of the best happy endings I've ever read. You can read this as a standalone but there are quite a few spoilers about all the different couples from the first few books so I would read this series in order. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Review: The 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?

Miracle Tree - Moringa Energy Tea - Orange Passionfruit- I like tea, I drink mostly tea during the day and I like to try different teas when I can. This one is good. It has a slight orange taste to it and I liked that it wasn't an over powering flavor that it had. 

Home Free Treats - Lemon Burst Cookies- Oh now this was my favorite thing in the box. I love lemon flavored things and thought the cookies were very good. Nice and crispy and had a great taste to them.

Natrapel® - Lemon Eucalyptus Insect Repellent- I don't go outside a lot but my daughter and grandson do so they'll be using this next time they go to the mountains. 

The Grandpa Soap Co - Thylox Acne Treatment Soap- This soap was about the size that you would get at the Hotel and while it doesn't have a bad smell, it doesn't have a good smell either. It did leave my face feeling clean though and I haven't had a breakout in the week I've been using it. You'd think a 51 year old woman wouldn't have to worry about breakouts but they still happen. For an acne soap it's ok.

Eco Lips - Pure & Simple Lip Balm- I love lip balm. I have so many of them and love trying new ones. This works great. It glides on and feels great on the lips. It works great as  lip balm.

cbdMD - CBD Gummies- I still think that cbd infused things are just a fad and it does nothing. I took one and they taste horrible so I gave the bottle to my daughter who took one and also hated the taste but neither one of us felt a thing. Now if I were to want something like this the website says that it helps promote a sense of calm and helps with everyday stress management. Those are the things that would have drawn me in. But I can tell you that it did neither of those things for me or my daughter. 

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.

Book Review- Her Angel: Eternal Warriors Romance Series Complete Series Box Set (Books 1-5) (Her Angel: Eternal Warriors paranormal romance series) by Felicity Heaton

 

Book Description

Five warrior angels, more enemies than allies. Five powerful women determined to bring them to their knees and claim their hearts. A deadly eternal game between Heaven and Hell. Can these dangerous heroes work together to save our world and seize the future they want with their true mates?

Find out in the Her Angel: Eternal Warriors complete series box set from NY Times and USA Today best-selling paranormal romance author Felicity Heaton, and discover a world of passionate, protective and possessive heroes, and sassy, take-no-crap heroines.

Books in this angel romance series bundle:

HER GUARDIAN ANGEL

A guardian angel dedicated to his duty, Marcus will do whatever Heaven asks of him, but even his loyalty has its limits. When he's ordered to gain Amelia’s trust through seduction, he starts to question his mission and his feelings for the beautiful mortal. Having gone from one bad relationship to another, Amelia hopes the gorgeous guy next door is Mr Right, not another Mr Wrong. But there’s far more to Marcus than meets the eye, and when she's thrust into his nightmarish world, will she find the strength to win the fight and his heart or will they lose in a deadly eternal game between Heaven and Hell?

HER DEMONIC ANGEL

A demonic angel with a heart of ice, Veiron walks a dark path with vengeance on his mind. Nothing will sway him from his mission to destroy his master... until he risks his life to enter Hell once more to save a mortal female. The fiery beauty makes him burn with hungers he must battle and needs he cannot deny, tempting him to surrender body and soul to her. Convinced her refusal to do the Devil’s bidding be the death of her, the last thing Erin expects is the lethally sensual warrior who breaks into her cell and awakens the darkest desires of her heart. When Erin is faced with a life-shattering realisation and an extraordinary destiny, will their love give them the strength to battle both Heaven and Hell or will they be parted forever?

HER WICKED ANGEL

The King of Demons and the Devil’s right hand man, Asmodeus is a dark angel born of evil and created for destruction. Ordered to venture into the mortal world and retrieve a female for his master, he seizes the chance to leave Hell for the first time, uncaring of what the Devil has planned… until he sets eyes on the most beautiful woman he has ever seen—a witch who awakens new feelings within his black heart, unleashing passion so intense that it controls him and desire he cannot resist. He will not let his wretched master have her. She will belong to him. Caught up in a tempest of danger and soul-searing passion as the Devil hunts them, can they survive against the odds and seize their forever after?

HER AVENGING ANGEL

Once a proud angel of Heaven, Nevar is now a servant of Hell. Consumed by darkness and driven by revenge, he awakened the Great Destroyer, a force that will bring about the apocalypse. Now, he's the creature's master and the fate of our world rests in the hands of an angel with only darkness in his heart—until beautiful mysterious Lysia walks into his life, reawakening his feelings. With the mounting threat of the destroyer, the forces of Heaven and Hell against him, and a band of dangerous angels on their heels, can Nevar protect the beautiful woman who is light to his darkness and find the strength to save the world?

HER SINFUL ANGEL

Cast out of Heaven and now the king of Hell, Lucifer is a powerful fallen angel warrior with a heart as cold as ice and soul as black as the bottomless pit. For millennia, he's ruled his realm with an iron fist as he plots the demise of his ancient enemies. When one of those enemies dumps an unconscious mortal female in the courtyard of his fortress and leaves her there, Lucifer finds himself entranced by the beguiling beauty and tempted beyond all reason. But is the enchanting Nina an innocent pawn in the eternal game or part of a plot against him?

My Review

Since this is a box set of 5 books, I'm going to do a mini review for each book. 

Her Guardian Angel

Marcus is an angel and has been guarding and looking after Amelia for thirty years, since she was born. Heaven made her his assignment all that time even though they don't give him a lot of info as to why she needs guarding. Things are getting strange for Marcus because his superiors now want him to get closer to her, make her trust him. So he sets off getting closer to her, hoping that he can get her to trust him more and that will make his superiors happy. They keep telling him that his assignment is almost over but he knows that they are keeping things from him. As he and Amelia get closer, what started as an assignment quickly becomes more for him and he ends up having real feelings for her. So when the danger takes it up a notch and he's not so sure that Heaven has either of their best interests anymore, things really take an interesting turn for both of them. I had no idea where this was heading but believe me, I never saw that ending coming. 

Her Demonic Angel

Veiron and Erin meet after Erin's sister, Amelia (from the first story) asks Veiron to go to hell and save her. Because of the things that transpired in the first book, Amelia is wanted by both Heaven and Hell. They seem to think it's all a game but Amelia isn't laughing. Each side wanting to use her for their own purposes but her poor sister who knows nothing about any of it is kidnapped by hell's angels and taken to hell. Veiron is a fallen angel and spent some time in hell working for the devil until he was able to escape. So going back there is a huge risk for him but he can't say no to Amelia since he kinda owes her one. Erin and Veiron have to to get to know one another on their trip out of hell and even once their back because hell's angels are looking for them. The devil isn't happy at all which is dangerous for everyone involved. Veiron feels protective of Erin and she is very attracted to him but she's not sure about him since she found out what he really is. They definitely has some things to work out but they are great together. 

Her Wicked Angel

Asmodeus was created by the devil after Apollyon was captured, tortured and the devil could pull the darkness from within him. Created from that darkness and a little bit of the devil himself, Asmodeus is the king of demons and second in command after the devil. He's never been out of hell so when Lucifer gives him a mission to find a particular woman and bring her back, he sets out to do just that, until he meets her and then he realizes that he want her for himself.  Liora helps him experience all kinds of firsts in the mortal realm that he's only ever dreamed about in hell. But Apollyon and her cousin as well as the other angels all think Asmodeus is pure evil with no redeeming qualities and they couldn't be further from the truth. He is a twin to Apollyon but he never took the time to even try to get to know Asmodeus. I would have been too curious not to seeing how he was part of him in a way. The devil has irritated me all through this series. He's awful, just playing games with people's lives including his own daughter in the last book. Liora brings out everything that is good in Asmodeus and it was nice to see some of the other characters see that he wasn't completely evil. Liora is a witch and wasn't afraid of him, she was curious when they met which made him curious about her. These two ended up being hotter than hell (see what I did there?). I really liked their story. 

Her Avenging Angel 

Nevar woke up The Great Destroyer when he spilled the blood of a couple of people in the wrong place but he didn't realize that the great destroyer was a woman at first, no one did. Lysia has no memory of her life when she wakes up for a very long sleep but she's drawn to Nevar right away. She has a lot of power and Nevar has no idea what she is at first. When Nevar and Lysia find themselves in danger, he brings her to people who he thinks might be able to protect her. The devil wants to put her in a sleep and the angels want to kill her before the best within her awakens and destroys the world. Only a couple of people know what will awaken the beast and they set out to release it so they can get out of hell. But the devil decides to help his daughter and her friends stop them since he doesn't want the world destroyed. In this book the devil actually showed a little bit of a softer side when he got to see his grandson for the first time. When the great destroyer wakes up, she's really mad and wants to destroy everything in her path but Nevar might be able to stop her if she'll only listen to him long enough to calm down. 

Her Sinful Angel

Lucifer has not been a good person throughout this series and I didn't think that he could be redeemed at all. I thought for sure that this was going to be a dark romance and was pleasantly surprised when it wasn't. We get Lucifer's back story and see all that was done to him to explain why he is the way he is. I actually felt sorry for him. Nina is left near his castle by one of the angels and Lucifer knows it's some kind of trap but he feels a pull towards her and cannot leave her out there to die. So he brings her inside and is understandably standoffish since he's sure the angel put her there to bring him down somehow. But Nina is sweet, pure, and good. Her goodness calls to him and he falls for her really hard. He tells her and shows her things that he hasn't told anyone else. He doesn't tell her that he's the devil right away but they fall for each other and then the angel tries to take her away from him. Not a good idea when after she has time to consider everything she knows about him, she realizes that it doesn't matter to her that he's the devil and she still wants a relationship with him. I really liked that we get to see how the other characters from this series are doing and how the relationship between Lucifer and his daughter is getting better. 

I really enjoyed this box set. I'll definitely be reading more of this series in the future. This is really one of those series that you have to read if you like these kinds of books. 

I give this box set 5 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon