Book Review: Of Thorns and Ice by Kenzie Skye

 

Book Description

Every year, one girl from our village is chosen to be sacrificed to a demon. It’s a brutal tradition, one that ensures the rest of us are spared. This year, that girl is me.

Two demons rule this land—fire and ice. And my fate? It’s sealed with ice.

When the ice demon arrives to claim me, I’m ready to fight. To run. To do anything but submit. But he’s nothing like I expected. With his jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes, he’s more darkly mesmerizing than monstrous. And beneath his cold, unyielding exterior, I sense something... more.

If I can melt his icy defenses, maybe I’ll discover the truth behind the sacrifices—and the secret he’s hiding in his frozen chest. Because if he has a heart, it just might beat for me.

Warning: This story is frostbite-hot and packed with darkly possessive vibes. If you love a wickedly protective demon and a fiery heroine who brings him to his knees, this one’s for you. Read at your own risk!

My Review

Gwen is this year's virgin sacrifice to the demon. Each year a female is sacrificed to the demon is exchange for favors, but what are the favors? Who knows. The ice demon appears while Gwen is fighting the men holding her and takes her away.

Bastian and his brother were cursed a long time ago by the high priestess for some unknown reason. Both were put into their own hell prison and Bastions was an Ice prison. Each year they are required to accept a virgin sacrifice from the villagers, if they don't, they both get extremely sick and since they can't die, it would be eternal torment. 

Gwen is different right away because she talks to Bastion, and he starts to have feelings for her, something that's never happened to him before. Bastion tells Gwen everything, including what has happened to all the other sacrifices so she'll know. He tells her he'll do everything he can to save her from a same fate and they think that she might just be safe. But then the high priestess shows up and complicates things. 

This was a short, sweet novella. I liked how it ended and am looking forward to reading Bastion's brothers book now. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars.

Amazon

Everyone Has A Story, Here's One of Mine

 

I've been thinking of writing an autobiography or memoir but it just never comes together for me but I figured if I write one story at a time and post it on my blog maybe once a month, I can do that. Maybe one day I'll pull all the stories together and put them in a book but for now I'll just share some stories with you about my childhood and into adulthood. Some of the stories will be happy, some sad and some horrific because that was my childhood. But they will all be real, things that actually happened. If it seems like something that people enjoy reading maybe I'll keep it going. These stories will not be in any kind of order, I'll just write them as they come to me.

Uncle Popeye

Uncle Popeye's real name was Lee but for as long as I can remember we all called him Popeye. He was my grandpa's brother so not my direct uncle, but a great uncle. He was always around when I was a kid. My grandpa (moms dad) had 6 brothers and sisters, but Popeye was the closest to him, they hung out all the time even when my mom was little, she said he was around all the time. 

I've told you a lot of childhood stories, but this one is from when I was in my 30's. Uncle Popeye moved out to the desert with his nephew, Johnny and while I wrote to him pretty often, he stopped writing when Johnny passed away suddenly of a heart attack. I didn't realize it at the time that Johnny had been writing the letters when Uncle Popeye would dictate to him what to say because his eyesight wasn't very good anymore and he had a hard time writing because of it. His hearing was darn near gone so calling him became really difficult. At this time, he was 80 years old. The neighbor who lived down the road from him wrote to me trying to get a hold of my mom. So, I told my mom, and the neighbor told her he really couldn't take care of himself anymore. So, they made arrangements for him to come live with my mom. 

When he was settled with my mom, she took him to the doctor and got him hearing aids and a motorized wheelchair like she had. One night she called me after her and Uncle Popeye had ridden their motorized wheelchairs down the street to the grocery store to get his bacon, potatoes and eggs that he wanted to eat every day for breakfast. 

She was laughing hysterically when she told me that Uncle Popeye could not drive his motorized wheelchair at all. He kept running into the back of hers, slamming himself into the fence, hit a mailbox, bounced off a chain link fence when he was going too fast and all the while was cussing up a storm. My mom said she couldn't stop laughing as they drove down the street to the grocery store. She said it was like bumper cars.

Once in the store he was once again going too fast and took out a display of cookies that was piled pretty high. He ran into the back of a few carts and almost took out a guy who was walking down an aisle. My mom said she had to turn down the speed he was able to go so he could maneuver easier and not knock anything else over. 

While my mom was on the phone with me, Uncle Popeye asked her what they were having for dinner and she said steak. He heard, "Snake" and had a fit saying he was not eating snake! Even with the hearing aids his hearing wasn't great so she had to show him the pack of steaks before he would stop yelling about eating snake. 

I laughed so much on that phone call. 

He passed away in his sleep at my mom's house just a few years after he moved in with her. But I think they were both happy he was there for a while. 

This is me and Uncle Popeye in the back and my mom in the front. lol She liked to ham it up for the pictures.

Apartment Life #397

 

*Click on pictures to enlarge them*

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 have gone on in and around my apartment complex and in my neighborhood in the past 27 years that I'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 27 years here in a weekly blog post.

The gate to the freeway that I told you about a while back now has a new lock and chain on it. So the gate is closed again for now. 

More address numbers fell off the building and are on the ground. 

This is not my address. There should be a few more numbers on the building but they're on the ground and I doubt these will be replaced either because none of the others have been, smh

There's a person sitting in front of the bicycle and he's bent over which is why it's hard to see him. I don't usually post the homeless people unless they've been doing something. This guy had been really high and walking up and down the street most of the day. I saw him several times and he kept walking in the middle of the road in front of cars. It was obvious he was really high on drugs. He finally crashed out and passed out right here for a couple of hours. The drug problem around here is so bad.

The police were back again to do a Welfare Check on my missing neighbor, Xavier. This time they talked to my other neighbor, and she told them the same thing I did a while back, that's he's been gone a month. She asked the police if they knew where he was and the told her no one seems to know where he is which is why they keep being called out to do a welfare check at his apartment. I wonder if it's a family member who keeps calling for a welfare check?

Over the weekend the homeless people broke into Xavier's apartment. They must have known it was empty because of all the eviction notices on the door. The back bedroom window was broke out and that's how they got it. Maintenance boarded up the bedroom window but the very next day me and 2 other neighbors saw the homeless people entering his apartment again somehow and so we all called the police. They came but just like all the other times, they could do nothing. They knocked on the door and since no one answered and the door was locked they said they couldn't break down the door, for us to call our apartment manager and let them know. I sent an email to my apartment manager and she wrote me back. She told me to call security if I see anything. LOL They didn't even come out and check the apartment! The apartment door was open and the homeless people kept coming and going.

I crossed out personal info. I shared the number for security with a bunch of neighbors in my courtyard so if we see anything we're calling them.

So Monday night I called the security number the manager sent me. They said they couldn't do anything because the manager never sent over a list of vacant apartments. So I emailed the manager again and right away she said she sent security a list of vacant apartments to call them if I see anything suspicious. So I called them back right away. The lady from security said that they were on the phone with the apartment manager and they were going to handle it. I said thanks. I thoughts that meant someone was going to come out and make sure no one was in Xavier's apartment. Guess not! No one ever showed up that night and I saw 2 homeless people walking out of Xavier's apartment at 7:30AM the next morning.

Saturday afternoon I saw two people going into that apartment and they had the air conditioner on so I called once more. Security actually came out and I talked to them. But there's no manager here to let them in and so they could do nothing and they left. Why does the apartment manager tell me to call them when they can do nothing?  

I'm not calling again. What's the point? The homeless people have been coming and going from his apartment for days. Not once had the manager or maintenance been to his apartment since I informed them that homeless were taking over his apartment. I give up. 

------

Monday morning I got an email safety alert from the Nextdoor app. It said there was a shooting and then an active shooter in my area. Turns out it was less than a block from me. It was the apartment complex directly behind the Mariana's supermarket that I walk to next door. 

My daughter works in a store right next door to Mariana's and she was at work so I sent her a text.

Thankfully her boss took it seriously and they locked down the store. The police helicopter was flying over my neighborhood too so they heard that and knew something was happening. 

I was glad they took it seriously since her work is so close to what was going on.

That street was closed off. I kept getting alerts. 

And then a little while later I saw on the Nextdoor app the people who were there were updating what was going on and said the person surrendered. The police helicopter left so I told my daughter the guy was in custody and they opened the store back up. My daughter texted me a few minutes later when detectives walked in her store and asked her manager for the camera footage from behind their store because they have a camera pointed right where things were going down. 

Here's the link to the news report about it. 

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Wednesday morning I was about to take out Falcor and we heard the police helicopter hovering above us. When we got outside my daughter noticed smoke so we went to check it out. One of our dumpsters was on fire. 

The police helicopter.

Before I could get out my phone to call 911, I noticed the fire department already driving up our alley. 

I don't know who called in the fire but they got here pretty fast.

So we stood there and I got some pictures of them putting the fire out.

Then I noticed a police car coming up the walking path. he's on the left behind the wall.

The firefighter came over and asked us if we saw who did it. We had no idea. That's my daughter drinking coffee watching the drama unfold. LOL Too bad we didn't have popcorn.

They got it out pretty fast 

Dang guys, it's only Wednesday as I'm updating this post. Hopefully the rest of the week will be quiet. LOL 

Thanksgiving was quiet! I thought for sure there would be some drama but nope, all quiet.

The high this week was 63F/17C

The low this week was 46F/7C

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

Saturday Vittles

 

This week we tried something new. Delicata Squash. Neither my daughter or I have had this before so we gave it a try. 

To make Delicata Squash...

Cut into 1-inch slices. 

Sprinkle a little oil on each slice. 

sprinkle a little nutmeg and cinnamon on each slice.

Bake in a 400 F oven for 40 minutes or until a fork pokes through easily. 

We baked chicken thighs, tomatoes, green beans and carrots and the spices we like (you can use whatever spices you like) in a baking pot with a lid for 2 hours and had it all together. We eat a lot of vegetables instead of potatoes or rice these days.

The Delicata squash was really good. it's a little sweet so it paired really well with the cinnamon and nutmeg. 

This meal is around 350 calories and 15 carbs. 

The Futon

When my grandson comes over on the weekends he's been sleeping in a reclining chair. But the boy is too tall for that now so my daughter and his father bought a futon where the back lays down so he can sleep on it. My daughter's best friend (Tia) who moved into my courtyard with her girlfriend a few months ago came over and helped her put it together. Of course Falor was in there helping too. LOL 

Falcor the ever present helper making sure things go smoothly.

As they put this Futon together, one thing became quite clear...it was going to be very low to the floor. lol 

They were scratching their heads a few times at the instructions.

But they got it figured out.

Of course Falcor got to try it out first.

Falcor was reading the instructions to make sure they did it right.

It's so low to the ground! Ha ha. I won't be sitting on it or else my knee's probably wouldn't be able to get me up off it again. I'd probably need to call the fire department for help. (Not that I would mind having all those helping hands helping me up. Some of those fire fighters are cute. But my brother is a retired fire fighter and has really ruined any firefighter fantasies I might have had. Oh well.) lmao it works great for my grandson though.

Book Review: My Alien Protector by C.A Varian

 

Book Description

Drunk college coeds don’t always make the best decisions—but Freddie never imagined that one too many drinks and a desperate search for a bathroom would land her in space.

It’s not like she meant to wander into a spaceship. And sure, the "bathroom" door she opened was suspiciously high-tech, but a girl’s gotta go.

Now, lightyears from Earth with zero memory of how she got there, Freddie finds herself trapped on a spaceship with a massive, horned, iridescent-blue alien named Aevo—who, to her surprise, is as brooding as he is weirdly considerate. And hot. Very hot.

The problem? No one’s taking her back to Earth. Intergalactic law forbids it.

Worse? Not every alien out here plays by the rules. And some of them are more than willing to risk everything for a shot at the forbidden cargo: humans.

While Freddie lives free, others like her are trapped in cages—and she can’t stand it. With danger closing in and her feelings for Aevo growing stronger, Freddie decides to fight back.

She might not be a warrior, but she has sharp instincts, a stubborn streak, and one giant alien who refuses to let her do this alone.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Due to graphic sexual content, sex trafficking, violence, and language, this book is meant for those 17 and older.

My Review

Freddie goes out partying with her friends but drinks too much and stumbles onto an alien ship where she finds a container to fall asleep in. But when she wakes up she realizes that the ship she's on is moving and she can hear others crying. She tries to listen to see if she can understand what they saying but it's alien to her. So she stays inside her container since the aliens don't know she's there. When her container gets moved onto another ship, she finally comes out and comes face to face with Aevo who's ship she's on. Aevo is a big, grumpy, blue alien with horns. Aevo sends Mechi, his robot assistant to help get her settled in a guest room. 

After a while Aevo starts to get used to Freddie and feels bad for her because she can never go back to Earth, back to her family and people. But he lets her know that there are sanctuary planets where some other humans are that he can take her too if she wants. But then he does something that even surprises him, he tells her she can stay on the ship with him if she wants that too. 

But Freddie is worried about the other females that were on the first ship she was on when she finds out they're probably being sold as slaves. So Aevo who is opposed to the slave trade as well, enlists the help of some friends to rescue the other females. While all this is going on, Aevo and Freddie realize that they have feelings for each other and want to stay together. 

This was such a cute alien romance. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Favorite Picture of the Week

 

I took a lot of sky pictures this week because we had a lot of clouds most of the week. 

Book Review: Nosedive by Torri Heat

 

Book Description

Cam’s a dragon shifter with a secret. He prefers his own company to that of his pack’s, until one day he stumbles across a saucy Supe named Charlie. She’s hiking alone, and looks as lost as he feels – perhaps they could keep each other company.

Except Charlie’s got secrets of her own, and she’s not ready to share them with some too-handsome-to-be-real, shifty shifter. Cam might be good for a laugh, maybe a hot one-night stand… if she can let her guard down long enough to enjoy herself.

But the next day, right when Charlie’s about to cut him loose, their worlds collide in a twist of fate, forcing them to work together to save themselves – and each other. To do so, they’ll have to expose the parts they’ve kept hidden for far too long… or risk losing everything to the darkness surrounding them.

Nosedive is a standalone, fast burn paranormal romance.

My Review

Charlie is a witch and she's running from her coven because they are bad people. Cam is a dragon shifter and he left his dragon family because the alpha set rules he didn't like. But his dragon family finds other supernatural females and kidnaps them and then forces them to mate the male dragons so their offspring will be more powerful. Cam is not ok with this and so he doesn't go home very often. So when some of his family come looking for Charlie because they can feel how powerful she is, the only thing he can do to save her is claim her as his mate. The others are not happy about this but the Alpha goes along with it as long as they stay for the mating ceremony so he can be sure they actually mate. 

Charlie isn't sure she can trust Cam but he seems to be trying to save her from one of the other male dragon shifters who she can tell would not be nice to her and only wants her for her power. There's some power plays going on behind the scenes that includes the Alpha and Cam and that causes some chaos with him and his people. 

I like how this ended and I really liked Cam and Charlie. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon