Book Review: Must Love Christmas Cowboys by Diana Palmer and Heather Graham

 

Book Description

Whether they’re out on the range or working in town, these men are rough, rugged, and ready for action. They’re true-blue cowboys and the stays of these brand new Christmas novellas from New York Times bestselling authors Diana Palmer and Heather Graham, set against the snowy backdrop of Colorado.

THE PERFECT GIFT * Diana Palmer

Rancher Ty Blakeney has more than enough reasons to be grumpy. Plus, it’s unseasonably cold, Christmas decorations are up annoyingly early, and now there’s a wailing little boy on his property, a frantic young woman chasing after him. Ty recognizes her, recently orphaned, scraping by to raise her young brother. Both of them as alone as he is. But between the three of them, along with a puppy in need of a home—and the magic of the holidays—they might just discover the gift of family comes in all kinds of packages.

CHRISTMAS, CRIME, AND A COWBOY * Heather Graham

When successful New York artist Jessy Danson inherits her beloved late grandfather’s Colorado property, she’s forced to tear herself away from her busy city life. While she hopes to wrap things up in time to leave for Christmas, her disinterest in the house’s rich history baffles Wyatt McFarlane, her grandfather’s handsome neighbor. But the house—and Wyatt—become exceptionally interesting when dangerous robbers break in, determined that Jessy will lead them to a hidden treasure. It’s a good thing there’s a hero right next door . . .

My Reviews

The Perfect Gift by Diana Palmer

Ed and Sara and brother and sister and since their dad just passed away, Sara has been doing all sorts of odd jobs to keep them afloat. Ed is only 5 years old and Ty stops by the side of the road one night where a frantic Sara can't find her brother because he's wandered off after their car broke down. While Ed is out looking for the "Wuppie" Ty Helps Sara find him, the wuppie turns out to be a little German Shepard puppy that needs some care.

Later on Sara visits her family's lawyer who tells her some really good news thanks to her grandfather's quick thinking. Ty wants to get to know Sara better and things are going well for a while but Ty has had his share of gold digging women who have hurt him so he's not quick to let love in his life and that seems like the end of his and Sara's growing relationship. Thankfully Ty gets his head together and hopes that Sara will find it in her heart to forgive him. These two sure took their time finding each other but it works out in the end. I loved Goose- the Wuppie. This dog got into all sorts of hilarious trouble. 

I give this story 4 out of 5 stars.

Christmas, Crime, and A Cowboy by Heather Graham

Jessy comes back to her grandfather's property after he passes away and wills the property to her. She's hoping to wrap things up before Christmas so she can get back to her family since her father is sick. But the handsome neighbor, Wyatt who she knew when they were both younger is there and very happy to see her back. While they are hitting it off very well, there are robbers who are hitting properties and getting bolder and bolder and much more dangerous with each new robbery. They started out not hurting anyone but now they are. 

When a woman is kidnapped and her life is on the line, Jessy remembers something about these older properties that might help save the woman. When the robbers hit closer to home and it puts Jessy and danger, Wyatt makes sure that she stays safe but in doing so, his big secret comes out and ruins all the progress they made in their relationship. 

This was such a great mystery about the robbers as well as a wonderful romance between Jessy and Wyatt. I really liked how it ended. 

I give this story 4 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #388

 

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.

On Tuesday afternoon I saw this ambulance down the street and when a woman was wheeled out on a stretcher, she was screaming at a guy who came out alongside her. They were both speaking Spanish, so I don't know what they were saying buy an older lady came out a moment later and she was yelling at the guy when the lady was put in the back of the ambulance. The lady in the ambulance was holding an ice pack on her eye, and she was bleeding I think from her mouth. I could be wrong, but it looked and sounded like the women were mad at the guy for maybe hitting the lady. The older lady went in the ambulance with the other lady, and the guy went back into the apartment. 

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This is our pool. I told you that the homeless people were using it to bathe and other things. The pool lock has been changed, and they added these signs instead of the "Pool Rules" signs they had up there before. The new ones call the pool the Aquatic Venue Rules. lol That's a new one for me.

Someone must have said something about the homeless people in the pool because some of the rules now state not to swim in the Aquatic Venue is you have open wounds or sores, no animals in the aquatic venue and only service animals allowed on the deck. I told you a while back that two homeless ladies were picking their sores in the pool and one had her dog in there with them. So I have a feeling someone complained about it.

Related to that...I saw Jessica and Mikey in the pool area but not inside the pool gate, they were in their underwear and hosing each other off right next to the pool. I guess since they couldn't get inside the pool, they decided to do it that way. 

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The Inspector from last week came and got his ID badge on Monday. Nice guy, and he was very thankful that I called him to come and get it. So that was nice. 

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My apartment complex sent out 3 different notices about a water shutoff taking place on the 25th. The sent an email, posted it in the portal and put out paper notices about it on the doors. 

I put water in jugs, filled a few pans, thinking it's the Water District and the water could be off for more than 4 hours. The water was off for 45 minutes. That was it. 😂😂The only thing the water district did was have one guy in a van with a pump on the back of his truck, he put a hose down a drain down the street and sucked stuff up into the big container on the back of his truck. I guess it's better than not having running water for hours. But they made a much bigger deal than was necessary. 

The high this week was 96F/35C

The low this week was 70F/21C

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

Saturday Vittles

 

My Daughter and I are trying to eat more healthy so I thought I would share some pictures on Saturday's of what we've made.

Cucumber Sushi

What you'll need:

2 Large cucumbers

1 Cup Imitation crab or real crab

4 TBSP Salmon Cream Cheese

4 oz package of Lox (Cured Salmon)

1 Large Avocado

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

What to do:

Use a large vegetable peeler to make long cucumber slices. Depending on how large your cucumbers are you will need 12-16 slices. 

Lay the cucumber slices down on a flat surface, overlapping them a bit. We used 6 slices per roll. So we made 2 rolls and cut them into pieces.  Starting at the end closest to you, add a thin layer of the salmon cream cheese and spread it all over the cucumber slices. Next lay down a thin layer of Lox just at the end closest to you. Next add a bit of the imitation crab meat or real crab meat, depending on what you like. Add a layer of thinly sliced avocado and sprinkle the seasonings on top. Next you are going to grab the end of the cucumber slices closest to you and fold them away from you, over the mixture. Then carefully roll it into a log, trying to keep it tight as you roll. Make sure it is seam side down when you cut this into "sushi" pieces. 

6 pieces of this had 12 carbs and about 300 calories. 

I don't like traditional sushi but this came out really good. 

Halloween Pictures

 

My daughter saw all of these decorations on store shelves.

Wicked babies. lol 

Rats! I wanna pet them. lol I bet I could tame them with some chocolate. 

Have you started seeing Halloween decorations on store shelves?

Book Review: Alien Spare by Cara Bristol

 

Book Description

He’s the royal spare with a reputation. She’s the cosmic wild card he never saw coming.

Prince Falkor Rullok-Myka has spent his entire life in second place—second to his brother, second to his planet, and probably second in his parents’ hearts. So, why not lean into it? He’s got charm, status, and a reputation as Kaldor’s “Prince of Scandal.” If he can’t be their favorite, at least he can be unforgettable.

But his latest misadventure—where, for once, he’s actually innocent—lands him in hot water. To repair the damage, the king issues an ultimatum: marry the human woman caught in the middle of the mess…or else.

Karma Kennedy isn’t charmed. She came to Kaldor for a fresh start and spiritual clarity—not to marry an arrogant alien prince with perfect hair and a smirk she wants to wipe off his face. She doesn’t care that he’s royalty. She doesn’t care that he’s gorgeous. What she does care about is escaping this forced marriage and getting her life back.

The plan? Stay married just long enough to save face then go their separate ways.

But fate isn’t letting go that easily.

As the days pass, Karma’s tarot cards start predicting a future she refuses to believe. And Falkor? He’s seeing a woman who might finally put him first.

In a marriage neither of them wanted, they might just find the love they’ve both been searching for…if they stop fighting destiny long enough to let it happen.

My Review 

 Karma set her sister up on a dating site, Cosmic Dates where females from Earth sign up to find alien mates and now she's married to the prince on an alien planet.  Her sister is happy and she's happy for her but now Karma wishes she was as happy. One thing getting on her nerves is her new brother in law's brother, Prince Falkor. When they met there was a misunderstanding and they haven't gotten along since then.  

They actually find each other attractive and if they would just stop being so snarky to each other, they might find they like each other too. So when a lightning storm strands Karma at the same hotel Falkor is staying at, he offers to let her stay in his suite for the night. But the tabloids even on an alien planet are unscrupulous and start a scandal. So the King and Queen- his parents, take this opportunity to make them see that they are perfect for each other and orders them to get married. Karma and Falkor settle for a 1 year marriage and after that time they can divorce and go on about their lives, but after spending time together they find that spark that was there between them the entire time and fall hard for each other. 

Of course just when things are going well for them there's a betrayal and a misunderstanding that keeps them apart for a while. People jumped to the wrong conclusion really fast and it comes between Falkor and Karma. Will these two have a chance at a forever love and happiness? I liked the ending and thought this book and this romance was fun. 

I really enjoy all of the books I've read from Cara Bristol but I was really looking forward to this one when I found out the Prince's name was Falkor because my dog's name is Falcor! You know I just had to read this! I'm glad I did because it was a really good read. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

 

*Click on pictures to make them bigger*

We were changing the lightbulb in the porch light and spotted this little jumping spider. We just scooted him over so he was out of the way so the lightbulb could get changed. 

It's the buggie time of year. I noticed that the cicadas have climbed out of the ground and are shedding their skins on the trees across the street. This is just one side of one tree. There are dozens more on the other trees. 

We had a couple of really cloudy days and even had a little bit of rain come our way. 

The cloud cover was nice because the sun wasn't blasting down on us. 

This cloud was really bigger than it looks here. Those billowing puffy white clouds were so pretty.

Then at night as the sun was setting everything looked so blue.

The next day we got rain clouds. And we even got some rain from this as it came over us.

It started getting dark over us and me and Falcor went out for a walk before it started raining.

As this storm got closer I figured we would get a little rain from this one. I was standing in my alley so all of those things you see on the other side of the wall are in the parking lot for Cal Ranch. 

And I was right. It started raining and it rained on and off the rest of the night. This is my courtyard, it always floods a little when it rains. The gutters are always full since maintenance never cleans them and so the rain water builds up in places and floods the sidewalk. At least we got some rain.

Book Review: Master Descallia by Sylvia Black

 

Book Description

A purebred Vampire who leads with an iron fist.

A sassy detective who doesn’t play by the rules.

Will any chance at love survive the darkness of this world?

As Overmaster of the purebloods, I will do everything in my power to stop the rogues and syndicate from blaming the vampires for the disappearance of human women.

Even when my enemies enlist the help of rogue shifters and witches to keep me and the other vampire masters at bay, I will not be deterred.

Until the sassy young woman with psychic powers who may be the only chance for us to win the age-old battle is attacked.

The decision is easy—give her immortality in exchange for a life of servitude to the vampires for eternity.

And to me, a dark souled vampire who wants no part of love, forever.

Master Descalliais the explosive first book in the Masters of the Consulate series by International Best-Selling Author, Sylvia Black. It is a deliciously dark, enemies to lovers, fated mates, vampire romance. You will love these novels where the passion is fiery, the loyalty is fierce, and the stakes are high. Each novel in this twelve-book series features a different couple with a guaranteed happily ever after.

My Review

A dark vampire romance with a guy who looks like that on the cover? Yes please. lol This sounded like my kind of book and boy was I right. Master Descallia or Salvatore as Luciana calls him is a pure blood vampire and overmaster of the purebloods. Meaning he's in charge and he knows it. Everyone knows it and if they try to pull one over on him, he takes care of them one way or another. This man doesn't mess around. 

So when he finds out that women are going missing and someone is making it look like the vampires are to blame, he has to get help which is when he meets Luciana. She's a human police detective and agrees to help him investigate who is kidnapping the women. But very quickly she gets badly hurt and she's not going to make it. So Salvatore asks her permission to turn her into a vampire, he's hoping she will accept because he feels a pull towards her like he would for a mate, but his mate was lost to him long ago. 

Luciana accepts being turned and thus she is thrown into his life and now that she's a vampire, he expects her to bend to his will like all the other vampires do. Well, he has another thing coming if he thinks she's just going to do whatever he says. Luciana is sassy, sarcastic and headstrong which not only turns Salvatore on, but makes him crazy because he's so used to everyone bending to his will and she doesn't like being told what to do. So the arguments these two have are really funny. 

These two were so fun to watch. There was some BDSM and Dom/sub interactions since Master Descallia owns a BDSM club but there was nothing non-consensual or outlandishly harsh. It was all pretty subdued in my opinion. 

I really liked the reasons that came to light as to why these two felt such a strong pull towards each other. That was a sweet storyline. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Amazon

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures this week are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #387

 

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.

A couple of different days the police helicopter was flying right over my apartment complex. I went outside to see if anything was going on but I didn't see any police cars or anything either day. 

Tuesday night around 10PM 2 police cars showed up from an apartment across the street. They stayed for a few minutes then came back outside and left. I guess it's good no one needed more help and no one got arrested. No idea why the police were there in the first place. It had rained a few minutes and that's why my window is so blurry. 

I spotted one of these cars driving down my street. I think these cars are so ugly.

On Friday and Saturday the building inspector was here inspecting the roofs for leaks after the rain. Saturday afternoon I found his badge in the rocks in front of my place. So I called the number on it (I blurred it out for privacy) and let him know I found his badge. He was happy that I found it and said I saved him a mess of hassle. He said he has back to back inspections this weekend so he asked if he could come by on Monday morning to pick it up. I said no problem. So he's coming tomorrow to get it. 

The high this week was 96F/35C

The low this week was 72F/22C

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

Saturday Vittles

 

My Daughter and I are trying to eat more healthy so I thought I would share some pictures on Saturday's of what we've made.

Baked Zucchini Rounds with a zucchini cheese sauce

You will need:

1 Large zucchini - cut so you have round pieces

1/4 cup of cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp. McCormick Chipotle & Herb seasoning

1/2 tsp. McCormick Garlic & Herb seasoning

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 TBSP oil

Salt and pepper to taste

What to do: 

Remove all of the inside of the zucchini rounds, leaving just a 1/2 inch inside. Set aside. 

Place zucchini rounds on a baking sheet, drizzle 1 TBSP of the oil on them and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the seasonings and bake in a 350F oven for 30 minutes, turning them over halfway. 

In a sauce pan add the middle parts of the zucchini and saute with the other 1 TBSP of oil until it is very soft and mushy. Break up any larger pieces with a fork. Add chicken broth, cheese and sprinkle in some of the spices. Cook over medium heat until sauce has reduced a little and is thicker. 

Drizzle sauce over the baked zucchini rounds. We served ours with baked chicken, tomatoes and celery.

This makes two servings of zucchini rounds. Each serving is 150 calories and 5 carbs.  (If you use 2 TBSP of the sauce)

Halloween Time

September 1st is the start of Halloween around here. So we've been decorating. If you're new, we do this every year. If you've been reading my blog for a while, you might spot a few new pieces of decorations. This is in the kitchen.

This is also in the kitchen.

The thing hanging is a plastic spider web and dozens of little spiders are hanging down from it. The shelf has a lot of little Halloween knick Knacks.

Crypt Keeper clock and some Halloween horror action figures.

A closer look at some of what's on the living room shelf.

Lots of ghosts.

It's hard to get good pictures of my living room window because of the sun glare. But this skeleton is in the middle.

Some fun Frankenstein gnomes in the window.

Of course we have rats. lol 

A mummy gnome.

Another bigger rat.

On one side of the window is dracula.

On the other side is a werewolf.

This is the window lit up at night.

Back inside we hung a bat from the ceiling. 

The bathroom and bed room door both have these purple spiders hanging over the door.

Oogie Boogie!

The living room shelf again.

There's a skeleton on the door.

The living room wall. 

Here's a better look at the 3 Grim Reapers on the wall.

The little Halloween Tree.

Another Halloween tree.

Here is my Camp Crystal Lake and Jason Voorhees figurines from the Friday The 13th Movies. The cabin used to have lighted windows but the bulb just blew out and I need to order a new one.

This is what it looks like with the lights on though. Picture from last year.

My daughters Living Dead Doll. I got this for her 16th birthday and she loves it.

The corner shelf. I made the Pumpkin Tree on top.

The spider hanging over the bathroom door.

And of course my daughter added a little touch of Halloween to the garden. The pumpkin with the big eyes is solar powered and at night the eyes light up. 

Nanananana Bat Dog. Falcor wearing his Bat Wings. 

We haven't gotten any Trick Or Treaters in years but we still like to decorate. 

Do you decorate for Halloween?