Apartment Life #63

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

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

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

Review: Broken Angel by Cynthia Eden

Book Description

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

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

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

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

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

My Review

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

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

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

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

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

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

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.

Freebie Friday!

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

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

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

What did I receive this week?

I won another ebook in the Amazon giveways. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Chosen Mate by Juniper Hart

Book Description

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

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

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

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

***

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

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

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

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

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

My Review

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

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

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

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

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Recipe: Roasted Vegetables and Shrimp Salad

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

You'll need: 

2 carrots, shredded

4 roma tomatoes, cubed

1/2 bell pepper, cubed

1/2 yellow onion, cubed

3 cups lettuce, cut into bite sized pieces

2 avocadoes, cubed

Chili Powder

Adobo Seasoning

3 TBSP lime juice

1/2 tsp. sugar

2 TBSP olive oil + more to sprinkle over vegetables

1 LB shrimp

Salt and pepper to taste

What to do: 

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

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

I had shrimp and Ken had roasted chicken breast.

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

Review: Cross Breed by Lora Leigh

Book Description

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

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

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

My Review

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

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

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

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

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

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

"You knocked? Do you have treats?"

"I know I heard you knock and say you were delivering treats. Give them up already."

"I heard you opening the cage door. You better have treats since you disturbed my sleep."

*All of the pictures today are of 2 my rats that I had, Flower and Scribbles. *

Apartment Life #62

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

 Everything was pretty quiet New Years night and we were really surprised. Then at 4:34am we got woke up to gunshots that were really close. Ken got up to look outside and saw a car speed away. We had no idea where it came from so we went back to sleep. I got up to take falcor out that morning and saw that the apartment 4 door down from me had bullet holes all through the window and wall. I don't know if the cops came that morning while we were sleeping or not. Ken told the apartment manager and she called the police to check on them.

The police came and broke into the apartment. When the police got here they took the yellow police tape and roped off that entire end of the courtyard. 

When they got in we overheard them say that the bullets went through the first apartment's living room wall and into the apartment next door so they broke into that apartment too. No one was hurt in either apartment. 

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

Favorite Video of the Week

I don't know if you've ever watched the Try Guys but they are pretty funny. This one is funny but it's also naughty, you have been warned. lol

Freebie Friday!

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

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

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

This week I received:

A tote bag and sample of Saratoga dry skin ointment from The Upside.

I also won a book in a blogger giveaway.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton

Book Description

Vampire hunter Anita Blake has always managed to overcome everything she faces. But this time there’s a monster that even she doesn’t know how to fight...

A remote Florida island is the perfect wedding destination for the upcoming nuptials of Anita’s fellow U.S. Marshal and best friend, Edward. For Anita, the vacation is a welcome break, as it’s the first trip she gets to take with just wereleopards Micah and Nathaniel. But it’s not all fun and games and bachelor parties… 

In this tropical paradise, Micah discovers a horrific new form of lycanthropy, one that has afflicted a single family for generations. Believed to be the result of an ancient Greek curse, it turns human bodies into a mass of snakes. 

When long-simmering resentment leads to a big blowup within the wedding party, the last thing Anita needs is more drama. But it finds her anyway when women start disappearing from the hotel, and worse, her own friends and lovers are considered the prime suspects. There’s a strange power afoot that Anita has never confronted before, a force that’s rendering those around her helpless. Unable to face it on her own, Anita is willing to accept help from even the deadliest places. Help that she will most certainly regret—if she survives at all, that is…

My Review

This is one of my favorite series and I'm glad I finally had the time to sit down and read this because it really did add to the series. If you've been enjoying this series then I suggest you give this one a go as well. 

Anita always seems to find herself in hot water or some kind of trouble and this is no exception. You would think that she could take some time off for the wedding of her best friend, Edward but no. Not when bad things start happening. 

I was wondering at the title and then I got it. I must not have read the blurb too well because it's right there! lol I don't mind snakes, one snake at a time but a mass of snakes might be too much for me to imagine. Micah went around the country with the Furry Coalition who helped lycanthropes with problems and newly turned Were animals with their new condition. Micah is away on business looking into a new kind of shapeshifter, one that weirdly shifts into snakes. He's off trying to help this family deal with what the family thinks is some kind of curse before he has to leave for the wedding. But he's not sure they can help this family since it's unlike anything they have ever seen.

The main story in this book is the wedding and of course there's drama all around them. Dixie is a friend of the bride but she hates the groom to be and wants to stop them from marrying. She's a complete bitch about the whole thing. Then one of the guests end up murdered and that sets a whole other set of problems, including a cop in the investigation that seems to have an interesting set of gifts that even Anita isn't immune to.

One of the characters that tends to creep into this series every once in a while is Olaf. And when I say creep, I mean, creep. Because this guy, no matter what he's doing is creepy as hell and I love him for it. He's one of the more interesting characters that pop up now and again and we never know what to expect from him but that's probably because he's a serial killer among other things. But when people start dying and Nathaniel gets blamed for the murders, Olaf wants to help Anita prove that Nathaniel had nothing to do with it. 

The twists and turns this story took were great. I really liked the snake shifter side of things because it was so different and it tied the whole story together in the end. Of course Anita and her fiances/lovers are front and center and the sex is always a big part of these books but I expect and like that about this series. With so many lovers you kinda have to expect there's going to be a lot of sex in these books. 

If you already enjoy this series then you'll enjoy this book. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

My daughter sent me this picture of my grandson. Ken and I bought him the Spider-Man blanket and sleep mask and he fell asleep wearing the mask. lol

Happy New Year!

I hope this year bring everyone happiness, good health and joy. 

Books I Read in 2018

I made a goal to keep track of all the books I read this year so I made sure to add them to this post as I read them. I had hoped to reach 100 books but I fell short of that goal. I did pretty good though. 

Here's a complete list of books that I read in 2018. 

1. The Loneliest Alpha by T.A. Grey

2. Kade's Dark Embrace by Kym Grosso

3. Luca's Magic Embrace by Kym Grosso

4. Tristan's Lyceum Wolves by Kym Grosso

5. Logan's Acadian Wolves by Kym Grosso

6. Coercion by Chloe Cole

7. Wolf's promise by Ambrielle Kirk

8. Cheetah's Never Run by Suki Selborne

9. Invincible by Diana Palmer

10. Ty's Temptation by Patrice Michelle

11. Beautifully Wounded by Susan Griscom

12. Kindred by Nicola Claire

13. Her Perfect Mate by Paige Tyler

14. Reaver by Larissa Ione

15. Act of Mercy by Mandy M. Roth

16. Desert Moon by Anna Lowe

17. The Dragon's Dilemma by Jessie Donovan

18. Emerge: The Awakening by Melissa A. Craven

19. Smoldering Ashes (book 4) by Annie Anderson

20. 1001 Nights Bundle Ten by Tessa Bailey, Lexi Blake, Larissa Ione, Laurelin Paige, Jenna Jacob and Sierra Simone

21. Scorpius Rising by Rebecca Zanetti

22. Dragon VIP: Pyrochlore by Starla Night

23. A Collection of Dead Men Stories by Jacqui Jacoby

24. Quinn by D.B. Reynolds

25. Midnight Wolf by Jennifer Ashley

26. When An Alpha Purrs by Eve Langlais

27. My Plan B by Shelley Munro

28. Wild Hunger by Suzanne Wright

29. Wolf of Her Own by N.J. Walters

30. Unbridled by Diana Palmer

31. Kenya Calling by Tori Knightwood

32. A Wolf Apart by Maria Vale

33. Beauty and the Beast by Skye Warren

34. Bengal's Quest by Lora Leigh

35. Leopard's Blood by Christine Feehan

36. Baby I'm Howling For You by Christine Warren

37. Hawkyn: A Demonica Underworld novella by Larissa Ione

38. The Big Alpha in Town by Eve Langlais, Milly Taiden and Kate Baxter

39. Bring The Heat by G. A. Aiken

40. Wolf's Mate by Katie Reus and Savannah Stuart

41. Twilight Desires by Amanda Ashley

42. Finding Master Right by Sparrow Beckett

43. Playing Hard to Master by Sparrow Beckett

44. Second Chance Dom by Sparrow Beckett

45. To Have and To Master by Sparrow Beckett

46. She Speaks to Angels by Ami Blackwelder

47. Bear the Heat by Catherine Vale

48. Del Fantasma: Demonade by Melisse Aires

49. Cybot Awakened by Melisse Aires

50. The Shifters of 2040 by Ami Blackwelder

51. Master in Shining Armor by Sparrow Beckett

52. Star Gazer by Shannon Rouchelle

53. Dark Sentinel by Christine Feehan

54.  Leopard's Run by Christine Feehan

55. Wild Things by Jennifer Ashley

56. Unleashed by Caitlin Crews

57. Tiger Striped by Jennifer Ashley

58. Shadow Keeper by Christine Feehan

59. Bound To The Bear by Kathy Lyons

60. The Boss by Abigail Owen

61. Legendary Beast by Barbara J. Hancock

62. Animal Attraction by Jill Shalvis

63. Wyoming Legend by Diana Palmer

64. Wolf Rising by Paige Tyler

65. The Duke with the Dragon Tattoo by Kerrigan Byrne

66. Tall, Dark and Stormy by Mickey Miller

67. Kiss of the Fallen by Kharma Kelley

68. Selenium Night by Kharma Kelley

69. Crossed by Karin Tabke

70. Feral King by Sparrow Beckett

71. A Serial Killer's Desire by C.F. Rabbiosi

72. Sentinel of Darkness by Katie Reus 

73. Dark Thoughts by Cynthia Sax

74. Gone Hunting by Cecy Robson

75. Defying Pack Law by Eve Langlais

76. Echoes of Fire by Suzanne Wright

77. Talon by Theresa Hissong

78. Toxic Game by Christine Feehan

79. Shifter Mate Magic by Carol Van Natta

80. His To Protect by Elena Aitken

81. Immortally Yours by Lynsay Sands

Apartment Life #61

This is a new weekly blog post that I'm calling Apartment Hell  Life. I've mentioned a few times some of the crazy things that go on in and around my apartment complex in the past 20 years that we've lived here and people keep telling me I should write a book. But instead of a book, I've decided to share the crazy things that have happened in and around my apartment complex in the last 20 years here in a weekly blog post.

2 years ago my water heater exploded *not really* and water leaked out over night all over the inside of the cabinet it was in, the kitchen floor and through the kitchen wall to our bedroom and all over carpet on my side of the bed. Everything on my side of the room that was on the floor got drenched and ruined. Thankfully it was just a few books and a nice pair of suede boots that were too high for me to walk in without falling down anyway. It was the weekend and we called the emergency number for the office and no one picked up and when Ken knocked on her door she refused to answer. So we soaked up as much as we could and put fans on the carpet to try and and dry it. It was in the middle of the summer so opening the bedroom window really helped dry it out in a couple of days. 

Later that night though the bathtub, bathroom sink and kitchen sink backed up and smelly black water started filling the sinks and tub. The manager refused to answer her door or phone until Monday morning and when we asked about it she said she doesn't get paid to be on call on the weekends. So I guess too bad for us, huh? 

The manager sent the maintenance man over who tried plunging the sinks and bathtub. He turned off the water until he could get a new water heater so we had no water. At this point it had been 2 days. 2 more days went by before we got a new water heater because they said they had to order one. And when they came to install it the maintenance man had no idea what the hell he was doing, so Ken asked the manager if he could install it with this guys help and she said yes since he used to be the maintenance man here years ago. 

So Ken installed the new hot water heater with the help of the maintenance guy and then emptied the trap under the sink and fixed the kitchen sink. The plumber came out and snaked the bathroom tub and fixed the bathroom sink. 

So after 4 days of not having running water in my kitchen, a stopped up sink and nasty black water that kept coming up in the sink that Ken had to keep bailing out, everything was finally fixed. Oh and don't mind my messy floor because on the day I took the picture I hadn't cleaned the mess since I didn't have running water yet. Falcor was right by Ken watching what he's doing over there. My kitchen sink got fixed! My bathroom sink was fixed! The new hot water heater is not leaking and we had hot water again! 

I just think it's ridiculous that the manager refused to do anything on the weekends if something like this happened though. Just call a plumber and get that stuff fixed instead of leaving it for days. Thankfully we don't have that manager anymore.

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

Favorite Video of the Week

On Christmas my daughter gave Falcor some presents. He started opening this one right away. it was 3 balls but once he got it opened he took it in the bedroom to hide them. lol

Freebie Friday!

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

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

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

This week I received:

3 seasoning packets from Bragg.
2 Johnson's Cotton touch baby lotion and shampoo.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Favorite Picture of the Week

We had a fiery sunset Christmas night. 

Merry Christmas

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hannah*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*