Apartment Life #81

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.

It's been a crazy week. We heard the police helicopter up the and they were shining their lights on our street. After about 20 minutes of that, they left. Then Wednesday morning, we hear a bunch of sirens. So Ken goes to look outside and the ambulance is in front of my building. But they took off after heading to someone's apartment across the street. No one was taken in the ambulance. 

As I'm standing outside watching the ambulance drive away, the fire truck and police cars park down the street. 

They went to a different building than the ambulance went to but there were a bunch of them down there for more than 2 hours. 

I didn't see anyone being brought out into the police car and they were there for a long time. I have no idea what went on down there but there sure was a lot of something happening.

On Thursday while I was taking Falcor for a walk I watched a woman pull down her pants, squat in front of a car on the street and poo right in front of the car on the street.  She got up looked around, pulled her pants up and walked off. Wtf? People are nuts

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

Review: Daily Goodie Box

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 did I receive?

KOE Organic Kombucha- I wasn't too pleased with the taste of this drink.

Pure Aura Cosmic Shimmer Hologram Foil Mask-  These masks don't really do much for me and I've tried quite a few of them but this one did leave my skin soft. 

Goddess Garden Facial Sunscreen Lotion- I can always use a new sunscreen and this one seems to work well. 

CUSA Tea Variety Pack- I'm a tea drink and found several so far that I like. There were quite a few packs in this sampler which was great.

Kika's Treat Salted Crunchy Caramels- These are good even if I'm not a fan of salted caramel. I never really understood adding salt to candy. 

Michele's Granola Grab and Go Snack Size- This is definitely my favorite thing in the box. I love granola and this is a great tasting one.

PiperWai Natural Deodorant Stick- I've only used this twice but it seems to work the way you would hope it did. The scent is nice and it works so that's nice.

Prince & Spring Organic Applesauce Pouches-  I tried this and like the applesauce. I think kids would really like this too.

I really liked the variety pack of teas. There were several choices and I liked them all.

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.

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!

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

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

Disclosure: This box was given to me for free in exchange for a blog review but all opinions are my own.

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 cashed in my points from the Loacker Insider Program and was sent a box of Loacker goodies for free. All of the goodies were different flavored wafer cookies. You can sign up and get this too. Just click on the link I put in this post and sign up. All they have you do is follow them on social media, surveys and questions. It's pretty easy to get the points needed for a box of goodies.

I received chocolate wafer cookies, raspberry yogurt wafer cookies, lemon wafer cookies, chocolate covered chocolate wafer cookies and bite size chocolate wafer cookies. 

I really like these and so does Ken. I'm able to cash my points out about twice a year but when they send you a whole box of goodies, I think it's worth it and a great freebie. 

Have you signed up on their website?

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: L'Oreal Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer and Eye Cream

A couple of weeks ago I received a free full size jar of L'Oreal Age Perfect Rosy Tone Moisturizer and Eye Cream to try from Influenster and give my thoughts on. I've been using it everyday under my makeup for the past couple of weeks. 

On the L'Oreal website it says this about the moisturizer, "Renew and Revive a Blushed Rosy Tone From Within. Skin Feels Smoother, Looks Rejuvenated. Skin is Hydrated and Has a Healthy Blush.

As skin matures, its ability to renew surface cells slows down. As a result, skin's natural pink tone is hidden and complexion becomes dull, losing its natural rosy tone of youth. Age Perfect Cell Renewal* Rosy Tone Moisturizer is a universally-flattering daily moisturizing cream enhanced with rosy pigments to instantly revive skin’s rosy tone. This tinted moisturizer for mature skin is powerfully formulated with Imperial Peony Extracts and LHA to gently exfoliate dull, sallow skin and stimulate surface cell renewal every day to revive skin’s natural rosy tone. The Result: smooth & renewed skin with a healthy and rosy complexion, immediately and over time. 

*Based on skin surface cell turnover"

Now I will say that my face does look a little pinker but my skin is a little red anyways. My skin does feel smoother and softer though. I will say that for sure. It hasn't broke my skin out or irritated it in any way and it didn't adversely effect my makeup in anyway. So it's easily worn under the makeup I wear. I think this is a great moisturizer and I'll keep using it until it's gone. I don't know if I would buy these products for myself since each one will cost you $24.99, at least when I looked them up online that was the prices I found. But I will use them while I have them.

On the L'Oreal website it says this about the eye brightener cream, "Anti-aging eye brightener to visibly color correct dark circles. Best for mature, dull skin.

This anti-aging eye cream has a unique whipped texture that instantly blurs to help visibly correct dark circles. Formulated with Imperial Peony, it reduces the look of dark circles, visibly brightens skin around the eye area and provides an overall healthier, younger looking complexion. Immediately eye area looks smoother, brighter, more awake. Dark circles appear diminished. Paraben Free. Mineral Oil Free. Non-Sticky. Dermatologist and Ophthalmologist tested for safety. Suitable for sensitive skin."

I really like the eye cream. It disappears into the skin really fast and leaves almost a powder like finish which really helps when adding foundation, concealer and powder on top of it. My makeup even looked better I think when I used this. I like the pink tone it gave my face even when I wasn't wearing makeup. I really didn't see it help with the dark circles though. Did it make my skin softer though? Yes it did. I think it's a great moisturizer for under the eyes and it has a really pleasant scent to both of them.

So while I didn't see either of them changing anything about my skin, they are good moisturizers and leave my skin feeling soft and they smell good. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

You guys probably remember the post I made of all the rocks on my street, but if not you can find it here. In relation to that post about rocks I thought I would throw this one in as well. My daughter took this picture for me and it's near the entrance of the freeway. As you can see, there's more rocks. lol 

Whoever came up with the idea just to scatter a bunch of rocks around town and call it, "Beauitfying" or part of the "Beautification Project" has me laughing. Frankly, I'd rather see cactus. 

Review: Dark Man by Kyann Waters

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Happy Raturday!

 

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Jin Wicked*

Apartment Life #80

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.

Last night my neighbors right next door to me were arguing all night and it sounded like they were throwing things outside in the courtyard. So this morning I saw this. It's a table with plants on it. a baby stroller, tv and bbq with briquettes all over the ground.

It's still there today, they haven't cleaned it up yet. But it's the weekend and they know there's no manager on site until Monday so maybe they will by tomorrow. 

But that was it for the craziness for this week. Other than this, it was quiet.

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

Review: Ipsy Glam Bag

Ipsy is a monthly subscription box that sends you 5 sample size makeup or beauty products. You can customize what they send you by filling out the personal surveys. I've been more into makeup products lately and decided to try another subscription box. I love the bright pink package they send it in. There's no mistaking who that's from when you see it in your mailbox. These bags are $10 each.

I have two extra products, the eyeshadow brush and one of the Moods eyeshadow colors because I took advantage of the $3 add-ons you can add to your bag each month. 

What was in my bag?

DOUCCE- Punk Volumizing mascara. 

Purlisse- Watermelon energizing aqua balm. 

Laura Sanchez- Moods eyeshadow in chocolate shake. 

TARTE- Double duty beauty Base Tape hydrating primer. 

Sugar Cosmetics- Kohl of honour intense kajal in black out. 

Vasanti- eyeshadow contour brush. 

Laura Sanchez- Moods eyeshadow in rose gold. 

The aqua balm is just a moisturizer but it's a good one and it has some shimmer to it. I really like the two colors of eyeshadow I got and they go together really nicely. I can always use more eyeliner and mascara. I go through those things fast. I started using primer under my makeup a couple of years ago and it really does make the makeup go on more evenly so I like that I have another to try. I really like getting these different makeup brushes each month because I didn't have many to start with. For the price this is a great subscription to get if you wear makeup everyday. 

I liked everything I got in this bag. Have you ever subscribed to Ipsy?

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 signed up for samples and a tote bag from Dollar General and got that this week. In the tote bag was a sample of Suave Leave in conditioner and Vaseline Cocoa Radiant lotion.

I also won a $5 Amazon gift card from Author Lisa Kessler in a giveaway.

I find a lot of giveaways on Twitter. So if you don't have a Twitter account, you should sign up for one and look for the giveaways.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Wolf Tales 9 by Kate Douglas

Book Description

Tonight, They Come

In the dead of a Montana night, all the Chanku packs have gathered, not for a hunt, but for a vigil. As Tia and Luc prepare for the arrival of their twins, Chanku from across the country wait--and share their stories of becoming. . .

For each, embracing the truth of who and what they are has been a life-altering experience. From Anton and Oliver's journey of discovery to Jacob Trent's dark night of the soul; from the intensely powerful relationship Mik and AJ shared even before they knew about Chanku to Stefan's torturous feral years, the stories are woven together by common threads: loneliness, brutality, tenderness--and the ultimate satisfaction of finding one's place in the pack.

The revelations of primal desire and human need made this night will bring the Chanku closer than even they dreamed possible. But will the bond be strong enough when the united packs are called upon to save the most vulnerable among them. . .?

My Review

Tia and Luc are are waiting for Tia to go into labor and have the twins she's carrying. The pack gathered around to help Tia and Luc in different ways. The women are able to share the pain of Tia's labor so that she's not in so much pain. Other pack members are there to keep Luc calm so he can be calm for Tia. 

While they are all waiting for the big moment to come, the pack members start telling their stories of how they met or were intimate for the first time together. There were so many stories and it was a great way to get to know so many of the pack members. All the while the stories are being told, some of the women are sitting around telepathically sharing the labor pains for Tia so she's not in pain. Now that's something I would love to have for us humans. I doubt we'll ever get it though. 

These pack members are all Chanku shape shifters and have powers like being able to share pain, thoughts and even go in and repair damage to bodies telepathically, which was really cool. There's quite a bit of sex in this book as the characters are telling their stories, but it fit with the theme of seeing through their stories how they first got together. 

Things seem to be going well and then we get hit with a bit of trouble but it was so sweet how things worked out. I can't say much about it without giving away too much but some of these characters being able to communicate telepathically with one another really helped when they needed it. I enjoyed this one and enjoyed getting to know the characters a bit more through their stories. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars.  

Favorite Picture of the Week

This week I decided to go out of my comfort zone and walk a little further down the trail that I walk Falcor on. I don't usually walk past that fence in the above picture. I suffer from Agoraphobia so just being able to get out of my apartment and walk next to my complex is a big deal for me. At one point I hadn't stepped outside my apartment door for 10 years. As it stands right now I have only been away from right around my apartment twice in the last 15 years. Once when my mom passed away and the other time was when I broke my shoulder. It takes a lot to get me to go out. 

So this is the path that I walked down with Falcor. I only went about half way and then turned back because the amount of anxiety and stress I felt was enormous which caused another problem for me. I also suffer from SchizoAffective Disorder, which is basically like having Schizophrenia without the psychosis. So when I get stressed out or have anxiety I end up having hallucinations and sometimes I hear voices or whispering. The antipsychotic medication I'm taking does help a little but it still happens. I've talked about this a few times but I don't post about it a lot because of the stigma surrounding mental illness but so many people suffer in silence and that's not right so if I can help even one person by sharing some of my story, I'm happy to do that. 

The trail that runs right next door to my apartment complex that I walk down is called The Bonanza Trail and a lot of people use this trail for running, walking and hiking. I believe the entire trail is about 17 miles long and goes through a lot of Las Vegas. I haven't been to other parts of the trail.

Falcor enjoyed going for a longer walk. Falcor also turns 5 years old today. 

Happy Birthday, Falcor.

Review: Croc's Return by Eve Langlais

Book Description

Coming home doesn’t always solve things…but it does pave the way for second chances.

Take one deadly bite and, bam, a man’s life is changed forever, or so Caleb discovers when a loss of control leads to him joining the military and leaving everything behind.

Time goes by…years spent silent and alone, cut off from those he loves. Until it’s time to come back, a scarred veteran, in many ways broken and looking for a meaning to his life. Perhaps it's not too late to right some wrongs. Make amends. Kiss a certain pair of sweet lips one more time. 

If only Renny would damned well let him.

It doesn’t take Caleb long to realize Renny’s just the thing this croc needs to bring him back to life. Yet, what if he loses control again? He doesn’t want to take nibbling on her thighs to a whole new level.

Too bad, he can’t stay away, especially not when he discovers her secret. Add in a strange creature stalking the townsfolk and there is no way he’s leaving her alone.

Years ago it just about killed him to leave, but Caleb’s a changed man now. A darker kind of animal, and this retired soldier is ready to kill so he can stay. 

Welcome to Bitten Point, where the swamp doesn't just keep its secrets, it sometimes eats them.

My Review

Caleb returns home from the military and finds out that he has a son with his ex-girlfriend who he still has feelings for. Caleb left Renny without a backwards glance even though she wrote him and told him about their son, he never wrote back to her because he didn't read the letters. I could also understand why he felt like he couldn't control the animal inside him and the only choice to keep everyone safe from him was for him to leave. This is where a little communication could have gone a long way. 

Then there's the mysterious creature putting people in harms way and he will do what he must in order to keep his son and Renny safe. Caleb finds out that this isn't the first time a creature is suspected of kidnapping people and possibly killing them so he's not taking any chances with his family now that he's getting close to his son. 

There are a couple of great twists and some secrets come to light, all while Renny and Caleb are trying to get to know one another again and Caleb's family are getting to know Luke, Caleb's son. 

I loved some of the secondary characters like Wes who is quick to put his trust in Caleb even though they really aren't friends. But my favorite character in this book was Princess, the Chihuahua. That dog cracked me up. I look forward to reading more of this series and getting to know more of these characters. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

*Picture courtesy of Pippa and Neema*

"I'm just keeping them safe for you."

*Picture courtesy of Me*

"Dis is my good side. You may take picture now."

Apartment Life #79

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.

This week the 2 guys with their shirts off near the back of the car got into a fight. They threw a couple of punches and it was over before it began. The guy that's crouched down has been in and out of jail a lot. So after it was over, he ran down the street to hide in case the cops were called.

A few minutes later the police showed up and his mother told them where he was. 

So they went to that apartment and arrested him. His mom said he had a warrant and they arrested him for that and the fighting since he was the one who started it.

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

Review: Lachlan by D.B. Reynolds

Book Description

Scotland—sweeping forests, tumbling waterfalls. . .and towering highlands where vampire warriors have ruled for centuries.

Lethal and charismatic, vampire Lachlan McRae woke on his first night to death and devastation—his clan slaughtered, his fortress destroyed. One hundred and fifty years later, driven to avenge the murder of everyone he loved, he’s ready to hunt down and kill the one vampire who was behind it all—Erskine Ross, the Vampire Lord of Scotland.

Beautiful, smart, and cool under pressure, Julia Harper is determined to prove she’s more than a child of wealth and privilege. When a lifelong friend is murdered by vampires, she steps out of her role as an analyst for the CIA, and sets out to take down one of the most powerful men in Scotland—the deadly Erskine Ross.

Recruited by a friend to arrange contact between Lachlan and her best friend Cyn’s mate, the powerful Vampire Lord Raphael, Julia soon discovers that she and Lachlan want the same thing . . . Erskine’s death. But when Erskine sets out to kill Julia instead, she and Lachlan find themselves fighting for her life, and for a love that neither one of them can trust.

My Review

Julia and Lachlan both want to see Erskine dead because he's behind the murders of people close to them and they want revenge. Lachlan wants revenge because so many of his people were killed and he's waited a long time to get revenge. Julia wants revenge because a close friend was killed and she wants revenge for it. Lachlan asks Julia to reach out to her friend who is married to a powerful vampire so they can talk about Erskine. Lachlan is ready to meet with Raphael by himself when Julia is almost kidnapped and they figured Erskine was behind the attempt. So instead of doing things separately, they stay together so Lachlan can keep her safe while they look into Erskine. 

They do a lot of traveling back and forth to meet with Raphael and then to his home in Scotland and the first half of the book was quite dull with all of this traveling going on. I really didn't care for Lachlan all that much because his personality is so flat. Even when he was trying to seduce Julia while they were traveling, I just found his personality missing some spark because he's so dull and boring. Julia has a bit of a personality but we don't really see it until towards the end of the book when things finally start to get exciting. Lachlan plans on becoming Lord of Scotland and in order to do that he has to be the one to kill Erskine to show the other vampires that he's the stronger vampire and a good leader.

They fight their attraction for pretty much the first half of the book but even when they do finally fall for each other and end up in bed...it wasn't very exciting. I didn't really feel a connection between these two for most of the book because even though they become lover's, their personalities have no real spark and fall flat. This book is categorized as a Romance , Sci Fi & Fantasy book but the romance took a back seat to their revenge and their trying to kill Erskine. I found this book more dark and gruesome than romance. 

Lachlan knows that when Erskine finds out he's close, he'll come after them. Julia is a human and stands no chance against a vampire so having her there was just idiotic. But he made plans with Julia and told her that she could be included in his plans to kill Erskine if she helped him and she held up her end of the bargain so he has no choice but to hold up his, even though it could very well get her killed. 

I read pretty fast but this book took me 4 days to finish because I kept getting bored and putting the book down but kept hoping it would pick up at some point. This book starts out slow and only picks up towards the end of the book. If you're already a fan of this series, you might like this book but I can't recommend it.

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review but all opinions are my own. 

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 get this week?

I received a L'Oreal Paris Age Perfect Rosy Tone Eye Brightener and Moisturizer. I received this VoxBox from Influenster for free.

I've been using these two products for just a couple of days so far and both leave my skin soft but that's all I've seen so far. I'll write a longer review in a couple of weeks after using it for a while.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Seduced By The Alpha Wolf by Kaycee Kline

Book Description

A torrid, steamy retelling of Beauty and the Beast, 'Seduced By The Alpha Wolf' is sure to hook readers until the very last caress.

An out of place college student who feels completely alone in her world, Marie Damascus answers an ad posted online requesting the help of a maid. 

When she discovers her potential employer, Adrian Capitoline, is the man of every woman's dreams—a sexy, mysterious, billionaire—she thinks she's encountered a miracle. 

She's quick to become his live-in maid, and delighted when a sizzling romance begins to develop between the two of them. Until night falls, and Marie must learn that even the gentlest man has a beast—and that she might very well like it. 

As Marie fully embraces the nature of her sexual awakening with the man of her dreams she soon finds that she must come to terms with her desires for the monster within him. At the hands of a beast so powerful, she finds herself helpless, and can't manage to admit to herself how much she loves it. 

Fully embracing her life with both sides of her lover: in control during the day and losing it each night, she revels in her erotic relationship with her employer. 

But when Adrian questions her strength of conviction, she decides to take her power back in the same way the wolf has taken it from her. 

WARNING: This book contains adult content and is meant for 18+ readers only.

My Review

Marie needs a job because she's broke, so she answers an ad to be a maid. Adrian had a lot of money and a huge house but he's a bit of a recluse because of his, 'condition'. He's looking for a live in maid and Marie takes the job. Adrian and Marie get a long really well right from the first day and even though Marie is a virgin, they fall into bed very fast. It seemed like they were both so starved for attention and love that they fell for each other really fast. Things were going so well between them and Adrian tells Marie to stay away from his roses because they are fragile but one night when she hears a sound outside, she makes her way to where the roses are and finds Adrian's werewolf half there. 

Now is it just me or would you think that anyone who sees a werewolf walking upright and talking to them, would have a little freak out? This girl doesn't freak out at all that a seven foot werewolf is walking towards her, talking to her and then has sex with her while in his animal/beast form. Sure, that's completely believable. *eyeroll*

While Adrian is a sweet, loving guy, his werewolf half is an ass. The two halves are two completely different personalities and Adrian can't stop the werewolf from doing anything when he's in control. At first I thought that it was weird that Marie would want to be with the werewolf but he really did have his own personality and he grew to really care for her and as she did for him. He was able to talk while he was in his wolf/beast form which was weird but it worked for this story. Marie had to come to grips with both sides of Adrian if she wanted to have a real relationship with them/him. 

So while this shifter story was a bit different and I thought they fell for each other much too fast, it ended up being a decent read. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

We had a really nice sunrise yesterday morning here in Las Vegas. 

Review: Target Beauty Box- April

Each month Target releases a new Target Beauty Box but supplies are limited and it's first come first serve until they run out. These boxes go fast so I try to grab one as soon as I see it being talked about on Twitter or fb. I haven't bought one in a couple of months because I didn't care for the products in them but this month I did. They are $7 a piece and were well worth the price.

What was in this box: 

TiGi Bed Head Smoothing Cream. 

Soap & Glory undereye hydrogel patches. 

Dove dry shampoo. 

Crest 3D White toothpaste. 

Degree Dry Spray antiperspirant. 

Bliss That's Incredi-peel glycolic overnight peel cream. 

I've started using dry shampoo every once in a while when I'm in too much pain to wash my hair in the morning. I have osteoarthritis in my knee's and sometimes I just can't move. The Dove dry shampoo is a good one.

Crest toothpaste is my first choice in toothpaste so I liked that it was in the box. I haven't used the Bed Head or the Bliss yet, but I'm sure I will at some point. 

I have used Degree deodorant before and even though I'm not a fan of sprays, this actually works well. I like to wear those undereye hydrogels at night after taking my makeup just to freak out Ken because frankly I haven't noticed that they do anything. lol I think I still have a lip mask that I can wear with it and really make Ken think I've lost my mind. 

Did you get this box?

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I will be back for more in a moment"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"Just gib me whole thing now. I'll save some for later."

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

"I'm not letting go, you might as well just gib it to me."

Apartment Life #78

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.

Yesterday I heard a lot of yelling coming from the street side of my apartment complex. I opened my bedroom curtains and this cop car was there. The two police officers had a guy who was yelling at them in handcuffs and they were trying to get him into the backseat. I ran to get my camera but by the time I got back to the bedroom he was already in the cop car and they were getting ready to pull away. I have no idea who he was or what happened. Just more drama around here.

This past week I spotted one of the crack ho's who always had the police at her door and who was evicted this month, was back but is staying with my next door neighbor *one of her john's* and I know he was paying her for sex because she would throw that in her boyfriends face every time they fought outside. I heard it a lot. I really hope she isn't around here for too long because when the manager found out she just shrugged like she didn't care. 

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

Review: 1001 Dark Nights: Cipher by Larissa Ione

Book Description

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Larissa Ione comes a new story in her Demonica Underworld series… 

It’s been seven months since Cipher, an Unfallen angel who straddled a razor thin line between good and evil, woke up in hell with a new set of wings, a wicked pair of fangs, and a handler who’s as beautiful as she is dangerous. As a laid-back cyber-specialist who once assisted guardian angels, he’d been in a prime position to earn back his halo. But now, as a True Fallen forced to use his talents for malevolence, he must fight not only his captors and his sexy handler, but the growing corruption inside him…before the friends searching for him become his enemies and he becomes his own worst nightmare.

Lyre is a fallen angel with a heart full of hate. When she’s assigned to ensure that Cipher carries out their boss’s orders, she sees an opportunity to take revenge on those who wronged her. All she has to do is appeal to Cipher’s burgeoning dark side. But the devastatingly handsome fellow True Fallen has other ideas — sexy ideas that threaten to derail all Lyre’s plans and put them in the path of an approaching hell storm.

Danger and desire explode, even as Cipher and Lyre unravel a sinister plot that will fracture the underworld and send shockwaves into Heaven itself…

**Every 1001 Dark Nights novella is a standalone story. For new readers, it’s an introduction to an author’s world. And for fans, it’s a bonus book in the author’s series. We hope you'll enjoy each one as much as we do.**

My Review

While you could read this as a standalone, I think it would be better to read the series from the beginning because a lot of this story is a continuation from the series and you won't really know what happened before this point. 

Cipher gets cocky and strays a little too far from his friends when he's dragged to hell and becomes a True Unfallen. He doesn't want to be evil or help his captors but he has little choice unless he can somehow get away. He knows his friends are probably looking for him but the bad guys want him for his computer skills. So unless he gives Bael what he wants, he's gonna keep being tortured. The torture is bad and we see a lot of it right up front.

Lyre is a fallen angel and is assigned to be Cipher's handler. She's not exactly what she seems and knows she made a bad decision coming to work for Bael to get revenge for losing her angelic wings. Both Lyre and Cipher end up wanting some of the same things and they agree to work together to escape. But before they can, Cipher has to do the one thing he didn't want to do and Lyre is going to help him. While they are trying to escape they become closer and find they're attracted to each other which leads to some fun times between them, even if they are fighting for their freedom.

There are a few surprises and a couple of great twists. Bael and his brother have a secret that became a great twist by the end of the book. I love when something happens that I never saw coming and makes me want the next book right now so I can see how it will play out. 

So much happened and we see a few characters that I love from this series pop up which I really loved. In the middle of everything else, there's a plot going on behind the scenes with the bag guys that could change everything and by the end of the book we get a small glimpse into the next book in this series. I can't say much more without giving away a lot of spoilers.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.