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:

I received all of these products from Sampler.

Ultimate Gummi candies.
Endangered Species chocolate bar.
Mamma Chia blueberry squeeze.
Abrasions and Grazes kids bandages.
Otamot essential sauce.

This is only my second set of samples from Sampler and this is the best one yet. The gummies are great, so was the chocolate bar even though I don't care for sea salt on chocolate. It's just weird.

The blueberry squeeze is just fruit puree in a squeeze bag but it was good. The bandages will come in handy when my grandson is over and gets a cut. The Otamot (Tomato spelled backwards) essential sauce was good. It's made with a bunch of different vegetables so that's one way to get kids to eat vegies.

Did you receive any samples or freebies this week?

Review: Forbidden Bond by Lee Colgin

Book Description

Vampires and werewolves are historical enemies. When the Peace Accord that imposes an uncomfortable armistice between the species is threatened, the entire supernatural community must respond.

Young vampire heir Sinclair Davis successfully petitions the council for permission to attend a werewolf dominated university. Surrounded by a pack of unwelcoming wolves, Sinclair’s first meeting with their alpha doesn’t go well. The handsome wolf hates him.

Alpha wolf Mitchel Edgehill is furious when the university sends a vampire to be housed among his pack, even if he is cute. But there’s nothing he can do since the paperwork has been signed. They’ll have to find a way to coexist.

As tension rises within supernatural society and violence escalates between vampires and werewolves, an uneasy truce develops between Sinclair and Mitchel. The pair attend a peace conference in hopes of preventing war, but when a rogue group of humans attacks, Sinclair is kidnapped and held for ransom. Can the alpha wolf work with vampires to save Sinclair, or will war break out after all?

My Review

Sinclair was admitted into the Borson werewolf university through an exchange program even though he is a vampire. Since vampires and werewolves don't get along...at all this worried his parents quite a lot. Sinclair was a living vampire which is exactly what it sounds like, he was born a vampire but has yet to be turned so he can still be hurt or killed like a human. 

Mitchel is the alpha for the werewolves at Borson University. He always has female werewolves flirting with him even though everyone knows he's gay. The females seem to think he should carry on his family name by having babies with them but he's just not interested. 

When Sinclair moves into the supernatural dorms with the werewolves, he's met with a lot of snarls, disgusted looks and a lot of unfriendly faces. Even Mitchel initially hates him but after a while Sinclair and Mitchel find themselves sneaking peaks at each other. 

They spend some time together and find that they really like each other. When Mitchel's pack finds out that he's dating Sinclair, most of them are ok with it because they have gotten to know him a little more and know he's an ok guy. Things seem to be going well until they both tell their families that they are dating. While Sinclair's family is open to it but scared for his safety, Mitchel's uncle is absolutely against it. 

With vampires and werewolves still fighting and supernaturals still being killed during those fights, things are not easy between the different species. With all that going on there's also a vote going on with the supernaturals to figure out whether they should come out to the humans. Of course the werewolves and the vampires don't see eye to eye on that either which is making things more tense for everyone. But when the humans find out about the supernaturals before they can finalize the vote and some of them take Sinclair hostage, both the vampires and werewolves will have to come together in order to get him back. 

I really liked this book because vampires and werewolves are my favorite supernaturals when reading paranormal romance. Both Sinclair and Mitchel were great characters. I really loved Mitchel's pack and some of them really stood out as great secondary characters. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a fun enemies to lovers supernatural romance. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Review: The Werewolf Proposal by Michelle Fox

Book Description

Bitten and hunted by the werewolf who turned her, Audrey found safety and love in Tao's arms. But now that their enemy is defeated, she finds adjusting to life as a werewolf harder than she anticipated.

And even though passion burns hot and bright between them, she's unsure of Tao's intentions when it comes to their relationship.

Is she just another werewolf to him or the mate he's always wanted?

This is a quick, steamy read. It is not a novel. FYI.

My Review

I saw this was free on Amazon and was in the mood for something quick and this is only 17 pages so it was quick. 

Audrey feels safe but wants more, she wants to know that Tao is going to be there for her forever. Tao loves her and wants to make sure that she knows he's gonna be there for her forever. 

This book must take place after the book before it because there's mentioning that she was turned into a werewolf and not by her new mate. This was a sweet, romantic short story of how Tao proposes to Audrey so they can get their Happily ever after. 

Since I haven't read this author before, I don't know what happened previously but these two characters have me interested in this authors books now because I really liked them and this sexy story. If anything this short story gave me a glimpse into this authors writing style and made me interested enough for me to look for other books.

I give this short story 3 out of 5 stars.

Review: The Enforcer by Abigail Owen

Book Description

Death comes for everyone. Even Drake Chandali. The aging process that twists all unmated dragon shifters’ bodies into something useless has taken hold of his body centuries early. A mate could have reversed the process, but now it’s too late. To protect his team of enforcers, he leaves, and comes face to face with the woman he’d thought was human when he saved her from a fire months before.

Except she’s not human. She’s a mate.

Camilla Carrillo almost lost her family to wildfire. To discover she’s fated to mate a creature made of flame and rage, and become one herself, should be terrifying. But somehow a rightness settles inside her, especially when she’s around the glowering red dragon shifter who wants nothing to do with her.

When Drake learns Cami bears his mark—the same mark as the High King—he refuses to believe she’s meant to be his. It’s too late. How could he turn Cami only to take her with him to the grave? At the same time, he can’t walk away. Hiding her from the corrupt, rotting High King might be the last honorable thing Drake ever does with the little time he has left.

My Review

Drake is a dragon shifter and he's dying because he hasn't found his mate. When a dragon shifter doesn't find his mate, he eventually starts to get weak, sick and die. The process started earlier than it should have for Drake and he knows it's just a matter of time. So he leaves his team mates and takes refuge with Rune who has been helping to keep some female mates safe. 

Cami is staying with Rune and the other female mates when Rune brings Drake to stay with them but Drake is not well and very hard to get along with so none of the other people there want to help him. But Cami can see through his gruff exterior and takes it upon herself to help him while he's there. He seems to start to feel better and when she decides to leave to see her family, Drake goes along with her to keep her safe. 

Drake and Cami are so different from each other but the chemistry is there for both of them. Cami is so outgoing, so friendly and warm compared to Drake. He just can't help but smile even if it's just to himself at times by some of the things she says or does around him. He's such a gruff curmudgeon but he doesn't want to let anyone get close to him since he knows he's dying. He thinks that even if he finds his mate at this late point it won't be enough to stop the disease from killing him and thus killing his mate in the process so he's decided not to even try. 

But Cami doesn't let that stop her from getting under his skin and making him feel something for her. When they are with her family they get a lot closer and she doesn't want to let him just give up but she has a hard time making him see her way of things. 

There are political twists going on and so dragons who are actually allies have to be in secret for now until things change or people will be killed. There's danger in this book because of this and I think that these things will get changed as this series goes on. I've read all the books in this series so far and it's been riveting, it's really kept me on the edge of my seat to see what will happen next.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

As a side note, a spammer hit my blog with over 700 spam comments yesterday. Thankfully most went to the spam folder on Blogger but I might have to turn word verification on for a while. I turned it on but I don't know if it's working so if you see word verification let me know. Thanks. 

Apartment Life #114

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.

A couple of weeks ago we got a 24 hour notice that management would be doing an inspection. So someone from the Fire Department and the maintenance man went to all the apartments and checked the smoke alarms. That's fine, we got a notice they would do that. But when the fire department guy comes in and spots our personal fire extinguisher in the corner that we own, he picks it up and tells Ken he's gonna have to take it because it's out of date. Ken told him when the fire marshal was out here a couple of months ago when he was servicing the fire extinguishers that are on the walls outside, he had him service it and filled it up and it's fine. This guy informs Ken that he's taking it anyway because it's out of date and he can't leave it here. They almost got into an argument but the guy just took it and left. Uhm, we own them, they're ours. How can this guy just come in here and confiscate something personal of someone's. Wow, just wow. Ken was pissed.

The about an hour later I'm out with Falcor and spot my fire extinguisher sitting on the sidewalk at the end of the building! So I go and snatch it up and bring it back inside. The guy just left it there, he didn't even take it with him. Wtf?

Ever since this new management took over we've had all kinds of notices left on our doors. In December we got a notice that we had to sign a new lease. Ok, no problem. Our rent went from $585 to $645. I expected an increase but I didn't think it would increase that much. The most the increase has been in the past was $20.

Then there was another notice left on all the doors in December that anyone with a lease with the old management company would have to pay an additional $20 per month for water, sewer and trash because this new owner was honoring all the old leases until they were expired. So that pissed off a lot of people because us people on the new leases don't have to pay for water, sewer and trash. But our rent did increase quite a bit. Oh and all of us new people signing new leases have to pay an additional $200 pet deposit if we have a dog. Thankfully I didn't have to pay this because we've lived here for 21 years and the manager said that since our carpet is 21 years old and not new there was no reason to pay a pet deposit since our carpet would have to be replaced when we move anyway. So at least that was good.

And our new lease had a renter's insurance fee of $10 a month if you didn't have your own renter's insurance (I do). But paying their renter's insurance fee would only give them money if something happened to the apartment it does not cover the resident's belongings at all. I hope that these people understand that and get their own renter's insurance.

Oh and our new lease is 20 pages long. I think they put in absolutely everything they could possibly imagine just to be safe. One thing that's in my lease that I didn't like was that if I or any of my visitors get hurt on property that we can't sue the property or hold it liable for any damages/injuries. What? So if I trip over the broken concrete in front of my window and fall down and break my neck, I can't sue this place for damages? That's kinda crazy.

So that's what I've been dealing with due to the new owners and management. Ugh, living in an apartment is stressful. 

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

Review: The Wrythe and the Reckoning by Yvonthia Leland (The Wrythe and the Reckoning Saga Book 1)

Book Description

An Epic Romance set in Mid-Nineteenth Century America.

In the mid-1800s, Lina and her family move from their small New Hampshire village to an industrial city in Massachusetts. During this time, it is said that a bizarre, malevolent human-like monster is lurking about in the forests of the New England territory. Lina is an independent thinker, and she’s determined to make something of herself. One day, Lina meets an awkward but caring gentleman, and they develop a unique and valuable friendship. In addition, Lina must face and overcome the difficult challenges of her society in order to live the ideal life that she wants, all while avoiding being murdered by the so-called human-monster.

A lushly romantic tale and a fantastical adventure.

The Wrythe and the Reckoning is an intriguing journey of a teenage girl’s personal experience through life and her reflection on the occurrences thereof. The Wrythe and the Reckoning is an enthralling and exhilarating story of courage, bravery, love, freedom, and friendship. A nostalgia-inducing historical fantasy narrative, The Wrythe and the Reckoning is a riveting timeless and epic adventure. While the story may be especially appealing to those who love fantasy, mystery, adventure, or romance, The Wrythe and the Reckoning goes beyond those constrictions, making it also a thought-provoking and relatable read. Thus, this lovely and gripping story can be appreciated by readers from various genres and backgrounds. A beautifully complex tale, The Wrythe and the Reckoning is interwoven with thought-provoking themes amidst the history, fantasy, mystery, adventure, and romance. Intriguing and magnificent in its own originality, The Wrythe and the Reckoning Saga is an overall intense, thrilling, intelligent, and fun romantic story that can be read and enjoyed by readers of all ages, from teens to older adults.

My Review

The story starts out about where and how Lina and her family live and their day to day lives. The story then follows their story when they move, meet new people and have new experiences. When the family moves from the country to the city, they have quite the difference to get used to. 

Lina made up her mind at a young age that she doesn't want to marry when she gets older. She would rather get an education and take care of herself, something that most women of that time just didn't think of. 

At one point while living in the city they hear about a "monster" who attacked a woman who ended up dying. The paper called the monster, "The Phantom of the Forest". They said he was part human and part animal. At this point in the book, I got more excited because maybe with this monster going around attacking people, things would pick up. Unfortunately, it didn't. I was hoping the monster would be a big part of the story from then on, but we really don't see much of him apart from a couple of times. It was quite the let down and I think it was a missed opportunity to make the story more intriguing. 

I really thought this was going to be more of a romance than it was. When the blurb states this will be a "timeless and epic adventure" that's exactly what I expect, not someone's mundane, day to day life story. 

I picked this book up when I went looking on Amazon for something different and saw that this one was free. After reading the blurb, I was excited to read this but it started out a little slow for me. I have a habit of finishing a book once I start it even if I'm not enjoying it because I hope that it will pick up or get better which just didn't happen with this book. This is a long book, over 800 pages which took me a couple of days to read but I stuck with it hoping that maybe the ending would be epic or some awesome twist would happen, but it never did. *Update* When I got this book it was over 800 pages long but as of yesterday 1/3/2020 it's over 1200 pages long. 

Unfortunately even though the blurb made this sound like it would be some engaging, epic romance with an interesting story...it was just a boring book that seemed to go on forever. Unfortunately I cannot recommend this book. 

I give this book 1 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.

This week I received:

Enfagrow Toddler drink mix.

I won a Coca Cola Teddy Bear in a giveaway.

I won a Goodreads giveaway and won an ebook.

The toddler drink mix went to my neighbor with the baby.
I'm giving the stuffed bear to my grandson.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Loki Ascending by Asa Maria Bradley

Book Description

LOKI WANTS TO END THE WORLD

Only they can stop him—but at what cost?

Although Scott Brisbane is human, he's developed an inner warrior—a berserker that wants to claim Irja Vainio as his own.

Irja is an immortal Viking healer, but she hasn't used her true powers for centuries. The last time she did, someone close to her ended up dead. So instead she relies on medicine and science to protect her tribe while denying her feelings for Scott.

But the Viking warriors are falling mysteriously ill, and without magic, Irja's knowledge of healing isn't enough. When the trickster god Loki offers her a cure, it comes with a steep price that could cost Irja everything. She needs Scott's help, the man whose loyalty to the Vikings is unmatched, whose love for Irja cannot be broken—and whose inner fury has yet to be unleashed.

My Review

This is the 3rd book in the Viking Warriors series and I read the first book but not the second but that didn't stop me from diving right into this one.  

Irja is a Viking healer that has magical powers she hasn't used for centuries because she's afraid she'll hurt or kill someone if she does. But when the Vikings start to fall ill to a mysterious illness that she can't cure with traditional medicine she wants to tap into her magical abilities but she soon realizes that they're gone. 

Scott is a human who has feelings for Irja and doesn't know she has feelings for him too. Scott suddenly finds himself with an inner warrior *beserker* just like the immortal Vikings that he's been fighting alongside. But when he learns why he suddenly has a beserker warrior inside himself, he's shocked and so is Irja. 

Loki is a demi god who wants more power and keeps sending his minions to fight and try to kill the Viking warriors because he wants to come to Earth and take over. Loki threatens Irja and she thinks he'll kill her if she doesn't give him what he wants but her connection to Scott keeps her safe time after time. 

Along with fighting Loki and his wolverine minions, Irja has to find a way to save her Viking warriors who have fallen ill. Her king is off his game because his wife, their queen also falls ill but for different reasons. Poor Irja is so tired but she has so much work to do to try and find out what's wrong with the ill. 

The action/battle scenes were great. It was exciting to read the battle scenes and see how well they worked together in battle. The romance between Irja and Scott and slow going because Irja didn't want to accept the fact that they were meant for each other. But I like a slow burn romance that ends with them heating up the pages.

This book was so good! I loved the first book and now need to go back and read the second book since I liked this one so much. I read out of order all the time and I really didn't feel too confused or lost while reading this book. There were a couple of really good twists with this book that I didn't see coming before they happened. I really like when something unexpected happens and it just slaps you in the face because you should have seen it but didn't. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Disclosure: I was given an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for a review but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Favorite Picture of the Week

A few weeks ago my daughter took in a little dog from one of her online friends who moved to an apartment that didn't allow pets. The dog hadn't been treated very well and was really skittish. A few weeks after she took the dog in, she was woken up by weird sounds coming from the living room. Turns out the dog had been pregnant and gave birth that night. There are 7 puppies in all. My daughter already has homes lined up for the puppies once they are old enough to go to their new homes. 

This was my tree this year. Last year a lot of my online friends sent me Christmas ornaments after I realized I had somehow thrown out the box with all my ornaments in it the year before. I thought it was really sweet for so many people to send me new ornaments and I received a few more this year. I bought a few this year as well that will go on the tree next year. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and happy new year.

My grandson got to see Santa. 

I hope everyone has a Happy New Year.

Books I read in 2019

My goal this year was to read 100 books, but I was able to get a few more than that in there. I met my goal and even surpassed it by a few so I'm happy. Maybe next year I'll try for 150. Did you read any of these books this year?

1. Serpentine by Laurell K. Hamilton 

2. Cross Breed by Lora Leigh
3. Stygian by Sherrilyn Kenyon
4. Broken Angel by Cynthia Eden
5. January in Atlantis by Alyssa Day
6. Chosen Mate by Juniper Hart
7. Claimed by Her Cougar by Felicity Heaton
8. Kissed By A Dark Prince by Felicity Heaton
9. Watch Over by Amy L. Reece
10. Counsellor by Celia Aaron
11. Tamsin's Conquest by Mary Auclair
12. The Wayward bride by Anna Bradley
13. Diamond fire by Ilona Andrews
14. Alien Intention by Cara Bristol
15. Drakon's Promise by N.J.Walters
16. Strange Neighbors by Ashlyn Chase
17. Thrall by Abigail Graham
18. Captured By the Vampire by Kellie McAllen
19. Bite Me by C.C. Wood
20. Romancing the Doctor by Carolyn Rae
21. Unforsaken by Cassie Laelyn
22. Love Conquers Demons by Trinity Blacio
23. Day of the Dragon by Katie MacAlister
24. Wolf's Mate by Celia Kyle
25. Shadow Warrior by Christine Feehan
26. Salvatore by Cecy Robson
27. Hell On Wheels by Julie Ann Walker
28. In Rides Trouble by Julie Ann Walker
29. Indecent Werewolf Exposure by Eve Langlais
30. Tempted by the Vampire Guardian by Rachel S. William
31. Stone Cold Lover by Mel Teshco
32. Seduced By The Alpha Wolf -Book 1 by Kaycee Kline
33. Croc's Return by Eve Langlais
34. Wolf Tales 9 by Kate Douglas
35. Brightest Shadow by Candice Gilmer
36. Rock Addiction by Nalini Singh
37. The Rookie by Abigail Owen
38. Touch of Smoke by Karissa Laurel
39. Rise of the Fallen by Donya Lynne
40. The BEARly Controlled Grizzly by Jenika Snow
41. BEARly Mated To The Grizzly by Jenika Snow
42. The BEARly Tamed Grizzly by Jenika Snow
43. Real Men Howl by Celia Kyle & Marina Maddix
44. Fire & Rescue Shifters Collection 1: Books 1-3 by Zoe Chant
45. The Naughty List by Jodi Redford
46. Alpha's Promise by Rebecca Zanetti
47. Unleashed by Diana Palmer
48. Law & Disorder by Liv Arnold
49. Fire Brand by Diana Palmer
50. You Had Me At Jaguar by Terry Spear
51. 1001 Dark Night: Cipher by Larissa Ione
52. Darak by Cara Bristol
53. Dark Illusion by Christine Feehan
54. On The Prowl by Cynthia Eden
55. Lachlan by D. B. Reynolds
56. Unchained Desire by R.C. Alvarez
57. Drakon's Knight by N.J. Walters
58. Dark Man by Kyann Waters
59. Releasing Rage by Cynthis Sax
60. The Rogue King by Abigail Owen
61. Rescued By the Alpha by Anna Santos and Alyssa Breck
62. Rocked By Her Alpha by Mina Carter
63. Stolen Desire by Robin Lovett
64. Waking The Dragon by Juliette Cross
65. Lure of Obsession by Lisa Kessler
66. Predator's Kiss by Rosanna Leo
67. My Liege by Cherise Sinclair
68. Untamed Delights by Suzanne Wright
69. Becoming Dragon by Eve Langlais
70. Leopard's Wrath by Christine Feehan
71. Strands of Love by N.J. Walters
72. Craving by Helen Hardt
73. Shadow's seduction by Kresley Cole
74. Fever Claim by Marie Johnston
75. The Mate by Abigail Owen
76. The Merman's Kiss by Tamsin Ley
77. Stone Lover by Emma Alisyn
78. The Seventh Sister by Sue-Ellen Welfonder
79. Sins of a Highland Devil by Sue-Ellen Welfonder
80. Rescued By Bears by Skye MacKinnon
81. Sealed With A Curse by Cecy Robson
82. Scent of Betrayal by Denise Carbo
83. Spectre by Shiloh Walker
84. Beware The Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
85. Treasured Find by Nancy Corrigan
86. Mastered By Her Mates by Grace Goodwin
 87. Kate's Crew by Jayne Rylon
88. Report For Booty by Jayne Rylon
89. Rescue Me by N.J. Walters
90. Drakon Unchained by N.J. Walters
91. Forgotten Sins by Rebecca Zanetti
92. War of Hearts by S. Young
93. Blood In Shadows by Nicki Ruth
94. Fever by Donna Grant
95. The Goddess Gets Her Guy by Ashlyn Chase
96. Keeping His Siren by Kiersten Fay
97. Under Fyre prequel by Cara Bristol
98. Blood Curse by Adrienne Blake
99. A Little Death by Scarlett Parrish
100. Beyond The Darkness by Katie Reus
101. Lupine by Serena Dracis
102. Bring Me To Life by Scarlett Parrish
103. Savage King by Michelle M Pillow
104. Conquer The Darkness by Alexandra Ivy
105. A Wicked Hunger by Kiersten Fay
106. Beyond The Darkness by Katie Reus
107. A Way With Words by Kitt Crescendo

Happy Raturday!

*picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of Mary Kirkland*

"I was sleeping but you woke me up so you might as well share your lunch with me."

Apartment Life #113

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.

On Christmas morning my next door neighbor's friend knocked on my door and told me that her friend ( Jose) that lived right next door to me passed away that morning. The lady that told me was friends with him and we spoke a few times. The man who passed away was 82 years old. Nice guy, was very quiet and always said hi to me. I feel bad for his family. 

As soon as the paramedics and police got here and word got around that he had died, a bunch of the cretins from across the street were over here in front of his door trying to look in. One of my other neighbors knocked on my door to inform me what happened but I told her I already knew and I shut my door. I think she wanted a reason to stand there and I didn't give it to her. I heard her say, "Oh there he is in the chair." and the woman who found him yelled at her and said, "Don't do that, don't look a him." There were about 9 people standing in front of my door trying to see inside his apartment. The police finally had to tell them to leave, it was so ridiculous and disrespectful. 

A little while after the ambulance got here the police and a detective pulled up as well. Then the white coroner van pulled up about an hour later.  

On Friday I went down to the office and informed the manager that he passed away and that one of his friends had taken over his apartment. I wouldn't have cared except this woman was letting all the homeless in and there was a steady stream of drug addicts coming and going from the door while she was there and she had her boyfriend in there with her. I wasn't gonna put up with that. The manager never did anything though.

On Friday the 27th, a nephew of Jose, the man that passed away came to the apartment with the police because the woman who found him deceased Christmas morning was staying in the apartment and wouldn't leave. She told the police the day Jose died that she had been living with him so they let her stay there. The nephew came with the police on the 27th to try and get her removed but she told the police that she had been living there as his roommate for 6 months so the police told the nephew that he couldn't prove otherwise and would have to go to court and have her evicted. 

The family showed up Saturday the 28th early in the morning and packed up all of his things. They knocked on my door to ask if we had heard any arguing the night Jose had died and we hadn't. The nephew told us that the coroner found Jose had died of head trauma not a heart attack like the woman who found him had said. But the police are not treating his death like suspiciously or foul play because he could have fallen down and hit his head when he was drinking. The woman wouldn't leave so the family got in her face, there was a shouting match and told her to leave which she finally did but she kept coming back so they called the police. The police knocked on my door and asked me if the woman lived there and I told them she didn't. That she came by every once in a while but as soon as he died she took over the apartment and had been letting the homeless and the local drug addicts into his apartment. The police said thanks and went back outside. She wouldn't give the family members the key to the apartment that she had so the police told them they should just change the locks so they bought a new lock, installed it and left the keys in the office drop box when they were done moving everything out. The office is closed on the weekends so they'll find the keys when they come back on Monday. She came back that night and tried using her key to get in and was pissed when her key didn't work. We watched and listened to make sure they weren't breaking in because if they had we would have called the police. 

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

All About Falcor

Falcor is my 5 year old Chihuahua/Jack Russel Terrier mix. We got him from one of our apartment managers who no longer wanted him when he was 6 months old. He's always very curious when I get a package and he photobombs me all the time when I'm trying to take a picture for a review. It's a cute photobomb though.

He has a new sweater for this Winter. He doesn't mind wearing shirts and he looks too cute in it.

The funniest thing he does when he goes outside is stretch his back leg out behind him and just stand like that while looking around. I have no idea why he does that and he'll do it with both legs. I think he just likes to stretch his legs. People walking by think it's hilarious. 

So now you know a little more about Falcor. 

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 didn't get any freebies. It was a slow freebie week for sure. Hopefully some will come next week. I did sign up for quite a few free samples but they usually take anywhere from 6-8 weeks to get delivered. How was your week?

Review: Walmart Beauty Box- December

The Walmart Beauty box is a subscription box that comes out 4 times a year. You sign up for it and it comes automatically every 3 months. These boxes are free and you just pay $5 for shipping.

What was in the box?

Bic Soleil disposable razor. 

NYX Liquid Lip Gloss. 

Collagen Peptides drink mix. 

Dove Dry Spray deodorant. 

Jergens Lavender lotion. 

I love getting razors because these things can be expensive. I've tried this one and like it so I'm glad I have another now. I love the NYX brand so I was happy to see the lip gloss. It's a good color too. The Dove dry spray deodorant is one that I've used before and like. This is my favorite scent too so that was nice. The Jergens lotion is great and as long as you like a subtle lavender scent this one is nice. 

I have received the Collagen Peptides powder before and just don't get it. It did nothing for me so I gave it away this time. For $5 this was a really good box of products.  

Have you tried the Walmart Beauty Box before?

Merry Christmas. 

I hope you all are having a wonderful day. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of Anisah Grace Hanna*

"Will you hold me while I sleep?"

*Picture courtesy of me, Mary Kirkland*

"I'm just hanging around. What are you doing?"

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #112

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 was fairly quiet this week but a few homeless people have set up a tent right outside my courtyard and I had been walking on that sidewalk right there when I walk Falcor but they yell at you when you walk by so I've been going the other way. They keep going to the apartment at the end of my courtyard that I complained to the new manager about for probably selling drugs. They have so much traffic at their apartment and the people just stay for a few seconds and then leave. It's pretty obvious what's going on.

I took this picture from my door. You can see where the homeless tent is. I'm hoping they move on to somewhere else pretty soon. I wouldn't care at all if they weren't harassing people as they walk by. The one guy that is in there might have schizophrenia because twice he's come out of the tent really fast and shouted nonsense at me. Then starts waving his hands around and talks to himself. I'm a little afraid I or someone else is going to get attacked walking by the tent one of these nights. But I also don't want to make these people's lives harder by calling the police on them.

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

Review: IPSY Glam Bag- December

Ipsy is a monthly subscription box that sends you 5 sample size makeup or beauty products and a makeup bag. You can customize what they send you by filling out the personal surveys. 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.

What I got: 

Benefit Cosmetics- Face Primer

Phase Zero Make Up- Eyeshadow

Skin Regimen- Night Detox Cream 

Little Moon Essentials- Peppermint Schtick Lip Balm

TARTE- Amazonian Clay Waterproof Bronzer

There's a card that comes with these kits to tell you what you got and gives you tips on how to use it. So the tip for the Bronzer said you can also use it as a transition eye shadow. I tried that and it does make for a very pretty light colored shadow and since I don't use bronzer, this is a perfect way for me to use it. 

I've actually used the face primer before and it works really well under foundation. The eyeshadow is a great color. I like that a lot. The night detox cream is a nice over night moisturizer. The lip balm smells great and works great. I have a lot of lip balms because I like to use them so this was nice. I also like the makeup bag that I got. I don't think I'll ever run out of makeup bags at this point.

Did you get this box?

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?

Sensodyne Toothpaste.
Cure natural aqua gel.
Cure skin cream.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Birchbox- December

I signed up for a Birchbox subscription box. It's only $14 a month and this month's box came with 7 products.

What was in the box?

MODELCO Highlighting Shimmer Whip

Beautaniq Beauty Glow Serum

MAC Cosmetics Strobe Cream 

Love Of Color Liquid Shimmer Shadow

Acure Under Eye Hydrogels

The Under Eye Hydro Gels feel cooling under the eyes but they don't get rid of any of the puffiness under my eyes. I don't think they do much. 

My favorite thing in this box is the Liquid Shimmer Shadow. I apply a tiny amount with a tiny brush to my inner eye corners to highlight there and it's perfect for that. A little goes a long way. 

I'm not really into strobe cream, highlighting serum or highlighters because I'm almost 50 years old and I just don't think they look right on me. Maybe for someone younger than me but I doubt I'll use them again since I didn't like how they looked on me. My daughter will probably get them. 

So the shimmer shadow is really the only thing out of this box that I liked. It is nice to be able to try small samples of all these products to see if I like them though. 

I really like the box it all came in too. I keep a lot of these boxes because they are sturdy and you never know when you'll need a small box for something.

Did you get this box?

Review: Lupine by Serena Dracis

Book Description

Alisa Nelson's life is simply perfect—fight for the environment and party in Seattle's club scene. Until Geremy St. Audlin, her scrumptious new client rocks her world. Her goal: get the permits finalized for his new wolf preserve, then get him out of her life. Before his piercing amber gaze and searing touch lures her into breaking her cardinal rule—never mix business with pleasure! Geremy is immediately captivated by Alisa's sultry sensuality. He wants the crusading, passionate woman not the frosty attorney. He pulls her into the beautiful but dangerous world of the lupine en-malat. While in the Other, beyond the Veil, his Pack confronts an ancient menace. What should have been a simple case turns deadly, and Alisa is now in a fight for her life. Will Geremy be able to show her that love and tenderness can still prevail in the wild realms of the Other?

My Review

Spoilers Ahead: I wanted to write this review and explain why I didn't enjoy this book but in order to do that this review will have a few spoilers so I wanted to warn you beforehand.

Geremy wanted to hire Alisa as his environmental attorney to help him get the necessary permits to allow several wolves he had onto a wolf sanctuary. 

This book started out great with them first meeting in a bookstore and the flirting that went back and forth. Then when he shows up in her office to hire her, the sexual tension was high. The looks, his magic and the thoughts floating around in both their heads really made me think this was going to be a fun book. But it kind of got bogged down with the danger she was in from one of his rivals who didn't want the wolf sanctuary to become a thing. She was getting death threats, concerning emails and weird dreams. 

When it's clear that she's in real danger, Geremy stays closer to her and even saves her a couple of times but the romance seemed to take a back seat to the danger that was happening. That plus the fact that I was very confused about his 'siblings' who were inside him and how that worked made this hard to fully enjoy. 

Geremy is different from other werewolf types that I've read. He has 2 brothers inside him that are also werewolves. I would have liked more information about the magic veil that kept them apart. To me it seemed like it was having a were animal inside you that you could shift into but he had two werewolf brothers. I still don't fully understand it. Were they just animals that he talked to in his head or did they have human form too? I'm not sure because the world building in this book left a lot of things open and made it hard to understand. 

At one point Alisa is chased, watches someone get murdered and then when she's saved by Geremy they end up in bed for the first time. I don't know about you but if I'd just been through that, the last thing I would want is to be falling in bed with someone. Then the ending was far from good. While the story pretty much had most of the questions answered there were somethings left unanswered that in my opinion should not have been left open. I wanted to know what Alisa was going to think when she woke up. I wanted to know more about the Lady and did not like at all that Alisa was turned without her permission beforehand. There were too many things about this book that left either questions or just didn't sit right with me in order for me to really enjoy it. 

I give this book 2 out of 5 stars. 

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