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 won a bunch of books from a blogger contest. (I actually won them a couple of weeks ago but didn't publish a Friday post last week)

I got a mini DVD player from Walmart Spark Program. I don't have a link to the program because there isn't one. They have to invite you to it through email. 

I won a book through the Goodreads Giveaways. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: A Toy Story by Hannah Murray

Book Description

Grace reviews sex toys for a living — arguably the best job in town. Ben is her college sweetheart, all grown up and fine enough to convince any girl to leave the vibrator in the drawer. Ten years after their passionate relationship ended, they're finally back to being friends. But the spark is still there, and they both wonder — what if?

When Grace gets a new assignment — turn her column for single gals into a column for couples — Ben oh-so generously offers to give her a hand with the research.

And the hottest job ever just got a lot hotter.

My Review

Ben and Grace broke up 10 years earlier and are now good friends so when Grace is telling Ben about the new owner of the paper she works for changing her column from reviewing sex toys to reviewing couples sex toys, Ben has a helpful thought. He'll help her out with her sex toy reviews and they can rekindle their relationship. 

Grace isn't sure this is a good idea but her other alternatives are to let other couple test the sex toys out or find some random guy to help her test the toys out. Neither of those options seem good to Grace so she considers Ben's offer. She still has feelings for Ben and they always got along so giving him another chance isn't the worst idea. 

This was such a fun quick read. First, what a fun job to have. *giggles* When Ben and Grace get down to business and she pulls out the box of sex toys she's supposed to test out, it was like the little kid in him came out. It was fun to watch. This was definitely a quick, fun, sexy read. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Forbidden Love by Lee Colgin

Book Description

When an esteemed vampire doctor treats an injured young werewolf, desire sparks between them.

Dr. Benjamin Arleth has devoted his life to finding a medical cure for his species’ most devastating weakness—sunlight. Finally, one of his pharmaceuticals shows promise, but sabotage looms large in the lab.

Wolf shifter Nathan Cramer is ready to finish grad school and begin his career when a trip to Center City’s Peace Conference goes awry. Weak and bleeding, Nathan knows his wounds could prove fatal. Dr. Arleth is his only hope.

Can love flourish between enemy species despite a society in turmoil? Could vampires walk in the daylight or will darkness reign? It’s a race to find answers, and Ben will have to put his trust in Nathan if they’re going to make it out alive.

Forbidden Love is a MM urban fantasy/paranormal romance and the second book in the series They Bite but can be enjoyed as a standalone.

My Review

I loved the first book so much that when I saw there was a second book, I grabbed it. 

Ben is a doctor who happens to be a vampire. He's happy being a doctor and researcher who is trying to find a cure for vampires sunlight problems but he's lonely too. 

Nathan is a wolf shifter and still in college trying to get through the last year. 

This book picks up directly after the first book when there was an explosion and Nathan got shot. Nathan ends up on the operating table of Dr. Ben and they flirt after he starts healing which was fast since he's a shifter. They make plans to see each other and stay in contact when they go back to their lives but it doesn't work out right away. Later when Nathan goes to find Ben and they make up for lost time and get closer. They both know they made mistakes and are determined not to let that happen again. 

There are a few problems that arise because of the vampire-shifter relationship and because not everyone approves of that. But once they find their happy place and really get to know one another, things start moving smoothly and these two are so cute together. Of course there's some danger in the middle of all of this because something has to stop all the fun, but seriously it does get dangerous for both Nathan and Ben at one point and I held my breath waiting to see what would happen. 

So far this series is so much fun and this is just the second book! I can't wait for more.

I really love some of the secondary characters and really hope we get Samuel's book at some point because even though the dude is scary, he's really interesting too. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Caught by the Dragon by Mac Flynn (Maiden to the Dragon #1)

Book Description

An unexpected journey to an unexpected love

Miriam Cait seeks love, or rather, her friend seeks it for her. Her friend’s latest date suggestion is refused on account of his dark eyes. There’s something not quite right with them, and Miriam soon finds out why when he comes knocking on her door, and knocking her out.

Miriam wakes up from the confrontation with more than just a headache. Shackles cover her ankles and wrists, and she’s on her way to being auctioned off to a bunch of self-proclaimed dragon lords. It all seems too fantastic to be real, but as the evidence starts mounting against sanity Miriam realizes she may be in deeper trouble than she thought.

My Review

Miriam turns a guy down when her friend introduces her to him and later she finds herself kidnapped and in another dimension, being auctioned off to dragon lords. 

Xander is a dragon lord, the rule of his world says that human females are taken and brought to his land to be picked as ether mates or servants. Bringing humans to his land helps keep the bloodlines good by bringing in new blood. His own mother was one of these females but he has fond memories of her, she had a good life. 

Once the women are rounded up and shown to the dragon lords, they get to pick the females they want but Miriam doesn't make things easy for Xander. She tries to run away and go home only to find out that once you go through the portal, you can never go back or you'll be killed by it. It's a one way trip. Only the kidnappers who are from another world can travel back and forth bringing women when they have a need for new blood. 

Miriam and the other women are taken by their new mates and while some of the women are happy with their new lives because they are taken care of very well and will want for nothing, Miriam still wants to go home but she gives Xander a chance. 

This book surprised me because Xander and some of the other dragon lords are actually decent people. Xander didn't think it was right that women were kidnapped and brought here against their will but it was the way of his world. He was a nice guy and tried to make sure Miriam was made comfortable and tried to give her what she needed so she could get used to her new home. After a dangerous fight with another dragon, Xander is hurt and we can see that Miriam genuinely cares about him. I thought it was a good first book for this series. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #205

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.

Unbelievably it's been pretty quiet around here this week. We've seen the police patrolling around quite a bit but I haven't seen them parked or at anyone's apartment this week. 

Of course when I had the dog out for a walk I did spot something that shouldn't have been there in the alley by one of the parking curbs... a needle. Thankfully it had a cap on it so I threw it in the trash so a kid didn't get a hold of it. 

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

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Today is also my 15 year Blogoversary!

I can't believe I've had this blog for 15 years. So thank you to those of you that have been here a long time and to those who are fairly new. I hope to be around many more years. 

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Life Update: 

Ken found out that the cancer has spread to his rib bones on the left side but it hasn't spread anywhere else. They did tell him that he has stage 4 cancer since it went from his lung to his brain and rib bones though. They surgically implanted a chest port this week so he can start chemo and they are going to start radiation on his brain lesions as well soon. 

Review: Tempting The Dragon King by Kiersten Fay

Book Description

On his way to reestablish an old alliance, Tristan Okora, king of the dragon shifters, discovers a beautiful human female aboard an enemy vessel. He offers his protection until she can be safely returned to Earth. But the more time he spends with Juniper Jacobs, the faster he falls for the little mortal.

Meanwhile, amidst the trouble brewing in his kingdom—a terrible rumor that threatens his crown—Tristan must make a difficult decision; accept an arranged marriage with a neighboring princess, or risk everything for the beguiling human.

TEMPTING THE DRAGON KING is the first book in this Shadow Quest spin-off series, focusing on dragon shifters and witches, but there are plenty of cameos from the original series.

My Review

Tristan inherited the throne when his father was killed by an enemy they hate. He's not comfortable with his new title yet and he needs to form an alliance with a female he hardly know because mating with her will strengthen his throne and position even if he's not looking forward to it. 

Juniper is from Earth but while out on a hike one day stumbles onto an alien ship and when it takes off for outer space she thinks her days are numbered. When Tristan's ship starts firing at her because she on the type of ship that killed his father, she thinks times up and she's going to die. 

Tristan is a dragon shifter, he finds Juniper (June) on a ship and agrees to take her back to Earth but there's something about her that attracts him to her the more time they spend together. She's like a kid seeing all these new things for the first time and Tristan likes watching her experience his world for the first time. 

The longer they spend together, the more time Tristan wants to spend with her but he knows that he'll have to give her up at some point and he's not looking forward to that. But they spend more and more time together which some of the staff don't like because she's human I guess. But that doesn't stop the fireworks from going off every time they're together. There's a small amount of his people that believe a rumor that Tristan had something to do with his father's death which causes a big problem from which a huge twist is thrown at us. It was a good twist though and I didn't see it coming or the after effects of what would happen because of it. 

I do love this author's books and I will keep reading them as long as she writes them. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Review: Soulfire by Juliette Cross

Book Description

Tensions are rising in the Gladium Province. The boundary between humans and Morgons has begun to blur. While the human aristocracy strives to maintain distance between their daughters and the dragon-hybrid race, fate has other plans.

As the daughter of the corporate king, Jessen Cade is duty-bound to honor her arranged marriage to a man she detests. Feeling trapped by family duty and a loveless future, she longs for more, straying to the Morgon side of the city.

Lucius Nightwing is the eldest son of the powerful Morgon clan, and the greatest enemy of Jessen’s father. When a bar-room brawl thrusts Jessen into his arms, his dragon roars to the surface, craving to sate his carnal hunger in the brown-eyed beauty. The beast in Lucius recognizes her as his own, even if the man refuses to admit the truth.

My Review

I started reading the Vale of Stars series and didn't realize that this series, the Nightwing series was connected to that series. All I knew is that I wanted to read more from Juliette Cross so I picked this one and I'm glad that I did. 

Lucius is part of the powerful Morgon clan and a serious enemy of Jessen's father but that doesn't stop him from falling head over heals for Jessen. 

Jessen knows that she's supposed to marry a man that her father has picked for her to strengthen her family's ties with his. But she's not in love with this guy, she doesn't even like him and with good reason. So when she's around Lucius, a supposed enemy of her family, she's not sure how to feel but it sure isn't hate. 

Jessen needed to get away from her father and brother because they were both control freaks, hell bent on telling Jessen what she was allowed to do with her life and I hated them. So when Jessen and Lucius started hanging out more and acted on their attraction, I knew Jessen would not be stuck in a marriage that would have been awful for her. 

Lucius is a Morgon and has an inner dragon as well as wings so he can fly and I loved the flying scenes when he either swoops in for some reason or takes her for a flight around. Lucius doesn't want to be attracted to a human and Jessen has grown up believing all kinds of bad things about Morgonkind so they both have some things to work through. But once they do, there's no stopping these two from becoming one of my all time favorite couples. Now I'm really looking forward to reading more from this author. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Wolf Under Fire by Paige Tyler

Book Description

For the cases no one else can solve, they send in the Special Threat Assessment Team

Supernatural creatures are no longer keeping their existence secret from humans, causing panic around the globe. To investigate, monitor, and—when necessary—take down dangerous supernatural offenders, an international task force was established: The Special Threat Assessment Team.

STAT agent Jestina Ridley is in London with her team investigating a suspicious kidnapping. Over her radio, Jes hears her teammates being savagely attacked. She runs to help, but she's too late. The only survivor, Jes calls for backup and gets former Navy SEAL and alpha werewolf Jake Huang and his new pack. Convinced that the creature who butchered her teammates was a werewolf, Jes doesn't trust them. But if they're going to uncover the facts and make it back home alive, she'll need Jake's help. And with everything on the line, Jes will have to accept Jake for who he is, or lose the partner she never expected to find...

STAT (Special Threat Assessment Team) Series:

Wolf Under Fire (Book 1)

My Review

Jes was on a mission with her teammates when some kind of paranormal creature took out two of her team. She calls for backup and that when Jake and his werewolf teammates come in to help track down the paranormal that killed two of their own. 

Jake is a werewolf and once he sees a picture of Jes, he's smitten with her before he joins her team. But once they meet he's a little disappointed in how she reacts to him and his team being werewolves. She doesn't know them, does't trust them or him and pretty much expects him to act like a monster and not the cookie eating, gentleman that he actually is. 

It isn't until they find themselves in dangerous situations and have to rely on one another that the ice starts to break and they start to trust each other. Jake has felt possessive and wanted to keep her safe even before they became friends but he didn't really understand why. Once they reveal just how much they care about each other, it's hard for them to keep their hands to themselves, even while they still find themselves going on missions to find the kidnapped children. 

Tracking down the paranormal that killed Jes's teammates and are also kidnapping children brings them face to face with a hard to kill opponent. But once we find out who the bad guys are and what they are really doing it was quite the shock and I really enjoyed the ending. I enjoyed getting to know all of these characters and am looking forward to reading more of this series. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

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

Review: Forbidden Blood by R. L. Kenderson

Book Description

A repressed vampire princess. A handsome stranger. A forbidden night that changes everything.

Next in line to lead the vampire species, Naya Kensington is set to mate with a male of her parents’ choosing. But before she’s trapped in a loveless relationship forever, she breaks the rules and crosses the river to attend a new nightclub.

Discontent and numb, everything changes when she meets Vaughn Llewelyn. He’s unlike any human she’s ever met before, and he makes her feel something again.

What Naya doesn’t know is that Vaughn is a cat-shifter, and once he senses Naya, he and his cat want her.

Breaking her own rules, Naya takes Vaughn home for the night and does the unthinkable.

She drinks his blood. Something she’s only allowed to do from other vampires—and never from a male she’s not mated with.

Neither Naya nor Vaughn could imagine how this act will change both of their lives forever…as well as the world of everyone around them.

Forbidden Blood is the first book in R.L. Kenderson's hot paranormal romance series. If you like alpha males, spicy supernatural characters, forbidden love, and steamy sex, then you'll love the first installment in this page-turning series.

My Review

Naya is the vampire princess and she's expected to marry a vampire that her parents choose for her. But she knows that as soon as she's married she'll be unhappy in a loveless marriage and having kids out of duty. She's not happy about the turn her life is about to take so she goes out to a club with her human best friend. 

Vaughn is out at a club with his friend Sawyer when he spots Naya and later comes to her aid when a drunk is hitting on her and doesn't want to take no for an answer. 

Naya and Vaughn are instantly attracted to each other but Vaughn has a secret that Naya doesn't know about. He's not the human that Naya thinks he is, he's much more so when they spend the night together things happen and now both of their lives are going in directions neither of them ever saw coming. 

There are side stories with secondary characters that I hope we'll be seeing in upcoming books like Sawyer and Naya's best friend Kenzie. Sawyer gives Kenzie a ride home after Naya leaves the club with Vaughn, he's grumpy and standoffish but Kenzie finds him drop dead attractive, not that she plans on telling him that with the bad attitude he has. But it was so obvious to me that Sawyer felt something for her because the way he was acting jealous of the guy she was dancing with at the club and the way he kept looking at her. 

This is the first book in the series so it was nice getting to know a lot of the characters that will be in subsequent books.  Naya's parents aren't always nice or take Naya's feelings into consideration before they make a decision about her and at times in this story that really made me mad. I can only hope that they chill the heck out in this series. I don't want to give too much away but Naya and Vaughn are such a sweet couple. You can just tell that they really love each other and belong together but there are so many things in there way. 

There's a huge twist near the end of this book that totally took me by surprise, but has me wanting the next book right now! I need to know what happens next. I just love when that Happens. I can highly recommend this book, it was a lot of fun and kept me guessing. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Apartment Life #204

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.

The police showed up a couple of times this week but I only got a couple of pictures because I didn't have my camera with me when I went outside with the dog and saw them on the street. They were in my courtyard but I don't know why.

Then on Thursday we spotted a police officer at the apartment that always plays their music stupid loud. 

He had paperwork with his that he was showing the guy that lives there and then I got a picture of him as he as walking away. I actually think this guy was a constable because his uniform was different than the police that I usually see so I don't know why he was over there talking to the guy. It sure didn't stop him from playing his music crazy loud a little while later. 

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Life Update:

I want to thank everyone who donated to our fundraiser for a car and/or taxi money last Sunday for Ken's doctor appointments. The links and info are still there if anyone else wants to help out. We are really surprised and overwhelmed with everyone's generosity. 

This week Ken had a bunch of tests and next week he is having a PET scan to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else. And then he's having a chest port put in for chemo. 

But here's an interesting picture for you. 

Ken's doctor ordered a chest X-Ray to rule out pneumonia and the technician came right here to the apartment to do it. 

How cool is that? Good news, he doesn't have pneumonia but he does have COPD. 

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

Review: Broken by Rebecca Zanetti

Book Description

Dangerous: Former Navy SEAL Clarence Wolfe’s unit was taken out with a land mine. Injured and devastated, he hasn’t been quite right since. Worse, the tragedy was no accident. All Wolfe wants now is to take down the man responsible. In the meantime, he’s good with being the muscle for the Deep Ops team—and leading a steamy no-strings-attached personal life. Until one intriguing woman changes everything . . .

Determined:  Reporter Dana Mulberry is on a mission to avenge the death of a fellow journalist. She’s finally hot on a trail—right to a sex club—where she runs into . . . Wolfe? It seems both their leads have led to the same spot. To keep from blowing their covers, they’ll have to at least pretend to have a little fun. Trouble is, they genuinely like each other. And that’s way too risky for Wolfe, especially when, to his surprise, Dana agrees . . .

Complicated:  Drawn to each other in ways they can’t understand, Wolfe and Dana keep it professional—until they’re shot at one night. And when their adventures land them both at the heart of corruption in D.C.—and at odds in their missions—they’ll have to dig deeper than ever to succeed in their quests—and with each other . . .

My Review

Dana and Wolfe end up at the same BDSM club on the same night both looking for different people because of their jobs. Wolfe was dressed as a Dom while Dana was dressed as a sub and to protect Dana, Wolfe slapped some pink cuffs on her so other Doms wouldn't mess with her. But she was just about to throw a fit when the men they were there to find ended up dead. 

Wolfe makes her come back to his place to keep her safe but she's a reporter on a story and staying there under his protection doesn't sit well with her. Once they find themselves in danger again and it looks like not only are bad guys after him but they're after her too, she realizes that she needs to stay with him and his team to stay safe. But staying safe is hard to do when there's more than one bad guy after them. It seemed like no matter where they went, someone was there to try and kill them. Plus there's one guy that Wolfe is talking to and taunting to come and fight him. That guy ends up being a bigger player than he thought he would be in the danger they've been facing but he's determined to keep Dana safe. 

Wolfe never wanted to fall for her and doesn't seem to think he's worthy of her or his life is too dangerous to have someone like her in it but they do fall for each other and I'm glad because he's actually a really nice guy underneath it all. 

Once Dana finds out what happened to her friend and Wolfe finally gets the fight that he has wanted with his enemy, the danger picks up and they find themselves and parts of his team in some seriously dangerous situations. The action was great, the romance was wonderful and now I'm looking forward to reading more of this series. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

A couple of month's back I was sent an invitation in my inbox to become a Walmart Spark Reviewer. So I signed up and this month I received my first two products to review.

A mini grater and some Christmas lollipops.

So that was cool. I like both of the things I got to review so that's good.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: When Darkness Falls by May Sage

Book Description

They’ve exterminated an entire bloodline, purging the world of the only creatures vampires dread. Or so they think.

Chloe used to study hard, do everything right to pave a bright future, but children sometimes have to pay for their parents’ sins, and Chloe’s tab is pretty steep.

At twenty-six, when a series of attacks forces her to seek refuge in the notorious Institute of Paranormal Studies, Chloe sees it as a second chance to achieve her goals. She believes she has nothing to lose.

She couldn’t be more mistaken.

Levi has had centuries to observe the mortals and immortals of this world. He knows what the sassy woman who entered his domain is at first glance. A relic of the old days, so ancient that even an elder lord descended from the first immortals has reason to fear her.

He should slit her throat while he has the chance.

He should.

After Darkness Falls is a series of standalone paranormal romance novels.

My Review

Chloe finds herself In a Shifter bar and her boss helps her out and gets her into a school for paranormal studies after she's attacked. She's on the run from people who want her dead because her father is a bad person so the safest place for her is at the school. On her way to the school she meets the owner of the land that the schools is on. He's a very interesting guy and she immediately likes and dislikes him at the same time. She finds herself drawn to him and finds out that he's a very powerful person at school. People don't talk about him because they're scared of him, they call him the leviathan but she knows him as Levi. 

She finds herself having fun with the school even though bad people are after her even though she doesn't realize how much danger she's in and she feels betrayed because nobody told her what was really going on. She make some friends at the school and she finds she's not as regular or human as she thought she was because there there's something different about her but it isn't until the end of the book that we figure out what it is and it was a really good twist. I really like the end of this book I love Levi, he was such a good character and Chloe was great. I'm looking forward to reading more of this series now. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Arctic Bite by N.J. Walters

Book Description

Being immortal doesn’t mean you can’t die. It just means you’re damn hard to kill.

When Alexei Medvedev joined the Forgotten Brotherhood—paranormals hired to assassinate other paranormals—he knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk. But his next target is one of Death’s own Reapers gone rogue. For the first time since he started this gig, “damn hard to kill” feels more like “damn near impossible.”

Tracking Cassie Dobbs brings him to a remote bar in small-town Alaska, where this hot-as-hell Reaper is casually serving drinks, as if she doesn’t have a bounty on her head from Death himself. Alexei is dangerously intrigued. Everyone in the Brotherhood knows the first rule: don’t fall for your target.

But Alexei soon has bigger problems to face than an unexpected attraction. They only send assassins after those who deserve to die…or so he’s been made to believe. Now that he’s met Cassie, though, he’s not so sure.

What if everything he’s been told is a lie, and the person he’s been sent to kill is the only one who knows the truth?

My Review

This is the second book in the Forgotten Brotherhood series. 

Alexei is an immortal and is sent to find Cassie who is his next target. He's an assassin for the Forgotten Brotherhood who is sent to kill immortals and he's only sent after those who deserve to die, or at least that's what he used to believe before meeting Cassie. 

Cassie is in a bar as the bartender, hiding from her past when Alexei walks in and she realizes she's in trouble in more ways than one. Cassie is an ex reaper and her family didn't like the fact that she had left. 

The contract out on her life wasn't exactly what it looked like since she couldn't be killed by normal ways. It was just a way for her family to find her and bring her back. But Alexei stops a vampire from trying to hurt her and let's her know that she's safe with him. 

Alexei and Cassie are so good together and when they finally give into their feelings, it was so hot! Alexei might be a hired assassin but he's got a softer side with Cassie and I loved how much he cared for her. She's a kick ass heroine in her own right and even she didn't realize how tough she was at first which I loved.

But she's on the run from her family, who will stop at nothing to bring her back. While he goes on the run with her to keep her safe, a few twists are thrown in their way. But he's been keeping a secret from her and it scares him when it comes out. So much so that he was prepared to leave her so she would be safe from him. It was a great secret, a great twist and a great story. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Happy Raturday!

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

*Picture courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #203

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 Monday evening I walked outside with Falcor and as I round the end of my apartment complex, there were 8 cops standing there headed into my courtyard. They stopped me and asked if I was Jessica. When I said no, they didn't believe me at first and then asked if I knew a Jessica or if I had heard a domestic dispute going on. I hadn't so they walked into my courtyard and started knocking on doors while I walked out front with the dog. They couldn't find who they were looking for so they left. 

It was a fairly quiet week. 

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Life Update: 

Ken went to the Oncologist and they said he has malignant brain cancer as well as the lung cancer. They are going to do a lung biopsy and put in a chest port so they can start him on chemo for the brain cancer. Once they figure out what kind of lung cancer it is they will be treating that too. The MRI showed something in his abdomen so they are going to do more testing to see if he has cancer there as well. Lots of tests and doctors appointments right now and we don't have a car so I am scrambling to get rides set up, take a taxi or whatever. I sent in an application for Paratransit and he got approved for that but for some of the procedures where they give you anesthesia, they make you have someone with a car there waiting on you to come out. 

For that reason my daughter and I set up a fundraiser to either be able to buy a car or just cover taxi rides back and forth to the doctors appointments and chemo appointments and anything that isn't covered by insurance. If you'd like to help out or share the fundraiser page I'll post a link. Thank you in advance.

Help Cancer Patient Get Car For Cancer Treatments. 

Since a couple of you are having problems with the FB fundraiser I'll share 2 other ways to donate. 

Cashapp-  $scarymary66

or

Paypal- me8acat@yahoo.com

I hope that makes it easier. 

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

Review: The Vampire's Mail Order Bride by Kristen Painter

Book Description

Welcome to Nocturne Falls, the town that celebrates Halloween 365 days a year.

The tourists think it's all a show: the vampires, the werewolves, the witches, the occasional gargoyle flying through the sky. But the supernaturals populating the town know better.

Living in Nocturne Falls means being yourself. Fangs, fur, and all.

After seeing her maybe-mobster boss murder a guy, Delaney James assumes a new identity and pretends to be a mail order bride. She finds her groom-to-be living in a town that celebrates Halloween every day. Weird. But not as weird as what she doesn’t know. Her groom-to-be is a 400-year-old vampire.

Hugh Ellingham has only agreed to the arranged set up to make his overbearing grandmother happy. In thirty days, whatever bridezilla shows up at his door will be escorted right back out. His past means love is no longer an option. Not if the woman’s going to have a future. Except he never counted on Delaney and falling in love for real.

Too bad both of them are keeping some mighty big secrets...

My Review

Delaney is working at a place where she makes sweet treats and has fun doing it until she witnesses her boss shoot someone. She even records the shooting and then gets out of there real fast. She has no other choice than to change her name and sign up to be a mail order bride just so she can find a safe place to hide for a while. 

Hugh is a vampire and his grandmother signs him up to receive a potential wife from a mail order bride service. The only problem is he doesn't want to marry anyone and the woman who ended up coming isn't the woman he was matched with. Delaney found his file and decided to assume this woman's name and pretend to be her. Hugh thinks that she knows he's a vampire and is alright with it when in fact she knows nothing about that part of him. 

They actually seem to be getting along really well when someone comes to Hugh and lets him know that she isn't who she said she is. When the dust settles, Hugh decided to help Delaney instead of being mad at her. They get the werewolf Sheriff involved into making sure the proper authorities know about the murder she witnessed and they get back to getting to know the real people in front of them. When Delaney finds out that Hugh is a vampire, things go a little crazy for a minute because she doesn't believe him at first. After that she just needs a little time to wrap her head around it all. 

These two really fall hard for each other while Hugh is keeping her safe and he turns out to be a really sweet guy. This book had everything in it that I like about this kind of vampire romance. Delaney's cat, Captain Underpants endeared himself to the household by doing nothing more than winding himself around their feet and getting chubbier while eating whatever they gave him. I love when there's animals in the books even when they don't do anything but sit pretty and get petted. 

I will definitely be reading more of this series now. 

I give this book 5 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:

A sample of Estee Lauder face cream.

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Tempt by Marie Tuhart

Book Description

Wicked Sanctuary: surrender your inhibitions 

Escaping her ex-boyfriend’s horror-themed campout, Sierra Blake stumbles into a world she never imagined. Curious and spirited, but with a history of picking the wrong man, she must learn to trust her instincts and find her inner strength to become the woman she is meant to be. 

Max Preston has shut himself off from women, until Sierra crashes into his life. An intense attraction ignites inside him, and he’s determined to make her his. 

Discovering a new confidence under Max’s protection, Sierra finds herself falling for him. But when his too-perfect ex-wife triggers old insecurities, she runs--smack into her own past. Can she rise above old scars and fight for true love?

My Review

Sierra walks away from her idiot boyfriend when they go on a camping trip that turns out to be more than she bargained for. While walking away, she comes to Max's home and asks to use the phone so she call call a friend for a ride. But once Max see's the state she's in, his dominant personality takes over and he gets her warmed up and into some dry clothes while she waits for her friend to come pick her up. 

Max is a Dom and runs a BDSM club and even though he hasn't been in a relationship in a while, he feels something for Sierra right from the start. So he gives her his card with his phone number and asks her to call him. But when she doesn't, he doesn't let that stop him. 

When Sierra finds out that Max is a Dom and owns a club, she isn't sure what to think about him or his club but she takes a leap of faith and forges ahead. After she fills out the necessary forms and finds out what the club will be like, they go together so she can see for herself what a club like this is all about. They spend time together outside the club so they can get to know one another and I really think they were just made for each other.

Sierra has had some horrible things happen to her when she was younger and Max can see he needs to take his time with her so he doesn't scare her off. I loved how gentle, patient and caring he was with her. Max is one of my all time favorite characters that I've read in a long time. Sierra has bigger problems when her now ex, won't get a clue and leave her alone. The guy was so stalkerish it was cringe-worthy. I'm glad that Max was there to help her through that. 

This was such a fun book. I look forward to reading more. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

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

Favorite Picture of the Week

This is the walking path further down where I walk Falcor. I've shown this to you before. But at the end of this path is a street and if you cross the street there's something new I want to show you. 

At the end of the street is a metal tree and metal bench. I've shown that to you before. 

This is that same bench from across the street. 

Across the street is a little bench area. It has a couple of bench seats and a cover where you can sit and relax on your walk. I though that was kinda cool.