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 samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

A sample of Purina One Smart Blend and a couple for 6 free cans of dog food from Smiley360.

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap.

A swag pack from Author Chloe Neill that I won in a blog contest.

A sample bag of Nutrish Zero Grain dog food.

A sample of Fiber One 90 calorie brownies.


Did you receive any freebies this week?

Falcor is very happy this week, he received 2 samples in the mail. lol 

Product Review: Paper Hot Cups Sets (100 Count) - 16 oz Cups, Lids, Sleeves, Straws by Novo Basics

Product Description

This bulk office pack of 16 oz cups, lids, sleeves and straws has everything you need to kick your morning off right! This package includes 100 cups, 100 lids, 100 sleeves and 100 straws so it can supply a whole office or a family. The stylish contemporary design uses dark colors to keep your cup looking clean throughout the whole day. Novo cups have rolled rims to give our cups rigidity and strength, so you can rely on them all day long.

My Review

This set comes with everything your office or home needs if you serve a lot of hot drinks and need lids, straws and sleeves for them. The cups, lids, straws and sleeves are the same quality that you would get if you went to a brick and mortar store and ordered a $5 cup of coffee to go. 

This set comes with everything you'll need in order to be ready for a family get together, office party of whatever get together you are planning where you'll need a set like this. 

The cups are sturdy and the lids fit really well. The cups don't leak and the sleeves make the cups really easy to handle hot beverages without having to worry it'll be too hot for your hands. 

I've now used the set several times and while I used the straws to stir my coffee and tea, some people might use the straws to drink. They work for both purposes ad the cups are a nice size. This is a really nice bulk pack of cups and everything you need to go with them. 

Disclosure: I was sent these products for free in exchange for an honest review. 

Review: Son of No One by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Book Description

In Son of No One, next in the blockbuster The Dark-Hunters series by Sherrilyn Kenyon, it's not easy being life's own personal joke, but Josette Landry has made an unstable peace with the beast. Completely down on her luck, Josette takes a job with a local paranormal group as a photographer and camerawoman. Yeah, they're even crazier than she is. The only paranormal thing she believes in is the miracle that keeps her rusted-out hoopty running. But when something truly evil is released into the world, they are forced to call in reinforcements.

From the moment Josette meets Cadegan, she knows something about him isn't quite right. Mysterious and armed with lethal sarcasm, he seems a lot older than his age.

Centuries ago, Cadegan was viciously betrayed into an immortal prison by the only person he'd ever trusted and was cast into an immortal prison. Forced against his will to do good, he hates everything in life. All he wants is a way out. But for the damned there is only eternal suffering. And yet there is something about Josette that intrigues him. Something he can't seem to fight and the last time he felt this way about a woman, it cost him everything.

He knows he has to stay away from her, but the unleashed demon is hell-bent on consuming her soul. If one more innocent is taken, he will be sent back to an unimaginable prison that makes his current hell look like paradise. But how can he keep her safe when his being with her is the greatest threat of all?

My Review

This is book 18 in the Dark Hunter series. Because so many characters from past books have popped up in this book, I would advise reading the series in order to be able to understand who the other characters are. 

Cadegan has been trapped in an alternate realm for more than a thousand years. Trapped there by his brother, the one person he thought he could count on. He doesn't understand why his brother wouldn't at least listen to his side of the story before sending him to this hell. 

Josette has a strange family but they are there for her when she needs them the most. Her divorce took all of her savings and now that she's been laid off, she's in a real pickle. But once again her family comes through for her and she gets a photography job that pays well because all previous people hired, ran away soon after getting hired. The job? A haunted house, but Jo isn't scared. She's more fascinated since she really doesn't believe in the paranormal like her family does. That is, until she falls through a mirror and is transported to the realm that Cadegan is trapped in. 

Cadegan finds Jo soon after she finds herself in this alternative realm and saves her from some monsters that like to bite. Right away they hit it off and the banter between the two of them is so much fun. While he's really old and from another time, he's been able to get glimpses of how the world is from where he is trapped and while he understands some of what she says, not everything is clear language wise between them, which was really funny. 

They fall hard for each other, get sent on a quest and even meet a dragon along the way. Cadegan wants nothing more than to see her safely back home and puts his life on the line to do it. I don't usually go for the insta-love story line but it really works for these two when you find out who Artemis thinks they are and their whole back story. I liked seeing characters from previous books including, Ash, Styxx, Artemis and Simi. I love getting a glimpse into the lives of some of the characters that I've come to love and after 18 books, I'm fully immersed in the lives of these characters and wanting to see what's happened after their books. 

I let this book sit on my kindle for about 6 months because Acheron and Styxx are two of my very favorite books in this series and I really wasn't sure either one of them could be topped. But I came into this not wanting for those books to be topped, just for this story to be a good continuation of the series and this was definitely a great book in the series. The book ended with me feeling very satisfied as to where this series has gone and I'm looking forward to reading more. The different lores, the different mythologies and story lines as well as different genealogy lines and reincarnations of characters make this a series that you really have to pay attention to the details but if you like that sort of series, then I would definitely give this one a try.  

I give this 5 out of 5 stars. 

Product Review: Mauricettes Shampoo and Conditioner Samples

Product Description

Mauricettes Créme Botanique Conditioner has a thick but yet gentle natural formula that increases the ability of your hair to bind to moisture. It is the best moisturizing conditioner that is super-charged with natural botanical extracts, including Rice Protein. With our conditioner, your hair detangles easily and maintains lustrous shine wash after wash. Mauricettes Créme Botanique Conditioner is great for all hair types. Recommended for bleached or highlighted hair and safe for colored, straightened and chemically-treated hair.

Mauricettes Créme Botanique Shampoo is a lush 3-in-1 plant based formula that will nourish and soothe your hair and skin with 11 natural botanical extracts. Our shampoo eliminates build-up and gives structural integrity to your hair. You can use Mauricettes Créme Botanique Shampoo as a gentle cleanser for the body and even as a soothing foaming shave cream. Our Créme Botanique Shampoo is great for all hair and skin types and it is even safe for colored, straightened and chemically-treated hair. Mauricettes Créme Botanique Shampoo nontoxic formula is Paraben Free, Sulfate Free and Sodium Chloride Free. For best results, use with Mauricettes Créme Botanique Conditioner to achieve beautiful, healthy hair.

My Review

The Shampoo is nice, thick and smells good. It has a light scent which isn't floral or heavy just a light nice scent. I usually like a more floral stronger scent to my hair care products but this is a really nice shampoo. My hair is long enough for me to sit on, I've been growing it my entire life so I'm a bit picky about what I use on my hair. After reading the ingredients, I figured there wasn't anything that I hadn't used before so I used it and it's really nice, it left my hair feeling clean and soft and not weighed down at all. It lathers well and was easy to work through my hair and I didn't have to use a lot to get the job done. While this can be used to clean the skin as well, I like to use a body wash with a lot of scent but if you like just a little scent this will work for you because it does work well for that without leaving my skin sticky. 

The conditioner has the same light scent as the shampoo and is thick so it was easy to distribute through my hair. After rinsing I didn't feel any weird residue left over in my hair and it all rinsed out easily. My hair is very straight, not a curl in sight. So I like the conditioner that I use to compliment my natural hair and not make it frizzy or look greasy and this doesn't, my hair was straight and looked nice and shiny. 

I did find the price they were charging for the small 2 ounce sample size to be a bit pricey though. 

I give both a 4 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: I was given both of these products for free in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of MrRat395*

"Did you knock on my house?"

*Photo courtesy of Rat Logic*

*Photo courtesy of Storm's Mischief*

"Take the picture. I can't hold this smile for much longer."

My Experience with Avalon Organics Cleansing Milk

I sign up for and receive a lot of free samples of products that I've never used before. So every once in a while there are products that I don't like, or that don't react well for me. This was one of those times. Last month I decided to use this sample pack of Avalon Organics Intense Defense Cleansing Milk. 

With face cleansers, I like to try them at night when I take a shower. So that's what I did with this product. I opened the packet and rubbed the product on my face, but right away I knew something was wrong. My face started burning within a few seconds so I rinsed my face off right away. I finished my shower and when I got out, I looked in the mirror and realized that my face was bright red. 

Excuse my just out of the shower appearance but this is what it did to my face and it felt like I had a bad sunburn on my face. The redness lasted about 18 hours and finally went away completely. I applied Cortisone to my face and that did seem to help the redness go away. It actually looked much redder in person but I think the flash on the camera got rid of some of it in the photo.

I found the website to the company and I sent them an email and let them know what it did to my face and this is the reply I got....

Dear Ms. Kirkland,
Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding our Avalon Organics® Cleansing Milk.

Avalon Organics® Cleansing Milkand its ingredients are both effective while meeting all US standards for quality and safety.  An experience, such as the one you describe, may occur in individuals with sensitivity to certain ingredients. Our Avalon Organics® Cleansing Milk packaging clearly lists its ingredients and directions for use in order to  provide our consumers with information to select personal care products that are right for them and for their families. 

We have forwarded your experience on to our Quality Assurance Team.  In appreciation of the time you took to contact us, we have mailed product coupons to the address provided in your original email. Please allow 10 business days for first class US mail delivery.
Thank you for your continued support. If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us at 1-800-434-4246, Monday through Friday from 9AM - 7PM Eastern Time.
Pamela
Customer Care Representative

It burned my face but please send me coupons for more of your products. Maybe I can irritate other parts of my body. Do you have an intimate shave gel that I can apply to my girly bits? Maybe I can make my hoohaw scream for mercy. Obviously their product has something in it that didn't react well with my skin. This is the first time that I've had this bad of an reaction to a free sample that I tried and while it won't make me stop trying the free samples I get, I might be a little more cautious with samples from brands that I haven't tried before. 

The other thing I want to say is while the full size package might list all the ingredients on it like they said in their reply, the sample packet that I used, clearly did not. 

And they did actually send the coupons they said they would but what kind of Goober would I be if I tried more products from a brand that clearly reacts bad with my skin. This is one set of coupons that I won't be using. 

What I did While I Was Gone

Hi Everyone, I'm back. Did ya miss me? Of course you did..lol 

So first off, today is my and Ken's 26th Anniversary. We've been together for 26 years. You'll notice I didn't say wedding anniversary because we're not legally married but 26 years is a long time and we consider ourselves married after all this time so we celebrate. 

Before we even got the week started, we had all kinds of drama across the street. One of the guys that lives in the downstairs apartment had some friends over and went out to get something. But when he got back home a short time later, all his friends were gone and on his living room floor...was a dead woman who had overdosed on drugs.

His wonderful friends had just left her there and split and didn't even bother to call 911 or even call him and let him know. So when he got home he called 911 and the police and paramedics showed up and then a detective and then the coroner. They were all out there for hours.

That gray van behind the police car is a detectives vehicle and he got out with a DSLR digital camera with one of those long lenses. 

The paramedics and police stood around for quite a while until all the crime scene photos were taken and the medical examiner came and took the body away. I didn't take a picture of that because it just seemed in bad taste since a person did lose their life. 

The rest of the week was nice and quiet for the most part. My brother and sister in law got into town and we spent it visiting. 

My daughter and grandson came over to visit on Monday because that was her only day off of work while they were in town. 

Then on Tuesday my dad and step mother came over for a bbq. 

I don't eat beef anymore so I opted for chicken and several others did also. Just my brother, dad and step mother wanted steak for the bbq. 

The guys had a good time standing around the bbq talking and cooking. 

From left to right that is my dad, my brother and Ken. My dad is 83 years old and still drives and gets around really good. 

My brother and sister in law. 

Ken went to California on Wednesday to dog/house sit for his sister so I have the apartment all to myself for the next 3 days. Party Time!

So what have you been up to this past week?

Blog Hiatus

I haven't scheduled any blog posts for the next 5 days because my brother and sister in law are going to be in town for the next few days. I haven't seen my brother in about a year and a half so we'll have a good visit. I'll be back in a few days and will catch up on blog posts when I get back. Hope everyone has a great week. :)

Favorite Video of the Week

Facts about the ugliest fish I've ever seen. You have to listen to this. LOL

Freebie Friday!

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

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

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

Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

Numi Tumeric Tea 

A sample of Tiny Toast Cereal

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Degustabox

Degustabox is a monthly subscription box filled with food and drink. The normal price for the box is $19.99 but I got my first box for just $6.99 because they had a special going on. 

You do not get to pick any of the products you get, it's a surprise each month. But they say each box contains 10-15 items and each box is worth at least $30. I like trying boxes like this because they usually contain products that I've never tried or haven't seen before. 

Everything came nicely packed and secure in bubble wrap. Nothing was broken, crushed or torn open. 

So what was in my box?

Alo Allure Mango Aloe Vera Juice- 1 bottle

Popchips Cheddar and Sour Cream chips- 1 bag

Goetze's Cow Tales bag of candy- 1 full size bag

White Lily White Grape Seed and Wheat Flour 1 bag

Sir Kensington's Chipotle Mayonnaise- I jar

Post Honey Bunches of Oats with Strawberries- full size box

Oregon Chai Tea Latte- 1 box

Loacker Rose of the Dolomite hazelnut chocolates-2 bars

Goya Maria Cookies- 1 pack

Vermont Smoke and Cure Mini Meat Sticks- 4 sticks

Ken and I tried almost everything and the only thing neither one of us liked was the Mango aloe vera juice. It had a medicine taste to it. But everything else was really good. That chipotle mayonnaise is really good but wow, it's spicy. The only thing I haven't tried was the White Grape Seed flour. But I'm sure I'll find a use for it at some point. 

So if this sounds like something you'd like to try out, here's the link to their website. 

Product Review: Goose Creek Candles Blueberry Cheesecake Scented Jar Candle 24 oz

Product Description

These premium jar candles are highly scented and are available in beautiful colors that complement any room's decor and a double wick design that allows for hours of clean, even burning. With several unique smells to choose from, all our candles are made in the USA with only the finest quality ingredients. Our candles are safe and non-toxic. See images for more details.

My Review

This is one of the best candles I've had in a while. I love the blueberry scent and the mixture of that and the cheesecake scent is so nice. The scent in this is so strong that I could smell it right after I opened the box it came in and it's just as powerful a scent once the wicks are lit. This one candle was powerful enough to distribute scent in my entire 600 square foot apartment. While it is a small 1 bedroom apartment, I could smell the scent from the candle in my bedroom when the candle was in my kitchen. It had been burning for about an hour at that point but it's really nice scent. I smell mostly blueberry to be honest but I can tell there's a little something extra and if I hadn't read that something extra was cheesecake, I'm not sure I would have known what it was. But it's nice, don't get me wrong, it's a really pleasant scent.

This candle comes in a nice glass jar with a lid so you can keep the dust off it when you're not burning it. This is reasonably priced, it smells great and it looks nice sitting on my table. I definitely recommend trying this candle if you're a candle lover or know someone who is. 

Disclosure: I was given this product free in exchange for an honest review.

Product Review: Strawberry Lemonade Scented Wax Melt 3-pack By Goose Creek

Product Description

The strongest and longest lasting wax melts available. Burn time is an approximate 50-80 hours depending on usage. Highly scented to fill the entire home, garden, kitchen, office, or bathroom with fragrance. Affordable prices allow you to mix and match different fragrances to create your own, custom scent. Goose Creek melts are compatible with all the top brands of electric candle warmers.

My Review

I've been using wax melts for over a year and I like to find the strong smelling ones that will get that fragrance out there and distribute it all over the apartment. Well this one really lived up to my expectations. It's a strong smelling wax melt and has a really nice smell to it. I really like most lemonade type scents and this one has a rich strawberry lemonade scent to it. I can really smell both the lemon and the strawberry scents in this wax melt. It's a nice and I will say pretty scent. It just smells like I've been cooking when I put one of these wax melts in my warmer. I like food fragrances because they tend to bring up thoughts of home or grandma cooking in the kitchen.

Each piece as easy to get out of the container, melts fast and starts putting out scent right away. If you're looking for a wax melt with a strong scent, a long scent life and a nice smell...these are definitely worth trying. I highly recommend them. 

Disclosure: I was given this product for free in exchange for an honest review.

Happy Raturday!

*Photo courtesy of Rat Logic.*

*Photo courtesy of Rat Logic.*

*Photo courtesy of Poppy's Mischief*

"I think I have some in my whiskers."

"Me too."

"Yeah, me too." 

"It's in my nose." 

"LOL"

Review: Universal Yums Subscription Box

Universal Yums is a monthly subscription box that sends you snacks from all over the world. A different place each month. This month's box is from Taiwan. There are two box sizes to choose from. The 6 or more snacks or 12 or more snacks. I chose the 6 or more snacks box.  For my box size, it's $13.00 a month. And they sent quite a bit in my box. The other box costs $25.00 a month.

So I was sent 13 snacks in my box. Candies, cookies, chips and chewy candy. This months box is from Taiwan. It was interesting to try the different snacks because I've never had any of these things. I'm going to share with you a few of the more interesting things I found and my favorites.

I tried the Taro Mochi Cake first and it turned out to be one of the best things in the box. This is what the pamphlet said about it...

Taro Mochi Cake. Mochi is a sticky, chewy Japanese treat made from glutinous rice. In this Taiwanese take on the classic Japanese dessert, they've wrapped the mochi in a sweet butter cake and flavored the mochi with taro, a purple sweet potato.

It had a really soft feel to it. It was so soft that I could press down on it and let go and it would spring back into shape. It was so strange but wonderful. It had a sweet taste to it but I couldn't quite put my finger on the flavor. Maybe because I've never had taro or purple sweet potato before.

Then I tried a crunchy chocolate roll cookie thing which was really good and a Hi-Chew that was Lychee flavored. I didn't care for it but Ken liked it. 

The worst thing in the box was the Prince Noodles. It was like crushed Ramen noodles and Ramen seasoning and you were supposed to eat it right out of the package...not cooked or anything. It was not good and Ken didn't care for it either. 

I liked most of the candies in this box and the other things were interesting to try. Have you ever had any of these things?

Favorite Video of the Week

I laughed so hard while listening to this.

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 samples like these at Hey It's Free and Freebie Shark.
Did you know you can sign up at Tomoson and get free products too. You can also sign up at these sites and get products at a great discount. No Kidding Coupons, AMZ Review Trader, and Elite Deal Club.

This week I received:

A coupon for a free 32 oz. Powerade from My Coke Rewards.

A Blueberry Cheese cake scented Jar candle from Goose Creek

A pack of Strawberry Lemonade wax melts from Goose Creek

A $5 Amazon gift card from Crowdtap

I received the candle and wax melts because the company emailed me and asked me if I'd like to write a review for a couple of their products. I've written over 600 reviews on Amazon and now some companies email me after reading my reviews on that site and ask me to review their products too. So write reviews for the products you buy through Amazon because other companies do read them and you might start getting emails too. Just make sure you have your email address on your Amazon reviewer profile so they can contact you.


Did you receive any freebies this week?

Amazon Prime Sample Box Review- Dog Treats and Food

Amazon has been having a few sample boxes that if you have Amazon Prime, you get free shipping.  Amazon sends you a credit for the full price, this one was $9.99. The credit can then be used towards the purchase of similar items. In this case, dog food items. 

There were 8 dog foods and dog treat samples in my box. You can find the different sample boxes Amazon is offering at the time by searching, "Sample boxes" on Amazon. 

In my Amazon Prime sample box I received the following....

Eight samples in my Dog Food and Treats Sample Box are as follows:

Hills Ideal Balance Soft-Baked Naturals treats

 Hill's Ideal Balance Dog Food 

GREENIES Original Dental Chews Dog Treats 

Wellness TruFood Tasty Pairings Natural Grain Free 

Two CESAR Canine Cuisine dog food

Nature's Variety Instinct Raw Boost Mixers Meal Topper 

The Honest Kitchen dehydrated Chicken and Whole Grain Dog Food 

Falcor loves it when I get boxes and he liked this one even more since everything in the box was for him. I'm very happy with what came in this box and so is my dog. 

Review: Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, and Milla Vane

Book Description

Four masters of urban fantasy and paranormal romance plunge readers into the dangerous, captivating world unearthed beyond the dark... 

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight, as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals, when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn't a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself. 

It’s seer Makenna Frazier's first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms.

My Review

Secrets at Midnight by Nalini Singh was one of the best stories in this anthology. Bastien keeps getting a whiff of the scent of his mate, but then it's gone again. It's only when they meet face to face that Bastien and start getting to know one another that he figures out she isn't completely human like she thinks she is. This was such a sweet romance and it even made me misty eyed a few times when Kirby finally finds the missing pieces of her past. 

Magic Steals by Ilona Andrews was so much fun. Jim and Dali are just perfect for each other. Dali is a tiger shifter but she's also a vegetarian. That is just part of the fun. Jim is fun and helps her as she tries to figure out who is using magic to kill or try to kill people. The reason why was interesting and the story line for this was not something I was expecting, but it was fun. 

 Lucky Charms by Lisa Shearin had all sorts of creatures in it. Gargoyles, leprechaun's, large man eating worms, goblins and dragons were just a few of the crazy creatures you'll find in this story. Mac is hired to help track down a leprechaun prince and his buddies who have escaped from their protective detail. Mac is a seer and can see through the glamour that they use to keep themselves hidden from humans. This was a fun story, my only complaint was the ending. It turns out someone is killing or trying to kill the seer's this company hires and that story line never gets wrapped up. I'm guessing it will in the next book but it was kind of a cliffhanger to me. 

The Beast of Blackmoor by Milla Vane started out a little slow for me but quickly picks up after Kavik made the goddess mad and he is cursed. Later he meets Mala who is on a quest for the same goddess he pissed off and they realize that their fates are somehow wrapped around each other. This is a very dark and gritty story. After reading the other three and getting a fun feeling from them, I was a little shocked to find this in the mix because it's nothing like the other three and it really didn't seem to fit, at least not for me. It's not a bad story if you like this sort of thing but it really wasn't my favorite. 

If you'd like to buy this book, you can find it here. 

I give this anthology 3 out of 5 stars. 

Review: On The Prowl by Patricia Briggs, Eileen Wilks, Karen Chance, and Sunny

Book Description

These all-new paranormal romances from today's hottest authors feature a female werewolf who comes into her own; a Lord who crosses paths with a fiery mage; a mixed-blood Child of the Moon who faces an uncertain future; and a woman whose sixth sense proves to be a dangerous talent.

My Review

"Alpha and Omega" by Patricia Briggs, was probably the best story out of the 4 short stories included in this anthology. I would have loved this story a lot more if it hadn't ended without all the loose ends being tied up and with the words....

"Look for the continuation of Charles and Anna's story in August 2008 from Ace Books."

Yeah, that was a complete let down down for me. Anthologies should include complete stories with a beginning, middle and ending that ties up all the loose ends of the story. Just because it's an anthology doesn't mean that I don't expect a complete story. I almost chucked the book right in the garbage at that point but decided to read the other three stories. 

Anyway, this story is about Anna who was turned into a werewolf 3 years ago and her pack is totally wrong on so many levels. She sees something she shouldn't have and doesn't know what else to do so she calls a werewolf that is supposed to take care of problems in the packs. He sends his son, who is an enforcer and kills members of the pack if his father sends him to do so. Anna and Charles get to know one another and they kindle a relationship that we don't really get to see where it goes because although the larger story line is wrapped up their relationship story line is just beginning and I guess continues into the next book. 

"Inhuman" by Eileen Wilks was a story that caught me by surprise because it had a few twists in it and I love twists. Kai has a strange telepathic type gift and since someone is killing people with 'gifts', her friend Nathan who is a cop, decides to help her hide. But Nathan has secrets of his own and when they come to light and he calls a couple of friends to help, it all starts to make more sense. I really can't say much about this one or all the different twists and plot lines would be given away. It's enough to say that this was a really good story. 

"Buying Trouble" by Karen Chance was a little surprising for me because I don't usually like fae, fairy, or elf type stories. But this one was written very well and had a really interesting story line. Claire was being put up on the auction block by a family member and Heidar who is an elf there to bid on an item or two. During a riot that breaks out, they are both transported somewhere else and have to stay under the radar if they are to stay alive. While on the run, Clair finds out a lot about herself, things she had no idea about and finds people she never knew existed. That was a fun story. 

"Mona Lisa Betwining" by Sunny just didn't catch my attention at all. It seemed like this story was from the middle of a series and I was just completely lost in their world somewhere trying to figure out what was going on and never really making much sense of things. There was a lot of sex and it wasn't romantic much at all. The queen is Mona Lisa and she killed the old queen. The story line was confusing and felt erratic and rushed. I don't mind sex in a romance story but there has to be some sort of intriguing story line to go along with it for it to be a good story and this just didn't have that. 

I'm glad that I won this book in a blog contest because I'd be mad if I had paid money for it. If you'd like to read this for yourself, you can find it here. 

I give this anthology 3 out of 5 stars.