Review: Daily Goodie Box- May

 

The Daily Goodie Box has been around since about July of 2016. I signed up for an account right after I heard about them. They are 100% free, you don't even have to pay for shipping. And for a free box it's a nice sampler box of products.

What was in the box?

NFco - Original Natural Toothpaste- I think it works good and it's just minty. It doesn't have a bad taste so that's good. 

YouTheory - Immune+ Daily Wellness Supplement- I started taking these because they have Vitamin C, which is always good to take. Vitamin D which is something I take anyway because I'm deficient in it. 

Herbal Zap - Herbal Health Drinks- I didn't care for the taste. I would rather take a pill and swallow that. 

Beauty Without Cruelty - Fragrance Free Hand and Body Lotion- I know it says fragrance free but there is a slight fragrance to it. It works well as a hand lotion though. It's not greasy and I like that.

Artisana Organics - Pecan Butter with Cashews- Pecan butter snack packs. I like pecan butter so I liked this. 

Hudson Henry Baking Co. - Maple, Pecans and Coconut Granola- This was my favorite thing in the box. I love granola and this was very tasty. Plus the bag was a good size.

Home Free Treats - Chocolate Chip Mini Cookies- Who doesn't like chocolate chip cookies? These were good. Very crispy.

Bare Republic - Mineral SPF 50 Sport Sunscreen Stick- I thought this was a little weird. It's a roll on sunscreen that claims to be mess free but I had to rub it in with my hands because it leaves a white glittery mess on your skin if you don't. I used this on my neck and chest area that tends to burn in the Summer and it didn't work nearly as good as what I usually use. I got red and will turn tan there now. My usual sunblock keeps me from turning red at all.

The sunscreen is a roll on. But if you like the Zinc Oxide sunscreens that leaves a whitish film on your skin, this is for you. 

All they ask you to do is try the products and leave reviews for the products you got in order to be eligible for more Free Goodie Boxes. As you guys already know, I'm a fan of all these types of boxes. I love all the different subscription boxes and it's really nice to be able to try new to me products for free. This is a great box to try for.

Oh and one more thing, if you visit their FB Page, they give away Goodie Boxes to people who interact with their posts. So if you've tried before and weren't able to get a Goodie Box, there's even more ways to get one now.

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

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

I'm a fan of subscription boxes and love trying new products for free so this was a huge hit with me. New products+free box = Fabulous!

Disclosure: I was given and free box in exchange for a review but all opinions are my own.

Happy Raturday!

 

*All pictures today courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #251

 

This is a 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 23 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 23 years here in a weekly blog post. 

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Last Saturday evening the guy across from me was bbqing and had another guy over. I wouldn't have thought anything about it if he hadn't had the bbq on the sidewalk/walkway directly under the overhang and mere inches from the wall and his two plastic seat cushions. I mean, the dumbfuckery is astounding right here! Anyone with half a brain knows to keep the bbq's out in the rocks away from the building and anything that can melt/catch fire. I had my curtains open watching this fool the entire time. Then once the fire had died down, I hear he and his friend loudly arguing, shouting about cocaine this and cocaine that...and someone broke a plate on the ground and slammed the door shut. Good grief.

----

On Monday morning the police were on my street going down to the old guys apartment who's brother hit him in the face and broke his cheek bone a couple of weeks ago. They've been at that apartment a few times since then. Maybe the brother who got hit, took out an restraining order and when he spots him around he calls the police. I don't really know. The police car is hiding behind the palm tree because I took the picture from my bedroom window as usual. lol 

----

Well, ya'll it happened again. The overflow drain outside started overflowing and it got so bad that the raw sewage was squirting out of the pipe and onto the wall there that you see discolored. The plumber's came out and cleared the drain again and once again when I heard the pipes in the bathroom start squealing from the plumber's using the snake, I put down some paper towels and closed the toilet lid. Thankfully this time only the paper towels got wet and the water didn't splash all over the bathroom and onto the floor. A much easier cleanup. They really should let us know to close the toilet lid before they do that. 

Afterwards, maintenance sprinkled some white powder all over the raw sewage that was on the ground and it's been that way all week. I guess they're just gonna wait for the next rain to wash it away. The fun never stops!

----

My neighbor came to my door Monday morning and asked me how much in rent I pay, so I told her and she's on the phone and starts yelling that everyone around her is paying xxx amount how come she's being charges $25 more a month since she just signed a new lease. She's standing at my door screaming into her phone at the apartment manager because they told her that she's being charged a monthly pet fee. She starts screaming into her phone that her dog is an Emotional Support Animal and they can't charge her anything for him. 

They put her on hold and she starts yelling about how they aren't going to charge her more money for this 'bomb ass place with dog sh*t all over the ground" 

Oh boy she was mad.

She spent some time walking up and down the walkway screaming at the manager on the phone. 

The next day I asked her if she got it worked out and she's still mad because her rent is higher because she signed a new lease and the rent always increases with a new lease. 

----

And for those of you wondering...I did indeed get my mail key finally.

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

Flowers On My Walk

 

Each week I tell you guys all the craziness around here, so today I thought I would being a little bit of beauty from my walk with Falcor. This bush has tiny purple flowers all over it. I don't know what the shrub is but it's so pretty.

Here's a closer look at the tiny purple flowers.

My apartment complex is also home to two varieties of Oleander bushes. This is a small bush and only has a couple of pink flowers. I should mention that the entire plant is poisonous. If you eat it, it could kill you. 

Here's the white Oleander flowers. Very pretty but don't try eating it. 

I also came across a few of these tiny yellow wild flowers. They were hard to get a good picture of because they are tiny, about half the size of my pinkie nail. 

There aren't a lot of flowers around here but there were a few.

Freebie Friday!

 

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, 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.

I won a Kindle ebook from Goodreads giveaways. 

I was sent a free Cake Pan from Walmart Spark Reviewer. 

And if you read yesterday's post you know I was sent two free dinners from Blue Apron from an online friend. (Not pictured). 
Storage baskets from Walmart Spark Reviewer.

Make sure you keep entering those Goodreads giveaways. I win one every couple of months. So you can win them too. 

I love the new cake pan. The other cake pan I have is an oval one and I've been wanting a new one. Walmart Spark Reviewer is by invitation only so I cannot give you a link to their site to sign up. 

I love the storage baskets. I put them on my dresser. 

Make sure you check out yesterday's post to see what I was sent from Blue Apron. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Blue Apron Meals

 

A friend of mine sent me an offer to accept 2 free meals from Blue Apron. So I did and was signed up for their weekly meal delivery but could cancel it after my first box if I wanted to. They sent all of the ingredients for 2 dinners in prepacked baggies. Plus they sent two recipe cards that were really easy to follow. All I had to do was chop everything and cook it. 

One of the meals I made was roasted purple potatoes, steam buns with pork patties, marinated cucumbers in miren and two sauces, one for the pork patties and one for the potatoes. It was pretty good. And it was easy to make.

The other meal was top sirloin steaks, roasted potatoes and kohlrabi, miso kale and a sauce made with rice vinegar, brown sugar and black bean sauce. This dinner was my favorite. 

New things I tried with these two meals: 

Sauteed Kale

Kohlrabi

Black Bean Sauce

Steam buns

Miren

Hoisen Sauce

Gochujang

Miso

But I enjoyed trying all of this new stuff. I even used a clove of garlic in the pork patties and I detest garlic. lol I'll be buying some miren and hoisen sauce in the future for sure. Cucumbers marinated in miren and are really good. I'm on the fence with the black bean sauce. I didn't really care for that. But being able to try new things with these easy to cook meals was a lot of fun. The only drawback for me is for these two dinners a week, Blue Apron wants to charge $71 a week and that was a little too much for me. So I cancelled my subscription after I got the first box. 

Have you tried any of the meal subscription boxes? 

I also tried Green Chef a while back and you can find my review of that here. 

Review: Her Vampire Knight by Ines Johnson

 

Book Description

This little panther shifter thinks she’s captured me. Me; one of the most feared vampires in history.

She thinks I'm the key to an age old prophecy; one where we join forces and unite to create new life. But that's impossible for a man who's been dead for centuries. With her every touch she makes me crave life.

The problem is, the more we fight, the more the beast below stirs, ready to claim her.

I can’t let it go that far. If I do, it will surely break us both. 

My Review

So I finally found Virius's book and couldn't be happier. I don't know what number this is in the series because I think it was part of a trilogy of the three brothers stories but I'm glad I finally figured out the mystery of where this story was. lol 

Virius had a heck of a bad childhood and then on the back of that he was bought at a young age and sired by a sadistic female vampire who tortured him all the time for many years. I read the stories of his two brothers and started to get to know him and wanted to read his book very much. I saw the beginning of Virius's story in Her Vampire Lord and really wanted to know what happened to he and Zahara. 

Virius lived in a tortured, scared state for such a long time that he doesn't know how to feel anything but terror most times. This poor guy needed therapy. But Zahara has lived her whole life knowing that she has to fulfill a prophecy to save her people so she feels like her life isn't really her own. She thinks that Virius is part of that prophecy and so she trades his brother for him and he goes willingly. Zahara is a jaguar shifter and a good fighter but wouldn't have really been no match for Virius since he is a vampire, if he had really wanted to get away.

It was nice to watch Virius really come to life during this book and realize that Zahara isn't going to hurt him. Both he and Zahara are fierce people but were so gentle towards each other. Zahara's people really believe that the curse will only be broken after the ritual is performed but things take a decidedly different turn than I thought it was going to take, which was just fine. I was hoping that Virius's story would be good but it was great! I'm so happy that all three brothers found their mates. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Review: Her Vampire Suspect (Midnight Doms book 11) by Brenda Trim

 

Book Description

“You’re in over your head, Agent.”

I told her not to come to the club.

The beautiful mortal on a mission. 

She shouldn't be back. But women are dying, and she thinks we're involved.

FBI agent or not, she can't take on the vampire king and win.

I need to help her find a serial killer

But she won't obey me.

So I'll have to make her.

And when our enemies close in, I won't throw her to the wolves.

I’ll make her mine.

And once I own her, I’m not letting her go.

My Review

Ava is the led detective on the missing and murdered girls case that leads her to Club Toxic. Several of the women were seen there before they were kidnapped and killed. 

Corbyn is working to find cures for human diseases and comes to Club Toxic to drink (blood) since he's a vampire and can easily get it there. 

After noticing Ava, Corbyn scans her mind because she seems out of place at the club and he finds out she's an FBI agent looking into murdered women and is at the club to see if anything looks suspicious. Vampires don't want humans to find out about them so he compels her not to come back but to his astonishment she keeps coming back. They end up together at his house because neither of them can stop the attraction they feel for each other and Ava sees something that she shouldn't have and Corbyn wants to explain some things to her. 

Ava is an FBI agent and isn't used to stopping her investigation when the leads are telling her that it's a vampire that's draining the dead women. So after she finds out that vampires exist, she demands to speak to the vampire king even though Corbyn told her that would be a huge mistake and would put her in danger. Vampires don't want humans to know about their existence so Lucius, the vampire king could either kill her, wipe her memory or something worse. What Corbyn isn't expecting is what Lucius actually does, which is help Ava find the vampire responsible. 

As the serial killer case goes on, Ava and Corbyn get a lot closer and see how much they are great for each other even though they think it can't work between them since she's human and he's not. But in the end they find a way to make it work and when the killer messes up and they figure out who it is, I really liked how it concluded. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

Happy Raturday!

 

"I had a vet visit and am perfect."

"Tape is stiky"

"I can't seem to use mind control on this stapler."

*All pictures today are courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #250

 

This is a 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 23 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 23 years here in a weekly blog post. 

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Imagine my surprise when I go to check the mail and there's an new bank of mailboxes out there with a sign that says we have to go down to the post office to get our new keys. So I go down to the post office only to have them tell me they don't know what I'm talking about. They said it might take 2 weeks for me to get a key. But she had me fill out a form to bring back that may or may not get approved for me to get a new key because apparently they don't give out free keys unless you have just moved into the apartment in the last 30 days. She had no idea what I was talking about, she asked her supervisor and he had no idea what I was talking about. They had no record of a new bank of mailboxes being put in so they had no keys to give out. She told me to check back in a week or I could try to catch the mailman out there and see if he will give me my mail. So I'll call in a week and see what happens. Once a bunch of the residents here start going down to the post office to get their keys, I have a feeling they might try to figure out where the hell the keys are. The right hand has no idea what left hand is doing apparently.

I was able to catch the mail lady once so far and she did give me my mail that day. 

---

There was a fire truck parked right in front of my apartment complex on Wednesday. But no ambulance showed up and they were only in the apartment for a few minutes so I guess whatever it was the person is alright. 

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A couple of weeks ago I told you that an older guy my my building was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. When I saw him back home and his face was all bruised up I asked him if he was alright. This is the guy who's brother is homeless and he lets him sleep in a chair in the corner by his apartment. Well the homeless brother was outside his apartment and got mad at him and punched him in the face, breaking his cheekbone and giving him a black eye. Both brothers are older, probably in their late 60's but the guy who lives there and got punched is a frail old man who walks with a cane. I felt bad for him because his face is all swollen and bruised up. It's no wonder he doesn't let his homeless brother stay with him in the apartment. He's told me before that his brother is addicted to meth and heroine.

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My daughter was outside and saw my neighbor who I told you a few weeks ago is cheating on his wife with a woman around here... he was coming out of the old maintenance shop with that woman. The maintenance people keep screwing it shut because people keep breaking in, well he broke in probably so he and that woman would have a quiet place to have some alone time together. My daughter said when she walked by them that she started laughing because she couldn't help it because he looked like he just got caught, which he did. Good grief, just divorce your wife if you want to sleep around. 

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

Freebie Friday!

 

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, 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 prize pack from a contest in a FB group from Pippa Grant. 

Perfume samples from Macy's. 

The prize pack came with a candle, tumbler, lip balm, stickers, notepad, key chain, pen, book, and soap. 

I was sent a double order of the same perfumes that's why there are so many of them. If you want to try and get some free Macy's perfumes, like them on FB and Instagram. Then be on the lookout for ads from them in your feed on both sites for free samples. That's how I keep getting them. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Seduced By The Dragon Lord by Kiersten Fay

 

Book Description

Trapped in an alien spacecraft through no fault of her own, Jessie Knight is jettisoned into space and intercepted by a mysterious group of soldiers who call themselves dragon shifters. Thrust into a world of myth, legend, and danger, she discovers she may not be entirely human as she begins to develop latent powers that both captivate and mystify her. Placed under the protection of a gorgeous dragon shifter named Orik, she quickly realizes she must conceal her new abilities or be declared his enemy.

No one knows better than Orik Theroux of the King’s Guard that witches are heartless and ruthless killers who must be stamped out of existence. Orphaned by a group of them at a young age, he has vowed to destroy every last witch who crosses his path…until he begins to fall for an exquisite human female who turns out to be more than she seems. When the palace is besieged by witches, he must decide if he can trust Jessie with his life…and his heart.

My Review

Jessie is out for a walk in the woods when she stumbles into a cave to wait out the thunderstorm that pops up. But the cave is more than she could ever imagine and when she accidentally presses the wrong button, an alien space craft carries her away. But she isn't going to let the aliens get their hands on her when the ship is intercepted. 

Orik learned the hard way that witches are trouble when they killed his parents for no reason. So when he and his people intercept an enemies ship and find a human woman inside and is finally able to get her to come out, he finds he likes her but she might be more than human.

This book starts off so sad when Orik is a child and finds his dragon shifter parents have been murdered. But after Jessie finds out that their queen is also a human and the queen makes her feel safer, she stops being so scared for a while. The queen is married to royalty, which makes her the queen but she's still getting used to that. Jessie is given a room, actually a large suite of her own but she just wants to be able to go out and walk around the garden. She doesn't like being cooped up in her room all the time and when she calls Orik to take her out he always has an excuse why he can't. So Jessie escapes her room on more than one occasion and Orik always finds her. This last time though, Jessie finds herself in trouble when a menacing witch finds her and puts a tracking spell on her that Orik can smell when he finds her.

Jessie is starting to think that she might have some magic inside her but if she does she has to keep it hidden because dragons don't like witches and Orik is known as the destroyer because he's vowed to kill the witches he comes across because he thinks they are all evil. So Jessie isn't sure that he won't kill her without giving her a chance to show him that she isn't evil even though she's not sure that she really is a witch. They get thrown together in a cabin waiting for a storm to pass and they get to know one another better but she's still not sure she can trust him with all her secrets. 

When the truth comes out Orik reacts in a bad way and so do most of the other dragons but Orik and Jessie find themselves in a lot of danger. 

This story was so good. Jessie is sassy, sarcastic and has a determined fighting spirit. While Orik wasn't sure about her at first, it sure didn't take long to see that he admired her and found her attractive. These two were so good together. I also loved Jessie's little animal friend, Phoenix. Orik was terrified of this little ball of fluff but Jessie had a way with animals and Phoenix loved her. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Review: Lone Wolf by Diana Palmer. Rebecca Zanetti and Kate Pearce

 

Book Description

Headlined by western romance legend Diana Palmer, three celebrated New York Times bestselling authors combine their talents to celebrate the wildest version of man's best friend--the noble wolf. Each novella revolves around a rugged man and his trusty wolf protector as an opportunity for happily ever afters arise. Filled with sizzling tension and well-drawn characters--animal and human alike--this anthology is sure to resonate with readers looking to answer the call of the wild.

Loyal as a wolf--and just as strong and untamed--three solitary heroes are about to meet their perfect partners, in this thrilling collection from a trio of New York Times bestselling authors...

COLORADO COWBOY by DIANA PALMER

Fleeing her mother's killer, Esther Marist ends up at a rugged stranger's cabin. A wildlife rehabilitator with a menagerie that includes an elderly wolf, Matthews isn't the type to turn any creature away. As Esther heals, she realizes how much danger she's brought to his door--and how far he'll go to protect her.

THE WOLF ON HER DOORSTEP by KATE PEARCE

Beth Baker senses her grumpy summer tenant must be in trouble when his pet wolf shows up at her door, demanding she follow. Conner O'Neil, solitary and stubborn, doesn't want Beth's help--but only he can show her how to trust again.

RESCUE: COWBOY STYLE by REBECCA ZANETTI

Trent Logan has his ranch, his friends, and his wolf, and that's more than enough--until a shivering city girl runs into the Cattle Club to escape a Wyoming storm. Her eyes hold a world of secrets, and he'll have to face the demons of his own past in order to save them both.

My Review

There are three stories in this anthology so I will be doing a mini review for each one. 

Colorado Cowboy by Diana Palmer

When Esther's mother is killed right in front of her by her mother's boyfriend, she knows that she has to escape before the boyfriend can come after her for money. When she ran, she hitchhiked somewhere safe, but her body gave out in the snow right in front of Butch's cabin. He lived there by himself but had a three legged wolf named Two-Toes. 

Butch found her in the snow and brought her in his cabin. She told him that she saw her mother's boyfriend kill her and planned on getting a job and staying away from the boyfriend. He let her stay with him and after a little while they got close but she made the mistake of not telling him how rich she was especially after she inherits all of her mother's things. She should have gone to the police and told them what happened but she was scared that the boyfriend, Darrin would find her and he had connections that could find her. So while there was a bit of a hiccup when Butch found out that Esther was loaded, things worked out in the end. I really liked this story. 

The Wolf On Her Doorstep by Kate Pearce

Beth checked in on Conner who hadn't picked up his groceries at the market for a couple of weeks and found he had an infected leg and a high fever. Beth stayed at his cabin overnight to take care of him after consulting with the town doctor. He's grumpy and she's got some baggage from her abusive ex but they got along really well. His wolf, Loki was a big sweetie and helped get help for Conner. There's some drama with her two teenage sons and her ex but this was a really sweet story. 

Rescue: Cowboy Style by Zebecca Zanetti

Hallie and Trent met when her car broke down and she walked a couple of miles in a storm until she saw lights and ended up at a party on Trent's property. She tries to keep it a secret but Trent and his brother's are all trained killers so they know that she's keeping something from them. When she finally comes clean what she's on the run from, Trent enlists his brother's help to remedy the situation. There's a wolf that lives on or near his property but for the most part keeps his distance until Hallie starts staying there and then he wants to be around her all the time. When Hallie realizes that Trent might be dangerous she runs but Trent easily finds her and explains things to her. This was a great story. I liked the action, danger and interesting men Trent's brothers are. I will definitely be reading more of this series. 

I requested this book from NetGalley because I love Diana Palmer's books but all of these stories were really good books. 

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. 

I received an e-ARC from NetGalley but all thoughts and opinions are my own. 

Review: Meant To Be Immortal by Lynsay Sands

 

Book Description

Mac Argeneau knows all too well: immortals can be killed. Not with holy water or silver crosses, but by decapitation or being set on fire. So when Mac’s house bursts into flames—with him inside—he’s sure it was no accident. But who would want to kill a scientist specializing in hematology? There is a silver lining: a blonde investigator appears on the scene and sparks feelings in him that have been dormant for centuries.

CJ Cummings is in town on a special investigation, but she’s been waylaid by the local police to deal with this arson case. The biggest mystery is how this sexy scientist with silvery blue eyes has emerged from a blazing inferno without a burn mark on him. He’s clearly hiding something. Sure, she’d love to see him without his lab coat, but she’s got a job to do—despite his insistence that he needs a bodyguard and...he wants her.

But when a second attempt on their lives puts CJ in harm’s way, it’s Mac who will do anything to safeguard the woman who’s destined to be his life mate.

My Review

Mac had just moved into the home he's renting and hasn't even finished unpacking when he smells smoke and knows there's a fire. Now being immortal means that it's hard to kill him but fire will definitely do the trick. He finds himself with only one way to stay alive until the fire department can get to him, but it's not gonna be pretty once he gets out. 

CJ is just getting into town to interview a police officer about a complaint against him when she gets recruited to go to the fire and investigate it because the the other police are busy on another case. She thinks she's just getting the run around again but goes to the fire and that's when things start to get weird. 

Mac is an immortal (think vampire) but they don't call themselves vampires because they are nice but they don't want humans to know they exist. So when Mac is hurt in the fire, he has to drink blood from several firefighters in order to heal. But that just makes CJ more curious about why he was being transported to the hospital and then they changed their minds and turned back. It was would have been easier to just wipe her mind of that and give her new memories but since he can't do that to her because she's his mate, he has to come up with a believable lie. 

Mac has just found his mate, but she's human and knows nothing about him or immortals and she's not interested in pursuing a relationship with him because of her past. So Mac has no choice but to make himself seem like there's a stalker after after him trying to kill him and he needs her to be his bodyguard. CJ tries everything she can to get away from him and out of this assignment but things just seem to pile up in her way every time she wants someone else to take his case so they end up spending a lot of time together. 

CJ has feelings for Mac and Mac wants to spend the rest of his life with her but it's not going to be easy to convince her of everything he has to tell her about him and his people. The truth comes out after they are both put in danger and now CJ has a choice to make. The romance and the mystery surrounding the fire and the officer with the complaint against him made this a very interesting book. I really like how everything came together and we get a couple of twists thrown in at just the right time.

I've been reading this series for such a long time and the books are always so good. I love this series and plan on reading as many books as the author plans to write. 

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. 

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

Happy Raturday!

 

"I wanted to change the roll of tape, but I don't think this will fit in the dispenser."

"New friend or alien?"

"I has a mouthful of egg, but I'm sure I could fit more in there."

*All of today's pictures courtesy of martymousehouse.com*

Apartment Life #249

 

This is a 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 23 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 23 years here in a weekly blog post. 

----

Last Saturday night the police were outside my place pointing an assault rifle (My brother said it was an AK47) while walking around because someone was shooting off fireworks and someone must have called in a shots fired to 911. The police asked my daughter if she heard any gun shots when they saw her outside and she even told them it was just fireworks. But they were walking around my street pointing their flashlights and guns into parked cars and into the stair wells across street at people's doors as they were checking behind bushes, cars, around corners and down the street. They had their guns drawn the whole time. My camera doesn't take clear pictures at night and I wasn't about to start flipping flash bulbs at the police as they are on alert and have their weapons drawn. Nope. 

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I was in my room and just happened to look out the window as I opened the curtains and of course there was a police car right there. I took a look in my courtyard and they were at the apartment directly across from me. They didn't stay long so I don't know what happened. 

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And to further the discussion from last week, my daughter spotted an ambulance in front of my complex and snapped a picture for me. This time it's one of the white AMR ambulances. Last week there was a red Fire Rescue Ambulance. We also have blue ambulances here from a privately owned company but I hardly ever see them. I didn't see who was taken in the ambulance this week.

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

Freebie Friday!

 

Welcome to another weekly Freebie Friday post, 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.

I received.

Confidence in a cream moisturizer. 

Xyzal allergy medication. 

Sephora foundation samples. 

Taat- tobacco and nicotine free cigarettes. 

Let's talk about those cigarettes first. They have no nicotine, no tobacco and they smell like chocolate. My daughter, brother and a neighbor all tried them and think they would probably help those trying to stop smoking real cigarettes. Very interesting. 

I like the allergy medicine. It helps me at night. All but one of those foundation samples were dark for me. But the one that I did get to try was good. The moisturizer is good too. 

Did you receive any freebies this week?

Review: Her Vampire Lord (Midnight Doms book 10) by Ines Johnson

 

Book Description

HE OWNS MY DEBT BUT HE WON'T TAKE MY MONEY. 

ALL HE WANTS IS ME.

Gaius Serrano is a mysterious figure in the world of wine. He’s arrogant. Darkly handsome. 

And—my instinct warns me—dangerous.  He’s the last person I want owning my family’s debt. 

Since my parents died, I’ve been responsible for my sibling's future and fortunes in the form of our family’s business. I’ll pay any price to get it back. 

But he doesn’t want my money. He wants to master my pleasure. One night for one share of the business. If I give myself to him, I can earn my business back piece by piece.

I have no choice. I have to take the deal. I fall into his arms, into his bed. Into a world of passion that threatens to consume us both.

Because Gaius doesn’t want mere pieces of me. He wants all of me.

He’ll bring me to the edge over and over again until he breaks me. 

Until he makes me his.

My Review

Because of his sire, Gaius is a bit tormented and very careful with the women he feeds from. He never sleeps with them and never plays with the same woman twice. 

Marechal is the older sister and has been taking care of her siblings since her mother died and now her father as well. She is the boss, the woman in charge and doesn't take a lot of time for herself. 

I knew from another book, Her Vampire Prince, that Gaius liked or was intrigued by Marechal. I was hoping they would get their own book so when I saw this one, I was super excited to read it. When Marechal finds out that Gaius or one of his brothers have acquired shares of her vineyard and she no longer has the controlling interest, she's really mad so she asks Gaius what he wants in order to get some of the shares back from him. Only she's not ready for what he wants, her. But she gives in because she's attracted to him in a way that she's not experienced before. 

Gaius might be a dominant vampire but he's also a little broken from all the abuse from his sire. Even now that the sire is dead, he and his brothers, especially Virius don't let their guard down. It was a little sad to watch the way he waited for Marechal to hurt him because he wasn't sure that she wouldn't or wasn't awful like his sire. But it was also great to see how good Marechal was for him, I just wish we had more insight into their relationship. He never told her that he was scared or why and I thought that would have been nice to witness. 

There was also this small side story about the vines on Gaius and his brothers vineyard that had some sort of curse on it and somehow Zahara and her people who I think are shifters, are involved in getting the curse lifted. But the story was quick and even though it looked like Virius might have found his mate in this side story, we don't get to see much of what's going on here. This story was thrown in, not completed and we were left with a huge cliffhanger in my eyes. I have looked for Virius's book but cannot for the life of me find it. But I will keep looking because his is the one that I want to read the most. 

The storyline between Gaius and Marechal was completed but the story with the vines, curse and Zahara and Virius was left wide open. I didn't like how this book ended with such a wide storyline and can only hope that it leads to a spinoff series or some kind of conclusion in another book. 

I give this book 3 out of 5 stars. 

Product Review: Luminance Skincare

 

I saw an ad on Fb for this mini sampler set and I got this for just $3.95

It looked interesting so I ordered it for myself. Included was rose toner, gentle cleanser and moisturizer. It came really fast too. 

I love the rose toner. It smells like roses and works well as a toner. The gentle cleanser is very gentle on my face and doesn't dry my skin out like some of the other cleansers I've tried. The cleanser does separate in the bottle but mixes again if you just shake it before using. The moisturizer is nice and absorbs into my skin nicely. 

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

All of their products are 100% cruelty free and vegan. I liked that so I thought I would give it a try and I'm glad I did. I received 3 nice size samples for just under $4. 

Does this sound like something you would use?