Mr Snug Katden, Outside Cabin for Feral Cats

I purchased and reviewed the Cat Cosy Cabin a few months ago. It is made still in use, albeit by a different cat. The original cat, Princess Jasmine has moved into the house to live with the ex resident of the original cat house, Lily, who is not amused. Saturn, their brother has moved into the cosy cabin but Poppy, their sister, was living in the garden and needed shelter. I couldn’t find Cosy Cabins in stock anywhere so I purchased a Mr Snug Katden with mattress and liner in dark green (£84.99). As a side note they are all black cats (not easy to rehome even though they have gorgeous temperaments when on their own) and are from the same litter. They don’t like each other any more as they want to be the only child after they moved themselves out of a hoarder situation of 27 cats to live with the idiot down the road!

The den is raised off the floor so the resident will not feel damp or cold through the bottom of the house. There is a drainage hole so it easy to clean and drain the water out and a porch to help stop rain getting in. The den is easy to clean, hygienic, parasites and microorganisms cannot live in it and it will not rot as it isn’t made of wood, so even though it’s expensive it is an investment as it will last a long time! 

The den measures 55Dx40wx44Hcm, weighs 4.5kg so may need weighing down in gales but doesn’t take off during normal winds! The entrance measures 15Wx19Hcm. 

I went for the mattress and liner option. The mattress measures 16”x16” the liner 18”x14”x14”. They arrived already inside the den which I was pleased about as I have mobility problems and would have struggled to get the liner to fit in so it was comfortable for Poppy. The material feels and looks great quality. The liner is very thick and will be a great layer of insulation for cold winter months (although I think she is planning on moving into the house before then). Both the liner and mattress are machine washable. I will be buying a set (29.99) to put in my cabin, as I am so pleased with them. 

There are several different options/packages when purchasing a Katden. There is just a den (different colour options), den and a door, den and a self heating pad, den and a mattress, den and a mattress and liner, den and a cooling mat or any of these options and a door (just make sure you choose the installed option if you aren’t handy! 

I love the Mr Snug Katden just as much as the Cosy Cabin. Both are great options and it would be unfair to say one is better than the other as they both do the job, are well made etc. I shall do a side by side review once Poppy has fully moved in.

I purchased the item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own. 

 

#Win Chamilia Beauty and The Beast Sterling Silver Pendant & an E-book Beauty and the Reclusive Millionaire by Rachael Stewart

 As my last blog post showcased Rachael Stewart, this linked post will contain the promised competition prize - the Beauty and the Beast, A Tale as Old as Time, Sterling Silver Pendant. Rachael Stewart is donating an ebook of her True Love romantic novel Beauty And The Reclusive Millionaire as it was inspired by this timeless classic. 

Chamilia’s Beauty and the Beast collection launched in 2017. The Disney x Chamilia collaboration included bracelet charms, rings, earrings and pendants. Belle’s rose was the main feature but characters such as Cogsworth, Lumiere, Chip and Mrs Potts also made an appearance. 

This sterling silver pendant is shaped like a book - Belle loved reading.  It has Belle’s rose on one side and “A Tale as Old as Time” inscribed on  the other. The bale has Disney Chamilia stamped on it. The necklace is sterling silver and has a tiny Chamilia tag attached to the fastener. It is packaged in a Chamilia drawer style gift box. 

Beauty And The Reclusive Billionaire (True Love Mills & Boon) is inspired by the timeless classic, Beauty and the Beast.  Catherine and Alaric were childhood friends who drifted apart and haven’t seen each other in 10 years. Catherine now goes by Kitty and is a famous LA actress. Alaric, however, has had a terrible accident and has hidden himself away on a private Greek island. Kitty is going through some emotional and physical trauma and Alaric’s sister suggests she goes to the island to recover.  The chemistry between them is still there and whilst Alaric acts like the angst ridden hero and Kitty is still struggling with the aftermath of her recent ordeals they start to heal together. This is very much a modern day Beauty and the Beast romance set in a beautiful island and of course there is a library!

To enter the competition all you need to do is fill in the compulsory Rafflecopter questions - you will get more entries if you fill them all in. 

Rafflecopter Link: a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules:

Must fulfil the compulsory Rafflecopter requirements;

Competition is open worldwide;

Competition opens on July 17 2025

Competition closed on August 17 2025

Good Luck 

Rachael Stewart: Romance Rocks

Rachael Stewart is an author who can be found in the romance genre. Her books can be anything from tame to explicit but they are all fun and enjoyable reads. She mainly writes for Mills & Boon but with the advent of Kindle Unlimited and expansion of online self publishing,  her raunchier reads can be found there! I chose to write a blog post about this author as I subscribed to her newsletter and now receive not only e-books to read but she also highlights books from authors who fall into similar genres. 

As you can see below I have been reviewing her novels since 2020 and reading her books since I invested in a kindle back in 2012. Apart from a few duds I really enjoy her work and if you choose to subscribe to her website or download her books I hope that you do to! 

Book Reviews:

Mr One-Night Stand 

Naughty or Nice 

What Happens at the Beach

Reluctant Bride's Baby Bombshell

Fake Fling with the Billionaire

Website: Here

As she is a romance author and Beauty and the Beast is the ultimate timeless romance,  I decided to offer this Chamilia Beauty and the Beast, A Tale as Old my as Time, sterling silver pendant as this month’s blog prize. Rachael Stewart is donating an ebook of her True Love romantic novel Beauty And The Reclusive Millionaire, as it was inspired by this timeless classic. 

Book Review: The Virgin's Dance With The Devil, (The Martinelli Wedding Book 3) by Michelle Smart

The Virgin's Dance With The Devil is the third novel in The Martinelli Wedding Series written by Michelle Smart. I have read the first two novels through Kindle Unlimited (as can this book) but I was kindly gifted this novel by the author. 

Set in Italy, at Niccolo and Sienas’ wedding Marisa Rossellini (the virgin) and Federico Esposito were both in attendance as Rico was was the bride’s brother, Marisa’s sister’s husband the groom’s brother. At 25 Marisa is still a virgin, is a devout Catholic and lives at home helping her family take care of her father. Rico is the stereotypical Italian millionaire male. Women flock round him and he he is used to women saying yes. 

He and his brothers make a bet that he can sleep with Marisa, but during their 4 month romance they fall in love. Will the relationship and their HEA collapse when she finds out the truth? 

I liked that although this book can be read as a standalone novel, it also carried on storylines and included characters from the previous novels. There wasn’t just brief mentions of the characters, they weren’t just an afterthought to link the books but had definite parts to play in both their own and Rico and Marisas’ story. The novel also set the scene and introduced the characters for the final novel which I thought was an interesting way to get readers attention and preorder it (as I have done). The letters between Rico and Marisa was a nice touch.

Both characters are relatable and likeable. Marisa’s family has both financial and health issues  and she works a normal job whilst helping her mum care for her dad. She is a very strong character capable of saying no and walking away, which is unusual for a romance novel. Rico is the stereotypical Italian male who meets his match and loses as by the end it is Marisa that is in control of the narrative of how their storyline will end which again does not follow the formulaic storyline but makes the book more fresh and new.

Despite the lack of sex for the first half of the novel, there was off the scale chemistry between the two main characters. I also enjoyed that although Marisa was described as a devout “unicorn virgin” she is a very strong character, who by the end of the novel could have easily walked away. 

I was gifted this book but this does not affect my review. 

Review: LittleSilverHedgehog Silver Hedgehog Earrings

 

These silver hedgehog earrings became internet and TV famous last year when cheap copies appeared on Shein and Aliexpress Link. The copies don’t come anywhere close to the original but do have a gothic appeal, but only if you are willing to put something  through your ear without knowing what it is!  They have now been removed from sale and the originals can be found on LSH’s Etsy page. 

I selected the hedgehog earrings with pink cubic zirconia eyes (£55). The hedgehogs are sculpted by hand and are made from solid silver and measure 1.3x1cm. They hang from sterling silver wire hooks. There are matching items available. A portion of the profits goes to supporting Emma’s hedgehog rescue, so you are wearing a hedgehog to help save them! 

I love these earrings and would love to keep them for myself but unfortunately I have developed a silver allergy so cannot wear them. They would languish in my jewellery box and they deserve to be worn and admired so keep an eye on my X account- @susan1375 for a competition coming in July 2025.

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own. 

Book Review: The Ruins in Which We Bleed: A Gripping Holocaust Novel Inspired by a Heartbreaking True Story (World War II Historical Fiction Book 3) By Steve N Lee

The Ruins in Which We Bleed is written by Steve N Lee and is the third novel in his Holocaust series - they are all inspired by true stories. 

In this novel, Helena (a 16 year old girl) and her mother are trapped in a Warsaw Jewish ghetto. during World War 2 and the invasion of Poland by the Nazis. Each page of the novel describes the suffering, starvation and fear that they go through on a daily basis. The ghetto is a hell hole and people struggle to survive. Helena’s story is heartbreaking as she has lost her teenage years, family, friends and neighbours just because as they are Jewish, the Nazi see them as lesser, worthless beings.

I can’t say I enjoyed this book because the storyline is so sad, showing how low humanity is prepared to go to “win”. Each page reveals the Nazi’s hatred and determination to wipe out fellow human beings whilst the ghetto residents are struggling just to survive whilst still maintaining their humanity and caring for others. 

I couldn’t read more than a chapter at a time as the storyline is relentless. The fact that that this is based on a true story made it even harder to get through. Helena’s devotion to Sparkle and the baby boy in the underground shelter, for example, showed on the one hand how the characters retained their humanity and caring selves but also how sometimes they had to do something they never imagined they would have to do in order to survive the nightmare that had become their life. 

The book is beautifully written. The author doesn’t focus on describing the blood and gore, he lets the reader think about it by, for example, only briefly mentioning someone falling from a roof when set alight. He focuses on the characters and how their characters are shaped as they struggle to survive. The characters aren’t relatable as none of us will (hopefully) ever go through anything as traumatic as living/ existing in a ghetto but they do draw the reader in to feel for them and hope that life gets better in the next few pages of the book. 

I didn’t “enjoy” this book or read it in one sitting but that is because the storyline, whilst perfectly paced and planned out, is just so heartbreakingly sad. There are no real winners in war, there is just death and destruction and even though Helena’s story is set (and the real life version took place) over 80 years ago, it still feels like I was reading about her life in real time and it was happening as I read the book. 

I was lucky enough to be gifted this novel but I will download the two other novels in the series to read over the summer (they are currently available on Kindle Unlimited).

I was gifted this book but this does not affect my review. 

Review: Hanging Heart for Ornaments & Mini Terrariums

 

These iron hanging hearts can be found on both eBay and Amazon and can be purchased as sets or just single items. The iron hook stand is easy to store. The bottom of the stand just twists off the the two pieces can be stores flat. The stand measures 23x22x12cm and is a matte black so won’t take away from the main feature which will be the hanging ornament. I like to use this stand when taking pictures of hanging ornaments as I can edited out the stand and just leave the ornament as the central visual element. 

I have an expensive Disney hanging ornament holder which is forever falling over and will not hold certain heavier ornaments. The heart design means that the ornament/terrarium hangs from the middle so balance is easier to maintain.  This design is sturdier,  more substantial and doesn’t tip over. The downside of the heart shape means that certain larger items don’t fit inside it. 

I like this stand for smaller Disney hanging ornaments. It is minimalistic and a pack of 5 on either Amazon or eBay is around £12.

I purchased this item myself and the views expressed in this blog are my own.