Finding Santa: Almost a Billionaire Series, Book One by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: Clean


 
After Mary's mom left her family to pursue a career-as a trucker!-Mary vowed she'd never repeat her parents' mistakes, even if it meant never having any children of her own. Her resolve destroyed her last relationship, but she's over it. She fills her time with work and volunteering. Mary runs an enormous Christmas charity called Sub-for-Santa.

Her life lacks nothing, or so she thinks, until a strikingly handsome master electrician named Luke doggedly pursues her, convincing her to hazard a first date.

Contemporary romance isn't my usual genre. I usually like my romances to be of the historic variety, but after reading Bridget E. Baker's YA trilogy Sins of Our Ancestors, I liked her writing style quite a lot, so I decided to give this one a try. It also helped that it's a Christmas romance that immediately reminded me of a Hallmark Christmas movie when I read the description.

Overall I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I think it even tops the YA trilogy. Maybe it's because this is about adults, and I've recently been leaning toward adult reads over YA ones. Whatever the reason I found this a nice cozy Christmas read with characters that were very likeable. I did have a hard time relating to Mary's love for preparing taxes (Ick! Definitely not my thing.) But I loved her devotion to her friends and family and her love of giving to children in need.

My one complaint would be that things were tied up just a little bit too neatly for me. There was one thing that Luke was able to do concerning a house that I thought was a little too much, but that's a small thing compared to how entertaining this was. There is going to be a sequel and I will definitely read it. I'm guessing it's going to be more of a companion book, and I'm already betting I know who it will feature. I guess I'll find out.

Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Dark Minds by Michelle Diener

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance, Space Opera
Content: Strong Language, Sexual Situations, A sex scene that happens mostly off page.

 
Imogen Peters knows she's a pawn. She's been abducted from Earth, held prisoner, and abducted again. So when she gets a chance at freedom, she takes it...

Captain Camlar Kalor expected to meet an Earth woman on his current mission. Instead, he and Imogen are thrown together as prisoners in the hold of a Class 5 battleship. When he works out she's not the woman who sparked his mission, but another abductee, Cam realizes his investigation just got a lot more complicated...

Imogen's out of her depth in this crazy mind game playing out all around her. But she's good at mind games. She's been playing them since she was abducted. Guess they should have left her minding her own business back on Earth…

This last book in the Class 5 companion series was on par with the others. Imogen and Cam where both likable characters, and we get to revisit the couples from the other two books. I liked seeing all three women interact and bond with each other, but honestly I didn't feel like there was much difference in the characters or story lines of any of these books. The most distinct characters where in the first book Dark Horse. Sazo and Rose are still the best characters in the whole trilogy. I just feel like maybe the author lost some originality after that and went on repeat a bit.

Here are some examples of how much alike these books are:

-The kidnapped women are all from earth. This in itself is not a bad thing, but they are
not very distinguishable from one another to me. There were little differences in them, but not enough.

-They each end up developing a special bond with one of the A.I.s from a Class 5 ship, and this in turn sets into motion actions that are very similar in each story.

-The love interests in each of the books are also all of the same race. Each of these women fall in love with one of the Grih, a race that is very elf-like in appearance. I think it would have been more interesting if they had each fallen in love with someone from a different alien race.

-There is also this whole thing about one of the alien races holding music - singing in particular - as almost sacred in this trilogy, because few of them can actually sing themselves. That aspect came into play yet again in this book. When I finished the second book I thought it would be great if one of these earth women would end up being completely tone deaf and maybe they would cringe when they heard her try to sing, haha. Needless to say that didn't happen. What a lost opportunity, although the musical performance at the end of the book was nice. I often found the choice of songs they sang to be somewhat amusing and odd.

All in all this series was a mildly enjoyable, but mediocre read. If you like space romance and are looking for something light to fill the time between heavier reads then by all means give this series a try. It's not bad, it just skims the surface of being good.

The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Small amount of strong language



Riyria's job appears easy: discover what happened to the missing duchess and, if she lives, bring her home . . . if not, punish those responsible. But nothing is simple in the crowded, narrow, mist-filled streets of Rochelle, where more than one ancient legend lurks.

This was such a fun read. The story line and the mystery surrounding the city of Rochelle was good and Genny, the duchess was such a likable character. I was rooting for her the whole time and hoping she would get rescued and that the duke really did love her. I won't spoil what happens though.

What I loved the most about this book were the secondary characters. From Genny to Evelyn Hemsworth (I absolutely loved every scene that woman was in, and Royce's reaction to her cracked me up), they were all so very well written. I laughed out loud quite a few times while reading this. Plus the banter between Royce and Hadrian is always entertaining. I cannot think of another book duo that I love more, although Wax and Wayne from Mistborn era 2 come close.

The Death of Dulgath had some nice references to the Legends of the First Empire series and it seemed as though this book hinted at things from the new "bridge series" that is currently being written. I'm excited to see where that series goes. There was one thread left hanging at the end of this book that I'm dying to know more about. Here's hoping we find out more in the next book.

I must say that I'm sad to be caught up on all the Riyria books now, but so glad I read them at the same time. I'm looking forward to reading more in the future.

November 2018 Book Club: The Power

The Power by Naomi Alderman

My rating: 1 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, Rape, Attempted Rape, Sex



Suddenly - tomorrow or the day after - girls find that with a flick of their fingers, they can inflict agonizing pain and even death. With this single twist, the four lives at the heart of Naomi Alderman's extraordinary, visceral novel are utterly transformed, and we look at the world in an entirely new light.

What if the power to hurt were in women's hands?

The Power was our book club book this month. It's set in an alternate world where suddenly women get this power to shock other people. The explanation behind how and why this happens is flimsy at best. This book didn't work for me for more than one reason. First I disliked the fact that this book feels like reading snippets from the news instead of being one continual story. I didn't care for any of the characters either, and I also don't enjoy revenge type stories and I feel like this is that type of story. Honestly I feel like this book is just incredibly silly, and that's sad because I think the author could have written something on the subject in a much better way.

My Goodreads friend Scott echoes a lot of what I think about this book in his review, especially when it comes to how men are portrayed in the book. You can read his review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2509607340?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1 .

Needless to say, I will probably not be reading anything else by this author.

The Bride of Ivy Green by Julie Klassen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian
Genre: Historical Romance
Content: Clean



Much has happened in idyllic Ivy Hill in recent months, and while several villagers have found new love and purpose, questions remain--and a few dearly held dreams have yet to be fulfilled.

This is the last book in the Tales From Ivy Hill trilogy and I was looking forward to reading it all year. I didn't like this one quite as much as the two previous books in the trilogy. It seemed like there was less time spent on each character which was probably due to the fact that there were so many to cover in this book. I still enjoyed reading about them all though, especially Mercy and Jane. I think the real drawback of this book was that everything was tied up too neatly for me. It would have been more relatable if some characters would have been allowed to not have a happily ever after.

One thing I really enjoyed was the author's note at the end of the book where she reveals that the inspiration for Ivy Hill was the town of Lacock in England. It was nice to read her perspective of the town and look at her photos (you can find them at https://www.talesfromivyhill.com/) since I had also been there and loved it. I'll miss this series a lot, but I'm looking forward to reading whatever Julie Klassen writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House Publishers for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an review.

Some of my pictures of Lacock:

Redeemed by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Post Apacolyptic
Content: Clean


 
Seventeen year old Ruby Behl never expected to be thrust into a position of power. But so much has changed in the past few months, she’s prepared to accept the responsibility.

When a vicious attack accelerates the Tercera virus, Ruby and her friends have less than a week to find the cure, prevent the Cleanse, and rescue her aunt from execution.

I enjoyed this conclusion to the Sins of Our Ancestors trilogy. This is a post-apocalyptic with teen romance thrown in, so if you like that sort of thing you will probably like this series. There were a few little things that niggled at me, like the over protective nature of the love interest, but he never went so far with it that he didn't respect Ruby's wishes so I could over look that. In general I liked him.

There were some repetitive things that happened in the series as a whole. There is a lot of traveling from place to place, and I kind of felt like it got a little old after a while. And Ruby and her friends tended to get captured a lot, which I thought happened a little too often. Mostly though I liked this book and the series overall was good, and I liked that not everything was wrapped up too neatly in the end. There were a couple of deaths that made me sad but needed to happen to balance things out.

Something I liked about this series is the way the author describes the scientific research for creating the virus and finding the cure. I'll admit I am not a scientist and never did that well in science in school, but the way it was written made it feel somewhat plausible to me instead of just coming out of nowhere.

This series was a quick, fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Mild Cursing


Are Nova and Adrian each other’s worst nightmare?

In Renegades, Nova and Adrian (aka Insomnia and Sketch) fought the battle of their lives against the Anarchist known as the Detonator. It was a short-lived victory.

The Anarchists still have a secret weapon, one that Nova believes will protect her. The Renegades also have a strategy for overpowering the Anarchists, but both Nova and Adrian understand that it could mean the end of Gatlon City – and the world – as they know it.

I was really excited to finally get to read this book. I liked the first book Renegades quite a lot and couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. That being said, this book was a bit of a let down for me. There was so much potential for the characters in this book, and I think had this series remained a duology as it was originally intended instead of being turned into a trilogy, it would have probably been better. This book definitely has middle book syndrome, and not a whole lot really happened.

"We are so much stronger and better when we put our energy into creating things, not destroying them.”

One of the things I was hoping to see in this book was character growth, especially for Nova. The above quote from the book is one thing I was hoping she would come to see as an important truth. There are opportunities galore for her to change her point of view even just a little, but none of those opportunities are capitalized on. There were a couple of times I thought she would have an eye-opening moment, but unfortunately Nova just stubbornly refuses to see things any way but the way she wants to see them. This made me like her a lot less than I did in the first book.

On the other hand, I continue to like Adrian just as much as before. I do feel like he could have grown more as a character as well, but his powers are explored more here and I liked that part of the book. He's the only character besides Max -- who is stuck in a quarantined environment -- that seems interested in developing and experimenting with his powers. I was pretty impressed with Adrian's abilities. The forest was amazing. Overall though we learn nothing new about any of the characters in the book and that was disappointing. I also wanted to know if there was more to the deaths of Nova's family than meets the eye, and I wanted to know more about the death of Adrian's mother, but we still get nothing.

There were a couple of battles in the book that could have been better if most of the characters would  use their powers to their potential. For example, there are so many cool things Ruby could do with her blood that she never thinks of doing. Why not make some body armor with it for one thing? And the Renegade teams are so unevenly put together. One team has tons of muscle, while another team consists of a too many characters with weaker abilities and no muscle to back them up. It just didn't really seem like that aspect of the book was very well thought out.

In the end I liked this but didn't love it but I will definitely read the last book in the trilogy.

Let the Dead Keep Their Secrets by Rosemary Simpson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong Language


 
Childbirth can be dangerous even for the wealthy. So when opera singer Claire Buchanan shows Prudence and Geoffrey a postmortem cabinet photograph of her deceased twin sister and newborn niece, they express sadness but not surprise. The popular black-bordered portraits are the era's way of coping with the devastating losses that plague every family. What makes this death different is that Claire is convinced Catherine and her child were murdered.

This is the third book I've read in this series and unfortunately I've found that the books have become less and less interesting. I really loved What the Dead Leave Behind and I thought Lies That Comfort and Betray was good but not as good as the previous book. This book is a distant third. The main reason for this is the fact that there is little to no mystery in this book. We know who murders whom and even why pretty much from the start. Add to that Prudence being stupidly reckless in the name of independence and it just made for a disappointing read. Sorry Prudence but if you want to be taken seriously stop doing stupid things and use your brain a little bit more.

One thing I've been waiting to develop more is the relationship between Prudence and Geoffrey. After three books of almost no movement on that front, it does look like maybe that will change in book four. I really hope so because I found the characters and relationships rather boring in this book. They all just seemed a little cardboard here, which shouldn't be the case after three books. I'm not giving up on this series yet, but I'm less enthused about it now.

Like the previous two books in the series, this one inspired a couple of web searches. This time around it was Mullett's Monstrosity -- the post office building that stood in New York City during that time period, and postmortem cabinet photography -- what a weird and rather macabre fad from that time period.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for a review.

The Ember Blade by Chris Wooding

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language



A land under occupation. A legendary sword. A young man's journey to find his destiny.

Having previously read Chris Wooding's Ketty Jay series and finding it quite the fun read, I was looking forward to reading this. I'll start by saying that this book is completely different from the Ketty Jay series, but that's not a bad thing at all. This is more in the vein of classic fantasy with the sword, the quest to find it, and the champion who will wield it in order to save his people. Those are all things that have been done over and over before in fantasy, so I wouldn't say there is a lot new here, but the characters where all interesting; from Garric the tortured 'hero' with an axe to grind; to Aren the boy he hates, but saves; to Vika the Druid; to Grub the comic relief. Every character has an interesting story and I loved just about all of them. There are other characters I could mention, but you should really just read the book to find out about them all.

There were a few moments in the book that reminded me of The Lord of the Rings. One character has a very Gandalf moment, and I thought that was quite fun. My only real criticisms of the book are that it is slightly longer than I thought it needed to be. It felt like it took forever to get the end and I was ready for it to end at around the 80 percent mark. Also, as I mentioned already, there is nothing really new here. If you like traditional fantasy with a few dark tones added to it then you will probably really like this. I am going to continue on with this series, because I enjoyed it quite a lot.

The Death of Dulgath by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: fantasy
Content: Small amount of Strong Language



Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane.

I absolutely loved this third book in the Riyria Chronicles. I've taken my time reading these, and I'm glad I have because I love being in this world with Royce and Hadrian. I'll be reading the next book in the series next month and I'm hoping there will be more. I really don't want it to be over!

I loved that the first two books in this series focused on the origins of Royce, Hadrian, and several other prominent characters in the Riyria Revelations series, but I also loved that this book was all about Royce and Hadrian on a job. There were so many scenes in the book that made me smile, especially the ones in the bar. The situations they got themselves into and out of where all entertaining. The best part is always finding out how they will get themselves out of them.

There were some nice surprises that relate to the Legends of the First Empire series, and I'm glad I read all the available books in that one first. It's been an interesting experience reading this middle series after reading the other two as there are things that relate to both past and future in these. At this point I probably don't even need to say that I'm looking forward to reading anything else Michael J. Sullivan writes. It's just a given.

The Fade by Demitria Lunetta

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Paranormal, Mystery, Ghost Story
Content: Strong Language



We don't want to disappear.
We want to be found.

Something terrible happened in her basement. Haley can feel it.

Four girls went missing several years ago, and the police never solved the case. But Haley knows the missing girls were murdered. How else can she explain the hostile presence in her house?

Since it's October I've been wanting to read something creepy. The Fade is a stand-alone ghost story that I thought would be perfect for reading around Halloween. Unfortunately it wasn't as creepy as I would have liked. The story is a slow burn, and I would have liked more happening earlier on in the book. When the twist came I did find myself surprised by it to an extent, but not completely, because of the book description. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm not going to say anything else about the plot. If you want to be completely surprised about this book then I would avoid reading the full description as it compares this book to a couple of other stories that would be a dead giveaway -no pun intended there. I will say that after the twist I found myself going back and rereading part of the book with that new perspective in mind. This is a short book, so it didn't really take that long to read even with the back tracking. I can't say I completely liked the way things turned out in this book, especially the last revelation about a certain someone, but it was good enough to give 3 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

October 2018 Book Club: Bones of the Dragon

Bones of the Dragon by Margaret Weis

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Strong Language



Skylan Ivorson is a sea-raider of the Vindras and eventually becomes the Chief of Chiefs of all Vindras clans, an honor he truly feels he deserves as one who has been blessed by Skoval, the god of war.

But sometimes a blessing is a curse in disguise.

DNF @50%

This was our book club book this month and I'm pretty disappointed in it. I really enjoyed The Dragonlance Chronicles and The Deathgate Cycle but unfortunately Weis and Hickman did not win me over with this one. The biggest problem I have with this book is that I hate just about every one of the characters, especially the main character, Skylan, which is sad because I really love the characters in their other book series.

Skylan is just dumb in my opinion. He's like the big dumb jock that has an inflated ego. And when it comes to women he thinks like a narcissistic sexual predator. For example, he wants this one woman in the book and refuses to see that she doesn't want him. He convinces himself that she really does want him even though she doesn't and has never given him reason to think that she does. This is the worst character they've written since Mina from the War of Souls. I hated that character so much I wanted her to die a horrible death and that's how I feel about Skylan. This is just one example of why I dislike him, but it was one reason too many. I've heard he improves greatly in the next book, but I just don't care.

I also really hated what was done with another character in the book that started out sympathetic because of her abusive situation, but then she ends up not being so sympathetic and it felt like the book was trying to justify Skylan's awful opinion of her and the way she looks. Also the hairy nipples...what did I just read??? Sorry but I don't even want to try to explain that. Needless to say I will not be continuing on with this series.

Toxic by Lydia Kang

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Horror, Romance
Content: Strong language, Non-descriptive teen sex, Two gruesome deaths



Cyclo, the first and largest biological ship of its kind, is dying. A small crew of mercenaries have handed over the rights to their life to document the death of the ship, but the abandoned ship is anything but abandoned―one girl has been left behind. 

This is kind of a sci-fi, horror, romance mashup. There were some things about it that I really liked, like the whole organic living spaceship thing, and the mysterious girl that was left behind when the crew evacuated. But then there were things that annoyed me, like the teen romance with 16 year olds having sex and falling in love after only knowing each other for a short time. Insta-love is not my thing. That pretty much ruined the book for me, but I'm still giving it 3 stars because the other aspects of the book were very well done.

The reason I'm calling this book part horror is because there are things that go awry on the ship. I don't want to spoil anything so I'm not giving any details, but this leads to more than one death. There were a couple of pretty gruesome deaths in this book, they kind of surprised me because the book seemed pretty mild up until that point. Overall I was a little disappointed in this one, but it wasn't a bad read. I probably would have enjoyed this a lot more if the romance had been toned down. If you like sci-fi type horror stories, and teen romance then you might want to give it a try.

Thanks to NetGalley and Entangled Publishing for providing me with an ARC of this bok in exchange for a review.

The Dream Gatherer by Kristen Britain

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Clean



This book consists of three stories related to the world that Green Rider is set in. One thing I really liked about this book is the author tells how the Green Rider series began and came to be published. The book also includes some of her own drawings that relate to each story. I enjoyed these stories quite a bit, especially the main one that the book is titled after. I'll put my reviews for each individual story below.

Wishwind

Finding peace during the Long War. Raised in an orphan camp, Green Rider Danalong has known only war and strife, until a shipwreck leaves him stranded on a mysterious island.

3 stars. This is a short story and I liked it a lot. I found it a little hard to get into a first, but by the middle of the story I was really enjoying it and I loved the conclusion and the lesson taught.

Linked, on the Lake of Souls

A story of friendship within a story of friendship. In the sixth volume of the Green Rider series, Firebrand, a wounded Karigan G'ladheon asks her friend Estral to tell her a story to take her mind off her pain. This is that story.

3.5 stars. Another short story, I liked the strong bond of friendship and how the characters used their individual strengths to work together.

The Dream Gatherer

Dreams can be dangerous. A visit with the eccentric Berry sisters turns dangerous when an arcane device is discovered in their house that can summon dreamers through their dreams, and one of them is a nightmare.

4 stars. I adore the Berry sisters and was really happy that this novella was about them. We start out with a little back story of the ship that's stuck in the house and one pirate that they find who has been secretly still living there. The gorgeous cover art is of the house from this story and I think the artist did a great job depicting it. This story features Estral, Karigan's best friend and I enjoyed reading about her as well. This was quite the fun read and I really don't think I could ever get enough of the Berry sisters. Here's hoping Kristen Britain writes more about them one day.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with and ARC of this book.

Suppressed by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Content: Clean



A blood-borne virus requires a blood-born cure, but can Ruby survive saving everyone else?

I was really excited to read this second book in the Sins of Our Ancestors trilogy. Ruby barely escapes from Galveston and joins up with the Marked to try to develop a cure. Unfortunately her escape comes at a high cost. The loss of someone important and the loss of her father's last journal, which holds the key to developing the cure. I was delighted to see that the Marked have a major base in my home city of Baton Rouge in this book. I knew exactly where they were and it was easy to picture the setting changed to a post-apocalyptic one.

Wesley plays a much bigger role this time around and I like him quite a lot, and there ended up being a few parts involving Wesley that I thought were amusing. I can't say that I like him as much as Sam, but I like him in a different way, and it was fun to read and see the differences in the two characters and the strengths they each bring individually to the story, and how they each have helped Ruby through this.

That being said, the love triangle is a negative for me in this book. It didn't bother me in the last book, but unfortunately this time around it became a bit of an annoyance. Ruby ends up a bit conflicted about her feelings here. I like ruby but this did cause me to have some conflicting feelings about her, but at the same time she is a teenage girl who never had a romantic relationship in her life before, so I can see that perspective of it as well. On a positive note - I was extremely happy when she realized she shouldn't be blaming herself for so many things that weren't her fault, but it did take a long while for her to get there.

The book ends with Ruby left in a situation that she is not happy about, but it's not a cliffhanger at all. Although I didn't like this one quite as much as the first book, I thought it was still very good. I'm looking forward to reading the final book in the trilogy, and I'll definitely be looking for more from this author in the future.

Thanks to the author for proving me with an ARC in exchange for a review.

An Hour Unspent by Roseanna M. White

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult, Christian
Genre: Historical Romance, Mystery
Content: Clean



Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

This third and final book in the Shadows Over England companion series was just as entertaining as the previous two books. Roseanna M. White has become one of my favorite Christian romance authors. I love the historical settings of her books and the added mystery involved in each of them. This series involved spies during World War I. She makes sure to include little bits of history in each of her books, including real people from history who make appearances.

My one problem with this book, just like most historical romance, is that there is a silly thing that breaks the couple up for a while. It's always either a lie or a misunderstanding. This time around it was a lie that was believed way too easily. I began to dislike the character Evelina to an extent at this point, and it took until the end of the book for me to really like her again. I do wish that authors would come up with some other way to create drama in their romance stories. On the other hand I loved Barclay throughout the book. It was really nice to get to read his story this time around.

Other than that I thought this was a good ending to the series. All three books included themes that I found interesting. The first book was about books -so that was a given- and the second one was about music. This time around it's clocks and mechanical inventions. I liked the clock-maker aspect of the book and all of the toys and things he invented, and the invention of the synchronization gear for the bi-planes during the war was a good plot devise. This time around, the historical figure we meet is the inventor of the Rolex watch. We see the beginnings of the use and popularity of the wristwatch, an idea that was embraced by the military because of its ease of use during wartime.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Rose and the Thorn by Michael J. Sullivan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Some brutal killings



For more than a year Royce Melborn has tried to forget Gwen DeLancy, the woman who saved him and his partner Hadrian Blackwater from certain death. Unable to get her out of his mind, the two thieves return to Medford but receive a very different reception --- Gwen refuses to see them.

I really enjoyed this second book in the Riyria Chronicles (the prequel series to the Riyria Revelations). It's always good to be back with Royce and Hadrian, but I also really loved the other characters in the book as well. It was nice seeing Hilfred, Arista, Alric, and the Pickerings as young teens. The frog hunting scene was one of my favorite parts of the whole book.

On another note, I was completely surprised at how dark Royce was in this book, and how far he went to exact revenge on someone. I mean, I knew he was an assassin who had killed people, but this was worse than I thought. I'm still a bit stunned.

I'm looking forward to continuing on with this series. I really can never get enough of these characters.

Culinary Mysteries

Do any of you like reading culinary mysteries? A friend of mine on Goodreads has created a great resource for them. I'm pretty sure she has every one ever written on there! Check out her website. https://culinarymysteries.net/

Murder on Millionaires' Row: A Mystery by Erin Lindsey

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Mystery, Paranormal
Content: A small amount of strong language



Rose Gallagher might dream of bigger things, but she’s content enough with her life as a housemaid. After all, it’s not every girl from Five Points who gets to spend her days in a posh Fifth Avenue brownstone, even if only to sweep its floors. But all that changes on the day her boss, Mr. Thomas Wiltshire, disappears.

Having previously read Erin Lindsey's fantasy Bloodbound, I was curious to see what she would do with a mystery. It also intrigued me that this book included a paranormal element. The result was an engrossing start to a new series. Set in New York during the Gilded Age, Rose is a maid who longs for something more. She also has a huge crush on her employer Mr. Wiltshire, and when he goes missing she sets out to investigate his disappearance. The story includes several other interesting characters. Most noteworthy is Clara the cook, who harbors some secret skills and may have dreams of something more herself. I felt like the story moved a little slower than I would have liked, but I loved the plucky Rose, her employer Mr. Wiltshire, and the cook Clara.

Just as I hoped, the paranormal element was an interesting addition to the historical mystery. I thought it was incorporated into the story pretty well. At the end of the book we are left with a mystery to solve that relates to a ghost in this story. I'm expecting her to show up in at least one more book in the series, but I'm curious to see how other ghosts and possibly other types of creatures will play a role in future books.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Remnant Chronicles: The Kiss of Deception, The Heart of Betrayal, and The Beauty of Darkness

I started reading The Remnant Chronicles right when the first book was released and I really loved it.  Now that I've read the last book in the trilogy I'm adding my reviews for all three books here. If you like YA fantasy with romance then give it a try.




The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Content: It's been a while so I can't remember



The Kingdom of Morrighan is steeped in tradition and the stories of a bygone world, but some traditions Lia can't abide. Like having to marry someone she's never met to secure a political alliance. So she flees on her wedding day. She settles in among the common folk, intrigued when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her.

I don't usually like love triangles in YA novels, but this one was different. The Kiss of Deception is mainly about Lia, but we also get the perspective of the prince she has run away from and the assassin who has been sent to kill her. After we get to the point where she meets them both, not knowing who they are, this story does something interesting. We as readers are not told which is which and are left to figure it out. Every time I decided I knew which one the prince was and which one the assassin was, I soon realized I still wasn't sure. This really kept me turning the pages.

It's soon apparent who Lia is going to fall for, even though we don't know if he is the prince or the assassin. I was really rooting for one over the other and hoping he was who I wanted him to be. I thought all of the characters in this were really well drawn. I thought a bit more world building could have been done initially on the background of the world, but overall I thought this was very well done. It ends with two people in a very sticky situation, but the ending is also really sweet at the same time.





The Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Content: From what I remember it's clean



“For we must not just be ready, for the enemy without, but also for the enemy within.”

While The Kiss of Deception was focused a lot on romance this second book in the series really turned up the volume on the tension and intrigue. While I still like The Kiss of Deception better, The Heart of Betrayal was every bit as good. This was one of the strongest second books in a series I've read. The book started pretty much where the last book ended. What I found interesting about this book is that Lia becomes quite adept at deception. Something she was very angry at both Rafe and Kaden about in the last book. This deception leads to the betrayal that the title alludes to.

While I love Rafe, and was happy to read the chapters from his perspective, I felt like we got to know Kaden more than we got to know Rafe in this book, so hopefully we get into Rafe's head more in book three. This book was at times heartbreaking, and with the way things were left at the end I was really eager to know what happens next.





The Beauty of Darkness by Mary E. Pearson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
Content: A couple of sex scenes. One non-descriptive, the other a bit more-so, but not graphic in any way, An attempted rape.


“I left and went to the roof, where it was only me, a thousand blinking stars, and the beauty of darkness stretched to the ends of the universe, snuffing out the endless games of courts and kingdoms.”

I loved the first two books in this series and I was really eager to read this one when it was published, but somehow life got in the way, and an endless stack of books that I was obligated to read, and so this book got lost in the shuffle for two whole years. It also probably didn't help that I seem to have a bit of an aversion to actually finishing trilogies I start. I'm blaming it on the fact that I really do not like endings. But now that I've finished it, I'm so glad that I finally got around to reading this book. For the most part I liked it. There were some frustrating times, especially involving Lia and Rafe, but I can happily say that it ended well for all of the characters I came to love. I do feel like a novella with a certain couple and a baby would be a wonderful idea. I would like to see how that story unfolds.

This book was less focused on individual characters and more focused on conflict and the world as a whole, which was a departure from the two previous books, but somehow it worked for me. There were of course the issues I usually have with YA books where the characters seem older and more experienced that they should, and I did feel like there were some things that happened too easily with the end battle, a couple of which were not all that realistic to me, but overall this was a good YA fantasy-romance trilogy and I'm looking forward to reading the spin-off series set in the same world. As far as I know none of the characters from series are featured in it, but who knows, maybe we will run into a few of them in cameo appearances.

September 2018 Book Club: The Madness Season

The Madness Season by C.S. Friedman

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, fantasy
Content: Strong Language
 

This was our book club read for September, and this book is not something I would have picked up on my own, although the idea behind it sounded a bit intriguing. The main character, Daetrin has a secret that he is keeping from the alien race that conquered earth 300 years ago. He's a vampire type creature who has been alive for centuries. One day the aliens come and take him and he realizes he's been found out. This sets into motion a whole lot of events. I won't go into what they all are in my review, but I will say that at times I found this book interesting and likable, and at other times it was a dry and boring read. There were points where I skimmed text that did not further the plot.

I like the addition of the other alien races, especially the Mara. They were interesting to me and I kept reading, wanting to know more about them. I also wanted to know more about Daetrin and whether he was really a vampire or if his origins were from another alien race. To be honest I don't know if this was ever really answered in a clear concise way, but maybe I missed something. I did find myself zoning out a few times as I read and listened to this. I did like the resolution to the problem of the other aliens who had conquered earth, but was also a bit horrified by something that happened after that.

The most annoying thing about the book was the way the story jumped from one perspective to another, or back in time with no warning. There were characters I wanted to like and almost did, but unfortunately I never really felt much of a connection to any of them like I wanted to. I liked the very end, it even employed some humor, which was a surprise since this book was not really a humorous book. Overall this was just an ok read for me. I feel like there was a little too much going on in the story with the dystopian type world conquered by aliens, the vampire-like creatures, and plotting by other aliens.

A Monster Like Me by Pamela Sparkman

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Content: A brief scene that involves childhood rape



“I love the peculiar silence of shadows. They exist, but leave no mark.” 

Zeph had been a child, thrust into a war that wasn’t his. When he was older, he discovered he had landed on the wrong side of everything.

He’d been fighting for sweet revenge, because of lies he’d believed—and those lies proved to be his ruin. Falling into despair, Zeph decides living is too painful. So, he writes his final act with poison and chooses to end his story.

But Fate has other plans for Zeph and when he finds himself in the hands of his enemies, he has to decide: Does he want to live? Or does he want to die?

Or maybe that choice is no longer his to make.

Ruled by shadows and armed with secrets he never intended to share, Zeph will be put through his toughest battle yet: the war within himself.
 

When I read The Moon Shines Red. last year I was quite impressed with it. It really filled my need for a good historical fantasy with that fairy-tale type feel, so I was looking forward to reading this sequel. This time around the story is focused on Zeph, who was more of a villain type character in The Moon Shines Red. I mentioned that he was a really layered character in my review for that book, and that I could sympathize with him to an extent, so I was interested in seeing how he could be redeemed in this book. Also I wanted to know why he was the way he was. This book did not disappoint in that aspect at all. I got every answer I was looking for. Some of them were quite disturbing. Be warned there is a brief scene that involves childhood rape.

This is a story about love, forgiveness, and redemption and those are themes that I'm naturally drawn to in stories. It was nice to see Zeph grow from the tortured soul he was into someone at peace, able to love, and be loved by others. It was also nice to revisit Elin, Lochlin, Arwyn, and other characters that were in the first book. There is also the addition of a new character in this book that I liked, but wasn't really sure he was needed in the book. I guess that would be one of the criticisms I have about the book. The character just didn't really seem to go anywhere other than offer comfort to someone.

In the end I loved Zeph and his story. Maybe not as much as I loved The Moon Shines Red, but this was still very enjoyable.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author Pamela Sparkman for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Stars Uncharted by S.K. Dunstall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Space Opera
Content: Strong Language



Three people who are not who they claim to be:

Nika Rik Terri, body modder extraordinaire, has devoted her life to redesigning people's bodies right down to the molecular level. Give her a living body and a genemod machine, and she will turn out a work of art.

Josune Arriola is crew on the famous explorer ship the Hassim, whose memory banks contain records of unexplored worlds worth a fortune. But Josune and the rest of the crew are united in their single-minded pursuit of the most famous lost planet of all.

Hammond Roystan, the captain of the rival explorer ship, The Road, has many secrets. Some believe one of them is the key to finding the lost world.

They're in a race to find the lost world...and stay alive long enough to claim the biggest prize in the galaxy.


I had previously tried to read Linesmen by S.K Dunstall and while I liked it ok, it wasn't exciting enough for me. After reading the description of this book I decided to give S.K. Dunstall another chance, and I'm glad I did. This book kept me company into the wee hours of the night when I was sick with a cold and couldn't sleep. I found it very easy to read and I liked the characters a lot. The body modding was interesting. Think cosmetic surgery taken to the extreme. It's an art here. You can go into a machine and come out looking like a completely different person. I thought Nika was very indicative of what a cosmetic surgeon is probably like; always looking at people and thinking up ways to make them look different and 'better'. It's not really a good way to look at people, but it fit really well with the story.

Josune and Roystan were very likable and I liked the slight romance that was there. It was never too pronounced and was a nice touch to the story without becoming the focus. The mystery surrounding Roystan kept me reading and I feel like I should have figured it out sooner than I did.

The negatives for me were that I found it hard to believe most everyone couldn't figure out who Nika was, and also who Josune is later on in the story, but other than that I really have no complaints about the book. It was a nice, fun, stand-alone read that had just enough action for me and focused on the characters a lot, which I liked. The authors are planning to write a second book set in this world and I am planning on reading it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Magic Triumphs by Ilona Andrews

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, A Sex Scene, Some Gore



Kate and her father, Roland, currently have an uneasy truce, but when he starts testing her defenses again, she knows that sooner or later, a confrontation is inevitable. When a mysterious box is delivered to Kate's doorstep, a threat of war from the ancient enemy who nearly destroyed her family, she knows their time is up.

Kate Daniels sees no other choice but to combine forces with the unlikeliest of allies. She knows betrayal is inevitable. She knows she may not survive the coming battle. But she has to try.

For her child.

For Atlanta.

For the world.


Wow, what an ending to this series. I was a little apprehensive going in because I could see all kinds of tragedy on the horizon, but I enjoyed this book so much. It was better than the two previous books in the series and it was impossible to put down. I really can't think of a better ending to this series. It had just about everything I could have asked for, and reading about Kate as a mother to a toddler was laugh out loud funny at times. Speaking of funny there were so many lines in this book that had me cracking up. It was a good balance to the darkness of the rest of the story. I especially appreciated the references to book one at one point while Andrea is visiting with Kate.

The story skips forward two years for this book, and at first I wasn't sure what I thought about that, but it ended up being the right move. I like the direction the authors are taking for future books set in this world and I'm looking forward to reading them. I started reading this series when they were only 5 books into it and it's been a favorite series ever since. I've looked forward to each new book release so I will miss Kate and Curran, and the pack, and everyone else. If you like Urban Fantasy and you haven't tried this series yet, then you should really give it a try. The first book is the weakest book in the series, and even the authors have said they would probably rewrite it if they could, but I still liked it enough to keep reading the series.

Marked by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic
Content: Some mild cursing


If one touch can infect. . .

All Ruby Behl wants for her seventeenth birthday is a good career path match, and to kiss her best friend and long time crush, Wesley Fairchild. Unfortunately, the simplicity of teenage wishes evaporated a decade ago when the Tercera virus nearly wiped out the human race. Transmitted through touch, the slightest contact is prohibited in the safe haven community of Port Gibson.

Then a kiss is deadly. . .

An innocent game of Spin the Bottle, a rite of passage for Port Gibson’s teens, provides the opportunity Ruby’s been waiting for, but when Wesley winds up Marked, Ruby realizes her first kiss may also be her last.

Marked is the first book in a new YA post-apocalyptic trilogy and it was very hard to put down. I have to say that it's was one of the best self-published books I've ever read. In fact I really couldn't tell it was a self-published book. It didn't have a lot of the issues I've run into while reading most of them. The plot was good, there were no grammar or spelling issues that I noticed, and I felt like the characters were consistent.

As for the characters, for the most part I liked Ruby, although she annoyed me a few times with her self-loathing and headstrong behavior. Despite those weaknesses, she was a strong, independent thinker. I kind of liked that her strengths were not in physical strength or combat, but in other areas. I also felt like the love triangle was handled pretty well, and the fact that there was a love triangle in this book didn't annoy me at all, which was a relief, because sometimes they can be so bad. The guy who becomes the main love interest in the book was a bit over-protective at times, but at least he listened to her when she asked him not to do something, and I was also really happy when she called him out on some of his behavior. That's more than I can say for some of the adult characters I've read about in books (see my review of A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness for an example).

There were some nice twists in the book. I did predict a couple of them, but that was ok, it didn't make the book any less enjoyable. I recommend this if you like post-apocalyptic YA books. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the trilogy.

Thanks to the author for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery, Fantasy
Content: Strong Language (I think), Implied Sex 


How do you stop a murder that’s already happened?

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed—again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend—but nothing and no one is quite what they seem.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a mystery that crosses over a bit into the fantasy genre. The best way to describe it would be Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day, set in an Agatha Christie like novel. I don't think I've ever read a mystery quite like this.

After what I thought was a bit of a slow start (it seemed to take a while to find out who Evelyn Hardcastle was and how she fit into the story) I found it impossible to put down, and it kept me guessing the whole time. Every time I thought I knew what was going on something else got thrown in there that I didn't see coming.

"If this isn't hell, the devil is surely taking notes."

 

The story is set in a place called Blackheath and it really isn't what it seems. I really can't say much more in my review without spoiling things, but I thought this was a well written book. I really couldn't tell that this was a debut author. The story is well constructed with lots of bits and pieces that all come together very nicely in the end, and that can be hard to do in a time loop kind of story. I definitely recommend this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with an advanced copy of this book.

August 2018 Book Club: The Land: Founding

The Land: Founding by Aleron Kong

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Fantasy, LitRPG
Content: Strong Language (not sure about anything else)


Tricked into a world of banished gods, demons, goblins, sprites and magic, Richter must learn to meet the perils of The Land and begin to forge his own kingdom. Actions have consequences across The Land, with powerful creatures and factions now hell-bent on Richter's destruction.

Can Richter forge allegiances to survive this harsh and unforgiving world or will he fall to the dark denizens of this ancient and unforgiving realm?

I'm giving up on this one. I'm almost halfway through and it isn't so much the book as it is literary RPG just isn't for me. Although I find the book amusing there are only so many times I can read about someone going on a quest and leveling up. Maybe the quests get better, I don't know, but that alone just isn't enough for me. I need a deeper story with more in-depth characters. If there's another literary RPG out there that has those things I might be interested in trying again.

The Hallowed Ones and The Outside

Since I posted my review of the latest book by Laura Bickle I thought I would post my reviews of the YA duology that introduced me to her writing. This duology remains a favorite of mine in the supernatural horror genre.




The Hallowed Ones by Laura Bickle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Content: Non-descriptive sex between two teens, Strong Language


Katie is on the verge of her Rumspringa, the time in Amish life when teenagers can get a taste of the real world. But the real world comes to her. Rumors of massive unrest on the “Outside” abound. Something murderous is out there. Amish elders make a rule: No one goes outside, and no outsiders come in. But when Katie finds a gravely injured young man, she can’t leave him to die...

When I added The Hallowed Ones to my to-read list I thought it was more along the lines of a serial killer type thriller. Maybe something more along the lines of Witness, but was surprised that this was not the case. The killers were vampires instead, and not the seductive pretty kind either. For some reason they sort of reminded me of the creatures in I am Legend a little. It being set in an Amish community made it even creepier to me. There is that sense of quiet unassuming peace, of naivety, and of being separated from the rest of the world and what's happening in it that makes the story all the more unsettling.

Although this is a YA book, it is not for the faint of heart. There are quite a few descriptions in it that would be very unsettling for some people. I personally enjoyed it very much, despite the creepy horrific parts. I also thought it was interesting to read about the conflicts within the main character Katie, regarding her desires for certain things and her religious beliefs. I can't say I was always pleased with her choices, but they made sense being that she was coming from a very sheltered background. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

The Outside by Laura Bickle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Supernatural Horror
Content: Non-descriptive sex between two teens, Strong Language


One girl. One road. One chance to save what remains…

After a plague of vampires is unleashed in the world, Katie is kicked out of her Amish community for her refusal to adhere to the new rules of survival. Now in exile, she enters an outside world of unspeakable violence with only her two “English” friends and a horse by her side. Together they seek answers and other survivors—but each sunset brings the threat of vampire attack, and each sunrise the threat of starvation.

The Outside was a very good conclusion to the story that began in The Hallowed Ones. I found the mix of science and religion interesting and this book was just as creepy as The Hallowed Ones. There was not quite as much description when it came to the gore in this book, so it would be a little easier for the squeamish to read. This concludes pretty well, but there is room for another book if the author ever wants to add to the story.

If you're looking for a good creepy YA supernatural horror story, try this duology. I would love to read more YA from this author.