Forbidden Ways by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: A couple of steamy scenes, one involving sex, that are moderately descriptive.
 
CJ West is an aspiring artist, nursing a broken heart. Still recovering from a brutal attack that nearly killed her, she needed to get away. The quaint, tranquil countryside seemed like the perfect place to start over.

Joshua Miller is a widower, running a busy farm, and raising three children with help from his grandmother. He came to Blood Rock to escape the ghosts of his past that still haunt him.

When CJ rents a cottage from Joshua, sparks fly, and their lives will never be the same again. Because a relationship between the two is strictly forbidden. He’s Amish and she’s an outsider. Even so, their passion for each other is intense and all-consuming. But how can they possibly be together?

I blazed right through this book. I was up until 2 am reading it! I couldn't help it, the forbidden love thing just got me. I already read how C. J. and Joshua met in the Serenity's Plain Secrets series, and I was really hoping for more. This book did not disappoint! I like C. J. a lot, even better than Serenity, and I enjoyed seeing how the relationship between her and Joshua developed in this book. The way this book ended left me really wanting to read more. Will C. J. become Amish or will Joshua go English? I can't wait to find out! My only complaint is that like the other series this one has some typos, like missing words.

P.S. I don't think I will be able to continue this series if C. J. goes Amish.

Evil in My Town by Karen Ann Hopkins

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Strong language, A school shooting is depicted


 
After a tragic mass shooting in Blood Rock, Sheriff Serenity Adams is shocked to discover ties to the local Amish settlement, and her teenage niece, who barely survived the carnage. The investigation takes her from the terror of a massacre to an equally horrific crime relating to a missing woman in the community. Serenity must risk her own life to bring law, order, and safety to the town she loves.


This is the latest book in this series, the "other" Amish mystery series I read. There are quite a few similarities between this one and the Kate Burkholder series. So much so that at times I wonder if one author doesn't get ideas from the other, but then there are probably only so many original ideas out there for Amish mysteries.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I'm so glad we've grown past the early stages of Serenity and Daniel's relationship. It felt more mature and Serenity seemed more mature as a character in this book. She still has some misgivings about marrying Daniel, but they were concerns that a real person would have considering their situation.

There wasn't really a lot of mystery about who did what in this book. It was pretty easy to figure out, but there was some mystery about why things happened and what happened to a couple of missing women. There is also Serenity's niece who is a danger magnet if I ever saw one! There is a school shooting in this book and we are left wondering what she knows about the boy who did the shooting and what she isn't telling her aunt and why. That secret is revealed slowly through flashbacks. I liked the the way that was done.

After reading the last book in the series I was hoping there would be more about Serenity's friend C.J. in this one. I really liked the direction that book took with her character and Joshua Miller, but I was disappointed that C. J. was hardly in this book. After finishing this book I found out why. The author is writing a spin-off series about them! I was so happy about that, I had to pick that one up and read it right away.

Lies Jane Austen Told Me by Julie Wright

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: Clean



Ever since Emma read Pride and Prejudice, she's been in love with Mr. Darcy and has regarded Jane Austen as the expert on all things romantic. So naturally when Emma falls for Blake Hampton and he invites her home to meet his parents, she is positive an engagement is in her future. After all, Blake is a single man in possession of a good fortune, and thus must be in want of a wife.

First off I want to say that you shouldn't read the blurb for this book if you don't want some spoilers. It gives away too much.

This book starts out with the main character, Emma going away for the weekend to her boyfriends home where she thinks she will meet his parents, but it doesn't go that way at all, and she ends up leaving after dumping him. Then she meets his brother and awkwardness ensues, for a while at least, until she really begins to have some feelings for him, despite trying really hard not to. I liked Emma for the most part, except for one annoying habit that I will mention in a minute. I also really liked Lucas, and I was rooting for them to get together despite, of course, the misunderstandings that occur.

There were a few things that bothered me, like the way the character Blake is written makes him seem like he has some identity issues. He isn't very consistent at all and thus he doesn't come off very believable. Then there is the thing that our main character Emma believes about Lucas throughout most of the book, even though it doesn't make any sense considering what she knows about him. It's a case of her thinking something and just deciding it's true. That annoyed me so much! I figured out what the situation was pretty easily, so Emma should have been able to as well, or she could have at least just asked Lucas what was going on there.

The little snippets from Jane Austen were a real nice touch in the book. I did find that Emma was a bit too much in dreamland about what kind of man she thought she would find based off her obsession with Jane Austen books. Then she got disgruntled and blamed it on Jane when she didn't. I mean come on, you aren't even living in the same time period! Overall this was a fun read and I do recommend it if you like reading clean contemporary romance.

What is Hidden by Lauren Skidmore

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fairy Tale
Content: Clean

 
“The Chameleon is on the loose.” Despite the whispers that sprung up, the Speaker continued, “He’s stealing our masks and assuming the identities of the victims. It is our duty to warn you—do not trust the masks alone.”

In Venesia, your mask is your life. It is your face, your rank, and your identity. Without a mask, you are nothing.

Which makes the Chameleon the most dangerous criminal in the land.

This has been on my to-read list for several years. It's a loose retelling of Cinderella with the roles switched in some aspects of the story. I almost decided against reading it at one point, but I'm glad I didn't. It was deliciously romantic. I loved the masks and the prince was dreamy. I also love that this story wasn't love at first sight like Cinderella normally is. In my opinion this is better than the story it was based on. My only complaint is that I didn't really buy the prince's reaction to a certain reveal near the end. If you are in the mood for a quick, clean romantic read, then try this one.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware

My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Cursing, Drug use, Talk of unwanted pregnancies and an abortion


 
In a dark, dark wood

Nora hasn't seen Clare for ten years. Not since Nora walked out of school one day and never went back.

There was a dark, dark house

Until, out of the blue, an invitation to Clare’s hen do arrives. Is this a chance for Nora to finally put her past behind her?

And in the dark, dark house there was a dark, dark room

But something goes wrong. Very wrong.

And in the dark, dark room....

Some things can’t stay secret for ever.


This is the first book I've read by Ruth Ware. I've got several of her books on my to-read list, but I was honestly disappointed in this one. There is a trend I've noticed and it's that mystery/thrillers nowadays seem to incorporate a lot of unlikable characters. I mean, I expect there to be some characters that I don't like in these type of books, but I really want to be able to like someone, preferably the main character, or else it's like watching one of those horror movies where you could care less who gets killed, because they are all stupid, unlikable people.

While I didn't really dislike the main character in this story, I didn't really like her either. I was indifferent towards her, which could actually be worse. In fact the only character I liked at all was the one who left the party early because she was worried about having left her new baby at home. She was considered the boring one, but she was also the most sensible one.

The main issue I had with the main character is that she was still not over a high school boyfriend ten years later. This is just not very plausible to me, and the events that led to their break up ten years ago seemed didn't seem very plausible to me either. I was also bothered by the drug use, and adults caving to peer pressure and doing things they really didn't want to do. It was like they never left high school. Like I said, the one character that decided to leave early because she wasn't enjoying herself is the only one who had any sense. They could have all saved themselves a whole lot of trouble if they had just stayed home.

The best thing about this book is the cover. I really do like the creepy looking tree branches. I'm not going to give up on this author yet, since quite of few of her books sound interesting to me. I hope the next one I read will be better.

The First Girl Child by Amy Harmon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Historical Fantasy
Content: Strong Language, A sex scene that is not very descriptive

 
Bayr of Saylok, bastard son of a powerful and jealous chieftain, is haunted by the curse once leveled by his dying mother. Bartered, abandoned, and rarely loved, she plagued the land with her words: From this day forward, there will be no daughters in Saylok.

Raised among the Keepers at Temple Hill, Bayr is gifted with inhuman strength. But he’s also blessed with an all-too-human heart that beats with one purpose: to protect Alba, the first girl child born in nearly two decades and the salvation for a country at risk.

After reading Amy Harmon's fantasy novels The Bird and the Sword, and The Queen and the Cure I was eager to read this new one. It ended up not being quite what I expected. Instead of the fairy tale type fantasy feel those books had, this one is a historical fantasy that included some Norse mythology. In the beginning it seemed to lack something compared to The Bird and the Sword, but eventually, as I read on I began to see that this story was something special on its own. It was rather slow paced at times, but for the most part that worked well for this story. Once I got to the last part I saw some glimmers of the same magic that made up The Bird and the Sword, so this book may be a bit different, but it's still very good.

This story is wrought with heartache, but also wonderful triumphs. This is a story about a cursed land and the people who live there and endure. The characters Bayr, Alba, Ghost, and Dagmar became very dear to me. The way their lives intertwined was at times wonderful, and at times heart breaking. This is also a story about love, and there was more than one beautiful love story here.

First there is the love of a parent for a child.

“I am yours, Bayr. Always. My heart is yours. My spirit is yours, and even when I’m dead, I will refuse Valhalla, and I will follow at your heels, watching over you.”

Then there is the forbidden kind of love that burns unrequited.

“You make me want to be seen,” she said, and his gaze shot to hers, searing, searching. “I have always seen you, Ghost.”

And there is the one that grows from childhood friends to romance.

"There is no Alba without Bayr,” she whispered. “Not now. Not then. Not ever again.”

There are, of course, also the characters that do terrible, despicable things, and at times my heart broke for my beloved characters as they went up against the terrible things they had to endure. But as always the best fantasy stories break your heart before you get to the end. Amy Harmon did not disappoint with this story. She has now become a favorite author of mine. There is so much to love about her stories, and this one was no exception. I've yet to read any of her non-fantasy books. but I plan on giving them a try.

unForgiven by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Some gruesome deaths

 
To be feared is lonely. . .

As heir to the evian throne, Judica must be perfect every moment of every day. If she slips up, even once, her mother will replace her. Impossible standards, horrifying decisions, terrible truths—none of these stop Judica from doing what needs to be done. She becomes what her mother demands, what her people need, what she never wanted for herself. But it isn’t enough.

But to be weak is death.

I went into this book thinking there was no way Bridget E. Baker could make me sympathize with Judica. There was just no way I could ever like her after the things she did in Displaced. Wow, was I ever wrong! Reading both sides of the story really does make a difference. I ended up loving Judica.

  "There are two sides to every story, but they can’t both be true, can they? In the second book of the Birthright Series, Bridget E. Baker weaves a tale of bad things done for very good reasons and an unexpected chance at redemption."

That perfectly describes this book. I know the author says this is an optional read, but in my opinion, if you are going to read this series, this is a must read. Lots of things were explained and layers were peeled away so that we were able to see who Judica really is. Along with telling Judica's side of the story, there is also some romance added that was nicely done, and a couple of new characters that I really liked as well.

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

Displaced by Bridget E. Baker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Content: Some gruesome deaths


My mom should have killed me the day I was born.

Being a twin complicates the Evian line of succession, but Chancery Alamecha is fine letting Judica inherit the throne. After all, she’s the stronger sister—the merciless fighter, the ruthless politician, and the groomed heir. But something unexpected happens when Chancery tries on her mother’s staridium ring, forcing her into a role that she never wanted: the prophesied queen who will prevent the destruction of Earth.

Now I have to kill my sister.

This is the first book in a new series by Bridget E. Baker. I've enjoyed everything she has written so far, and this one ended up being good as well. In the beginning I was a little unsure how much I was going to like it, but it ended up getting better and better as it progressed.

Chancery was easy to like and her sister, Judica was easy to hate. However, I was very conflicted about their mother. I was infuriated at her for some of the things she let Judica get away with, and I don't think Chancery's view of her mother is completely accurate. I kept thinking that Chancery would have some real issues with her mother over the things she lets Judica get away with. However after reading the book and seeing how brutal their culture could be, it made a little more sense why things were the way they were. I think the author is really good at showing how her characters feel, and why they feel that way, and there are definitely some layers that need to be peeled away from some of these characters. This being a series, I know it's not all going to happen in this book, so I can be patient.

I liked the romance in this book, even though the love triangle was slightly annoying. I think we all know who Chancery will end up with. I think the other guy was just thrown in to add some tension. The high school thing that was added late in the book wasn't one of my favorite parts either, even though I understand it was added to help Chancery figure out if she would want to live a human life. Other than those small things I liked this book very much.

I do have to add that there was a lot of blood in this. It wasn't really gory, just a bit descriptive, and it was shocking how brutal these people were. I'm not sure being next to immortal would make me less concerned about the kind of injuries that are inflicted in this book. I mean it still hurts! I would think they wouldn't want to repeat that too often, but clearly they are not like me. I also wondered why they didn't get sick of ruining their clothes and having to clean up all the blood. Practice swords are a thing, maybe they should try using them? 😂 Anyway, it's an interesting world and I plan on reading the sequels.

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

Death Brings a Shadow by Rosemary Simpson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Mystery
Content: Some pretty brutal deaths, including a lynching


In spring 1889, Prudence and Geoffrey set sail from New York Harbor on a private yacht bound for Bradford Island, where her friend Eleanor Dickson is to be wed. The Sea Islands along the Georgia coast serve as a winter playground for the likes of the Carnegies, Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, and Dicksons. Despite her Yankee pedigree, Eleanor is marrying a Southern gentleman, Teddy Bennett, and Prudence is thrilled to be the maid of honor.

But days before the wedding, the bride is nowhere to be found. A frantic search of the island turns up her drowned corpse in an alligator-infested swamp. Prudence is devastated, but as they prepare the body for burial, she and Geoffrey discover evidence of bruising that indicates Eleanor was held under—most dishonorably murdered.

This was an ok addition to the series. I liked it but I didn't. I feel like this series started out really strong. I loved the first book, and really liked the second one, but the last two have not been as good. They both have the same problems really. One, there is no real mystery as to who the murderer is in this book. It was very obvious. The mystery was about why they did it, but that wasn't too hard to figure out either. Once again Prudence was stupidly reckless in the name of independence. She wants to be taken seriously but then does something stupid and gets mad and stamps her foot when Geoffrey follows her. The foot stamping was just childish.

I didn't particularly like the setting of this book. It felt weird and out of wack with the tone of the previous ones. I also thought the dangers of the Island; alligators, snakes, the swamp, etc. were played up a little bit too much. It seemed like no one could go anywhere without something happening.

The whole big theme of this book was the South and how it struggled to recover after slavery. There was a lot of emphasis on how prejudiced the South still was years after the slaves were freed. I've no doubt that was true. There was a mentality there that could only be erased after several generations passed, and unfortunately some still have it. I have a hard time wrapping my head around how people can look at another person as not a human being, but chattel just because they are different.

At this point I think I will continue on with the series, but that could end up changing. I'm slightly on the fence.
Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing me with an ARC of this book.

October/November 2019 Book Club: Columbus Day

Columbus Day by Craig Alanson

My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Sci-fi, Fantasy
Content: Strong language, Mostly off page sex scene 


This was our book club pick for October, and I have to admit, I wasn't too thrilled about it. Military science-fiction isn't my usual kind of read, but it ended up surprising me. It was more space fantasy than anything with some military elements. The Ruhar that attack earth are described as looking like hamsters.

“Hamsters. We have other names for them; rats, weasels, rodents, but with their fine, golden fur, round faces and whiskers, what they most look like are hamsters.”

I couldn't help but think if those Kia Soul commercials.



The book started out pretty funny and was easy to get into at first. The part with the ice cream truck was hilarious.

“Barney, the big purple cartoon dinosaur with the perpetual stupid grin. Barney, and Smurfs, Mickey Mouse, unicorns, and a lot of other fictional characters were painted on the truck. Whoever decided which characters to paint on the truck had made interesting choices, like, why was Iron Man waving to the Smurfs?”



Barney makes more than one appearance in the book.

Unfortunately after they left earth the story slowed down for quite a while. I pushed through though, because my husband assured me that it would get a lot better after the halfway mark. He was right! We are introduced to Skippy at that point, and I must say that Skippy saved the whole book. I won't spoil who Skippy is, but let's just say that I haven't been disappointed yet by this type of character in a book.

I'm just going to leave this here. If you've read the book you'll get it.


This is a nine book series, and while I enjoyed this one I'm not sure I liked it enough to read nine books, so the jury is still out on whether I will continue, but it was fun.

End Game by Lindsay Buroker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Category: Adult Genre: Space Opera Content: Strong language, a moderately detailed sex scene, lots of innuendo and talk of sex done in a humorous way



Alisa Marchenko has reunited with her daughter, and even though she hasn’t figured out how to get Jelena to accept Leonidas yet, she dreams of the three of them starting a new life together. They can return the Star Nomad to its original purpose of running freight and staying out of trouble (mostly).

Before that can happen, Alisa must fulfill the promise she made to Jelena: that she and her crew will retrieve young Prince Thorian, the boy who has become Jelena’s best friend. But Thorian was kidnapped by the rogue Starseer Tymoteusz, the man who wants to use the Staff of Lore to take over the entire system—and the man who may have the power to do it.

Unfortunately, Tymoteusz hasn’t left a trail of breadcrumbs. Finding him will be difficult, and even if they’re successful, facing him could be suicidal. To have a chance of surviving, Alisa will have to come up with her greatest scheme yet.

 
This is the last book in the series, and it wrapped everything up pretty neatly. I had the same issues with this book that I had with previous ones in the series. Too much emphasis on the main character's love life, and too many innuendoes. It was almost every page. A little of it was amusing, but the amount of it added to these books almost completely ruined the series for me. Luckily, I enjoyed the other aspects of the books enough to keep reading.

Needless to say, what started out as a good solid space opera with some edge of your seat moments in the first 2 books, ended up becoming "swoon and lust over the cyborg" at every turn. Also, Abelardus's actions were never taken seriously enough or dealt with. He constantly invaded Alisa's privacy by reading her thoughts, and everyone else's too.

Alisa ended up being a rather weak character in many aspects. She was the captain of the ship but could never get a handle on anything the crew did. They walked all over her. This was done to some comic effect with the chickens and the duck pond, and that was ok to a point, but like the romance and innuendos, it went too far.

Overall, I would give the series 3 stars. I do like the author's writing style when she doesn't devolve into too much of one thing, and I would like to try reading another one of her series eventually.