My journey as a dog mom and book worm…
We all know I am huge fan of Trisha and even though mafia is not a go to trope for me I had to give it a read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥🔥🔥/5
Book 2 in the Nightshade Duology
Genre: Paranormal Romance
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
🔥🔥🔥/5
This duology felt like it was way more than just 2 books. There was so much world building, parallels worlds, past lives, a smidge of time travel.
Infernium was a bit more grim than Nightshade. While there is a love story to the book the romance was more dark and painful than fun and spicy. Overall the story was well built and complex. While the outcomes of the story were predictable the story line didn’t pay out how I thought it would at all.
⁃ Lots of crazy twists and turns
⁃ New snarky side characters that I loved
⁃ Demon infested labyrinth
I found my self rushing through the book a little bit to get to the end and find out what happened, some parts of the book felt repetitive and I didn’t feel the continued flashbacks to young Jericho added to the story. If the book had some of the extra cut out I probably would give 5 stars.
Liars, The Triad Book Series Book 2 by Dana Isaly
Overall: ****
Reading Rate: *****
Romance: ****
Genre: Adult Organized Crime RH Romance
Pages: 208
This book is the second in the fast-paced RH Triad series by Isaly. I loved book 1 and was so excited to get to read book 2! This is a true series so make sure you read book 1 first, as this book picks up right where the cliffhanger at the end up book one picked up.
What I liked:
What I struggled it:
Overall I cannot wait for the next book to come out and get to know more about the characters.
Synopsis:
My boys found me, but a rift has formed.
Weeks ago I was steadily gaining their trust, finding my place in their lives and their beds. Now, it seems I’m the wedge driving the three of them apart.
I’ve been beaten, starved, and kept in the dark. All to come back to three men who can’t agree whether I’m an ally or a mole. But we have bigger problems to solve.
There’s a new player in the game.
The latest contender for the Dulca throne just so happens to be my favorite cousin. He was my best friend, my partner in crime. If I can get my boys to trust me long enough to keep them from starting a war, my family’s secret weapon could end up being the key to bringing our organizations together.
But I have no clue what Motshan is hiding up his sleeve, and we might not be able to come back from the carnage it could cause.
Overall: *****/5
Romance/Steam: This one is really hard to rate, this book is very dark and while there are steamy scenes they are more about dealing with demons than sexy.
Reading Rate: *****
Pages: 225
Release Date:10/30/2021
Recommend if you liked: Ecstasy by K.V. Rose, Haunting Adeline
I loved this book! It was so dark and you knew from the first page that is was going to tear you apart, this story falls in my “hurts so good” category.
What I liked:
What I struggled with:
Synopsis:
Him
I am the monster that lurks in your nightmares.
Evil incarnate. A sociopath. A murderer.
I kill women who are guilty of nothing other than being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Women like Lyra.
Her yellow raincoat flapped in the cool breeze when she walked by, that blonde hair making her look like a drowned rat as she stopped to taste the rain.
She wasn’t like the others, but my demon wanted her.
We followed her. Watched her. Obsessed over her.
She is ours. Of that I’m certain.
We will pull her into the depths of our darkness and keep her imprisoned there.
Until we meet our end.
Lyra
I am ordinary in every way.
Average looks. Mundane job. Boring life.
But when he looks at me, I become something else entirely.
His gaze stalks and tracks me like a game of cat and mouse, his eyes licking fire over my skin every time they glance in my direction.
My thoughts are consumed by him every moment he’s out of sight.
He is my obsession. I can’t let him go.
And once he shows me his true form, I know I’ve captured him forever.
He is mine. Of that I’m certain.
I will follow him to the depths of darkness and happily submit to his madness.
Until we meet our end.
Book 2 in the Mixtape series
Overall: **** I will say that this book as a complete standalone I would only rate at a 3 but as a companion to Book 1 Founded on Goodbye it really enhances the story.
Romance: *** Less romance and more hook up style than FOG. Although you do get to relive a lot of the feels from book 1 through the storyline.
Reading Rate: ***** I think I finished this book in less than 24 hours. Short and sweet read.
Genre: Hook up Romance
After reading Founded on Goodbye earlier this year I was so excited to find out we were getting more about the characters in this world.
What I liked:
What I struggled with:
Storybound (Book #1) by Emily McKay
Such as cute book!!! This book is on the younger side of the YA scale but was still a fun and unique read for all ages. What book lover can’t relate to wishing they could get sucked into their favorite series and meeting their Book Boyfriend?
What I liked:
What I struggled with:
The book did wrap up in a way that left me satisfied (no cliffhanger) while leaving the door wide open for a lot more. I will definitely be on the look out for future books in this series to find out what happens next!
Synopsis:
I’ve lived in nine towns in the past six years. I know my mom feels bad about it, but I don’t mind. Who wants friends anyway?
All I’ve ever needed are my books. I’ve lived a thousand lives, had adventures I couldn’t even begin to imagine. To me, the places I discovered between the pages of a book are as real as the world I live in.
When I walk into my favorite bookstore, the last thing I expect is to walk out onto the pages of the kingdom of Mithres…or that the book boyfriend I’ve loved more than life, Kane the Traveler, really exists. And he has no clue the fate that awaits him in book five…
Now that I know the truth, I have a chance to save Kane. But if I change the story, will I ever find my way home?
Thank you to NetGalley and Entangled:Teen for a copy of Storybound in exchange for my honest opinion.
The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) by A.K. Larkwood
Overall: *****GUYS! This book was so so good, I have not had a 5-star book in a very long time. I requested this book from NetGalley based on the synopsis but had not heard any hype about it at all. At first I was totally intimidated by the large character list and pronunciation guide in the front of the book, but a few minutes later I was totally sucked in. Don’t let it intimidate you, its not that complicated and you don’t need to know it all at once. I do wish there was character art available so I could put some of the visions of the characters description in my head since they are all different human like creatures.
The main POV is Csorwe but you on occasion pop into the perspective of other character. Normally I find this distracting in a book but it is very well done, and really felt it added to the overall world and story build.
What I liked:
What I struggled with:
Even without steam I would not consider a YA book and put it more on the NA side, there is still a good bit of adult content and death (I have seen it listed as YA or Adult on different sites).
Synopsis:
What if you knew how and when you will die?
Csorwe does — she will climb the mountain, enter the Shrine of the Unspoken, and gain the most honored title: sacrifice.
But on the day of her foretold death, a powerful mage offers her a new fate. Leave with him, and live. Turn away from her destiny and her god to become a thief, a spy, an assassin—the wizard’s loyal sword. Topple an empire, and help him reclaim his seat of power.
But Csorwe will soon learn – gods remember, and if you live long enough, all debts come due.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Books for a copy of The Unspoken Name in exchange for my honest opinion.
Have you read The Unspoken Name? Did you love it as much as I did?
Blinding Night (Blinding Night #1) by Chantal Gadoury
This is a really cute Hades and Persephone retelling and the first book in a duology. The main character is a 20 year old art student from Rhode Island whose entire life changes when Hades swoops in the retrieve her from the hospital after her parents are killed in a car accident while traveling to Greece.
While this story does have a lot of ACOTAR similarities it is heavily tied to the romance story line between Persephone and Hades with the events of the broader world being more a sub plot. But she is an artist, rough relations with her family, the inner circle, etc.
What I liked:
What I struggled with:
Synopsis:
What if you were the missing piece in one of the world’s most epic legends?
Despite being an art history student, Summer isn’t thrilled to be stuck with her archeologist family all summer in Greece. While the rest of her college friends are posting a million selfies by the pool together, Summer is stuck alone, trying to entertain herself alone in a place where she doesn’t even speak the language.
Upon her arrival to Greece, strange dreams and even stranger shadows seem to haunt Summer, leaving her to ponder the meaning of pomegranate seeds and twisted, darkened faces.
Suddenly, her stay abroad leads to tragic twists, leaving Summer in the arms of a dark stranger, who claims to be the god, Hades, whom she feels like she knows from another life. In a whirlwind through the busy streets of Athens, Summer is seduced to the lowest point of Greece where Hades’ lair awaits…the Underworld. Determined to find out who she is and where she belongs in an age-old myth, Summer joins Hades to discover that the secrets about her past life are beyond anything she could have ever imagined.
Thank you to Chantal Gadoury and the Parliament House Press for a copy of Blinding Night in exchange for my honest review.
The Sisters Grimm by Menna van Praag
I was sooo thrilled when I was approved for an advanced copy of this book and just knew it was going to be a 5 start read for me.
This is a dark and heartbreaking story mixing the struggles of mortal life with a fantasy twist that makes you question the lines of good and evil. The author did a great job of getting you intimately acquainted with all the main characters and the nature of Everwhere. I do wish there was more background on the world and reasoning behind the setup of the Sisters and Soldiers. The lack of information really made it challenging to root for a side as you really did not understand the consequences of their choices.
I struggled with the format of the book, it bounces between multiple timelines and points of view, some of the entries were only a paragraph long before hopping to the next POV so it was very distracting and hard to stay immersed. Normally if I am sucked into a book it only takes me days to read while this book took me several weeks and I really had to push through to finish. I also struggled with the level of sadness in the book, it seemed that each girl only encountered more loss and there was not a lot of positive outlook, even in the end. The synopsis leads you to think this story is much “fluffier” than it truly is.
Synopsis
Once upon a time, a demon who desired earthly domination fathered an army of dark daughters to help him corrupt humanity . . .
As children, Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea dreamed of a strange otherworld: a nightscape of mists and fog, perpetually falling leaves and hungry ivy, lit by an unwavering moon. Here, in this shadowland of Everwhere, the four girls, half-sisters connected by blood and magic, began to nurture their elemental powers together. But at thirteen, the sisters were ripped from Everwhere and separated. Now, five years later, they search for one another and yearn to rediscover their unique and supernatural strengths. Goldie (earth) manipulates plants and gives life. Liyana (water) controls rivers and rain. Scarlet (fire) has electricity at her fingertips. Bea (air) can fly.
To realize their full potential, the blood sisters must return to the land of their childhood dreams. But Everwhere can only be accessed through certain gates at 3:33 A.M. on the night of a new moon. As Goldie, Liyana, Scarlet, and Bea are beset with the challenges of their earthly lives, they must prepare for a battle that lies ahead. On their eighteenth birthday, they will be subjected to a gladiatorial fight with their father’s soldiers. If they survive, they will face their father who will let them live only if they turn dark. Which would be fair, if only the sisters knew what was coming.
So, they have thirty-three days to discover who they truly are and what they can truly do, before they must fight to save themselves and those they love.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for a copy of Sisters Grimm in exchange for my honest review.
Blood & Ash (The Jezebel Files #1) by Deborah Wilde
Overall: ***
Romance: ***
Reading Rate: **
Pages: 316
Publisher: Te Da Media
Release date: 1/14/2020
Recommend if you liked: Wicked Trilogy by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I am a sucker for a fast paced PNR read and had high hopes for this book, but it fell a bit short for me. It is listed as an adult book and while there was adult content the MC acted more like someone in her teens vs a 30 something. While the story suggested she was very educated and cultured her rash decisions and language suggested otherwise.
I really liked where the author was going with the Sherlock Holmes theme and while the world dynamic of Nefesh (those with magic) and regular humans without was not a new concept I liked the spin that the author put on it. It seemed like I came in on an existing storyline and was missing a lot of background on the world, but hopefully more will continue to be filled in throughout this series.
Overall I enjoyed the story but the lack of background information and the MC’s internal monologue kept me from getting sucked in and really enjoying the book. I think if there was less focus on the MC’s internal feelings and more focus on the mystery/case it would go a long way in making this a very interesting binge worthy series in future books.
Synopsis:
Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock.
Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake.
She wasn’t counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn’t possess.
Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender.
And don’t even get her started on the golems.
Reluctantly partnered with her long-time nemesis Levi, the infuriating leader of the magic community, Ash resolves to keep her focus on the clue trail and off their sexual tension because WTF is up with that?
But with a mastermind organization pulling strings from the shadows and Levi’s arrogance driving her to pick out his body bag, can Ash rescue the captives and uncover the truth or will the next blood spilled be her own?
Blood & Ash will be available though Amazon Kindle Unlimited. Try your first month of Kindle Unlimited free here!
Thank you to NetGally and Te Da Media for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Lovabull Books 