Immortal Dark - Tigest Girma
To save her home, she has to go into the heart of the beast and learn all she can... It's the only way she can find out what happened to her sister.
Dark academia at its finest!! Kidan is the last survivor of her family line but her family has left their ancestral home to a vampire. The same vampire she is sure killed her sister.
I enjoyed the vampires but Kidan was annoying at times. I loved the forced proximity but I could really feel much sympathy for Kidan for most of the book and I am also a massive hater of made up names in fantasy books. It is so off putting! Call them Bob and Jane and call it a day.
The story had a lot going on and it was pretty well paced for a fantasy. I need more vampire lore, the story was fascinating but the characters that weren't vampires... UGH... I would eat all those people just so they wouldn't talk anymore. I'm not sure if this was done on purpose or I'm too old to appreciate young adults but UGH UGH UGH. So whiney. I have a lot of questions though and I will see what book 2 brings.
4 stars
My least fav of the series but thats not saying much since the book was still fantastic. I found this series about 10 months ago and binged all the books. This one is book 5 and stands fine as a standalone but I urge you to read the entire series.
Its well written and brilliantly executed. I love MIra, she is the best kind of MC!!!
4 stars
Fall into you - Caroline Frank
Hold onto your hats.... This one couldn't be cuter.
Liza has just been dumped by a man she really didn't love and it seems like she has never been in love but all that changes when her brother's best friend Matt comes back to town and the sparks fly, trouble is, her brother is adamant it will never happen.
Who doesn't love a brother's best friend rom com with a secret romance thrown in for good measure. I know I do. Liza is looking for the one and Matt has always been a bit of a player but all that changes when he sees Liza. Liza doesn't want to upset her brother and the two of them hide their relationships and some of the situations they get themselves into... HILARIOUS!!
I thought it was funny but had some really heartfelt moments and I am so glad I got to enjoy this fabulous audio.
4 stars.
Hot Hex Boyfriend - Carly Bloom
The Merriweather's are the town joke.. They believe they are witches that have lost their powers through a hex and Delia is the bluemoon witch born to break the curse... No one is more surprised when she accidentally does break it and all the family power is unleashed.
Max is there settling his uncle's estate but as a witch himself, he helps the family try and learn to control their powers. Trouble is, he can't seem to stay away from Delia and the reason they were hexed in the first place, makes Max wonder if the things he is feeling are even real.
I found this book delightfully entertaining. The characters were all expertly written and I loved getting to know them all so much! It was like I found my coven!! It was funny and quirky with so much warmth it was the perfect cozy paranormal romance to start the spooky off with a bang! I loved Nikki!! He was hilarious! If we get a spin off, I need it to be on him!
Excellent book! Excellent narration.
5 stars and 2 thumbs up
I just finished Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood and here are my thoughts.
Everyone knows the story about the Wright brothers but history never sings the story of their sister, a woman just as intelligent as her high flying brothers.
The book focuses on 3 of the 5 Wright siblings. We get the POVs of Wilbur, Orville and Katharine. Katharine was the hub of their brilliance. She did a lot of the research and mastermining. I loved Katharines character. As someone who shares the same last name, no relation, as a child, I was fascinated by the Wright brothers and as an adult, I enjoyed the Katharine rabbit hole.
Katharine and the relationship with her brothers feels realistic and indicative of the times. I enjoyed learning more about her as a woman, sister and her belief in what they were doing. The writing was wonderful and brought this captivating historical event to life with ease and brilliance.
I binged the whole thing in one sitting. It was quite excellent!!
I love realistic historical fiction that follows true events and this one was excellent!! I wasn't blown away with the POV of the brothers... I would have preferred just the story from her perspective but it didn't spoil the read.
4.5 stars! Thank you to @bookmarked for my gifted copy of this wonderful novel.
I just finished Counting Miracles by one of my favorite autobuy authors.... The Nicholas Sparks and I will stop fangirling long enough to tell you what I thought!
Tanner loves his nomadic life... Army ranger, spending all his time abroad... Until his grandmother gets sick and he comes home... She drops the mother of all bombshells on him then passes away.
Going to find his dad becomes the latest adventure but the real adventure starts when teenager Casey hits his car and he then lays on her mother Kaitlyn.. His wandering heart suddenly feels like his nomadic heart has stilled just a little bit....
Jasper, an old man who lives in a cabin, feels a powerful pull to the white deer that has been spotted in the forest and has a need to protect it...
There is something about the way a Nicholas Sparks book hits you in all the right places. He doesn't make things look bright and shiny and there is something super profound about that. Tanner has no family left or so he thinks and I don't think he much cared about finding his dad but what his grandmother said hit him somewhere deep inside.
Kaitlyn is a single mother and she wasn't looking for someone but meeting Tanner.... It clicks but it's never that easy. You will need some kleenex... Jasper's story is beyond tragic and I had a hard time seeing the kindle through my tears.
Nicholas Sparks always weaves his characters together in such a classic way and you will feel like you are right in the pages watching the magic unfold. You won't find a classic romance read here but you will find a book that will touch the depths of your soul.
5 stars.
Thank you to @penguinrandomhouseca for my gifted copy and you can get your copy now!
I realized this one was book 2 in a series and I was super lucky I got book 1 first because holy heck... this is quite the series. It does standalone as a standalone novel though!
Its fiction but it has this clever true crime vibe to the way it is written. it felt like it could be real and that added to the enjoyment factor.
I really enjoyed the Kenda and Wilson. I was gripped from the get go
4 stars
This book had me just hooked then it feel apart. It felt like the last part of the story was rushed and not finished. I feel cheated haha.
It was a real shame because there was this brilliant undertone with the sleep disturbances and the build up was so delicious I was hanging on for dear life then it fizzled out!
TW there is some animal abuse so be warned but
I could go for a follow up novella though..
The Moonflowers - Abigail Rose-Marie
When Tig goes to the town that her family used to live in to honor her grandfather's memory, she had no idea what kind of man he was. So beloved of the town but the longer she is there, the more sinister it all seems. He was murder and the person who murdered him is still in jail and the story she weaves has Tig wondering just who the true hero was.
OOHHHWEEEEE This book was so good! The book straddles the past and the present. Eloise was found guilty of the murder of Benjamin, Tig's grandfather. Tig wants to know about her grandfather and Eloise was the one who knew him the best. Eloise tells the story of how she met Benjamin as kids up until his murder. I was obsessed with the past part of this story.
Tig was a little bland as a character considering the rest of the characters were livewires. There's some trauma in this book so beware that there is abortion, child death and sexual assault in this book.
It was excellent, the ending was marvelous and even if you don't read historical fiction, this one is well worth the step outside your comfort zone.
5 stars
I wasn't sure what to make of the synopsis and the fact it was a novella but dang... This was some serious writing and pack one heck of a punch.
Eve is a wife, mother and best selling author when the unthinkable happens.. She has a brain tumor and after treatment, her memory isn't working so well at all.
Trying to navigate her life with her family and christmas while relearning things she had previously known... MY HEART ACHED and Eve kept her sense of humor and it just made me tear up.
This isn't a complete work of fiction. Eve is loosely based on Sophie Kinsella and what happened to her. I had no idea but as someone who has read evry books shes ever written, you can tell this book had more depth because its so relatable to herself.
I devoured it in one sitting.
I am glad i got the chance to read it.
4.5 stars
Always a Bridesmaid - Marina Adair
Jane is a bridesmaid for hire. She plays whatever role the bride deems for her. The bride has her take on the persona of a friend who isn't attending the wedding, Elle Vaughn, a socialite, but she bumps into the bride's brother at the airport and is out of character, she finds herself scrambling to keep Jane and Elle separate and to stay away from dashing Henry...
Henry is a formula 1 driver so his fame outshines everything in his path but he doesn't want his celebrity status to outshine his sister's big day. Jane has to keep everything simple and calm for the bride but it gets harder and harder the more time she spends around Henry, the sparks FLY and I am so here all day for that.
It's really quite adorable and I love quirky books like this. Jane is awesome and being a bridesmaid for hire... SO COOL!! I am a bit of a fan of insta love too. I'm a serious romantic. If you like HEA with the rich hot guy... You will lurve this one.
4 stars
Somebody I used to love - Eve Ainsworth
After Will wakes up from a car accident, he cannot remember the last 3 years. The woman standing by his bed is not the love of his life and he doesn't recognize the life he seems to be living. Will can't help himself and calls Gem, the girl he doesn't remember losing but she has moved on. He almost destroyed her but Will knows he has woken up as the man that wouldn't hurt her again.
I loved this book. We get the book from the POV of Gem and Will, past and present. Will and Gem break up when Will's personality changes and he gets a job for more money and does something awful to his brother. Will doesn't remember any of that. The best for me, was finding out why he changed in the first place.... It was a MIND BLOWING TWIST!!
I really enjoyed it. It started a bit bumpy... I wasn't sure I was going to love it but I truly did. I loved the past with Will and Gem. Friends then lovers and they have that passionate love that I swoon over. It was a real head scratch trying to figure out why they were apart. GET IT! I'm not joking.
4.5 stars
Covid covid covid covid.... did it need to be bought up so much? It was repetitive and annoying.
The story was interesting but it was way too slow. Less covid, (Did I mention that this book brings up covid every chance it gets?) faster paced and this book would have been the best of the month.
It was a real shame because there was some quality writing here.
3 stars
Sleep Tight by J H Markert
When a serial killer is put to death finally, things should have been over... But the trouble is just beginning. Murders are happening and missing children.... Detective Tess Clairborne has a vested interest in this case. Her father put the serial killer away and it seems to be her family being targeted by the horrors that have just begun.
Have you ever listened to a book and it just hits you? I love horror but it's been years since a really good horror hit my TBR and this one ticked all my creeper boxes.
The Outcast has committed murder and taken Tess' daughter. He is even leaving clues but why? I loved the characters. This book was a spider web of intrigue and bone chilling aftershocks! I didn't expect the ending and I held my own kids a little tighter when I was done.
4.5 stars
What a great quirky YA novel!!
Maya is in a psychiatric hospital having been misdiagnosed with a mental health disorder... Actually Maya has a gift... She can read minds.
When she is transferred to a new school, Maya has to decide whether to embrace her abilities or hide them from the people around her...
Its loaded with teen drama and a splash of magical realism. It was super cute and I high recommend it.
4 stars
Not the Killing Kind by Maria Kelson
Just a mother trying to prove her sons innocence in the face of mounting evidence. What she finds is more than she ever thought possible.
I felt this one was trying too hard to tick all the political boxes. Adopts a child of another race, teaches undocumented people. It felt like it was laying it on super thick. There was a lot of unbelievable stuff going on in the book but I actually didn't mind it and if you can set that part of it aside, there is a lot of really good action in this book.
Boots (yep that's her name) went toe to toe with the POPO to prove that her son didn't commit the crimes they are laying at his feet. It doesn't look good but she cracks the case against all the odds. I actually enjoyed it but I am a sucker for really crazy books like this.
The ending was really solid, I felt the pace was good and the book set a tone and never waived.
4 stars - I will follow this series.
This book gave me the full blown CREEPS!!!!
Jenna's mother disappeared when Jenna was a teen and she knows what she heard.... That night never left Jenna.
Present day, Jenna is a mess. She is pregnant with a baby she doesn't want but as she goes to the clinic she is kidnapped!
Things are not what it seems and there is something lurking that is not human..
The creature is CHILLING!! Its basically a horror/thriller twisty ride that you can feel breathing down your neck!
It could have been a bit shorter. That's my only issue but I love the writing style and I was fully absorbed into this book!
4.5 stars
Divorce Towers - Ellen Meister
Addison needs a new start so when her Uncle gets her the job as concierge at a high rise apartment building for the rich, she jumps at the chance. She wasn't prepared for just exactly what she would need to do there.
I actually thought this book was funny! I found it quirky and fun. So much going on! Love triangle, a woman in the building being harassed by her ex, a theft! An older man who has a thing for women. CLASSIC!! It was fast paced, some clever banter and I enjoyed the heck out of it.
I thought the ending was good too. I thought it was great. I couldn't believe the low review for this book! The narrator wasn't the best but still, well worth the less!
4 stars