Debbie

Hello. My name is Debbie and I love Cazien “Demonbane” Talon. I am so happy to have gotten an E-Arc because this book kept up a great pace from start to finish.

Minerva Remon's life was a good one as a child but not for long. Almost sold as a child bride, she proved herself a fighter and survivor by escaping but life wasn't musicals and swooning after that. She's strong and she'll find a way to pay back her debt so that she can finally leave Constinbul and start a new life where nobody knows her. Even if it means going back to where her happiness ended.

Cazien “Demonbane” Talon. “I don't love, darling. I fuck, I drink, I fight. But never love.” CLEARLY A FAE AFTER MY OWN HEART. Caz is looking for a certain relic that may or may not exist so that he can save his younger brother from a fae realm where he is being held captive. He needs a guide to a certain island only a tough, sassy, won't drop to his feet type of woman knows her way around.

Fantasy. Romance. Magic. Fae. A fae whose eyes turn black when he fights. YUM. I love Caz. I love Min. I love Caz and Min together. This book is a standalone so the stories continue on with the rest of the family. Which does make me kind of sad because I'd love more of Caz and Min but I'm very ready for more Talon brothers. I'M LOOKING AT YOU, GAVRET.

One of my daughters is named Athena so it is safe to say that I love Greek mythology so I was more than happy to be a part of this book tour. Which I don't regret at all because this was really freaking good! I had fun being in this world and what a world it was.

Olivia is just turning 18, in college, and very much not an upbeat almost 18 year old in college. She used to be. Until her best friend of seven years/boyfriend of three suddenly breaks up with her just as they are graduating. Not just that but he ghosts her. She is young and heartbroken and starting a new chapter in life that had been planned out with someone. We've all been there at least once. AND THEN BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE..because Hayden is back out of nowhere and not across the country like he said he'd be...and why? Well because someone was going to murder her and we can't have that. Absolutely not. Also now she's in the middle of a war between Pure Gods and Dark Gods. I did say boom goes the dynamite.

One of my favorite things about this book is that there was some focus on some of the minor gods. I love me some Hades forever and ever but reading something based in Greek myth and it not be about the big three was refreshing and fun. There are so many other types of gods that no one ever focuses on and that was major plus for me and bumped this up from 3.5 stars to four.

2.5 stars. #facepalm. That is all.

Okay...Listen to me..I debated very hard about giving this book 3 stars. Mostly because I get why people are into it. However this book was insanely hyped up. INSANELY. This books screams MAGICAL...And I was waiting to be sucked into the magic.. and instead I got detail after inane detail. That doesn't equal magical or fun or great suck me into this world and never leave story telling.

Celia and Marco are flat and boring as main characters. Both of they're crazy ass fathers had more life in them. And crazy they were. I also would have liked to know why the two men were rivals or what started the competition of finding to proteges to battle to the magical fucking death. Because I feel like that would have been a better story than this one.

Fierce competition? Uh where, bitch? Where? I was expecting a massive stage where two magicians go at it. Quite the opposite.

There are also different timelines so the book is bouncing back and forth. One timeline makes it seem like maybe that character plays a bigger role? Maybe? I don't know...its just more damn details. Not to mention that to books moves slowly. VERY VERY slowly.

Now, hear me out, I'll never say to not read a book. And the scene settings and all the descriptions/details are very pretty. I, however, need more. I get why people fell in love with those. For the same reason I'd wager some think Charlie Hunnam is quite hot and I'm just like meh. I get it..it's just not for me.

I'm still bouncing between 3.5 stars and 4. I like Gideon and I wanted to read his story. I thought it sucked hardcore how he could only speak in lies. So I wanted his happy ending but I didn't think about how his book would be in the ass backwards speak. So it got to me a bit halfway through. I like Scarlett and her story broke my heart a bit so i love that she got her happy ending. I seem to love the side stories. It sets up the next stories really well...like right now I need to see what's up with Amun. So...I guess I am giving this four stars. LOL

I definitely enjoyed this one! I love how Aeron's cocky attitude about not needing a woman was tested really quick. LoL. Olivia was awesome. She was so innocent..you know being an actual angel and all...and she never really wavered in who she was. And at the end of it all she proved she was the warrior she never really thought she was.
I don't complain over an author using one, two or 20 POV's as long as it reads well. And Gena does it well because it gives hints here and there about what could come in the future and I love it.

Its a cute, paranormal book. I enjoyed it. It was a light, fun read. ‘I'll gladly continue the series.

I loved it. The world, her addictions, Terrible. How I swore i knew who was behind the whole thing lol.

3.5 stars

This is the kind of book that I wish had been around when I was younger. And while it was a fun read it also covered some very serious topics. Shay is a young, sapphic witch. Very hard working, very intelligent, very much has her eyes on the prize. She's a junior in high school and she wants (and needs) the scholarship to the college of her dreams. In her pursuit of this she agrees to be part of a school play, even though she has plenty on her plate...and then come to find out the other lead is her school rival. In between all of this, Shay has to deal with exhaustion as she over extends herself, racism, and a teacher who may have acted inappropriate on more than one occasion. She learns along the way that she may have more people in her corner then she thought and that doing the right thing isn't as easy as it seems.
While the book is fantasy, that part of the story feels very contemporary and just part of the every day life. And I like the way that flowed because it made it feel real. For a debut novel, this was an absolute win.

I went in pretty blind for this one. All I needed to know was that it was banned on Amazon, a heavy dark romance with some big trigger warnings, and my bookish friend Chelsea was all over it. Her recommendations are gospel to me. BUT ON TO THE BOOK.

Oh we've got us a dark one here, baby. I'm going to go ahead and give you the TW's I think apply to it now and you can choose if you want to keep going. So we've got murder, dub/cnc, stalking, torture, human trafficking, primal kink....I'm sure I'm missing something but I think you get it. In less exciting news it's a slow burn and ends on a cliffhanger lol.

If you're still here... I am a sucker for self aware, reckless women...which Addie is. She is an author who just inherited her grandmother's family home. She finds her GREAT grandmother's diary and finds out that her sometimes history does repeat itself.
Zade...I don't even know what to say about him other than he's a walking red flag AND I WANT TO WAVE IT. He takes one look at Addie at one of her book signings and that's that. The obsession begins. He will have her, forever, and she has no say in the matter.

I've yet again read a book that's hard to review without giving away spoilers but there are other things at play besides Z stalking Addie which I think make the book better because I personally don't want 600 pages of just that. Other things are definitely at play and I can't wait for book 2 to see how this all ends.

I have never been to Savannah, Georgia. I've always pictured it as a hauntingly beautiful place though. THICK with history and this book simply cemented all that. Right from the start the author let's it be known that while the story is fiction, there are certain events in this book that most certainly are not. George Dawes Green shows us a side of Savannah the rest of us would probably never see as outsiders. He gives us the good, the bad and the ugly and I was here for all of it. And in the center of all of that we have Morgana Musgrove and her grown children. All who are aware of said parts of Savannah society. A local man has been murdered and Morgana gets hired by the prime suspect to do some digging. But a lot more than a murder will be uncovered by the end of it all.

3.5 stars

If you follow true crime then, odds are, you know who Paul Holes is. I do so I went in fully expecting to absolutely love this. I shouldn't have done that. What I wasn't expecting was to find how he portrays himself kind of off-putting. It IS a memoir so, of course, he is writing about himself. But it came across as very woe is me-ish. Clearly he's good at his job but that came with major sacrifices. I can appreciate his dedication to solving these crimes and trying to bring the victims justice..but it was Holes himself who took me out of the book.

Do I dislike the book? No. I'll probably just stick to his podcasts though. Is it worth a read? Yes. I think that if you're new to true crime, you'll like this book more because you'll know less about the cases. He focuses a lot on the GSK case...which is a very big well known case...unless you don't really follow true crime. All in all it was an okay read for me.

The Hope Juvenile Detention Center is a place where troubled teens are sent after all other options are seemingly spent. It's not a very hopeful place and troubled or not these kids deserve better. Just like many places like this, there are cliques and certain people who rule over others especially when the guards aren't looking (some of who aren't any better than the bullies). What if one day the guards stop coming around? What if you find out there is a plague going on in the outside world and maybe you and your new found group of friends are left to basically fend for themselves because who is going to come for kids that everyone already gave up on?

What I liked the most was the character development. You have different types of kids banding together to survive in a world that doesn't want them to the point that they just locked them away somewhere. Which made for a very heartbreaking but hopeful story.

For the life of me I can't remember who on Bookstagram recommended this to me but if you're reading this THANK YOU.

Slow paced books seem to be what I needed because this is my second in a row, I finished it quickly and I loved it. I loved the atmosphere, the 2 MCs, the iffy morals, how my teacher kink was floating, how I couldn't decide if there was a paranormal element or if it was all in Corvina's head. I needed nothing else. Except maybe to read RuNyx's other books to see what the eff I'm missing out on.

If you are reading this book just for the sex scenes then you are the winner, winner chicken dinner. If you want to read about an allegedly bad ass demon that is a such a killer they put it with a capital K but that's never really showcased BUT he's got a forked tongue and extra ridges on his pipe of delight, then grab this book. If you want to read about a FMC who does literally the opposite of what she should do every single time, then you'll have a great time here.

I didn't hate the book. But there was a lot of wasted potential. Juni and Everly are wasted side characters when you have a main character like Rae. Giving very much Harry and Neville vibes. I really just wanted to sit back and enjoy the hot parts but clocking in at 459 pages I need more than just that.

Vampire. Yay! That's it. That's my review.
Okay fine it's not...but also I love vampires. And I was ready to see what Lana P. would give me with Indigo and I am not disappointed. I need to figure out how to become a genius, build a bomb that takes out the world but I wake up 1000 years in the future and become a Well-blessed mate to a vampire Guardian ( or a wolf shifter. Honestly I'm not picky.).

Violet was one of the first to wake in this new future. A future she realized she helped shape. She built the weapon that destroyed the planet 1,000 years before. She carries the guilt of what she's done for the past six years as she makes her way through Elphyne hiding amongst the fae. Never truly sleeping, trusting, making any connections. Just killing vampires. Vampires like the ones who attacked her when she first woke....and she's good at it. But Clarke isn't the only Seer and others are looking for her and want what she has in her head.

Indigo. An outcast amongst his own people because his parents were the first to mate and be faithful. Then one in his own family once he decided to join the Guardians to help with his own guilt over his own past. Things he doesn't want Violet to know because he can't ever lose her. But if he can't let go of his own guilt , how can he convince her to let go of hers?

This is book 4 in the Fae Guardians series and book one in the Season of the Vampire trilogy. Which means....YAY MORE VAMPIRES.

This book was such a punch in the gut. Not in a bad way, I promise. I had never felt more seen or felt like I belong in the pages of a book until this one. As a New Yorker who no longer lives there, this book felt like home...all the good and bad parts of it. I have read and loved many books in my lifetime...but this one will forever hold a special place.

3.5 stars

Here we have the story of Elizabeth Packard. A Victorian housewife doing Victorian housewife things. And then one day she had the absolute nerve to be inspired and uplifted while attending the first (or one of the first) Womens Rights convention. She had the unmitigated gall to have her own opinions and thoughts that did not match those of her husband. So he did what any upstanding husband would do....He had her committed to an insane asylum. AS WAS HIS RIGHT AS THE MANLIEST OF MEN. Insert the hardest of eye rolls here

I had never heard of Elizabeth Packard before. Which is a pity. I absolutely want to read about women yelling FUCK THE PATRIARCHY. Elizabeth not only fought for herself but for all women. She went from a relatively sheltered life to realizing that she was not the first women or the last to be sent away by husbands and fathers for daring to think outside of the box given to them by said men.

With all that a being said, this book for me was a tad too long. The length of a book isn't scary for me at all. But sometimes less is more. This could've have benefited from being a bit shorter. Do I regret buying it or reading it? Absolutely not. But it did drag a bit for me towards the second half. Still worth the read.

3.5 Stars. Love the Harpies. Love the side POV's. However, Sabin and Gwen are not my favorite couple up to this point in the series. The ending really really annoyed me. But all in all it WAS a good book.

What would you do for a love and bond that transcends generations, distance and earthly planes? What happens when you learn that sometimes love and hate are two sides of the same coin?

It's been three years since Miya's world ended in Black Hollow. Now she and Kai follow nightmares to hunt the demons responsible for them and the tragedies that follow. Mason is trying to get back to work in the “real world” and forget all about Dreamwalkers and small town lore and just how real those stories can be.

Miya is struggling with how she fits into this new world and just how powerful she is. Or could be if she learned to trust herself as much as she trusted those around her. Her path to self discovery isn't a pretty one but it is certainly a sight to behold.

Kai is more than happy to traverse all over and back with his best friend and lover...but this time he's bound to her in more ways than one. Kai is not your regular textbook bad boy. He is so much more and he is certainly not for everyone and quite frankly...he doesn't give a fuck. He is raw emotion and pain in its harshest and most honest form. In the process he must learn he is more than just blood and fists.

Mason is still not minding his own business and finds out what happens when you go looking for answers to questions you should have never asked. Mason frustrated me in THG and continued to frustrate me here (It's okay. Some characters are meant to be.) He learns that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. And that sometimes the best way to rectify a past mistake is by walking away and leaving it alone.

The Echoed Realm is definitely more intense than The Hollow Gods. Gone is the slow, melodic pace. Here we have everything coming to a head in a wilder ride.
AJ has managed to do in this duology what some authors can't do across a massive series. She showed us brilliant, story telling, raw emotions, side characters who matter and add to the story and not just take up space and a perfectly timed backstory that melded past and present beautifully.
Come prepared to feel all of the feelings.

This was a much needed solid fae read. I didn't realize how oversaturated I was on SJM's fae world ( in reading and bookstagram). I was craving a new fae fantasy and this fit the bill.

Told in two POV's the story follows Ara ( high fae) and Temir ( lesser fae). Two people on the opposites sides of the social status who want the same thing...to fight back. Ara is on a quest to find out who she really is after finding out the hard way that her parents trained her from birth for a reason. A very big reason. Temir is a lesser fae better off than most because of his rare ability. In reality he is trapped and has some dangerous choices to make.

The book sucked me in from the beginning. It has action, political intrigue and a light romance. If you're looking for a new fantasy you really can't go wrong with this.

Hades and Persephone have been my One True Pairing since before I even knew what that was and I was probably too young to have one but you know...here we are. Couple that with it being a retelling and I knew I had to have this.

First off the reason most people were yelling at me to read this...The fucky parts are great and very 5 much five stars. It was delicious and everything it needed to be. But if you want more than just sexy Happy No No Place smashing scenes then read on...

Hades in this was an absolute cinnamon roll and I loved it. How he was with Persephone and seeing him deal with this growing feelings for her...absolute swoon. Side note.. CONSENT IS SEXY. I also loved Persephone. I didn't find her meek or weak which is off putting if you're setting her up to be Hades soul mate..WHICH SHE IS FOREVER AND EVER.

This is not a book you read for the plot but I'm weird af so once I got off the high of aforementioned smexy bits, I took a second to really think about it. It's a contemporary retelling so there's no magic. Not really. There's mention of not being able to cross a bridge because of some kind of force stopping you but that's about it really. Not how or why it works. Not much world building. I have no idea if Olympus is in the USA or not. And I only say that because they mention California. Also the ending was a bit lackluster. There was mention of a possible war...and then nothing. I kind of wanted a war by that point.

Am I going to read the next in this series? Absofuckinglutely. Did I look up all her other books and plan to read all those? You bet your ass. Did I enjoy this book? Hell yes. I just wanted to make sure you guys understood what you're going to read since every one seems to be talking about the heavy breathing scenes and not much else lol.

I am and have always been Hades and Persephone trash. So to say that I wanted to read this forever ago is an understatement. But we know how it goes when you want to read all the things ever at the same time...I'M READING AS FAST AS I CAN , PEOPLE. Anyhoots.....this was retelling perfection. You read that correct. PERFECTION. Tragic, of course because what Greek mythology story doesn't have it's share of tragedy. But it had its fair share of adorable and hilarious moments. The art was definitely icing on the cake.

I'm sure it won't be long now before I'm fully caught up. And when that happens I'll probably start it all over as I wait for more.

I love historical romances. This isn't the type I usually lean towards to so I figured at the very least I would like it. Instead I loved it. Such a beautifully written love story...but beautiful doesn't ever mean easy. It's a love story about an interracial couple in the 60's in NYC. So yes there is racism involved. And it wouldn't have been as believable and gripping if there hadn't been any. If you're going to write about a certain time period then you need to give the bad right along with the good. This may be fiction but it isn't fantasy. So be real with it and I feel like Amy Harmon did her research and wrote it well.

Benny Lament is Italian, from The Bronx, and he's the nephew of a mob boss and a songwriter. Okay I can't lie...upon seeing he was from The Bronx I was already liking him. I'm not Italian, the niece of a mob boss or born in the 60's...but I am from The Bronx so off the bat I was like “What's good, Benny.” LOL. The man was born to write songs and wrote his first one at the age of 8. He goes on to have a great career...but wants nothing to do with familial responsibilities of any kind after what he witnessed as a child. The story is told from his POV.

Esther Mine is Black, grew up with a large family and is the lead singer of the group Minefield. And all Benny had to do was hear her sing one time and before she was even done he knew he just HAD to write a song for her. Esther is nobody's fool and gives as good as she gets. The songwriting part came easy for them. Everything else was quite the opposite.

Come ready to feel all the feelings.