Debbie

This was a Good Reads win...and for me it was absolutely a win.

The book sucks you in right away. A family is torn apart by a terrible accident and nobody can pick up the pieces years later. The part that got me there is that what happened to the Clarkes could be any family struggling to start life anew after tragedy. But there's anger and guilt and nobody copes with those emotions the same. So that's why when they find Molly's car and no Molly there was no reason to believe that she didn't just walk away. Then there's a note. So the search ends. The thing about evidence though...it's only as good as the person looking at it.

The best thing about this book are the characters. Hands down. They feel so real. They pull you in. Even when you don't know who or what to believe. The pacing of the story itself was brilliant. The suspense was palpable. I felt like I could grab it out of the air. If life had let me I would've easily read this in one sitting.

Do yourself a favor...come September 2020, READ THIS BOOK.

Audiobook Review...

What did I just listen to? Why have I been sleeping on Pepper Winters? Are my eyes still bugged out at that very last sentence before I realized the narrator stopped talking and there was no more? WHO WAS THAT AT THE END??

This book is a SLOW BURN, ENEMIES TO LOVERS, DARK ROMANCE all the way. Yes the caps were necessary. And by slow burn I mean SSLLLOOWW BURRRNNN in the most delicious way. It's been a minute since I've read a dark romance and this was a fantastic way to bang back into the genre. Yes I did make myself chuckle as I wrote that. Insert all the shrugs here.

Eleanor is kidnapped and sold. Taken to Goddess Isles where she'll be under contract for four years. Ruled over by Sullivan “Sully” Sinclair. Eleanor isn't one to stay shut and cower. She is not afraid of Sully. Doesn't care there's seemingly no way off this island. Doesn't care that he seems to be adored by the other goddesses who offer her no help since they are seemingly happy in their situation. Never mind that she feels a pull toward Sully. Her kidnapper and keeper. A monster. Sully made a mistake in requesting a goddess based on his own desires. He buys women and makes them goddesses on his island. Caters to very wealthy mean and indulges in their desires. But he's never touched any of them himself and more so has never wanted to. Until Eleanor. She's breaking and awakening something in him. He's a man in constant control and she's making him slip.

Since I listened to the audio book I must say that I loved both narrators (Sarah Puckett, Scott Rider). I hope they stay on to continue the series. Because I am absolutely going to listen to book 2 ASAP.

This is another review for the audio book. I tried a different KA audiobook that I had read and loved and decided to continue that pattern. The Hookup is another books of hers that I love so I decided to go with it. I already knew from the previous audiobook that I liked Lance Greenfield. Now I can add Stella Bloom to the list. They aren't just dead pan reading. All the emotions that need to be there are. And I've heard plenty of audiobooks where I swear a robot was reading it. Which is why for years I never bothered.

Not much else to add. Just a newbie audiobook listener trying to cram books in her face at all times. Even when she doesn't have a minute to sit and read.

My review is for the audio book. I read this book a while ago ( several times) and I love it. This is more for my foray into audiobooks.

The story is told in two POVs in alternating turns. So Lance Greenfield did Hixon's chapters in it's entirety ( including the female voices) and Erin Mallon did the same for Greta's chapters. And I really enjoyed it. I got to experience this book again in a new way and it kept me company while I was busy adulting. I didn't think I'd be able to love it the same as when I read it, but I was wrong. All of the same emotions were there even though i know the story well. It almost felt new in a way. I'll know now to keep an eye out for these narrators.

Okay...listen to me... I wanted to come out of this yelling at the top of my lungs saying how much I LURVED this book. Instead I really really liked it.

For what it is ... a novella and backstory....it's really good. We get to find out about the Twelve Paladins. We get to see Ryber and Kullen and the beginning which was sweet and heartbreaking. We get more about the Witchlands and how it began before things are how they are. I like the formatting and the artwork. It added to the feel of the book.

The blurb says it sets up Bloodwitch ( AEDUAN. I'M READY FOR YOU , BABY) so I'm excited to see where this pops up and I like that I'll have that extra bit of knowledge.

3.5 stars

This is a pretty solid read especially when I think about this being the author's debut. It's a dark fantasy so I was excited to get into this new world. And the world is pretty complex. That was easily my favorite thing about this book. It gives off the feeling that only the surface was scratched in between all the realms and magic.

What stopped me from giving it more stars is that I had trouble connecting or caring about any of the characters. I didn't hate them. So that detachment took me out of the world a bit. I'm not trying to scare you off the book with that. Sometimes you just don't connect but if you like dark fantasy then this is definitely worth the read.

3.75-4 stars.

This was a quick but enjoyable. At the halfway mark it dipped down to a 3.5 for me but then it really picked back up. The sexy tension was there. The sexy parts were there. It really was enjoyable though and I would've given it 5 stars if Cyrus was more villainy. The blurb says he's ruthless and rules the underworld with an iron fist. I wasn't really feeling all that from him. With that blurb I would be expecting a more hardcore alpha male...but meh. That's just my preference for the bad hot guy in these books though. Don't let that deter you. With it being a quick read it definitely bumps it up for me because nothing dragged out.

Windwitch didn't go in the direction I was expecting. I was positive I knew who would go to where and when they met up it would be CURTAINS FOR EVERYONE. No. I am not complaining. This book had a different dymanic than Truthwitch and if you're wanting what you got from the first book you'll find yourself disliking this one. I'm okay with letting the author lead down their path instead of the one I have preplanned in my head ( WE'VE ALL DONE IT SO DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT).

This is Merik's book. I like Merik. Merik had a lot to learn and this book kicked his ass. This book kicked everyone's ass. Not necessarily in the physical sense. Safi, Iseult, Vaness, Aeduan (AEDUAN MY BABY CAKES GIMME GIMME). Finding out truths about yourself, what you thought was fact, who's really your enemy and who's really not, and that your truth isn't THE truth can knock you back farther back than a fist straight to the middle of your face.

If you're looking for romance you won't get that here. Love, absolutely.

This. Book. Is. AFUCKINGMAZING.

It's so hard to talk about a book like this for fear of giving anything away so kindly just there as I get this Asksksksksksaaaahhhh out. Trust me, with this it's best to go in blind.

The whole book reads like a dossier/ transcript which is fantastic because it is well done. It just adds more to the sci fi effect. It's also EMOTIONAL AF. My anxiety and tears were all over the place.

I can get why someone wouldn't like this. The formatting takes some getting used to if you're not expecting it when you first open the book. I found it to be unique and exciting and just plain FUN...even though I cried. CRYING CAN BE FUN TOO.

You'll never know how happy I am that I already have Gemina...

NOW SOMEONE COME TALK TO ME ABOUT ALL MY FEELINGS.

I know I've said it in another review or two but I have a messed up relationship with Coates' The Haunting of..... books. Why? Because I'll love the atmosphere of the story itself...but hate the main character. And these stories don't have that many characters.
I'll say I won't read her books again...But here we are. HERE WE ARE.

This one didn't even have the atmosphere I love going for it. I wasn't drawn in by an other worldly vibe. It was bleh. That's all I have folks. It should've been a quick read...less than 200 pages..but I put the book down twice.

Side note....if you're house sitting a strangers house and you find a locked door as you check out the house...would you break open that door some nights later? Even though at no point was that door mysteriously unlocked. No, no you wouldn't. Would it also not be the first door you broke in said home? No because who does that? Nobody. Nobody does that.

I wish I had read this sooner. Upside is that I don't have to wait for the next book since it's up to book three. Even better is that I shared my second copy with my own Threadsister and we got to read this together (and we both loved it)

At first I really wasn't sure how I was feeling. I want to say for maybe the first quarter ( take this measurement with a grain of salt...I can read. I can't do math. LoL) it was slow but not slow. I was trying to gather information. The world, the people, the magic system ( which I love btw), But once it kicked into high gear for me...it kept going and did not stop.

The characters are not without flaws (which is fine. I personally don't want to read a book where every character is perfect nor where everyone is a complete fool. I'm looking for flaws but also growth within the characters). Safiya is kind of reckless. She just does things without thinking anything through (being young and reckless is normal. IRL and in fantasy) and it isn't until she sees someone hurt or the mess her actions cause does she really begin to grasp that she is absolutely the cause of half of the messes she's in. Iseult is her best friend and the opposite of Safi. I felt that they balanced each other out. Something that did frustrate me was that neither of these girls really tapped into the potential of their witchery. They could absolutely fight though. I felt that Dennard was heading in the direction of growth through out the book so hopefully that gets expanded in the next books.

I loved the twists and turns. I was also really surprised by a couple of the side characters. I don't need a book for every one of them but I definitely want to see them more or get more backstory on them.

My FAVORITE thing though? All the women were kick ass.

I bounced between a 3.5 and 4 star rating but the more I read the more I found myself really into the story HOWEVER sometimes I felt myself putting the book down. I felt like some scenes were just a bit too long but I did go back for more. I really like Dyna, more than i thought I would by the end. I like my females MC hardcore and sassy and bold...she had an internal strength that was very admirable. She's very young and untested in the world since she lives in an isolated village but she went off to do what needed to be done so that nobody else in her village would die (She'd already witnessed her parents and brothers death). That may seem naive and gullible but when the elders are literally doing nothing to stop what is coming, you take matters into your own hands.

It's not only told from her POV. There's also Zev and Cassiel. Cassiel is definitely a favorite. So sassy is our winged prince LOL. Definite slow burn romance...and I mean SLOW BURN. I'm okay with slow slow burn if done right and while I felt like it was...I'm not going to lie... I want it to be kicked up a notch in the next book. And I absolutely want the next book after that cliffhanger!

Did I read a post apocalyptic sci fi romance in the middle of a real life pandemic? Yes I did and I REGRET NOTHING. When I first raffled for this book on Bookish First I was excited and hoped to win it and not long after, Covid hit hard here in the States and life went sideways for everyone. So after I received the book I wasn't sure if it would help my anxiety or make it worse. I had so much fun reading this that I had no problem separating real life from the book. It was exactly what I needed.
I'm a sucker for a bad ass female MC and Nina is exactly that. She's a mercenary librarian. It's like my dream job that I never knew I wanted. Knox is a super serious soldier that went AWOL and now he and his team need Nina's and her crews help. There are some twists in the story so I won't say much more because it's hard without giving anything away. But I will say there are clones, action and romance.
I'm definitely ready for book 2 and this was an ARC so now I have to wait even longer (cue sad violins). Kit Rocha is a writing team that I hadn't heard of before but now they are definitely on my radar and I need to see what else they have to keep me busy until the next book in this series.

I consider myself very lucky to have gotten my hands on an advanced readers copy of A Tangled Web. I am a huge fan of her mothers work, considered by many to be the Queen of true crime novels. I am absolutely not comparing one's work to another. I am simply trying to convey my love and excitement for having received this book.

This review won't be too long. True crime is best when you know the least about it and let the story unfold as you read (or watch). As someone on the outside looking in it was quickly obvious to me as to who was behind the mess. And it was a MESS. I can't say that I liked Dave much....but I would never wish this on anyone.

All in all, I think this was a solid read. I've never read any of Leslie's other work but this has certainly put her on my radar.

I struggled with the rating for this book. It was a solid read. I was never going to go under a 3 but I struggled enough that I will keep it at a 3 instead of 3.5 or 4. The main reason for the struggle is because the blurb for the book kind of doesn't fully match the book. It's almost like that was written first and then the book shaped itself later on.

I tried hard to like Megan more..but she made that very difficult. She had not only danced ballet but then she went on to be a climber..and was very good at it. Having sponsors and all. How bad ass is that? But her running every time something bad happened ( and a couple of times it was literal. She legit just ran out the door and left.) was very off putting. Even when I tried to put myself in her mindset. She is 17. She has some trauma. But it just happened on time too many so i was over it. I liked Liam. I liked his character growth as the book went on. Bellamy remained a mystery from beginning to end. Does he have magic? I feel like he used magic at the beginning. But then he just seemed different for lack of a better term for the rest of the book. but no magic. BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE THAT WAS MAGIC? I don't know.

The book kept a pretty steady pace through out. Something was always happening to keep it flowing. I didn't get the killer at all. I thought I did but I was way wrong and it was good. I really liked how it ended because again...Bellamy. He is a puzzle that I'm not sure I want solved. And I mean that in a good way.

Who doesn't love an enemies to lovers, slow burn, witch and witch hunter marriage of convenience? Just me? Coolcoolcoolcool.
Lou (the witch) is a hot mess. Always had something smart assy to say ( i can relate) and she was running scared trying to do the right thing. Reid (the witch hunter)...so oh so tall, chivalrous, loyal and adorably virginal. So dead set on his black and white views. Watching them both fall in love and realize that things they've learned about either side may not entirely be true was fantastic. Watching them both grow and change internally was beautiful to see.

The magic system was on point. Not your regular run of the mill witch magic. Along with the romance was the story of sister hood. Coco is the shit..and proof positive that blood can bond in more ways than one (IF YOU READ THIS YOU'LL GET IT BWAHAHAHAHAHA). ALSO.....as much as I loved Lou and Reid..I'm going to need more people to make some noise for Ansel. WE MUST PROTECT HIM AT ALL COSTS.

Big Titty Liddy.

I jumped back and forth about giving this book 4 or 5 stars but I'm sticking with 5 stars. I got from this book what I was expecting from a book a read a few books back..AND I DIDN'T GET. AT ALL....and I wasn't even expecting from this one. So win for me.

I'm not well versed in the story of The Twelve Dancing Princesses but I remembered enough that I knew what it was. And I was excited for 1. a retelling and 2. a retelling that wasn't Beauty and the Beast ( I love BatB retellings..but there are SO MANY).

This book was a YA retelling, gothic horror, murder mystery with a little slow burn romance thrown in. What? That's a lot. And you know what...YOU KNOW WHAT...it was well done. For a debut novel? Shut up. WHAT ELSE YOU GOT, ERIN??

At one point, I didn't know what was real and what wasn't. What was a lie and what wasn't. Definitely had a creepy atmosphere to it. I can't say that the first half was fast paced....But I was already drawn in by the spooky vibes. I'm not going to lose sleep but I'm also not the target demographic. All in all...definitely worth the read if you ask me. And if you didn't ask me..then why are you here? O.O

I went in blind for this book. Just like I did several years ago when I first came across one of SJM's book randomly on amazon...and bought it because I loved the cover. That's it. That's what started my SJM obsession. A pretty ACOTAR cover. I wasn't on bookstagram or anything like that so I had no idea who she was..or the massive following (and hate) she had. So for this book I avoided all the things about it. And I'm so happy I did. This book was nothing like what I was imagining. I mean that in the best way.

She dedicated this book to her son and people found that weird. But if you have actually read the book you'd get it. I know why people thought it was weird...they thought it would be full of smut. HA. Just because her other books were labeled YA when they were most certainly not (I don't know who's job it is to set books into whatever genre but that personal failed hard core). It is very much an enemies to lovers slow burn...and by slow I mean SLOW. But I loved it.

This book was about faith, and love and finding the strength to go on when your world is shattered. Of believing in someone when the whole world thinks the worst of you. And they let you know it. When all the evidence points to someone being something other than great..but you know better because nobody know them like you knew them. Nobody. And that resonated with me so damn much (I'm looking at you, Sugar Bunny).

It's a big book, yes. And it's not action packed. The shit doesn't hit the fan until about the last 1/3 of the book and then it's wild. I'm not saying it was dragging the whole way through. I certainly didn't think so. And all of it was worth it. One hundred percent worth it.

When I read a book and I see a character is about to be very reckless, I try to see why they would instead of spending half the book judging their recklessness. Lilac is next in line to be queen. Everything was fine until one night when she was ten years old that changed everything. In a matter of minutes it was discovered that she has affliction that caused her parents to basically lock her away in the castle for the next ten years of her life. But the time as come to crown her queen..the problem is the people don't want that. So off she goes ...by herself..without telling anyone...with no skills...with her naive little self off to find what the thinks is the cure.
My heart broke for her. They just locked her away. The king and queen thinking that would be best for the people. If nobody saw her. She didn't ask for any of this and still she wanted to do right by her people and do whatever she could to be a good queen for them. She was naive and reckless, yes..HOWEVER she wasn't so gullible that somewhere along the lines she realized there was so much she didn't know. She began to see Darklings not as evil or vile creatures..but actual living and breathing beings...that they weren't that different from humans in many ways.
Garin. Garin is a vampire and the anti hero of this story. That's all I need.
My biggest issue is that this was an ARC ..Not out until March 10....So that means I have wait even longer for book 2.

I wanted to give this more stars. I went in very excited....but at the end of it while I didn't absolutely love it, I didn't hate it either. It started off on the right track...but as the story went along I can't say I cared much about any of the characters. And there are many characters. I had no feeling one way or the other about any of them. The one thing I did like where Shay's stats. And she had data and statistics aplenty.

While there was no wow factor FOR ME..it was still worth the read. Yes I know this review isn't much to write home about but it simply was just OKAY for me. So I don't really know how else to put that in words. I finished a couple of days ago and this is all I got.

I love to read. I've been doing it for just about my whole life. And I have absolutely loved and obsessed over many a book. But you'd be surprised as to how few books ( in comparison to how many books you've read) grip you and won't let go until you're done and then you sit there horrified that it is over and you need more you will quite frankly DIE if you don't get more. Was that dramatic enough? Because that's how this amazing book has me at the moment.

This book was a wild ride. From beginning to end. I mean that literally..by page 3 I was WHAT THE WHAT, by page 10 I knew I loved it and by the last sentence I was like AAAAAAHHHH!!

The main character is a princess assassin spy. What more could you possibly want???!! You animals.

I almost didn't accept this ARC because I was already reading two of them and they weren't going to be 5 stars and I wanted to get to some other books I was more hype for (doesn't help that I'm a mood reader)...and if I hadn't it would've been a huge mistake on my part. HUGE. This book was 100 percent right up my alley. I loved the characters and the world building. There's magic and court dealings and intrigue galore.

Keira was kick ass from page one and I'm all for a bad ass female assassin. I'm here for it all day. Dorian is a very powerful master seider who doesn't rememer Keira from many years before...but she remembers him. I'm even interested in the side characters because there's so much story going on behind those scenes.

The ONLY reason I didn't finish this quicker is because I spent the past two nights with a migraine so reading was a no go. If not this would have been done days ago. I've never read any other Marie Robinson book but I'm ready to dive in to whatever else she has.

3.5 stars

We have reached the end of the Legend trilogy.
Overall this was a good series. I like Legend and Scarlett as individuals. Scarlett is a lovely woman, who has a passion for the company she's built, raised by a woman who taught her well, and she grew to be a good person, in spite of having a father who's a piece of shit. Having grown up with everything she could have ever wanted at her disposal didn't make her spoiled or nasty. On the contrary, she saw the beauty in all things. Gabriel came from quite the opposite. And he literally fought his way to earn his own slice of something legit. He blamed himself for something that happened when he was young and he spent a long time trying to make amends for it.
As a couple, they were just okay for me. They didn't ignite in me any feelings of YES. I didn't hate them....they were okay. They certainly deserved their happy ending. And I'm glad they got it. Their relationship didn't really go through any conflicts within since neither character was really hotheaded. Their issues all came from outside sources.

This book was definitely more action packed then the first two as everything was drawing to a close. And it was a good read. I hate that I'm not 5 starring it across the board because Meghan March is one of my absolute favorite authors and she probably always will be..unless she starts kicking babies in the face or some crazy shit like that. So while I didn't LOVE it doesn't mean it's not worth the read...Just not one of the ones i'll reread to death.

Side note.... I'm keeping an eye out for Q and Flynn.

3.5 stars

This book had its ups and downs for me. I really wanted to give it 4 stars but some things bothered me enough to take the stars off.
Nina's husband goes missing but nobody knows if he's dead or not since there's no body. On top of that she finds out her husband had secrets. Not that long after, she is in a new relationship. Small town so everybody is side eyeing her. Now my problem isn't that she started up a new relationship even though she had no idea if her husband was dead or not (That truly doesn't bother me. Do you, booboo)...my issue was her reason for staying where she lived. She is a stay at home mom, and her husband handles the money making. She has access to the accounts but with money missing she can't afford the house they live in...so she rapidly moves in with her new boyfriend SIMPLY BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO MOVE OUT OF THE STATE? What. She was not going to end up in the street with her children. She not only had her parents but two best friends who seemed like they would have helped her in any way, shape or form. Instead she moved in with Simon, who offered to pay for all of the things until the end of time. Did I mention that she had enough in the account for a year and a half or two years. Nothing was stopping her from moving to a smaller place and going back to work. It made no sense to me and it seriously bothered me. She had mom guilt and she had doubts and second guess herself a lot. I get that. Completely. I'm a mother. I. GET. THAT. A lot was going on. But still that one thing seriously bothered me.

It was a bit slow at first but it kicks into high gear halfway through. This is also where I can see someone rolling their eyes at Nina..but I'm on the outside looking in. It's easy from my vantage point to yell OMG HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE?!

I liked her daughter, Maggie. She was acting like a bratty teenager and tbh I was here for it. She had every right to act the way she did... Never tell my children I said that. She had a lot going on and she was pretty aware for a 13 year old. Her brother, Conner, served zero purpose until maybe the very end and really if you took him out of the story it wouldn't be any different.

The POV's got a little confusing at times which usually doesn't happen to me. Overall it really was a good read. Once the intense parts kick in it kind of stays at that same pace until the end. Also I find the title of the book to be hilarious..but I'm weird like that and I've read the book so I can.

I finished this book days ago...and it's taken me days to figure out how to say something other this book was so dreadfully boring. If I hadn't asked for this book for Christmas and actually got it...I wouldn't have finished it. That's the only reason I pushed through.

I loved the cover. I loved the naked hardcover. I loved the synopsis. I love gothic horror. It had the makings of a good, creepy story. But when I read it, I got nothing. A boarding school isolated deep in Argentina, reopened after so long and only 10 girls as students. I was ready. And then I was lost. I think there were two timelines. Or maybe 2 POVs. I don't think I've ever had this hard a time keeping up with a book but I'm sure my absolute boredom had something to do with it.

Maybe I'll read something by this author again. I won't say that I won't because this is a debut. If you enjoyed this, great. I'm happy one of us wasn't bored to tears.