Debbie

We are back in Elphyne. Not with Rush and Clarke...but with Rush's son Thorne and Laurel.

It's been about two years since Clarke woke in this new world and she knows her best friend is next. Good for Laurel to have someone there for to help her understand what she's waking up to. Laurel was the head of a fitness empire in her time. A queen in her own right. She lived and worked hard to make up for her twin that didn't make it to see adulthood. She lived for them both. Even if that meant that constantly pushing forward and not learning to take a minute to appreciate life in the now.

Thorne was born during a time where his birth was illegal and both his parents paid the price. His mother with her life and his father a cursed ghost. His aunt was sent away, he was forced to become a Guardian and his mentor has been mysteriously gone for a decade. He's angry. Very. And nobody is going to stop him from finding Jasper. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE...and you need to read the book to find out rest. BWAHAHAHAHAHA. (I can not give you all the deets. That's not how this works!)

This story is continuing the war that is brewing in Elphyne and as much as I miss Rush ( insert all the sad faces here), this book was just as good. And I'm ready for more delicious shifting Fae men falling for bad ass human women. ISSA MOOD.

I knew that after certain events from the previous book that Jasper would make my heart cry and bleed and so yea...I already loved him before I knew him.

The common thing between the Fae Guardians and their Well-blessed mates is that they all have their own trauma. They are all broken somehow and none think they deserve love. But they do. And Ada is no different. Abandoned as a child by a mother who gave zero shits about her she practically saved herself until a hermit taught her how to hunt for survival but not for cruelty. For all the pain she's gone through she's a healer through and through.

Jasper is broken. Very broken. Tortured and held captive for ten years, by the time he is saved he can't even remember his name. And maybe he doesn't want to. Whether he wants to or not won't stop what's coming for him because it wants him dead and it wanted him dead when he was a child.

Call me the most basic of bitches, I care the fuck not, but I'm a sucker for a broken soul especially if he's a shifter with pointy ears. Clearly I'm loving this series and all the characters in it. It's safe to say Lana P will be an auto buy author for me from here on in.

Mennik Thorn is a second rate mage. He's also kind of a fuck up. He gets on people's bad side and it's not even intentional. Barely scraping by a living, he's dragged by his best (and only) friend for a “simple” job. This was immediately after botching the job he was just on. Botched job means no pay...

The book doesn't necessarily start off slow...but for a quick bit there you kind of start to get over how seemingly pathetic Mennik is and how much he gets his ass kicked. Even the 11 year old isn't afraid of him. She's definitely way scarier than he is LOL. Then you get to the one page where it all makes sense. With one sentence you get it. Why he seems unambitious. Why he won't work for a mage and go up in rank. Why he wants nothing to do with the people in power, with power and about power. After that it's a wild ride.

Flawed and likeable characters, good world building, magic, fantasy, mystery and it was well done. I read it as an e book but this is a book I definitely want on my shelves. I'm on board for book 2.

A white haired, wolf shifting Fae Guardian? I'M IN! You need more than that? FINE.

Clarke , a human, wakes up in an unfamiliar place only to realize she is technically home. Just not a home in her own time. And perhaps with some powers she didn't have before waking in this strange new place.

Rush (the aforementioned yummy white haired fae) is cursed and nobody has seen him in a very long time. Literally. Until Clarke when he's at the right place at the right time to save her.

CUE THE QUEST.

A post apocalyptic world with different shifting Fae, different races, a forbidden romance ( a human and a Fae? GASP), upcoming war, a curse that needs broken, and a library scene I may have read twice...okay fine three times. Judge me.

I am now and have always been Twilight Trash. Unapologetically so. With that being said I thought I would devour this book. I shocked myself by taking my time with it and just enjoying being back in Forks.

In terms of plot, you aren't going to get anything new. If you're expecting that then you aren't paying attention. What you do get is to see Bella through Edward's eyes. His infatuated, stalkery eyes. With that being said he can crawl through my window whenever he wants (Alexa, play Come To My Window by Melissa Etheridge). He doesn't see her the way she sees herself, of course, so it's almost like you're getting a whole new Bella. You also get a lot more of the Cullens, which was absolutely missing from the original series. That would have made the books even better because I was interested in them all and their backstories.

Edward was always intense in the OG Twilight but from his POV he is INTENSE. Make no mistake I am #TeamEdward now and forever but sometimes I just wanted to tell him “You don't need air but breathe, baby. BREATHE.” I'm sure living for eternity with your whole family of couples while being able to hear their every thought would get to us all, so no judgement here. I would probably also fall in love with someone whose thoughts I couldn't hear because OMG WHAT A HORRIBLE POWER. EVERYONE SHUT UP TWICE.

This book is absolutely for die hard fans. And maybe the wait for a book that was never going to come out made it better but I'm happy with it. But I still hate that cover. Ew.

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.

Man, listen...this books starts off heavy. And stays pretty heavy throughout. It's a very haunting and heartbreaking book. And with that comes trigger warnings such as suicide and that's right off the bat. Then there's absent parent, enclosed spaces, gore and murder to name some. So I want to say that right at the beginning and not the end but when I say it can be a heavy book for some I mean it's HEAVY.

Jack Morton has had to grow up and do it fast. Life has not been easy for him at all and all he has left is his little brother. Now he has to decide if he will let his brother go to foster or find the drug money his father hid. Jack doesn't know Ava Bardem. But Ava know Jack.

Ava Bardem was told her whole life by her father to love and trust no one. And she has to choose...find the money for her father (who was Jack's father partner in crime) or help the brothers get the money so they can survive.

This was all in all a very good thriller that gave me more than I was expecting to be honest. Especially for YA, which is a plus for me.

I don't usually say anything about the first in a Meghan March trilogy. I wait until I'm done with the whole thing but I'M A REBEL I DO WHAT I WANT. Anywhos and onward..

Gabriel Legend and Scarlett Priest. Two people that are really hurting my heart right now. DON'T EVER THINK YOU DON'T DESERVE SOMETHING GOOD FOR YOURSELF OR THE SCRAPS OF “LOVE” SOMEONE THROWS YOUR WAY. ahem. Both come from two very different worlds but they are more alike than it seems on the surface. Gabriel is a broody one and let's not lie to ourselves...I love me a stone face mofo ( usually means that when they finally do, it's like looking straight into the heavens.). His past doesn't seem pretty at all and something that is still haunting him since he seems to not really want to show his face anywhere. He's carrying around a lot of guilt that was touched on here and there. Scarlett has great drive and passion for what she does and the life she's built around it....but even with that she isn't like most of the other women March usually writes. She just wasn't coming across as headstrong as she probably could be for being a CEO. But that's what growth is for. I'm going to also need her to get some Spidey senses about Chadwick-the-dick.

This book read like it was laying the groundwork more than it was about the sexy times..although there was some of that OF COURSE. The ending was brutal and messed up and cliffhangery and I expect nothing less from Mrs. MM and I fooking love it. LOL.

Before seeing this book on Bookish First I had never come across any of this authors books. As shocking as it may seem that is something that happens all the time. Many thanks to BF for putting this series in my path.

I must admit that when I saw that this book was not centered around Keeley I was a bit worried. I liked her so much and wanted more of her and Caid that I didn't know if I would even care as much about Gemma. Luckily I didn't let that stop me from enjoying yet another wild ride of a series.

Gemma and Keeley are alike and yet so different. They are alike in that they are both bad ass women in many ways. Different because they don't see people and situations in the same way AT ALL. Where Keeley sees the good in everyone, Gemma absolutely does not (I mean...I relate to her somewhat there LOL). She may be a tough nut to crack but it's absolutely worth it when you do.

This books gives us all the the great world building, family dynamic, banter, fight scenes that we got in book one. And it's all still fun to read. Just like The Blacksmith Queen the romance takes a back seat to the main focus of the story. It's there. It's just not in your face. If you blink you miss it sort of. This is not shapeshifting smut (Although do hit me up with them recs though.). There is more to this than that. It's been a fun journey so far and I can't wait for more.

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.

If you are looking for a gothic, dark romance with a dash of psychological thriller, look no further. This was a beautiful, dark read and I know my review will do it zero justice...but here I go anyways.

Trauma in any sense (sexual/physical/verbal etc.) stays with you forever. No matter how it is that you carry it, there it will always be. Sometimes it's tucked away sealed up in a box all the way in the back...And sometimes you can feel it all over your skin like bugs running up and down and all over. Now take two such broken people and put them together and you'll get one of two things....more destruction or salvation.

Isadora Quinn has heard all of the rumors about Lucian Blackthorne. The Mad Son. The Devil of Bonesalt. The Monster of Tempest Cove. She also doesn't believe any of them since she was raised in the same small fishing town and knows exactly how true the rumors about her are. So when a job opportunity shows up at his castle she takes it. She needs the money to get the hell away from the rumors, the trauma, the memories and just try and start somewhere new. She is about to get more then she ever imagined.

The story is told in dual POVs. I loved the pacing of the book which was pretty steady throughout (until maybe the last 20 percent where shit got wild for a hot second). There are triggers and this book is absolutely not for everyone. But I found it to be haunting, sad and beautiful. And now off I go to look up more of Keri Lake's books.

If anybody needs me I'll be on the floor hugging this book wondering why V. E. Schwab did this to me. Like am I supposed to just keep on keeping on after this? Absolutely not. Just toss me some snacks. I live on the floor now.

There isn't much that I can say about this book that won't ruin it. You must go in blind. I will say that it is sad and beautiful. It is also slow paced. The pacing makes sense (to me at least) and it stays pretty slow throughout. Yes it has its WHA? WHO DAT? WHY DAT? QUE?! moments but again, slow paced mostly....and tbh I loved that too. Totes had me by the balls and kept a grip on the all the way to the end. And yes I did ugly cry.

If I had to choose a book to read again for the first time this book would definitely be in the top 3.

This is my second JT Geissinger book and the pattern I am seeing is that she likes to give you whiplash whilst ripping out your heart....and since I am a sucker for pain I am absolutely here for it.

There's not much I can say without giving anything away. I will say that if you are looking for traditional HEAs then this isn't for you.

This book was like nothing that I thought it was going to be and it was the best surprise ever.
Told from the point of view of three people..Miya, Kai and Mason. Each one was like a lost soul searching for home. Miya and Kai were drawn to each other in a way they don't understand or can remember. Mason was struggling with guilt and ran away to a place the opposite of where he came from to get away only to find that the truth follows you wherever you go.
The beauty of this book is the slow burn atmosphere through out the whole book. This is not a guns blazing book. It's more of a slow simmer, seep into your brain situation. It deals with generational trauma/curse, mental health, the very thin line between fact, fiction and the truth. This book went deep. Mentally and emotionally. But there was also a hint of humor here and there that gave it all a beautiful balance. I know it's fantasy but A. J. gave it all such a real feel.
By the end of it I felt very connected to the characters...even to Mason and he wasn't even my favorite. Kai was my favorite. He was very raw and animalistic. I found myself relating to Miya a lot with her thought processes. Even if I didn't already know it was a duology I would have taken the ending as is. It was a very inception like ending that left my mind open to so many possibilities...but with that being said I'm definitely ready for more.

It's been a hot minute since I've read a J. T. Ellison book and this book reminded me as to why I loved her in the first place. If you're looking for a mystery/thriller you can't go wrong with her.

Claire Hunter is ready to marry the love of her life, Jack Compton. He comes from a powerful and wealthy family so she knows life won't be the same. For instance, their wedding is taking place in a beautiful family owned villa off the Italian coast. But Claire doesn't want him for his money and has zero problems signing the prenup that comes with marrying someone like Jack. And Jack loves her.

With all that love between them doesn't mean that Claire doesn't have a past or secrets in that past and the same goes for Jack. And it seems that someone or something on the island wants all the secrets out in the open and to show that not all things buried stay that way.

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.

Paul Adams returns to his hometown, where he hasn't been in a very long time, to visit a mother he had no idea was gravely ill. He had zero plans to ever return. He wanted to forget all about the things that happened with his friends 25 years prior. Now things are happening all over again and it's time to figure out what's what.

When this was first up for grabs (on Bookish First) I knew I was going to use my points because after reading (and absolutely loving) The Whisper Man last year, I knew I had to have it. Do I regret that? Not at all. Did I love the book? No. Did I hate the book? No. Am I comparing this to The Whisper Man? No. The book was simply just okay. It's a psychological thriller so I expect the way this was paced. It's supposed to sink it's claws into your brain and you notice way too late. I felt more like..i was mostly reading to see what happens at the end. I couldn't really immerse myself in the now of the book. I can absolutely see why people are loving this but for me it was just okay. This, by no means, mean that I won't be as excited whenever he writes another book.

Awesome. Awesomely awesome. Six stars!

Second half was definitely better than the first so I'm glad I stuck with it. It wasn't boring per se .....You could just tell there was a deeper story coming (or at leat hoping). I also expected it to be a bit darker. Still I found it enjoyable and I'm on to the next one.

I'm writing this review with such a heavy heart. The synopsis screams DEBBIE, READ ME! The cover screams DEBBIE, READ ME! The end result screamed ZzzzzZzZzz.

The story is told from two POV's across two different timelines. Usually not a problem for me....unless I'm bored to death apparently. Viv ( past) and Carly (present) are so similar that more than once I forgot who's chapter I was reading. Or it read like the same chapter back to back. Not even the ending saved it for me.

What makes this all the sadder is that The Sun Down Motel itself is quite creepy. The descriptions there were deliciously eerie and atmospheric. But that wasn't enough to stop me from putting this book down numerous times before finally finishing it.

Another great read by the Romance Queen that is Meghan March. This review is for both books over all.
Drew Carson isn't who she says she is and trying to find closure. Cannon Freeman is the illegitimate son of the head of the Mafia..who was never claimed like the other 3 illegitimate children. Plus he's the black sheep since he has no desire to be a criminal. Both of them have a family legacy that has made them who they are now.
Book 1 ended with signature cliffhanger. It's a must. I love them.
Book 2 had a couple of twists. GOOD ONES.

Side note...I don't like Cannon more than Lachlan Mount. Not even close. That has no bearing on the books. I'm just curious to see if she'll write an alpha male that I love more than him lol. The closest was Lucas Titan.

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 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.

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 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.