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Review: The Spirit Girls by Dawn Merriman

May7
The Spirit Girls Book Cover The Spirit Girls
Rylan Flynn #1
Dawn Merriman
Paranormal, Mystery
Second Sky
May 9, 2023
E-ARC
208
NetGalley
April 22 - 30, 2023

“Where are you taking me?” Rylan follows the figure through the trees. The girl’s dark ponytail swings as she turns back, then walks on without answering. Deep in the woods, she disappears… and Rylan finds her body, mouth wide in a silent, final plea for help.

Rylan Flynn has always been able to see what others don’t—the restless spirits haunting Ashby, Indiana. She’s learned to live with her “gift” but sometimes she longs to escape.

The woods have always been a peaceful place for Rylan. But on a visit to her aunt’s cabin, she catches sight of a spirit in the trees. The ghost of a young woman approaches, leading Rylan to her body.

With a flood of horror, Rylan realizes that the girl, Celeste Monroe, has been murdered. An outgoing newcomer to town, Celeste had no enemies. Who on earth would want to see her dead?

When a coin carved with strange symbols is discovered in Celeste’s throat, it’s clear that a twisted, cold-blooded killer is at work.

Rylan’s abilities could be the only way to prevent further deaths. But Ashby’s handsome head detective, Ford Pierce, has made it very clear that he doesn’t want her help.

And any unexplained knowledge of the case could make Rylan the perfect suspect.

When another body is discovered and blood at the scene points to Rylan’s family, she is more determined than ever to uncover the truth. She must race against time to untangle a web of dark secrets… but can she find answers before the murderer claims another victim?

Review

The Spirit Girls is a fun paranormal mystery novel that is very quick, easy, and enjoyable to read.

Rylan sees ghosts. She talks to them, she helps them cross over, and she has a YouTube channel (and a BFF for a camerawoman) to share her tales of ghostly encounters while also picking up clients and helping their ghosts cross over.

Rylan is a great character. She’s both easy to understand, and also complex. What I love about Rylan is that she has secrets and baggage, namely that her mother was murdered in the house and still haunts her bedroom where she was killed. (This is revealed in chapter 2, so not really a spoiler.) Rylan is also a hoarder. It’s hard to tell exactly how extreme her hoarding is, but… it’s pretty bad. I’m super curious to see how this progresses as the series goes on. I don’t think I’ve ever met a book where the protagonist has a hoarding disorder, so this was a unique and welcome addition to Rylan’s character.

In this book, Rylan becomes involved in the ritualistic murder of a teenage girl, when the ghost of said girl guides Rylan to her body and then disappears. As the bodies begin to stack up, and the murder investigation hits closer to home than she’d like, Rylan feels as though she has no choice but to solve the crime herself. 

I loved the mystery in this book. I had suspicions about who the killer was, but I didn’t really know until the big reveal. I loved the characters. I loved the pacing. But I have one major gripe, that I really hope will be resolved before publication—after the first chapter or two, the author quits using contractions, leaving the dialogue feeling very stilted and unnatural. If we were talking about one character who doesn’t use contractions, that would be a character quirk. But no. This is every character from about chapter 3 til the end. It drove me batty. It wasn’t enough for me to quit the book, but it did pull me out of the story. 

With that said, will I continue with this series? Absolutely! There are the beginnings of a potential romance and I’m really curious to see how that progresses and what it could mean for Rylan’s hoarding issues. And I’d love for her mother to cross over and find peace at some point. 

If you can overlook the lack of contractions, this is a paranormal mystery you don’t want to miss! 

Huge thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

Whats New With Me

I think spring is finally here in Minnesota. After a brief few days in April of 70* weather, we had yet another snow storm. It was a very snowy winter, and I am forever grateful to have been recruited to a (mostly) work from home day job!

It’s finally back up to the 70’s and as I write this, I am sitting on my back patio with the sun shining and the birds chirping. I don’t think there are any sounds better than this!

Yesterday I hauled compost from the country yard waste site and topped off my raised garden bed, and today I planted some squash seeds (Kuri and Sunrise varieties) that I saved from some squash I bought from the farmers market last year. I’m hoping I get a nice yield, as I’m giving up half my raised garden bed for this trial! (The last time I grew squash, pumpkin, and melon, it was in the ground in another part of my yard that we have grassed over.) The other half of my raised bed will be home to some peas, beans, peppers, and 1-2 tomato plants (last year I had maybe 5 tomato plants and soooo many went to waste because I couldn’t consume them that quickly!) I’m very excited to start growing veggies again.

In the writing world, I’m (very) slowly re-reading Something I’m Good At and taking notes so I don’t make any continuity errors in the yet-to-be-titled stand alone sequel. After essentially 4 years of zero inspiration/motivation to flex my creative muscles with writing, I think I’m ready. I have a lofty goal to finish this book before the end of 2023, but let’s be honest, that’s unlikely. Once I finish my notes from book 1, maybe I’ll set myself some shorter goals, such as: Complete Outline by ___. Write X chapters by ___. You get the drift.

Also in the writing world, I have about 18,000 words written in my “monster” book that I started a few years ago and have been revisiting from time to time. It’s also a YA romance. I’ve hit a wall though, so that’s on the back burner while I work on the SIGA sequel.

In life, like I said before, I’m loving my WFH job. My manager/supervisor are great. The work is typically not too challenging, so my stress level is way down from my previous job. And getting to sit outside on my patio and work in the spring/summer is so good for the soul. I’m also pretty good at my job, so that’s always nice, right?

I’m also very excited because in June I’ll be attending the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Minneapolis. I have my Folklore/Evermore outfit ready to go! (I’m low key keeping my eye out for cheap tix for the second show. Don’t tell my husband! 🤫) I also won tickets from the radio to see Ed Sheeran in Minneapolis in August, so I’m pretty stoked to take my 16 year old to their first ever concert… and all it’ll cost me is parking!

Aside from that, my time these days is spent keeping my house standing, driving my youngest to lessons, trying to eat healthy and get back in the exercise habit (I’m trying running again… Ahhh!), and working my publishing side gig for Melange Books (and its imprints, Satin Romance and Fire & Ice Young Adult Books). I love the work that I do for them—cover design, web updates, and formatting—and honestly, if it paid the bills I would quit my day job in a heartbeat!

So… that’s what’s new! Leave a comment below if you have anything exciting happening in your life!

Review: Throwback by Maurene Goo

May2
Throwback Book Cover Throwback
Maurene Goo
Contemporary YA
Zando Young Readers
April 11, 2023
E-ARC
368
NetGalley
April 2 - 17, 2023

Back to the Future meets The Joy Luck Club in this YA contemporary romance about a Korean American girl sent back to the ’90s to (reluctantly) help her teenage mom win Homecoming Queen.

Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what’s harder? Being the daughter of one. Samantha Kang has never gotten along with her mother, Priscilla—and has never understood her bougie-nightmare, John Hughes high school expectations. After a huge fight between them, Sam is desperate to move forward—but instead, finds herself thrown back. Way back.

To her shock, Sam finds herself back in high school . . . in the ’90s . . . with a 17-year-old Priscilla. Now this Gen Z girl must try to fit into an analog world. She’s got the fashion down, but everything else is baffling. What is “microfiche”? What’s with the casual racism and misogyny? And why does it feel like Priscilla is someone she could actually be . . . friends with?

Sam's blast to the past has her finding the right romance in the wrong time while questioning everything she thought she knew about her mom . . . and herself. Will Sam figure out what she needs to do to fix things for her mom so that she can go back to a time she understands? Brimming with heart and humor, Maurene Goo’s time-travel romance asks big questions about what exactly one inherits and loses in the immigrant experience.

Review

I went into this book hoping for all the 90s nostalgia. The book takes place in 1995, and I certainly got the 90s vibes. It was so much fun flashing back to the time of my childhood. (In 1995 I was a whole ten years old.)

Sam and her mother, Pricilla, do NOT get along. Pricilla was the first generation Korean-American living with a single mother barely making ends meet, trying to live the stereotypical American dream, while Sam is a Gen Z social justice/climate warrior who grew up very privileged. After a huge fight with her mom, Sam is thrown back in time to 1995. Sam is convinced she needs to help her mom win homecoming queen, then all will be well in the future.

The “magic” in this book is light, existing only as the plot device to throw Sam together with her mother, as a teenager. This really is a story of a mother/daughter relationship, with a romance side plot thrown in for good measure.

As someone who was once a teenage girl herself, as well as being a mother to a teenager now, I really felt that I could see the POV of both Sam and Pricilla. I definitely identified a little more with Pricilla, probably because we’re both millennials. Sam actually annoyed me quite a bit by taking every little thing she sees as not politically correct personally.

I loved the romance that was thrown in. I’m not going to say anything more on that front, except that I really enjoyed it.

The ending to this book was perfect. I can’t say how it ends, but I really liked it. Everything fell together exactly as it should.

Review: Four Found Dead by Natalie D. Richards

May1
Four Found Dead Book Cover Four Found Dead
Natalie D. Richards
Mystery, Horror
Sourcebooks Fire
May 2, 2023
E-Book Arc
332
December 30, 2022 - January 29, 2023

At the movie theater where Jo works, the last show has ended. But the nightmare is just beginning.

Tonight, Tempest Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, cleaning up popcorn and mopping floors for the last time.

But after an unexpected altercation puts everyone on edge, the power goes out. Their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. Then, the crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.

Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills again.

Review

This is my third book by Natalie D. Richards so I was really sad that this was a 3 star read for me. Granted, the other two books I read were in 2016 (My Secret to Tell and One Was Lost), and maybe I’ve changed as a readers since then. That could be a part of it, but I do think there’s more to it than that.

While Richards’ previous novels were mystery/suspense… Four Found Dead reads more like the plot to a teen slasher flick. Because that’s what it is. A group of teenagers trapped in an abandoned mall with a killer. There were no real surprises and it all felt pretty repetitive.

One thing Richards’ does that I enjoy is include little snippets that don’t belong in the story, sort of as clues to something else that’s going on. And in the other two books I really enjoyed those. I enjoyed them in this book as well, but in the end they didn’t have the same impact as the previous books I read.

This book is told through the eyes of Jo. The movie theatre she’s worked at for years is shuttering its doors for the last time, and all she and her friends/coworkers want to do is close things up and head out to enjoy some late night pancakes. But then things get weird and before they know it, one of Jo’s friends is dead. Together, the group must illude a killer. 

This could be awesome. But we know who the killer is from the get go. And we’re never truly given a solid motive for their actions. 

What I did enjoy was the nostalgia, for me, of movie theatre employment. I sold popcorn and movie tickets myself as a teen my senior year of high school through college. To this day, it was probably the greatest job I’ve ever had. Movie theatre friendships are built to last. Alas, that nostalgia wasn’t enough to save this book for me. 

I just needed…. more. More motive revealed. More build up to the start of the killing spree. And more variation of what happens while they’re on the mall. 

I’m willing to give Richards another chance. She has plenty of books to choose from!

Have you read Four Found Dead? Did it work for you?

REVIEW: Mr. & Mrs. Witch by Gwenda Bond

Mar10
Mr. & Mrs. Witch Book Cover Mr. & Mrs. Witch
Gwenda Bond
Paranormal Romance
St. Martin's Griffin
March 7, 2023
352
NetGalley
February 18 - March 10, 2023

In Mr. & Mrs. Witch, the next novel from bestselling author Gwenda Bond, a couple discovers at the altar the surprising secret identities they’ve kept from each other.

Savannah Wilde is a witch, a very powerful one—an identity that only her fellow witches know. Following a whirlwind romance that surprised herself and her family, Savvy is all set to marry the love of her life. But she isn’t the only one with a secret that needs to be kept, even from her soon-to-be husband.

Griffin Carter is a top agent for a clandestine organization that, well, used to primarily hunt witches, but now mainly tries to shut down supernatural threats their own way. He can’t wait to lay his eyes on the woman he’s about to spend the rest of his life with.

As Savvy walks down the aisle to Griffin, the wedding quickly goes from blessed day to shit show when their true identities are revealed. To say there’s bad blood between their factions is putting it mildly. Savvy and Griffin are tasked to take the other out, but when they discover a secret that could take down both of their agencies, they realize the only way to survive is to team up. With assassins hot on their trail, will Savvy and Griffin make it out alive to try again at ‘I do’?

To be honest, I struggled with this book in the beginning. The third person present tense was, throughout the entire reading, at times jarring. I’m usually fine with first person present, but third person present was just…. a lot.

As you can see, I still gave this book 4 stars, because the story was lovely. The title is what drew me to requesting an ARC of this book from NetGalley, assuming it was an intentional play on the Angelina Jolie/Brad Pitt movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith. And it totally was.

Savvy is a witch and a member of C.R.O.N.E., an organization that uses their powers to help the ordinary, non-magical populace from the supernatural. Meanwhile, Griffon is a member of H.U.N.T.E.R, an organization of mortals who use technology to combat those same supernatural threats. Throughout time, C.R.O.N.E. and H.U.N.T.E.R. have been enemies, but the last 300 or so years have been spent in a tentative truce, each side waiting for the other to do something to bring on full war once more.

So, needless to say, when Savvy and Griffin fall in love, they keep their secret identities to themselves. Members of secret organizations aren’t known for blabbing about what they do. 

And then the wedding day comes. And who should attend but the very leaders of each organization, sending what should be a blissful day into utter chaos. 

The book is told alternating between Savvy and Griffon’s POVs, as well as both present day and the timeline leading from the day they meet up ’til the doomed nuptials. 

This was a fun book. I really loved reading both Savvy and Griff’s POVs of their love story from the beginning, as well as the aftermath of the wedding-interrupted. I really didn’t know where the story was going, but I loved where we ended up. I can’t imagine any other ending for this tale.

My only question for the author is… will we get to read a follow up with certain other side characters? 

REVIEW: The Last Beekeeper by Julie Carrick Dalton

Mar1
The Last Beekeeper Book Cover The Last Beekeeper
Julie Carrick Dalton
Women's Fiction
Forge Books
March 7, 2023
E-Book
384
NetGalley
January 31 - February 18, 2023

Julie Carrick Dalton's The Last Beekeeper is a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair.

"Fans of Delia Owens will swoon to find their new favorite author.” (Hank Phillippi Ryan)

It’s been more than a decade since the world has come undone, and Sasha Severn has returned to her childhood home with one goal in mind—find the mythic research her father, the infamous Last Beekeeper, hid before he was incarcerated. There, Sasha is confronted with a group of squatters who have claimed the quiet, idyllic farm as their own. While she initially feels threatened, the group soon becomes her newfound family, offering what she hasn't felt since her father was imprisoned: security and hope. Maybe it's time to forget the family secrets buried on the farm and focus on her future.

But just as she settles into her new life, Sasha witnesses the impossible. She sees a honey bee, presumed extinct. People who claim to see bees are ridiculed and silenced for reasons Sasha doesn't understand, but she can't shake the feeling that this impossible bee is connected to her father's missing research. Fighting to uncover the truth could shatter Sasha's fragile security and threaten the lives of her newfound family—or it could save them all.

Julie Carrick Dalton's The Last Beekeeper is a celebration of found family, an exploration of truth versus power, and the triumph of hope in the face of despair. It is a meditation on forgiveness and redemption and a reminder to cherish the beauty that still exists in this fragile world.

Review

This book stole my heart. 

The Last Beekepeeris the story of Sasha, the daughter of the world’s last known beekeeper. The story takes place in the future, after we terrible humans have killed all of the pollinators with the use of pesticides and GMOs. The story takes place a decade or so after the last of the bees, the last of all of the pollinators, have died. Without pollinators, the food system collapsed. People starved; died.

Sasha’s father was keeping bees illegally, and due to an extremely unfortunate event, was discovered and put on trial and sent to prison, leaving 11-year old Sasha to live first with her uncle, and then in a group home. Fast forward, Sasha has aged out of the system and has returned home to the farmhouse her grandparents built, which had been seized by the government upon her fathers imprisonment and has been empty and neglected all the years she’s been gone. 

It’s at her old home that Sasha finds a group of squatters who reluctantly let her stay for a week, which turns into a month, and so on. All the while, Sasha keeps her true identity a secret. She’s only gone home to find the research she knowsher father has hidden somewhere on the property. If her new found-family finds out who she is, she fears they’ll turn on her and kick her out. She’s spent her whole life being hated for being the daughter of the Last Beekeeper. 

This book gave me a whole range of feels from sadness to optimism to anger to joy. Overall though, this book gave me a sense of peace and calm. The world Sasha lives in is depressing and difficult, but at the same time, she’s living the simple life. She’s tending her garden to feed her and her friends, she’s riding a bike to get around. It just sounds… peaceful. Plus, Sasha’s connection to the bees throughout her childhood is beautiful. I’m terrified of bees, but this book has made me respect them just a little more.

Chapters alternate between Sasha as a 20-something, and Sasha as a child. Slowly we learn what led to her fathers imprisonment. And the other secrets he’s harboring. 

This is a beautiful book. I would absolutely read this again and will recommend it to everyone.

The Last Beekeeper is on it’s way to being my top read of 2023, and the year has barely started! 

REVIEW: Sweeter Than Chocolate by Lizzie Shane

Feb10
Sweeter Than Chocolate Book Cover Sweeter Than Chocolate
Lizzie Shane
Contemporary Romance
Hallmark
January 17, 2023
Audiobook
328
NetGalley Audiobook
January 15-30, 2023

Soon to be a Hallmark Channel original movie!!! Do the “Cupid chocolates” from Lucy’s shop really help people meet their One True Love? Dean, a TV reporter, has his doubts…

Lucy’s chocolate shop, How Sweet It Is, has been in her family for generations…along with the secret recipe for Cupid chocolates. Rumor has it that if you eat one on February 14, you’ll meet your soulmate. Lucy herself isn’t sure if it’s magic or just romantic optimism, but a family legend is at stake. Besides, with her grandmother to support and a rival bakery opening up across the street, it certainly doesn’t hurt to believe. Dean, an ambitious and skeptical TV reporter, doesn’t like the idea of a business taking advantage of romantic desperation. He doesn’t count on Lucy joining him as he tracks down and interviews couples supposedly brought together by the chocolates. Together, they find that the truth can be complicated…especially when it comes to their own hearts.

I am WOEFULLY behind on reviews, so get ready for the onslaught. Starting…. NOW! (I’ll also probably post a January recap soon… even though we’re already 10 days into February. Where does the time go??? ☠️)

My Review

Finally! FINALLY I was approved for an audiobook by NetGalley! You guys, I can DEVOUR like, 10 audiobooks in the time it takes me to read an ebook or print book. Come on NetGalley, give this girl more Audiobooks!

Okay. Enough of that. Onto the book!

Sweeter Than Chocolate is a Hallmark book, and TBH, that scared me. I thought, “Oh boy, this is going to be so unbelievably cheesy, what if I can’t read more than a page without rolling my eyes?”

Well, fellow readers, I’m happy to announce that I was so off base! This book was absolutely adorable and not at all overly cheesy. 

Lucy is a woman with a good head on her shoulders. Her family has a legend about the Cupid Chocolates they make in their chocolate shop: if you eat a Cupid Chocolate you will find your true love. And the magic is strongest on Valentine’s Day. Lucy isn’t quite sure if she buys into the magic of the Cupid Chocolates, but she’s open to the possibilities of her chocolates bringing true love to her patrons.

Meanwhile, Dean is a TV news journalist sent to film a puff piece about Lucy’s Cupid Chocolates when they go viral on social media, but what he’d really love to do is create an expose about the fraud Lucy is perpetuating. Chocolates that make you fall in love? What a joke! Unfortunately for Dean, to salvage his career, he has to stick to the puff piece to show his softer side.

After a rocky start, Lucy and Dean soon become allies. But when everything starts to fall apart for Lucy, she starts to believe that the curse also associated with the magic love chocolates, is at work. 

This was an adorable slow burn romance. Learning about both Lucy and Dean was so interesting. Dean especially had interesting character growth. But watching Lucy learn to let go and accept the success of the chocolates was heartwarming. 

I definitely recommend this adorable contemporary romance to anyone… and not just around Valentine’s Day!

REVIEW: Not Your Ex’s Hexes by April Asher

Jan15
Not Your Ex's Hexes Book Cover Not Your Ex's Hexes
Supernatural Singles #2
April Asher
Paranormal Romance, RomCom
St. Martin's Griffin
February 7, 2023
Ebook ARC
352
NetGalley
November 14, 2022 - December 27, 2022

In April Asher’s next Supernatural Singles novel, Not Your Ex's Hexes, a one-night-stand between a willful witch and a broody half-demon conjures an adventure that wouldn’t be complete without several magical mishaps. For her entire life, Rose Maxwell trained to become the next Prima on the Supernatural Council. Now that she’s stepped down, it’s time for this witch to focus on herself. And not think about her impulsive one-night stand with Damian Adams, a half-Demon Veterinarian who she can’t get out of her head. Neither of them is looking for a relationship. But when Rose is sentenced to community service at Damian’s animal sanctuary it becomes impossible for them to ignore their sparking attraction. A friends-with-benefits, no feelings, no strings arrangement works perfectly for them both. After a sequence of dead-end jobs, it’s not until Rose tangos with two snarly demons that she thinks she’s finally found her path. However, this puts Damian back on the periphery of a world he thought he left behind. He doesn’t approve of Rose becoming a Hunter, but if there's one thing he's learned about the stubborn witch, it was telling her not to do something was one sure-fire way to make sure she did. Working—and sleeping—together awakens feelings Damian never knew he had...and shouldn't have. Because thanks to his ex's hex, if he falls in love, he'll not only lose his heart—but his humanity.

My Review

What a cute story! The book is far sexier than the cover implies.

Rose is a witch who has just stepped down from being next in line to be Prima (head witch) not to mention just got out of a REALLY bad relationship. She’s not looking for anything permanent in her life, just some sexy fun.

Enter veterinarian Damian, a demon with a hex from his witchy ex who, like Rose, has no intention of starting anything serious.

What starts as friends with benefits soon turns into more. But can Rose and Damian defeat Damian’s hex?

Very cute book. Filled with all kinds of witchy puns and catch phrases (“Hex me!” and referring to your girls as “Bwitches” among other things.) I’ve already checked the audiobook of book 1 from the library to read Rose’s sister Violet’s story.

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for a complimentary ARC in exchange for my honest review!

REVIEW: Hello Again by Brenda Novak

Mar6






Hello Again Book Cover




Hello Again




The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #2





Brenda Novak




Romantic Thriller




St. Martin's Press




October 3, 2017




E-ARC




384




NetGalley




October 13 - 22, 2017



SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.
Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world's worst serial killers. But she's about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered--or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?
When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except...Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends--and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper is on her trail, she might not be able to escape again . . .

My Review

I think Hello Again might be even better than the first book in the Evelyn Talbot series. Seriously, I thought the stakes were great in that book, but it had nothing on this one!

I think you could jump into this book without reading the previous, but I do recommend reading the first. Because it was amazing. And you’ll better understand the characters and their motives.

So in Hello Again, Evelyn and Amarok are still together, and things start out the same as the previous book, with Evelyn still not ready to fully commit. Their relationship does start to change though, but I won’t spoil how.

Meanwhile, Amarok has been watching for any signs that Jasper, the man who brutally tortured and left Evelyn for dead when she was 16, is still killing. When he thinks he might have found him, he sets off for the Southwest USA, leaving Evelyn alone in Alaska, dealing with her latest psychopath who has you questioning his innocence the whole time…

What’s really cool about this book is that we get a bigger peek into Jasper’s head, and let me tell you, he is a twisted mofo! (Just see the quote below!)

This is a page turner, just like the first book. I had a hard time putting it down. And just like the first book, each chapter starts with a quotation from a real serial killer, some more known than other, all equally crazed.

If you like romantic thrillers – or just thrillers in general – read this series!!!

Quotes

“Let’s talk about something else,” she said. “I can tell this is upsetting you.”
“I would upset anybody!” He snapped. “Which is why I worry about you, being constantly immersed in details of the worst of human behavior.”

He shoved a hand through his hair. “I hope this goes my way.”
“Or…”
“I’ll find out what it feels like to have my heart broken, something I’ve managed to avoid for thirty years.”

Some people—most of Alaska—loved San Diego. But he wasn’t overly impressed. He preferred Alaska.

Amarok seemed determined. He’d made a bold move, flying all the way to San Diego to approach Stanley and Maureen. One that required nerve. And one for which Jasper was determined to make him pay dearly.

Everything they had should belong to him someday and would have if only Evelyn had died in that shack like she was supposed to. She’d ruined his life—and deserved what she was going to get.

“There are too many people in the world. I actually perform a vital function. As far as I’m concerned, there needs to be more killers like me.”

My (Writing) Life

Wow, I’m literally the worst.

It’s been over a MONTH since I last posted! It’s been a crazy few weeks, so I’m going to use that as my excuse! ((wink))

So, what’s new? PEACE IN FLAMES WENT LIVE!!! You can snag your very own copy from Amazon HERE! If you’re in Kindle Unlimited you can save yourself the 99c and read for free. If you don’t know what the book is about I’ll give you the short explanation: High School + Boy Obsessed With Girl + Arson = Peace in Flames.

In other news I’m making my way through the FINAL draft of SUMMER OF PEACE, my New Adult Romance (stand alone) follow up to PEACE IN FLAMES. I’ve had so many drafts of this book it’s not even funny. Something was always missing or a little off, but I think I’m finally almost there and happy with the end result!

Once I finish this draft and send it off to my editor, I’m going to re-read the 16k words I have written for my full length YA romance Something I’m Good At and get back to work on that story. I think you guys are going to love these characters. My hero, Kane, is absolutely hilarious.

As for my LIFE, we’re painfully short staffed at my hotel job which means everything is a thousand times more stressful. I’ve been working every weekend, usually around 30 hours in those three days, and then spending all my “free” time working on my publishing job and trying to find time to write. I’m pretty sure I still have a husband and two kids, I just rarely see them! Actually, The Husband and I had a date night last Thursday which was much needed, but sent me even further behind with my at home work. Ugh.

As of yesterday I accepted a NEW JOB ((HAPPY DANCE)) for a local company. Minimal customer interaction. Four hours per day. Five days per week. Much better money than I’m making at my hotel job. So… I cut back my hours at the hotel and I’m hoping I’ll be able to find a better work/life balance with this new position.

I’ll try not to stay away for so long next time. I’m not reading as much as I’d like to, since I’m really focusing on writing more, but I’ve got a back log of reviews to get posted. Like this one I’m posting today. That I read in last few months of 2017….

So, go grab yourself a copy of PEACE IN FLAMES, leave a review whether you loved it, hated it, or just thought it was meh, and I’ll see ya next time!

Blog Tour: Sea of Strangers by Erica Cameron (review + giveaway!)

Dec28






Sea of Strangers Book Cover




Sea of Strangers




The Ryogan Chronicles #2





Erica Cameron




YA Fantasy




Entangled Teen




December 5, 2017




E-ARC




340




NetGalley




Flights of Fantasy



November 26 - December 7, 2017



Know your enemy if you want to survive…

The only way for Khya to get her brother back alive is to kill Varan—the immortal ruler who can’t be killed. But not even Varan knew what he was doing when he perverted magic and humanity to become immortal.

Khya’s leading her group of friends and rebels into the mountains that hold Varan’s secrets, but if risking all their lives is going to be worth it, she has to give up everything else—breaking the spell that holds her brother captive and jeopardizing her deepening relationship with Tessen, the boy who has been by turns her rival and refuge since her brother disappeared. Immortality itself might be her only answer, but if that’s where Khya has to go, she can’t ask Tessen or her friends to follow.

I don’t usually partake in blog tours, because, let’s be honest, I’m not usually organized enough for that!

However, when I learned of this tour for Sea of Strangers by Erica Cameron I had to sign up! I read the first book in The Ryogan Chronicles earlier this year and knew I needed to find out what happened next.

Read on for my review of Sea of Strangers, and some other goodies!

I’ll try to make this as spoiler free as possible, but if you’d rather just check out my review of book 1, Island of Exiles, you can find that HERE.

You can also find the FULL SCHEDULE for all stops on this blog tour HERE.

Review

I received a copy of the first book in the Ryogan Chronicles, Island of Exiles, earlier this year, so I jumped when I had a chance to read the continuation of this story in Sea of Strangers.

If you read and loved Island of Exiles, you will not be disappointed with Sea of Strangers. The stakes are higher, the missions are deadlier, and things start to heat up between Khya and Tessen.

Like the first book, I had trouble keeping up with all the new terminology, but there is a handy glossary in the back for those who really want to get to know the terms, or if you’re too lazy to keep flipping (like me!) you can still enjoy the story even if some of the words make no sense to you.

This book ended with a BANG and left me wanting the third book in the series ASAP. It feels like this might be a trilogy, but I don’t know, it could probably stretch longer if the author chooses.

If you love epic fantasy, pick up this series. It will be well worth your time and money!

 

Special thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

Quotes

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Erica Cameron is the author of books for young adults including the Ryogan Chronicles, the Assassins duology, and The Dream War Saga. She also co-authored the Laguna Tides novels with Lani Woodland. An advocate for asexuality and emotional abuse awareness, Erica has also worked with teens at a residential rehabilitation facility in her hometown of Fort Lauderdale.

 

 

 

Giveaway

Sea of Strangers Prize Pack, including:**

* A signed copy of Sea of Strangers

* A $20 Visa gift card

* A swag pack

**For international: 1 copy from book depository and a $20 Visa gift card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

REVIEW: The Bookworm and the Beast by Charlee James

Dec24






The Bookworm and the Beast Book Cover




The Bookworm and the Beast





Charlee James




Entangled Publishing (Bliss)




December 4, 2017




E-ARC




140




NetGalley




12 Books of Christmas



November 13, 2017



When quiet, bookish Izzy Simon accepts a two-week assignment as an assistant for an author of children’s books, it seems like the perfect way for her to make some much-needed extra money, but the grumpy author claims he doesn’t want or need her services. He might be as handsome as a storybook prince, but his prickly personality and resistance to all things Christmas are sure to make for a chilly holiday season.

Derek Croft never agreed to the cheery temp his staff arranges for him while they’re on vacation. Izzy is his polar opposite, but Derek soon realizes she could be the perfect solution to his interfering family…if he can get her to agree to pretend to be his live-in girlfriend. Before long Izzy’s sweet disposition and unflappable optimism has him decorating a tree and looking forward to late night hot cocoa, but he’s all too aware their time together can’t last.

The 12 Books of Christmas Reading Challenge

Welcome to the 12 Books of Christmas! This is my TWELFTH contribution and… I miscounted, so watch for a BONUS Christmas book review TOMORROW!

For more information about this reading challenge and to join go here: The 12 Books of Christmas Challenge

Review

Hands down, this is my favorite Beauty and the Beast retelling. Okay, I think I’ve only read one other, but this one was a total winner in my book.

You have Izzy, the very determined woman who accepts a job through a temp agency working for Derek. Then you have Derek, the man who never wanted a temp, but thanks to his meddling staff (whom he’d given the holidays off) he now has.

Derek was dark and brooding, full of backstory. Izzy was bright and optimistic, with her own sad backstory as well. They were fleshed out enough that they weren’t JUST characters in the book, they had layers and personality.

You know how in the original Disney version of Beauty and the Beast where suddenly he starts to warm up to her and if you blink you miss that moment where annoyance turns to admiration? I saw that little spark in this book.

This book adds and extra layer with a little plot twist in which Izzy is asked by Derek to pretend to be his girlfriend in order to get his stepmother to stop trying to set him up with every girl she can think of. It was great!

For me, this was the perfect holiday romance slash (modern) fairy tale adaptation.

 

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Quotes

Why couldn’t the client have been a sweet old man, or bald and frumpy? Instead, she had to trail a dark featured version of Thor, who had the disposition of a porcupine, around the endless mansion while tying to avert her eyes from his backside.

 

He’d tried to get rid of her less than an hour ago, and now he was asking her to stay as his mock girlfriend? There was no way she’d add another layer of frosting to the towering cake of implication currently baking inside the castle’s curved walls.

 

Gosh he was good-looking. And salty—he looked very, very salty.

 

It was the ugliest sandwich she’d ever seen, and it made her grin ear to ear. Maybe part of Derek did care, after all.

 

The castle, the dashing good looks, the spirit of the holidays swarming in the air, those kisses that lit her soul on fire. It wasn’t so cut and dry for her. When she was committed to something, it was one hundred percent. Had she found the one shed dreamed of her entire life in Derek? Or was it just that—a dream that would evaporate in less than two days, no matter how hard she fought to hold on to the edges of it?

My (Writing) Life

I’m writing this in the past (last night) and scheduling this to post in the future (right now!).

I just survived hosting Christmas for my family. It was a lot of fun, a lot of food, and plenty of presents for my parents seven grandchildren.

Tomorrow…er, today… is Christmas Eve and I’m at work. If you’re reading this the day it posts, I’m probably currently folding laundry. Or maybe eating left over pork loin covered in bacon (because how else would you eat pork loin???) Tomorrow is Christmas and I fortunately do not have to work! I get to spend the day with family, enjoying more food and cookies and gift giving.

And then life returns to morning, just with more clutter in the house.

I don’t really have a point to any of this. I’m exhausted and rambling. So I’m going to end this now so that I can play a bit of Long Live the Queen before I crash for the night.

Merry Christmas, everyone! (And if you don’t celebrate, happy Sunday!)