Blog Tour: A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne

 

publication September 5, 2024\

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A spark of passion between hunter and hunted has the power to end everything… fans of Rebecca Yarros, Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout will be completely gripped by this addictive and enchanting fantasy romance!

The shadow magic has always whispered to Wren. The same power that once ravaged her home kingdom of Asteroth. She must keep her magic hidden, only using it to help people in need in the remote border village she calls home. Discovery of her gifts would mean death.

Noble knight Finn has sworn to serve the kingdom by hunting down those who use shadow magic. But sword and armour cannot save him when he is attacked by dark creatures in the woods near Wren’s village.

Wren has no choice. She risks exposing her secret – and saves this handsome stranger’s life. But as her skin gently brushes his, Wren’s magic – and an uncontrollable desire – floods through both their veins. But is their passion real? Or are the shadows tempting them?

There’s no time for Finn and Wren to untangle their feelings from the seductive call of the darkness. Because Finn was not attacked by chance. Enemy soldiers are on the move, closing in on Asteroth.

Both believe Wren’s magic to be dangerous. But what if it’s the only way to save the kingdom? And with dark days coming, can they learn to trust each other – or will giving in to their desires destroy everything they know?

MY REVIEW:

A Touch of Shadows by Jessica Thorne
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wren has been brought up by a woman who she assumed is her mother. They never called ach other mother or child so she was never sure. They got seperated and Wren ended up meeting with Flynn.
Magic has been outlawed and Wren and her mother use it for healing powers.
Finn was brought up in one kingdom but is helping another kingdom. It seems that Wren and Finn's destinies are interwoven.
There is also spice n this book.
I enjoyed the banter between these 2 and the kingdoms.
I received this from NetGalley and Second Sly for the ebook to review,

View all my reviews

A Kiss of Flame

They want her on the throne. But the closer she gets, the deadlier her magic becomes. And an ancient power gets closer to breaking free…

Wren’s gone from being a parentless girl with a free life in the forest, to the daughter of the lost queen of Asteroth. Trapped in the capital, she’s surrounded by people who would kill her if they discovered her shadow magic. And the strength of her dark power is growing out of control…

Though Finn considers Asteroth his home, as the son of the enemy king he has never been fully at ease in the capital. But now, it’s torture. Keeping Wren’s magic hidden goes against every vow he’s ever taken. But whenever they’re apart, the strange ache in his chest becomes unbearable.

Snatching moments together in quiet corners of the castle, the solace Wren and Finn find in each other is bittersweet. The Regent’s Council want to keep the control they’ve held since the queen was lost – but their plan to use Wren as a puppet could see the kingdom torn apart by her dark power. And with the enemy preparing to invade, danger is growing outside the city walls too…

With their loyalty to each other tested at every turn, can Finn and Wren find safety in their love? And can Wren escape from the power play inside the castle and save the kingdom: even if it’s from herself?

The second book in the Lost Queen series, this stunning and unputdownable romantic fantasy is perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas, Stacia Stark and Rebecca Yarros.

Jessica Thorne watched far too much sci-fi and read far too much fantasy at an impressionable age. And it was awesome. She writes fantasy and sci-fi romance with a steampunk edge and just refuses to face reality.


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book review: Songlight by Moia Buffini

 

published September 3, 2024

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Star-crossed lovers, against-all-odds friendship, and a brutally unforgiving world make this first in a trilogy utterly unforgettable.

We’re two songs joined. And there’s a word for that. A harmony.

Elsa is used to hiding the most important parts of herself—her feelings for Rye, her distaste for a world ruled by men, and, most crucially, her gift of songlight. She buries that secret deep inside. In Brightland, those with songlight are called Unhumans and are abhorred. Rye is the only other person Elsa has known with songlight, and their shared bond has brought them together.

Elsa’s world begins to fall apart one desperate, heart-wrenching day and she doesn’t know where to turn until a girl appears before her. But the girl isn’t really there—her songlight has been drawn to Elsa’s frantic grief.

Elsa lives in a remote seaside village; Nightingale, her new friend, lives in a city hundreds of miles away with her father, a government official responsible for rooting out Unhumans. The two never expected to connect via songlight. But when they do, and when they realize the extent of their power, they’ll be thrust in the middle of a war that threatens their very existence.

MY REVIEW:

Songlight by Moira Buffini
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This story was different than others. It is like Telepathy and in singing. Even able to "talk" to someone you have never met or lives miles away. How the world outcasts them and call them unhumans and is punishable.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Collins for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

Moira Buffini

BornCarlisle, The United Kingdom

Moira Buffini (born 1965) is an English dramatist, director, and actor.

She was born in Carlisle to Irish parents, and studied English and Drama at Goldsmiths. She subsequently trained as an actor at the Welsh College of Music and Drama.

For Jordan, co-written with Anna Reynolds in 1992, she won a Time Out Award for her performance and Writers' Guild Award for Best Fringe play. Her 1997 play Gabriel was performed at Soho theatre, winning the LWT Plays on Stage award. Her 1999 play Silence earned Buffini the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for best English-language play by a woman. Loveplay followed at the RSC in 2001, then Dinner at the National Theatre in 2003 which transferred to the West End and was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Comedy.

Buffini wrote Dying For It, a free adaptation of Nikolai Erdman's classic, The Suicide, for the Almeida in 2007. She followed it with Marianne Dreams, a dance play with choreographer Will Tuckett, based on Catherine Storr's book. Her play for young people, A Vampire Story was performed as part of NT Connections in 2008.

Buffini is said to advocate big, imaginative plays rather than naturalistic soap opera dramas, and is a founder member of the Monsterists, a group of playwrights who promote new writing of large scale work in the British theatre. She has been described by David Greig as a metaphysical playwright. All her plays have been published by Faber.

Buffini is also a prolific screenwriter. In 2010 her film adaptation of Posy Simmon's Tamara Drewe was released followed by her adaptation of Jane Eyre for BBC Films and Ruby Films in 2011. The script appeared on the 2008 Brit List, a film-industry-compiled list of the best unproduced screenplays in British film. It received nine votes, putting it in second place. Buffini also adapted her play A Vampire Story for the screenplay of Neil Jordan's film Byzantium released in 2013.

She took part in the Bush Theatre's 2011 project Sixty Six for which she wrote a piece based upon a chapter of the King James Bible.

Blog Tour: Phantasma by Kaylie Smith

 

publication September 3, 2024

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Welcome to Phantasma.

There are only two rules to the game. Stay alive. And don’t fall in love.

When Ophelia’s sister disappears, there is only one way to save her. Ophelia must enter Phantasma, a deadly contest inside a haunted mansion, and claim its prize—a single wish.

Phantasma is a maze of twisting corridors and lavish ballrooms, of demons and temptations. Ophelia will face nine challenges, each more dangerous than the last. There can only be one winner, and the other contestants will stop at nothing to eliminate their rivals.

Every day the house creates new monsters. But just as Ophelia’s fears threaten to overwhelm her, a mysterious stranger offers her a bargain.

Charming, arrogant and infuriatingly attractive, Blackwell claims he can guide her through the lethal trials ahead. All he asks in return is ten years of her life.

Ophelia knows she shouldn’t trust him. Blackwell doesn’t seem dangerous, but appearances can be deceptive. Worse still, she feels a dark and irresistible attraction drawing them closer and closer.

Her life is on the line. But in Phantasma, the only thing deadlier than losing the game is losing your heart…

A Court of Thorns and Roses meets Caraval in this seductive fantasy adventure. With steamy romance, a sexy morally gray love interest, OCD rep and jaw-dropping twists, Phantasma is perfect for fans of Rebecca Yarros, Nisha J. Tuli and Carissa Broadbent.

MY REVIEW:

Phantasma by Kaylie Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I received this ebook from NetGalley, paperback from publisher and the audiobook from NetGalley.
So I listened to the audiobook for the first half and really enjoyed the narrator. Then read the ebook for the last half while looking at the beautiful cover of the paperback.
It says it is part of a series but it felt like a standalone.
Ophelia and her sister just lost their mother and then found out about a large debt on their house. Ophelia has also inherited her mother's powers. Then her sister goes missing when she decides to enter Phantasma to pay off the debt. Ophelia goes and learns if she wants to see her sister then she has to compete in everything that is put her way. It is kind of like Hunger Games and the rule is not to fall n love.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for all the copies to review,

View all my reviews

Kaylie Smith is a writer and lover of all things magical and fantasy. She grew up in Louisiana where she frequently haunted bookstores and practiced her writing craft. After getting her degree in graphic design, she decided to fully pursue her dream of being an author, and the first book in her YA fantasy series, A RUINOUS FATE, debuts in January 2023 from Disney Hyperion. When she isn’t writing or reading, she can be found at home with her menagerie of animals, fussing over her houseplants, or annoying people about astrology.

Social Media

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Website: https://www.kayliesmithbooks.com/

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Book Review: Prime Time Romance by Kate Robb

 

Expected publication September 3, 2024

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Is love on the small screen better than the real thing?

Brynn’s happy ending has gone up in flames. She’s newly divorced and living with a roommate – Josh – to afford her mortgage. At least she’s got Carson’s Cove to binge - her beloved 90s teenage soap.

So when a birthday cake shows up on her and Josh’s doorstep, Brynn makes a wish for her own happily-ever-after.

The next morning, she doesn't wake up in her apartment. She's in Carson's Cove... and Josh is there too. Except they're not Brynn and Josh; they're the sweetheart and the bad boy.

Will they stick to the script, or will real love change the story forever?

A young divorcee finds herself in the ideal world of her favourite 90s nostalgia TV show, in this second-chance romantic comedy from the author of This Spells Love.

MY REVIEW:

Prime Time Romance: The brand new, magical rom-com full of 90s nostalgia, from the author of This Spells Love by Kate Robb
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book was so different and why I really enjoyed it. Think 90210 within a Hallmark town and that's the vibe this gives off.
Brynn is divorced and to help pay her mortgage she has a roommate. They don't spend time together or really know each other. One night she is at the bar where he works, Wants to call a cab to go home but can't find her purse so she asks the roommate for money but he ends up walking her home and that's when everything happens. It was such a fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

Kate Robb

Blog Tour: King of Flames by Kathryn Ann Kingsley

 

Publication date August 26, 2024

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KING OF FLAMES

Bound to a dark king…

Everyone in the world of Under has magic. Everyone belongs to one of the six ruling houses.

Everyone except me.

When all of Under gathers for the ancient Ceremony of the Fall and my weakness is revealed, hungry eyes turn my way. For some I’m unique, a mystery to be solved. For others I’m prey.

From now on, every day will be a fight to survive.

Most dangerous of all, I’ve drawn the attention of Aon, the mysterious king who rules the House of Shadows. Dark and seductive, he appears in my dreams, igniting a desire I can’t control.

They say Aon is a monster, a killer, and worse… So why do I find myself drawn to him? His face is hidden behind a mask, but his voice and his touch enchant me.

When the magic of Under begins to change, the six houses are thrown into a struggle for power and I begin a deadly game of cat and mouse with Aon’s rivals. Because if they discover our bond, they will stop at nothing to destroy me.\

MY REVIEW:

King of Flames by Kathryn Ann Kingsley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

First book of new series.
2 people from Earth are taken and go into another world. While there you are thrown into like a pool and it decides what kind of creature you are going to be. Then you are sent to a like kingdom, which there are several. You have marks on your body or you wear masks depending on your rank within that kingdom..
I had originally planned on a 3 star review but the more I got thinking about it I ended up giving it a 4 star.
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ebook to review.
#KingofFlames #NetGalley

View all my reviews

As an USA Today Bestselling Author and award-winning designer, Kat has always been a storyteller. She delights in spinning stories of the sweetest nightmares to delight her readers with her unique twist of fantasy, horror, and romance. With ten years in script-writing for performances on both the stage and for tourism, she has always been writing in one form or another.

Also on her list of skills are artistic direction, scenic painting and props, special effects, and electronics. A graduate of Boston University with a BFA in Theatre Design, she has a passion for unique, creative, and unconventional experiences. In her spare time, she builds animatronics and takes trapeze classes.

Social Media

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Book Review: Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe

 

publication August 20, 2024

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The hardest thing for a paranormal conspiracy theorist and a web series producer to believe in is finding love in this swoony debut romantic comedy.

Hallie Barrett's life has imploded after she's dumped by her hotshot ex, who also happens to be her coworker and the star of the online series she was producing. Without a new show to present for the company competition, she’ll be out of a job. But inspiration can come from the strangest places . . . like the most handsome guy she’s ever seen passionately discussing Bigfoot on a late-night docuseries.

Hayden Hargrove made a name for himself as a cryptid expert on his hit podcast, and is intrigued by the plucky, blue-haired producer who offers him the opportunity to lead his own web show. When the production team sees that Hayden’s solo on-screen presence is bad enough to make a ghost blanch, Hallie jumps on camera too, hitting him (and his cryptids) with a healthy dose of skepticism—and enough chemistry to electrify their show to the top of the competition.

As Hayden and Hallie investigate the unknown, they unearth feelings for each other that shake their beliefs to the core. In their search for Mothman, aliens, and the truth, the most elusive discovery might just be learning to love again.

MY REVIEW:

Love and Other Conspiracies by Mallory Marlowe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a fun read. The banter between Hallie and Hayden was so much fun and had me laughing out loud. Hallie is trying to win the next online show and is competing against her ex, who treats her horribly. She has no self esteem because of him.
Hayden is trying to make her believe in the cryptids and ghosts, aliens and anything else that she does not believe in.
The feelings start when they are kind of forced to work more closely together and they made a great team.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the arc to review.
#LoveandOtherConspiracies #NetGalley.

View all my reviews

Mallory Marlowe

Website

https://mallorymarlowe.com/

Twitter

mallory_marlowe

Genre

Romance

Mallory Marlowe is a professional writer and creator based out of Los Angeles, CA. Seriously right-brained since childhood, her love of telling stories began with highly elaborate plots for her Barbie dolls and taking elementary school writing projects a touch too seriously. She went on to study Writing for Film and TV at Emerson College and moved to Los Angeles after college to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

She has experience in writing fiction, scripts for film and television, and interactive media. Mallory’s truest love is writing romance novels, from contemporary to paranormal, and has a real weak spot for “enemies to lovers” and “there’s only one bed”. When she isn’t writing, she loves reading (most likely some kind of kissing book) and playing video games… but realistically, she’s probably brainstorming whatever meet-cute she’s planning to write next.

Book Review: This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter

 

publication

August 20, 2024 by William Morrow

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Everyone here is a liar, but only one of us is a killer…

A secluded cabin retreat

For GBI investigator Will Trent and medical examiner Sara Linton, McAlpine Lodge seems like the ideal getaway to celebrate their honeymoon. Set on a gorgeous, off-the-grid mountaintop property, it’s the perfect place to unplug and reconnect. Until a bone-chilling scream cuts through the night.

A murderer in their midst

Mercy McAlpine, the manager of the Lodge, is dead. With a vicious storm raging and the one access road to the property washed out, the murderer must be someone on the mountain. But as Will and Sara investigate the McAlpine family and the other guests, they realize that everyone here is lying….Lying about their past. Lying to their family. Lying to themselves.

Who killed Mercy McAlpine?

It soon becomes clear that normal rules don’t apply at McAlpine Lodge, and Will and Sara are going to have to watch their step at every turn. Trapped on the resort, they must untangle a decades-old web of secrets to discover what happened to Mercy. And with the killer poised to strike again, the trip of a lifetime becomes a race against the clock…

MY REVIEW:

This is Why We Lied by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The 12th book of the series. I had only read one other book in the series but you didn't need to read the rest if you are just looking for the mystery. But if you want to know the characters then you should start from the beginning.
Will is on his honeymoon with Sara. He is an investigator and she is a medical examiner. They are both also married to their jobs.
Will made this honeymoon happen and got this secluded cabin retreat where you have to hike to get there. Luggage and other deliveries are taken there by a small back road.
Mercy has been running the resort for quite awhile. Her father is in a wheelchair, and makes her fell like shit along with her mother.. Mery's brother and ex husband also work there. She is raising her son there and wants to be able to run it with h. Someone wants to buy the place but Mercy doesn't want to sell. There is a big blowup and nasty things are said to her. Then that night she is killed.
There are several other couples renting the cabins and it seems like everyone is lying who they are and what they do.
I loved getting to know all the characters and what they are thinking. Trying to figure out who would want to hurt Mercy the lost was on my mind and I was wrong.
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the book to review.
#ThisIsWhyWeLied #NetGalley

View all my reviews

Karin Slaughter

Bornin The United States

January 06

Website

https://linktr.ee/karinslaughter

Twitter

@slaughterKarin

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Fiction, Thriller

Karin Slaughter is the author of more than twenty instant NEW YORK TIMES bestselling novels, including the Edgar–nominated COP TOWN and standalone novels THE GOOD DAUGHTER, PRETTY GIRLS, and GIRL, FORGOTTEN. She is published in 120 countries with more than 40 million copies sold across the globe. PIECES OF HER is a #1 Netflix original series starring Toni Collette. The Will Trent Series is on ABC (and streaming on Hulu in the U.S and Disney+ internationally). THE GOOD DAUGHTER and FALSE WITNESS are in development for film/tv. Slaughter is the founder of the Save the Libraries project—a nonprofit organization established to support libraries and library programming. A native of Georgia, she lives in Atlanta.

Facebook: Facebook.com/AuthorKarinSlaughter

Website: http://www.karinslaughter.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/karinslaugh...

Blog Tour: The Haunted Child by Dawn Merriman

 

Expected publication August 16, 2024

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A young mother is being framed for a crime she didn’t commit. And only I can free her.

I’m Rylan Flynn. I hunt for ghosts and restless spirits, and solve the mysteries that make them haunt the living.

The police found Andrea Evans with a bloody knife in her hands and her boyfriend dead at her feet. But she swears she’s innocent. And I can tell from the desperation in her eyes that she’s telling the truth.

I first met Andrea at Camp Lakewood when we were just kids. That summer was meant to be one to remember, with hikes in the forest and canoeing on the lake. Instead, it’s one I try to forget.

Because Camp Lakewood is the place I saw a ghost for the very first time—the ghost of a murdered girl.

My long-time crush Ford Pierce was also at camp that year. Today, he is the detective who arrested Andrea. Ford is certain she’s guilty and he warns me off. But if he’s wrong the real killer is still walking free.

As I begin to investigate, everything seems to lead me back to camp. How is Andrea’s case linked to the summer we shared, and to that other killing decades ago?

To free Andrea and reunite her with her child, I must return to Camp Lakewood. Even if that means coming face to face with the darkest and deadliest secrets of my past…

With jaw-dropping twists, mesmerizing suspense, and a touch of romance, the Rylan Flynn series is your new paranormal mystery obsession. Fans of Noelle W. Ihli, Heather Graham and Wendy Wang will be hooked from start to finish.

MY REVIEW:

The Haunted Child: A completely unputdownable paranormal mystery thriller by Dawn Merriman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

the 4th book in this series and still keeping my interest.
Andrea Evans is found at her dead boyfriend's body with the knife in her hand. She swears she is innocent and asks Rylan to help her.
Rylan can see and talk to spirits and help them cross over and she has been known to help the local police. Rylan also has a crush on the cop, Ford Pierce.
This series reminds me of the TV show the Ghost Whisperer.
Thank you to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ARC to review.
#thehauntedchild #netgalley

View all my reviews

Dawn Merriman writes creepy small town murder mysteries from her small farm in northeast Indiana where she lives with her husband and teenage children. You can often find her with muck boots on her feet and a story in her head. She enjoys animals, auctions, snorkeling and archaeology.

Dawn Merriman grew up a small town farm girl, on a small time pig farm in Indiana. She spent her young adulthood sitting on her bedroom floor scribbling stories in notebooks. She won the "Northeast Indiana Young Writers" award as a sophomore in high school.

After battling severe depression, she wrote her debut novel "How Murder Saved My Life" as therapy, mixing her love of murder mysteries and farming with climbing out of the darkness of illness.


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Blog Tour: Bloodlust Bites by Luanne Bennett

 

#bloodlustbites

Published August 9, 2024

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Welcome to Crimson, Georgia. I’m Charley Underwood—witch, bar owner, and accidental demon hunter.

Crimson isn’t a regular town. With vampires, shifters, and humans living side by side, tensions always run high. I try to keep the peace, and most of the time nobody gets hurt. Most of the time.

Right now, Crimson is one bite away from all-out chaos.

A dangerous new wolf is stirring up trouble. A sexy vampire is on the hunt, with a gun full of sunlight bullets. And thugs from Atlanta are threatening my friends.

As if that wasn’t enough, my magic is running wild. One second it’s throwing bad guys through windows, the next it fizzles out to nothing. There’s only one way to get it under control—by taking lessons from Crimson’s terrifying old-school coven of witches.

I need to get a handle on it fast. Way out in the woods, someone is attacking young women, leaving them bitten and bloody. Is it a stranger or one of our own?

When police pin the attacks on one of my bartenders, it’s clear that none of this is random. Someone is coming after me and the people I love.

I’ll do anything to protect my crew. Even strike a deal with a vicious old enemy.

Because when I see what I’m fighting against, it’s clear I need all the help I can get.

Bloodlust Bites is a fast-paced urban fantasy that will leave you breathless. With thrilling action, slow-burn romance, humor, heart, and found family, it’s perfect for fans of Kim Richardson, Charlaine Harris and Patricia Briggs.

MY REVIEW:

Bloodlust Bites: An addictive and action-packed urban fantasy by Luanne Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charley is a witch and a bar owner. She didn't know she was a witch until recently and now has to learn how to get and use her powers. Meanwhile bad things are going on and she needs to help fix them.
I love the town and characters. There are the witches, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters and humans all living in 1 town and trying to coexist with each other.
Thanks to NetGalley and Second Sky for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

Luanne Bennett is an author of fantasy and the supernatural. Born in Chicago, she lives in Georgia these days where she writes full time and doesn’t miss a thing about the cubicles and conference rooms of her old life. When she isn’t writing or dreaming up new stories, she’s usually tending WAY too many orchids or a herd of felines.

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Book Review: Patch Royalty by Scarlet Riley

 

Expected publication

August 13, 2024

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After having a child with the boss of my organization, I took the first opportunity I got to run. When I found out that my mother had died, it was the perfect cover to keep prying eyes away from me. That is, until the devil dog’s motorcycle club shows up on my doorstep. What could possibly go wrong when it’s lead by my three childhood best friends?

MY REVIEW:

Patch Royalty by Scarlet Riley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this book and can't wait for more of this series.
Sophia and her son, along with her brother move back home after their mother's death and to get away from Sophia's boss. She wanted it to be a quiet move and no one to know but the motorcycle club, who has her childhood best friends, knows and they are to help her. Things go on between her and her best friends and you can feel the chemistry there and I was hoping she would choose one of them, I just won't tell you who. The motorcycle club are so close and love how they are there for each other and so protective. Even the mother of her best friends takes no shit from any of them.
Thank you to the Publisher for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

Scarlet Riley

Website

https://grouper-garlic-tb5p.squarespace.com

Genre

Romance

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/scarletriley

Book Review: Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly

 

Expected publication August 13, 2024

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He’s my brother’s biggest hockey rival… but he’s bringing the heat for me.

Nikolai

Hockey is my life, and I need to make this last season count. But when I’m forced to transfer to rival school McKee University for my senior year, I risk pissing off the captain, who happens to be the older brother of Isabelle Callahan: the gorgeous beam of sunshine I messed around with in secret this summer.

Rekindling our fling could risk her brother icing me off the team—not to mention the fact that my scarred past makes having a real relationship impossible—and yet the moment I see Isabelle again, all my wild, burning feelings come rushing back.

Izzy

I have two goals for sophomore year: win back my old volleyball position, and forget I ever knew devilishly handsome hockey defenseman Nikolai Abney-Volkov. As the youngest and only daughter in a family full of athletes, failure isn’t an option.

But when Nik crashes back into my life, I can’t stay away from his broody charm. I’m determined to guard my heart this time, but between the furtive hookups and the heartfelt conversations, the lines between friends-with-benefits and more begin to blur.

As we fall deeper into a place we can’t come back from unscathed, we’ll have to make a choice: fight for a future together, or watch it go up in flames.

MY REVIEW:

Wicked Serve by Grace Reilly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nikolai is in the last season of hockey in college and is forced tos witch colleges. So now he is playing with his enemy, who is the brother of Izzy. Hm and Izzy had a summer fling and didn't think they would see each other again.
Their feelings are back but they need to keep things from her brother. But then the brother and him start becoming friends.
Izzy plays volleyball and wants her position back but for some reason the coach has it out for her. So she has to prove herself and get what she wants, Both the position and Nikolai.
I found it a cute romance and enjoyed reading it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon and Harper Voyager for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

#wickedserve

Grace Reilly

Website

https://www.grace-reilly.com

Genre

Romance

Hi! I’m Grace.

I’m so glad you’re here! Originally from Long Island, I now live in Florida, where I pretend the lizards in my backyard are miniature dragons and soak up the sunshine. I can usually be found with a notebook in one hand and a paperback (or my Kindle!) in another. A storyteller at heart with a deep romantic streak, I write what I love to read: stories filled with swoon and steam, laughter and love, family and friendships, and authentic, earnest emotions and growth. I love drawing on my personal passions for my books, which is how my sports fanaticism resulted in the Beyond the Play series.

More about me: I collect earrings, the quirkier the better. I never turn down a good mint chocolate chip ice cream. I listen to way too much sports talk radio. And I adore writing about couples who are stronger together.

Book Review: Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs

 

published August 6, 2024

Buy on Amazon

It’s never easy working fire scenes, Tempe thinks. Called to Washington, DC, to analyze the victims of a building set ablaze amid mysterious circumstances, she sees all her misgivings justified. The building site is in Foggy Bottom, a neighborhood with a colorful past and present, and the property’s ownership becomes even more suspicious when Tempe delves into its past. The pieces start falling into place strangely and quickly, and, sensing a good story, Tempe teams with a new ally, telejournalist Ivy Doyle. Soon the duo learns that back in the thirties and forties the home was the hangout of a group of bootleggers and racketeers known as the Foggy Bottom Gang. Though interesting, this fact seems irrelevant—until the son of a Foggy Bottom gang member is shot dead at his farm in Fairfax County, Virginia. Coincidence? Targeted attacks? So many questions. As Tempe and Ivy dig deeper, an arrest is finally made. Then another Foggy Bottom Gang-linked property burns to the ground, claiming one more victim. Slowly, Tempe’s instincts begin pointing to the somehow, her moves since coming to Washington have been anticipated in advance, and every path forward seems to bring with it a lethal threat.

MY REVIEW:

Fire and Bones by Kathy Reichs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the 23rd book of the series and even though I haven't read quite a few of them I still knew what was going on. The mystery itself can be read as a standalone but if you want to get to know the main characters then it is best to read them in order. The TV show Bones was also based on this series.
Tempe is called to Washington DC for bodies found that were burned and she is needed to find out what happened. But her and her boyfriend were on their way for a vacation. He isn't happy and feels like her work takes priority so he ignores her. So she has a lot going on.
I thank NetGalley and Scribner for the book to review.


View all my reviews

Kathy Reichs

Bornin Chicago, The United States

Website

http://www.kathyreichs.com/

Twitter

KathyReichs

Genre

Mystery & Thrillers, Nonfiction

Kathy Reichs is a forensic anthropologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, State of North Carolina, and for the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of only fifty forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. A professor of anthropology at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Dr. Reichs is a native of Chicago, where she received her Ph.D. at Northwestern. She now divides her time between Charlotte and Montreal and is a frequent expert witness in criminal trials.

book review: House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen

 

First published August 6, 2024

Buy on Amazon

On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.

A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?

Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny - in the midst of her parent's bitter divorce - and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella's mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.

From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there's something eerie about the house itself: It's a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.

As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny's murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny's boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella's supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?

MY REVIEW:

House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A young Nanny falls through a window and the little girl no longer is talking. Not only that but all glass is being replaced with plastic or plexiglass.Everyone seems to be guilty of who knows what happened to the nanny and did she fall or was she pushed.
The parents are getting divorced and we find out secrets about them. The grandmother also lives in the house but she walks with a cane and can't get around real well. The little girl is stealing objects that are sharp. Just what is going on this house?
Stella is sent as a child advocate and to see what is going on with her and if she can get the little girl to talk.
I enjoyed this thriller and received it from NetGalley and St. Martin's for the ARC to read.

View all my reviews

Sarah Pekkanen

Bornin The United States

November 29

Website

http://sarahpekkanen.com

Twitter

sarahpekkanen

Genre

Thriller, Suspense, Fiction

I'm a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the upcoming HOUSE OF GLASS, which will be published August 6, 2024. The audiobook is narrated by Tony-awared winning singer/actress Laura Benanti.

My most recent novel, GONE TONIGHT, was hailed by Harlen Coben as "Jaw-dropping... A wild ride." The audiobook is narrated by actress Kate Mara.

I'm also the coauthor of four bestselling thrillers: THE GOLDEN COUPLE, THE WIFE BETWEEN US, AN ANONYMOUS GIRL, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

I've written eight novels that are contemporary fiction, not thrillers: THE EVER AFTER, THE PERFECT NEIGHBORS, THINGS YOU WON'T SAY, CATCHING AIR, THE BEST OF US, THE OPPOSITE OF ME, SKIPPING A BEAT, and THESE GIRLS. My linked free short estories, published by Simon&Schuster exclusively for ereaders, are titled "All is Bright," and "Love, Accidentally."

When I'm not writing or spending time with my three kids, I'm a passionate advocate for rescue animals. I serve as Ambassador of RRSA India, a shelter and sanctuary for abused and injured street dogs and other animals in Anand, India. And I'm the founder of the nonprofit charity IndiaStreetPaws.com.

I also serve on the board of the International Thriller Writers. Readers and writers - come join us at Thrillerfest in NYC every spring!

Please find me on Insta and Facebook for more!

My website is www.sarahpekkanen.com

Book Review: Destroyer by A.K. Nevermore

 

Published January 1, 2024

Buy it here

On an alternate earth, a cataclysm has altered a subset of the population. Talents are persecuted for their psychic and physical mutations, giving rise to two conflicting societies based upon maintaining genetic purity. And the Source, a shadowy corporate entity dependent upon the exploitation of captive Talents, is hunting them…

Three years before the events in Breaker, Flynn Scot is restless.

Stationed with a mercenary unit in the Deep South on a suicide mission, the urge to return North is eating at him. Coming up against the Source as it tries to subjugate another portion of the globe is par for the course, but this time something’s different.

And it’s not just the ill-timed arrival of a survey crew from Glynfyls.

Saddled with babysitting the handful of Talents, Flynn discovers they’ve been sent down—and set up—to instigate a war between the Northern Territories and the Corporation. He finds himself being drawn into the North’s politics, and drawn out of anonymity. Then, when the operation goes sideways, he’s forced to make a choice: turn a blind-eye to the fallout, or come to terms with the fact that destiny isn’t done with him.

MY REVIEW:

Destroyer by A.K. Nevermore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another prequel for The Price of Talent series.
We learn more about Flynn Scot and what his life was like before Breeder and Breaker.
Saddled with babysitting the handful of Talents, Flynn discovers they’ve been sent down—and set up—to instigate a war between the Northern Territories and the Corporation.
I enjoyed this short story and seeing what Flynn was like and why he is the way he is. There is still more to learn about his past and his family so I can't wait to read more of this series.
Thank you to A.K. Nevermore for the ebook to review.

View all my reviews

A.K. Nevermore

Website

https://aknevermore.com

Twitter

AkNevermore

Genre

Science Fiction, Paranormal, Romance

AK Nevermore enjoys operating heavy machinery, freebases coffee, and gives up sarcasm for Lent every year.

A Jane-of-all-trades, she’s a certified chef, restores antiques, and dabbles in beekeeping when she’s not reading voraciously or running down the dream in her beat-up camo Chucks.

Unable to ignore the voices in her head, and unwilling to become medicated, she writes full time around a nest full of ravens. Her books explore dark worlds, perversely irreverent and profound, and always entertaining.

AK belongs to a bunch of industry associations, volunteers for far too many committees, teaches creative writing, and on the rare occasion, sleeps.