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Saturday, November 30, 2019

Week 48 Review: Seven Crows

From Goodreads:
An ex-con tracks down the men who have kidnapped her niece in this gritty and visceral thriller.

Killian Delaney has a skewed moral compass, a high threshold for pain, and has just been released from prison to discover that someone has taken her niece.

Killian does not hesitate. Loyalty is the most important thing in her life, and when she gets a call from her sister saying that her daughter is missing, Killian immediately begins hunting down the men responsible.

She quickly discovers her niece was involved with a notorious biker gang who are engaged in everything from drugs to human trafficking. And to make it worse, the man who sent Killian to jail, the one she nearly beat to death, is at the center of it all.

To save her niece, she'll need a plan. A smart, quick, and efficient one. Because she's going to do it right this time. She'll burn them to the ground.

My Review:
This book was so fantastic! I love reading Kate Kessler books, and yeah that this is going to be a series, because that means either more time with these characters, or with this Initiate, which I think is the group, and that'd be fantastic!

This book was kinda intense. I mean, there's some pretty nasty action scenes with guns blazing. And that there some bad biker gangs, there's some kidnapping/imprisonment scenes as well as rape. Her books have a theme of being dark, but yeah, it was pretty intense in this book!

There's some mystery in this book, as to why Killian has the Seven Crows tattoo, of a secret, and I just wanted to know what that was. It turns out there were 2 that she was keeping, both very personal and important to her!

That ending, wow, I didn't expect it to go that way! After everything that happened, Killian did learn a few things along the way, and yeah, I really enjoyed how it all played out! And I'm hopeful for a happy future!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to see where this series is going to go!

Author: Kate Kessler
Series: The Initiate Series #1
Read: November 29th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love her writing, and yeah, it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Redhook
Published: October 8th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: A Treason of Thorns

From Goodreads:
Violet Sterling has spent the last seven years in exile, longing to return to Burleigh House. One of the six great houses of England, Burleigh's magic always kept the countryside well. And as a child, this magic kept Violet happy, draping her in flowers while she slept, fashioning secret hiding places for her, and lighting fires on the coldest nights to keep her warm.

Everything shattered, though, when her father committed high treason trying to free Burleigh from the king's oppressive control. He was killed, and Vi was forced into hiding.

When she's given a chance to go back, she discovers Burleigh has run wild with grief. Vines and briars are crumbling the walls. Magic that once enriched the surrounding countryside has turned dark and deadly, twisting lush blooms into thorns, poisoning livestock and destroying crops. Burleigh's very soul is crying out in pain.

Vi would do anything to help, and soon she finds herself walking the same deadly path as her father all those years before. Vi must decide how far she's willing to go to save her house—before her house destroys everything she's ever known.

My Review:
Oh, man, this was a really wonderful book! I absolutely loved the world, with these Houses and their magic! Such an incredible story, so lush and beautiful and dangerous. Not that it means to be, but this is an incredible complex and dire situation! 

The fact that this is a magic slanted version of history, it's set in England around the 1800's, so I'm not quite sure if the king in this book is the same as in our history books or not, or if his circumstances changed, because while I'm not familiar with that time period, I don't believe that this king and his exact family was in real life. I could be wrong. But it also could be that it's a magical world so things were changed a bit!

I felt really badly for Vi, Wyn, and Burleigh House. It's not their fault they're in this situation, it's because Burleigh was bound all those years ago, and we're just learning why that was a bad idea. And Vi is torn between her childhood best friend and her present maybe something more, and her childhood home, her family's legacy. It's really tough on them all!

Sometimes I raged at the unfairness that the king would just let things get worse and worse, and then, do something so bad just to keep his power. If he'd done the right thing, then maybe all these bad events wouldn't have happened. But his daughter did mention that once people had power, they didn't tend to let it go. But yeah, because of him, it meant that there was that pretty intense ending, which was so wonderful to read, but it still could've turned out so much worse, and that would've been because he wanted to keep his power. Bah.

Loved reading this book, it was a wonderful read, and I can't wait to read more by Laura E. Weymouth!

Author: Laura E. Weymouth
Read: November 28th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2019 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: September 10th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: Eight Will Fall

From Goodreads:
Lovers of dark, high-octane adventure will be enthralled by Sarah Harian's Eight Will Fall, a genre-bending YA fantasy standalone, perfect for fans of Kendare Blake and Leigh Bardugo.

In a world where magic is illegal, eight criminals led by rebellious Larkin are sent on a mission to rid their realm of an ancient evil lurking beneath the surface. Descending into a world full of unspeakable horrors, Larkin and her crew must use their forbidden magic to survive.

As they fight in the shadows, Larkin finds a light in Amias, a fellow outlaw with a notorious past. Soon, Larkin and Amias realize that their destinies are intertwined. The eight of them were chosen for a reason.

But as the beasts grow in number and her band is picked off one by one, Larkin is forced to confront a terrible truth: They were never meant to return.

My Review:
Oh, wow, this book was utterly fantastic, and totally not what I was expecting! I was really eager to read this book, and just devoured it, it was so freaking amazing! I loved the history and learning more about it, as well as the magic, since the two were pretty intertwined!

The way that this magic worked, with able to use other people's emotions as fuel, basically, and all the different things that they could do, it was so interesting! I really enjoyed learning more about all of that, and how it connected to why these 8 people were specifically chosen...

Between all the creepiness with the various dead and dying bodies, there was plenty of atmosphere. And then there were the reveals. Wow, were there so many reveals! Since basically they knew nothing, they had a lot to learn! And there were some really epic twists!

Honestly, after reading this book, I wouldn't mind if we got a companion book, because I would love to spend more time in this universe. There was mention of a mainland, and it'd be interesting to visit and explore! I just want more!

Loved reading this book, and I can't wait to read more by Sarah Harian!

Author: Sarah Harian
Read: November 27h, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a SAC 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Published: November 26th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: The Butterfly Garden

From Goodreads:
Maya, a fierce survivor, leads us through the aftermath of a brutal event as she recounts her tale to the FBI, but her story keeps us at the edges, letting the questions simmer, bubbling up small answers that beg new, bigger questions in their wake: How did Maya escape captivity? Did the other girls survive? What happened to the garden-and the Gardener? 

Maya reveals a vivid dimension to the twisted puzzle and raises larger questions about her own motives. As the truth slowly emerges from a carefully constructed cocoon, author Dot Hutchison has us questioning whether this is a tale of terrible beauty or a beautiful tale of terror. 

The frantic rustling of a butterfly's wings against a collector's net seems futile-but when many butterflies flock together, they become much harder to pin down. For us, this innocuous symbol of transformative beauty will forever be a perverse reminder of the Gardener, a depraved man with his magnificent, grotesque collection of butterflies.

My Review:
Oh, this was a really fantastic read! It was really twisted, too, but yeah, I know that it was going to be dark going in, so I just couldn't wait to see how the mystery would unfold! While this book is mainly narrated by Maya, it seems future books focus on the investigative team who is interviewing her.

The way this story was told was meandering, jumping time around a lot, and it was a bit difficult getting the order of events firmly in mind in relation to one another. But it was definitely a different approach, and I enjoy different!

The idea that someone could get away with this for as long as he did-I mean, it was decades that this went on, speaks to several things about our society, from how women aren't believed as easily about crimes. About how money talks. Or I could be reaching, and it wasn't intended, but that's part of what I got from it.

That ending, when we found out how the Gardener was found out, why she's being interviewed, yeah, that was a great reveal! I mean, we got hints that it was pretty awful, but those details...it just made for an amazing read!

Really enjoyed reading this book, and I can't wait to read more of the series!

Author: Dot Hutchison
Series: The Collector #1
Read: November 27th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Published: April 26th 2018
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: Starsight

From Goodreads:
All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.

Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie. 


But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to. 


My Review:
This book was truly fantastic! I really loved the first book, and I'm really getting into his writing (though I really need to get into his adult books, as well!) and I couldn't wait to read this book! It didn't disappoint, it was a heck of a ride and I couldn't put it down!

This book has an almost entirely new cast of characters, Spensa and M-Bot are really the only ones from the first book, besides the beginning, end, and some little chunks that were back on Detritus. Because the majority of the time, Spensa and M-Bot aren't actually there. Hence a ton of new additions to the cast.

I mean, she infiltrates the aliens who have kept her planet imprisoned, and there's so many game changers, about how their politics and policies are, the individuals, and how their hyperdrive technology works. Oh, and that bit of information that Spensa passed on, that saved so many lifes, that change in perspective, that one that she was learning throughout this book.

Yeah, and then there was that cliffhanger ending, in which I have no idea where things are going to go next, probably build the world even bigger, but probably also deal with everything that has happened already, and I already can't wait! I'm itching for it, but apparnetly, unless Brandon Sanderson can squeeze it in, we're unlikely to get the next one till 2010. Sob!

This book was utterly fantastic, I loved it, and I can't wait for more!

Author: Brandon Sanderson
Series: Skyward #2
Read: November 26th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love his writing and the first book, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: November 26th 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: Serpent & Dove

From Goodreads:
Bound as one to love, honor, or burn.

Two years ago, Louise le Blanc fled her coven and took shelter in the city of Cesarine, forsaking all magic and living off whatever she could steal. There, witches like Lou are hunted. They are feared. And they are burned.

Sworn to the Church as a Chasseur, Reid Diggory has lived his life by one principle: thou shalt not suffer a witch to live. His path was never meant to cross with Lou's, but a wicked stunt forces them into an impossible union—holy matrimony.

The war between witches and Church is an ancient one, and Lou's most dangerous enemies bring a fate worse than fire. Unable to ignore her growing feelings, yet powerless to change what she is, a choice must be made.

And love makes fools of us all. 

My Review:
Wow, this book was so fantastic, and such a thrill ride! I had started it before it was published, but then other books demanded to be read, so I just started over, and just couldn't put it down! It was such an enticing book! Loved it so much!

The world and how the magic works, it's so interesting, and I can't wait to explore more, after the big reveal at the end, as well as we're going to be with Coco's family. I can't wait to learn more, because it's pretty fascinating to me, all the different rules!

Oh, and can we talk about the relationship between Lou and Reid? She knows they're mortal enemies, and he doesn't, not at first. Man, their banter and the way she played on the Chasseur's tight upbringings was just freaking hilarious to read!

We knew there was a secret as to why Lou left the witches. And then we're hit with reveal after reveal, and I just couldn't turn the pages fast enough! It was such a roller coaster ride of emotions, betrayal, heartbreak, fear, hope, love, and I couldn't get enough of it!

This book was so fantastic, so enjoyable, such an amazing debut book, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Author: Shelby Mahurin
Series: Serpent & Dove #1
Read: November 26th, 2019
Source: Edelweiss
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a DAC Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Harper Teen
Published: September 3rd 2019
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Week 48 Review: Lethal Game

From Goodreads:
The sparks of unexpected passion ignite in this electrifying GhostWalker novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

When Malichai Fortunes attacks a problem, he does it full force–a habit that earns the GhostWalker a painful injury and a forced vacation in San Diego, California. With nothing but physical therapy on the horizon, Malichai is starting to get restless…until a striking blue-eyed blonde makes all his senses come alive.

Amaryllis is kind and warm and sees beyond Malichai's rough exterior, but he can tell there's something she's hiding. Her innate healing abilities indicate she might be a GhostWalker–albeit an untrained one. Malichai doesn't think their crossing paths is anything more than coincidence, but he can sense that one wrong word could send Amaryllis running.

When strange events at his temporary retreat put Malichai on high alert, he knows he won't be able to deal with the threat and keep his woman safe in his weakened state. But calling in his brothers means telling Amaryllis what he really is, and revealing that he knows the truth about her too…

My Review:
Yeah, there's another amazing book in this series! I just absolutely love this series, it's my favourite from Christine Feehan, because it's the one that introduced me to her writing, and how much action there is! So yeah for this book!

For about the first third of this book, we're in Malichai's perspective. And I noticed because I really wanted to see what Amaryllis was thinking, if she was a GhostWalker and orphan that Whitney used and experimented on or not. It was so satisfying when we did get her perspective!

There were two main things going on in this book. There was all of the strange events that all added up to something bad happening, which is where the title came from. There's also Malichai's leg, which was damaged in the first chapter. And that was an interesting conversation to have, of how that affected his views of himself, his ability to be a protector, the cost it has being a solider.

We did get some mentions of a few new ladies, who may or may not be leading ladies in future books! We didn't meet them (unless they were introduced without being introduced, you know) but I hope that they're in future books, because they deserve happiness after everything they've been through with Whitney!

Loved reading this book, it was so wonderful, and I can't wait to see where this series goes next!

Author: Christine Feehan
Series: Ghostwalkers #16
Read: November 26th, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Love her writing, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Berkley
Expected Publication: March 3rd 2020
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Friday, November 29, 2019

Book Blogger Hop #112, November 29th

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer from Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer's permission, I relaunched the meme on February 15, 2013. Check out the hop here

Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end on Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop's purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to your own blog.

The Question of the week is: Did you go shopping on Thanksgiving Night, Black Friday, or on Cyber Monday? If so, did you buy any books? (submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)

Yes, I did go shopping. But since I'm in Canada, I usually shop online. And of course I bought books! I definitely took advantage of Book Outlet's early Black Friday sale, and I still missed out of a book or two. Why, oh why, can't I get a copy of The Bitter Kingdom by Rae Carson in paperback with the original cover? But I got 77 books, and I can't wait for them to arrive!

The only other thing I got was a tablet, since my current one is basically out of memory. So I got on on sale, and I've already read a book on it (hello, A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth!) and I can't wait to read more!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

The Reward Challenge Update #428, November 29th

The Reward Challenge is almost the complete opposite to a book buying ban as you'll end up buying lots of new books throughout the challenge but only after you've completed a certain amount of reading. It was hosted by Good Golly Miss Holly, so thanks to her for starting it!

OK, so I read A Lady's Past which counts 4 times as a Historical Fiction 2019 Book, Review Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book, Lethal Game which counts 4 times as a NetGalley Book, Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book, Serpent & Dove which counts 4 times as a Edelweiss Book, DAC Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book, Starsight which counts 3 times as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book, The Butterfly Garden which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book, Eight Will Fall which counts 3 times as a SAC 2019 Book and a WoW Book, A Treason of Thorns which counts 4 times as a Edelweiss Book, SAC 2019 Book and a Sophomore Challenge Book, Seven Crows which counts twice as a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book.

So I have 26 counts which translates to $13 this week! I'll use it to buy books!

First Lines Friday #446, November 29th

First Lines Friday is a bookish meme hosted by Literary Marie of Precision Reviews. We encourage all of our fellow book bloggers and bookhearts to play along.

-Grab your current read(s)
-Share the first line(s)
-Include the title and author so that other FLF participants can add the book to their TBR Lists!

"The phone rang at four A.M., jolting Killian Delaney violently awake. Squinting at the bright screen, she grabbed the cell and brought it to her ear. 'What?' she growled, the taste of whiskey clinging to the back of her throat. 'Aunt Killy.' She sat upright at the voice. 'Shannon? What's wrong?' Her niece—her fifteen-year-old niece who should be at home and in bed—made a small noise, like a rabbit." -Seven Crows by Kate Kessler

Well, this is a pretty intense opening! Must read more! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Thursday, November 28, 2019

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 2

I read my next book, A Treason of Thorns, and I'm going to be reading A Bad Day for Sunshine next! I didn't get much reading done, bah Black Friday stress, but yeah, going to continue this for tomorrow!

My Reading Journey:

Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian
Started On: November 27th
Finished On: November 28th, 12:27 AM
Pages Read: 368

A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth
Started On: November 28th
Finished On: November 28th, 10:48 PM
Pages Read: 352

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black
Started On: November 29th
Currently On: Page 0 of 370

Goals: 6-8
Read: 2
Pages Read: 368

Random Reads #419, November 28th

Random Reads is a monthly meme (that I'm going to do weekly) hosted by I'm Loving Books to read some books that have been on our TBR piles for a long time. Using Random.org, I got 4689 which turned out to be Monday's Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson! It's been on my TBR pile since December 12th 2018, and I added it because her books sound really great! Happy reading!

Third Sentence Thursday #433, November 28th

Create your own banner at mybannermaker.com!


Third Sentence Thursday is a weekly meme which likes to watch fireworks especially while eating a cookie!
1) Take the book you are currently reading and open it to a random page. Share the third full sentence on that page. (If there isn't a third one – like at the end of a chapter or a blank page – you can share the third sentence of the book or just choose another random page.) Feel free to share more than one sentence, if you feel the need to do so.
2) Review this sentence anyway you want (funny and silly reviews encouraged)
3) Post a link to your sentence at Words I Write Crazy (This Blog)
4) Visit one or two of the other blogs to check out their third sentences!

"Of what he said, what he discovered, where he planned to go." -A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth, page 89.

This has totally no context. Love it!

What are your guy's 3rd lines? Link up below!

Will the Time Come #443, November 28th

Every Thursday I am going to list a book which I really want to read/keep meaning to get to. These are mostly books which have been on my shelf for awhile now but don't have to be, maybe you got it two weeks ago and really want to read it! Thanks to Jodie from Books for Company for this meme!
Want to Join?
-Pick a book you have been meaning to read
-Do a post telling us about the book    
-Link the post up in the linky  
-Visit the other blogs

Two sisters are torn apart by war and must fight their way back to each other in a futuristic, Black Panther–inspired Nigeria.

The year is 2172. Climate change and nuclear disasters have rendered much of earth unlivable. Only the lucky ones have escaped to space colonies in the sky.

In a war-torn Nigeria, battles are fought using flying, deadly mechs and soldiers are outfitted with bionic limbs and artificial organs meant to protect them from the harsh, radiation-heavy climate. Across the nation, as the years-long civil war wages on, survival becomes the only way of life.

Two sisters, Onyii and Ify, dream of more. Their lives have been marked by violence and political unrest. Still, they dream of peace, of hope, of a future together.

And they're willing to fight an entire war to get there.

Acclaimed author Tochi Onyebuchi has written an immersive, action-packed, deeply personal novel perfect for fans of Nnedi Okorafor, Marie Lu, and Paolo Bacigalupi.

Why the time hasn't come yet...
I only just found this book, and it only just came out. So hopefully I'll be able to read it soon, it sounds fantastic! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 1

I read my first book, Eight Will Fall, and I'm going to be reading A Treason of Thorns next! Now to sleep and then read more!

My Reading Journey:

Eight Will Fall by Sarah Harian
Started On: November 27th
Finished On: November 28th, 12:27 AM
Pages Read: 368

A Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Weymouth
Started On: November 28th
Currently On: Page 0 of 352

Goals: 6-8
Read: 1
Pages Read: 368

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

A Lady's Past: Review

From Goodreads:
The greatest risk—for the sweetest reward…

His fiancée's betrayal nearly cost Jacques Laurent everything. Despite his resolve not to trust anyone again, he can't abandon the young woman he finds alone on the road to London. In the brief hours they spend together, the enigmatic Diana touches his heart in a way he can't explain. Even after bringing her to the Everton Domestic Society for safekeeping, he can't get her out of his thoughts. And when he next encounters her, working as assistant to a renowned scientist, he becomes even more intrigued…

The Society's kindness is especially welcome after everything Diana endured in a French prison, but she fears for the safety of those who get close to her. French spies are on her trail, convinced that her scientific knowledge can help them win the war. As peril draws them irrevocably together, Diana and Jacques succumb to mutual desire. But love may be the most dangerous pursuit of all, when a lady guards her heart even more carefully than she guards her life...

My Review:
Wow, I enjoyed this series so much! We did met Jacques in A Lady's Escape, and I'm so glad that he got his own book! And we did get to see some familiar faces, as well as meet some new ones in the form of the Buckrose Horsemen! I'm really going to have to read the original trilogy, though!

This is the first book with a lot of action, because yeah, Diana's past does come around and causes a bunch of trouble. As in, bad things happen, about halfway through this book. It's different from the other books, but enjoyable, too!

Diana is strong, and much more capable then what a young lady of the time was supposed to be like. She was in the science field, and her experiences didn't break her. So yeah, she was a pretty fantastic character to read about!

My one thing is that Jacques past with his ex-fiancee isn't explained. I don't know if I missed it or if it wasn't there, but I would've liked to have had that explanation. Like, who she was, why they were engaged, how she betrayed him. We got snippets, but I didn't get the full story and I would've liked it.

This was a really fantastic read, and I wouldn't mind more of this series, or a spin off series with the Buckrose Horsemen!

Author: A.S. Fenichel
Series: Everton Domestic Society #4
Read: November 25th, 2019
Source: Pump Up Your Book Review Copy
Reason Why: Sounded really great, and it's a Historical Fiction 2019 Book and a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Lyrical Press
Published: November 19th 2019
5/5 Hearts
4/5 Books
5/5 Stars
Bio:
A.S. Fenichel gave up a successful IT career in New York City to follow her husband to Texas and pursue her lifelong dream of being a professional writer. She’s never looked back.

A.S. adores writing stories filled with love, passion, desire, magic and maybe a little mayhem tossed in for good measure. Books have always been her perfect escape and she still relishes diving into one and staying up all night to finish a good story.

Originally from New York, she grew up in New Jersey, and now lives in Missouri with her real life hero, her wonderful husband. When not reading or writing she enjoys cooking, travel, history, and puttering in her garden.

Contact and Buy AKA Links:


Waiting on Wednesday #446, November 27th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!

Blackbird Rising by Keri Arthur
Expected Publication: February 3rd 2020
From Goodreads:
A modern fantasy novel inspired by the King Arthur legend...

For hundreds of years, the Witch King’s sword has been buried in stone awaiting the next hand to draw it.

Many have tried. None have succeeded.

Gwen is the last in a long line of De Montfort witches whose duty it is to protect the sword of all power. But when she returns to King Island to perform the blessing, a mysterious pulse of blue light tells her that someone has attempted to draw the sword. Before she can investigate any further, demons attack. She only survives with the help of a mysterious stranger who disappears as quickly as he appears.

Gwen and her grandmother, Moscelyne, soon discover that minor gateways into Darkside—the traditional home of both demons and dark elves—are being forced open by magic. Even worse, someone is now sending demons after the Witch King’s heirs.

As vital artifacts are stolen by Darkside and the deaths draw altogether too close to home, Gwen and Mo—with the help of old gods and an ancient order of knights once thought dead—scramble to unravel the clues and stop the murderous would-be king from claiming the crown.

If they fail and the wrong hand draws the sword of power, he can unlock the main gateway into Darkside and unleash utter hell onto an unsuspecting and unprepared England....

Oh, man, this book sounds so fantastic! Can't wait to read it! What about you guys? Happy reading!

WWW Wednesday #450, November 27th

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions…

• What are you currently reading?
• What did you recently finish reading?
• What do you think you'll read next?

Thanks to MizB of Should Be Writing now A Daily Rhythm for starting this meme!

I'm currently reading Eight Will Fall, and it's so fantastic! Must read more! 
I read The Butterfly Garden, and it was dark and wonderful! Loved it!
I'm going to be reading A Treason of Thorns, and I can't wait, it sounds so fantastic!

What about you guys? Happy reading!

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 5 and Wrap Up

I read my last book, The Butterfly Garden! I just had to read more, and yeah, I had to move this to being part of the first one, since I'm not going to get a lot of reading done today, I'll have the bulk of the next reading challenge be tomorrow!

My Reading Journey:

A Lady's Past by A.S. Fenichel
Started On: November 25th
Finished On: November 26th, 12:05 AM
Pages Read: 223

Lethal Game by Christine Feehan
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 3:18 PM
Pages Read: 246 of 448

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 8:13 PM
Pages Read: 513

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 27th, 12:56 AM
Pages Read: 491

The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchison
Started On: November 27th
Finished On: November 27th, 2:57 AM
Pages Read: 288

Goals: 6-8
Read: 5
Pages Read: 1761

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 4

I read my last book, Starsight. Definitely didn't read as much as I would like, but there were some pretty big books, so I'm pretty happy! I'll start the next part later today, though I am going to be working, so I will do it more like a 2 day one, into Thursday evening, since I'm going to have so many things taking up my reading time! Never mind, I'm going to do another book with this challenge!

My Reading Journey:

A Lady's Past by A.S. Fenichel
Started On: November 25th
Finished On: November 26th, 12:05 AM
Pages Read: 223

Lethal Game by Christine Feehan
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 3:18 PM
Pages Read: 246 of 448

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 8:13 PM
Pages Read: 513

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 27th, 12:56 AM
Pages Read: 491

Goals: 6-8
Read: 4
Pages Read: 1473

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 3

I read my next book, Serpent & Dove, and I'm going to be reading Starsight next!

My Reading Journey:

A Lady's Past by A.S. Fenichel
Started On: November 25th
Finished On: November 26th, 12:05 AM
Pages Read: 223

Lethal Game by Christine Feehan
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 3:18 PM
Pages Read: 246 of 448

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 8:13 PM
Pages Read: 513

Starsight by Brandon Sanderson
Started On: November 26th
Currently On: Page 0 of 491

Goals: 6-8
Read: 3
Pages Read: 982

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 2

I read my next book, Lethal Game, and I'm going to be reading Serpent & Dove next! I slept a while, so I'm going to continue this challenge until midnight, or the end of the book nearest to that time. Whatever comes later.

My Reading Journey:

A Lady's Past by A.S. Fenichel
Started On: November 25th
Finished On: November 26th, 12:05 AM
Pages Read: 223

Lethal Game by Christine Feehan
Started On: November 26th
Finished On: November 26th, 3:18 PM
Pages Read: 246 of 448

Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin
Started On: November 26th
Currently On: Page 0 of 513

Goals: 6-8
Read: 2
Pages Read: 469

Teaser Tuesday #450, November 26th

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by Ambrosia of The Purple Booker. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) "teaser" sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn't give too much away! You don't want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!
Today's teaser comes from Serpent & Dove by Shelby Mahurin, page 49.

"It's that beastly park. It poisons the entire street."

Uh, yeah, Parks are nature, how can nature poison? Something is off there! What about you guys? Happy reading!

24 Hour Reading Challenge Update 1

I read my first book, A Lady's Past, and I'm going to be reading Lethal Game next! I started at 9:40 PM, so that's when I'll end tomorrow! I may or may not take a break between my 2 reading challenges, so I can do other things, like blog and watch tv. I don't know right now. Now to sleep!

My Reading Journey:

A Lady's Past by A.S. Fenichel
Started On: November 25th
Finished On: November 26th, 12:05 AM
Pages Read: 223

Lethal Game by Christine Feehan
Started On: November 26th
Currently On: Page 202 of 448

Goals: 6-8
Read: 1
Pages Read: 223

Monday, November 25, 2019

We Have the Cover of The Lady Janies #3!!!!

Yeah, we have the cover and synopsis, of My Calamity Jane by Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows, and Cynthia Hand!

24 Hour Reading Challenge 2nd + 3rd November Sign Up

So I've picked my date for the next reading challenge, and I'm going to start sometime today after I'm done watching TV, and then I'm going to do 2 days, so 2 parts. So lots of reading to do!

My goal as ever is 6-8 books for each day. And the books I want to read are of course the books of this week, A Conspiracy of Bones, The Cruel Prince, The Lost Sisters, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, Ruthless Gods, Seven Crows, Starsight.

Other books include A Lady's Past, Eight Will Fall, Mages by Fortune, Day Zero, Call Down the Hawk, Spartan Destiny, The Beautiful, The Butterfly Garden, Stolen Time, The Spectral City, A Bad Day for Sunshine, Lethal Game, Serpent & Dove, A Treason of Thorns, As She Ascends, A Dress for the Wicked, Beyond a Darkened Shore, Crier's War, The Beholder, The Beckoning Shadow, and Far from the Tree.

That's a good number of books, 29, so of course I won't read all of them, but  yeah, I'm happy with them and I can't wait to start reading!  What about you guys? Happy reading!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #442, November 25th

It's Monday! What Are You Reading is a weekly meme hosted by Book Date where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week...and anything in between! This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well...you never know where that next "must read" book will come from!

What happened in the past week:

Weekly Memes:
It's Monday! What Are You Reading #441
Teaser Tuesday #449
WWW Wednesday #449
WOW #445
Will the Time Come #442
Third Sentence Thursday #432
Random Reads #418
First Lines Friday #445
The Reward Challenge Update #427
Book Blogger Hop #111
How Well I Stuck to It #279
Wrote that Review Update #276

Week 47 Reviews:
The Scorpio Races
Chasing the Shadows
Wicked Saints
Gideon the Ninth
A Lady's Honor
A Lady's Escape
A Lady's Virtue

OK, so I got 17 posts in 7 days, and yeah, it was a decent week, some great books, and yeah, as always, some really great books coming up that I can't wait to read! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read A Conspiracy of Bones, The Cruel Prince, The Lost Sisters, The Wicked King, The Queen of Nothing, Ruthless Gods, Seven Crows, and Starsight.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs returns with a new riveting novel featuring her vastly popular character forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who must use all her tradecraft to discover the identity of a faceless corpse, its connection to a decade-old missing child case, and why the dead man had her cell phone number.

It’s sweltering in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Temperance Brennan, still recovering from neurosurgery following an aneurysm, is battling nightmares, migraines, and what she thinks might be hallucinations when she receives a series of mysterious text messages, each containing a new picture of a corpse that is missing its face and hands. Immediately, she's anxious to know who the dead man is, and why the images were sent to her.

An identified corpse soon turns up, only partly answering her questions.

To win answers to the others, including the man's identity, she must go rogue, working mostly outside the system. That's because Tempe’s new boss holds a fierce grudge against her and is determined to keep her out of the case. Tempe bulls forward anyway, even as she begins questioning her instincts. But the clues she discovers are disturbing and confusing. Was the faceless man a spy? A trafficker? A target for assassination by the government? And why was he carrying the name of a child missing for almost a decade?

With help from a number of law enforcement associates including her Montreal beau Andrew Ryan and the always-ready-with-a-smart-quip, ex-homicide investigator Skinny Slidell, and utilizing new cutting-edge forensic methods, Tempe draws closer to the astonishing truth.

But the more she uncovers, the darker and more twisted the picture becomes...
By #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, the first book in a stunning new series about a mortal girl who finds herself caught in a web of royal faerie intrigue.

Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.

And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.

Jude was seven years old when her parents were murdered and she and her two sisters were stolen away to live in the treacherous High Court of Faerie. Ten years later, Jude wants nothing more than to belong there, despite her mortality. But many of the fey despise humans. Especially Prince Cardan, the youngest and wickedest son of the High King.

To win a place at the Court, she must defy him--and face the consequences.

In doing so, she becomes embroiled in palace intrigues and deceptions, discovering her own capacity for bloodshed. But as civil war threatens to drown the Courts of Faerie in violence, Jude will need to risk her life in a dangerous alliance to save her sisters, and Faerie itself.
Sometimes the difference between a love story and a horror story is where the ending comes . . .

While Jude fought for power in the Court of Elfhame against the cruel Prince Cardan, her sister Taryn began to fall in love with the trickster, Locke.

Half-apology and half-explanation, it turns out that Taryn has some secrets of her own to reveal.

The Lost Sisters is a companion e-novella to the New York Times bestselling novel The Cruel Prince by master writer Holly Black.
You must be strong enough to strike and strike and strike again without tiring.

The first lesson is to make yourself strong.

After the jaw-dropping revelation that Oak is the heir to Faerie, Jude must keep her younger brother safe. To do so, she has bound the wicked king, Cardan, to her, and made herself the power behind the throne. Navigating the constantly shifting political alliances of Faerie would be difficult enough if Cardan were easy to control. But he does everything in his power to humiliate and undermine her even as his fascination with her remains undiminished.

When it becomes all too clear that someone close to Jude means to betray her, threatening her own life and the lives of everyone she loves, Jude must uncover the traitor and fight her own complicated feelings for Cardan to maintain control as a mortal in a Faerie world.
He will be destruction of the crown and the ruination of the throne.

Power is much easier to acquire than it is to hold onto. Jude learned this lesson when she released her control over the wicked king, Cardan, in exchange for immeasurable power.

Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan's betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.

Jude must risk venturing back into the treacherous Faerie Court, and confront her lingering feelings for Cardan, if she wishes to save her sister. But Elfhame is not as she left it. War is brewing. As Jude slips deep within enemy lines she becomes ensnared in the conflict's bloody politics.

And, when a dormant yet powerful curse is unleashed, panic spreads throughout the land, forcing her to choose between her ambition and her humanity…

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Holly Black, comes the highly anticipated and jaw-dropping finale to The Folk of the Air trilogy.
Darkness never works alone...

Nadya doesn't trust her magic anymore. Serefin is fighting off a voice in his head that doesn't belong to him. Malachiasz is at war with who--and what--he's become.

As their group is continually torn apart, the girl, the prince, and the monster find their fates irrevocably intertwined. They're pieces on a board, being orchestrated by someone… or something. The voices that Serefin hears in the darkness, the ones that Nadya believes are her gods, the ones that Malachiasz is desperate to meet—those voices want a stake in the world, and they refuse to stay quiet any longer.

In her dramatic follow-up to Wicked Saints, the first book in her Something Dark and Holy trilogy, Emily A. Duncan paints a Gothic, icy world where shadows whisper, and no one is who they seem, with a shocking ending that will leave you breathless.
An ex-con tracks down the men who have kidnapped her niece in this gritty and visceral thriller.

Killian Delaney has a skewed moral compass, a high threshold for pain, and has just been released from prison to discover that someone has taken her niece.

Killian does not hesitate. Loyalty is the most important thing in her life, and when she gets a call from her sister saying that her daughter is missing, Killian immediately begins hunting down the men responsible.

She quickly discovers her niece was involved with a notorious biker gang who are engaged in everything from drugs to human trafficking. And to make it worse, the man who sent Killian to jail, the one she nearly beat to death, is at the center of it all.

To save her niece, she'll need a plan. A smart, quick, and efficient one. Because she's going to do it right this time. She'll burn them to the ground.
All her life, Spensa has dreamed of becoming a pilot. Of proving she's a hero like her father. She made it to the sky, but the truths she learned about her father were crushing.

Spensa is sure there's more to the story. And she's sure that whatever happened to her father in his starship could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars--and it was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself--and she'll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.