Showing posts with label Victoria Dahl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Victoria Dahl. Show all posts

Monday, May 20, 2024

It's Monday! What Are You Reading #676, May 20th

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 #675
Teaser Tuesday #683
WWW Wednesday #683
WOW #679
Will the Time Come #676
Third Sentence Thursday #666
Random Reads #652
First Lines Friday #679
Book Blogger Hop #345
Monthly ARC's Update 73
The Reward Challenge Update #661
Wheel of TBR #208
How Well I Stuck to It #513
Wrote that Review Update #510

Week 20 Reviews:
Follow Her Down

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge:

Phase Out Your TBR: 

Bout of Books:

OK, so I got 60 posts in 7 days, it was a pretty good week, I read a lot, and now I'm on vacation, so I can read even more, and just not work, which is excellent! What about you guys? Happy reading!

So this week I want to read To Love a Dark Lord!

She pulled him close, in a desperate, perfect embrace. She loved him. And she would burn this world for him…

Gwen must free the Prince in Iron, before his mind is torn apart.

For centuries, Mordred ruled over Avalon and caged its magic. Now the elementals have seized power, sentencing him to an eternity of torment in his own magical prison.

Gwen accepted Mordred's punishment to save his life. But the love that binds them cannot be denied. She vows to find him and release him, whatever the cost.

Mordred’s time is quickly running out. Trapped inside the Iron Crystal, he burns with rage and desire, haunted by shadows of the past. His sanity hangs by a thread.

Gwen will destroy anyone who stands between her and the crystal. But is she freeing the man she loves? Or unleashing a power more vicious and terrifying than Avalon has ever known?

Saturday, May 18, 2024

Week 20 Review: Follow Her Down

From Goodreads:
Decades of doubt, fear, and suspicion won't let a woman overcome her trauma in a riveting novel of suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe and The Hook.

The murder of Elise Rockwood's sister shattered her family. Their mother's anxiety kept her housebound. Elise's paranoid brother, Kyle, saw conspiracies everywhere. Elise numbed her grief in an aimless lifestyle that left her emotionally broken. All of them victims. A local boy eventually confessed, but the damage was already done.

Years later, Elise is reinventing herself. She's bought a mountain lodge to be close to home again and to find stability. Not even an email from her ex tempts her into revisiting the past. But Kyle won't let it go. He still believes there's more to their sister's murder—and the confession—than meets the eye. When Elise's ex is found dead in the same forest where her sister went missing decades before, Elise is finally willing to listen.

The traumas of the past are reemerging. So is the truth. Elise's greatest fear now is who will survive it.

My Review:
I had such a great time reading this book! I love her stories, the mysteries and characters are just so entertaining to read, and I had a really fantastic time with this latest book! This story about this family broken by a murder was so compelling! 

Really, I felt for Elise, who lost her sister, and her family fell apart. I can understand why she wouldn't want to revisit it, even if there was someone who confessed. To have an ex try and get her to do so? Yeah, I can definitely see why she wouldn't want to do that! 

The complicated relationships that this family had, and all the complicated emotions, which were to be expected, which added to the drama and the tension of the plot, to add red herrings to the mix of the mystery. I just wanted to know what was going on! 

This story had so many ups and downs and twists and turns, I just had to keep reading! Oh, but that ending, that was just shocking! But so entertaining to read, and I really enjoyed seeing that all happen, it was just so thrilling! 

This was a really great read and I can't wait to read more by Victoria Helen Stone! 

Author: Victoria Helen Stone 
Read: May 11th, 2024 
Source: NetGalley 
Reason Why: Love her writing and it sounded great, and it's a SAC 2024 Book! 
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Expected Publication: June 4th 2024
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Friday, May 17, 2024

Monthly ARC's Update 73

So I read my next book for Monthly ARC's and it was Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber from the May 2023 list, and Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone from the June list, Traitor of Redwinter by Ed McDonald from the October list, The Forest Grimm by Kathryn Purdie from the September list, Burning Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber from the May list. 

Here's the link to this month's post with my journey.

How it Works: 
This is my monthly ARC accountability challenge, to list out the books that I have as ARC's that are being published in the coming month, rounding them up at the start of the month, and seeing how well I did at the end, as well as rounding up the next month's books.    
     

Saturday, May 11, 2024

Clean Sweep ARC Challenge Update 15

Ok, so I read my next book for Clean Sweep ARC Challenge, and it was Follow Her Down and I'll be reading Traitor of Redwinter next! 

My Reading Journey:

Sheine Lende by Darcie Little Badger
Started On: May 1st 
Finished On: May 1st, 11:35 AM
Pages Read: 396

Blood and Ruin by Rumer Hale
Started On: May 2nd
Finished On: May 2nd, 10:27 AM
Pages Read: 322

Godly Heathens by H.E. Edgmon
Started On: May 3rd
Finished On: May 3rd, 6:52 PM
Pages Read: 400

My Salty Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
Started On: May 4th
Finished On: May 4th, 10:25 PM
Pages Read: 512

The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen
Started On: May 5th
Finished On: May 5th, 5:25 PM
Pages Read: 464

Blood and Wrath by Rumer Hale
Started On: May 6th
Finished On: May 6th, 11:17 AM
Pages Read: 384

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka
Started On: May 6th
Finished On: May 6th, 9:01 PM
Pages Read: 368

One Killer Problem by Justine Pucella Winans
Started On: May 7th
Finished On: May 7th, 4:31 PM
Pages Read: 336

The Deer and the Dragon by Piper C.J
Started On: May 8th
Finished On: May 8th, 9:56 AM
Pages Read: 448

A Werewolf's Guide to Seducing a Vampire by Sarah Hawley
Started On: May 8th
Finished On: May 8th, 10:05 PM
Pages Read: 448

The Return of Ellie Black by Emiko Jean
Started On: May 9th
Finished On: May 9th, 2:28 PM
Pages Read: 320

The Last Bloodcarver by Vanessa Le
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 10:42 AM
Pages Read: 384

I'll Be Waiting by Kelley Armstrong
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 2:15 PM
Pages Read: 336

Cursed Crowns by Catherine Doyle and Katherine Webber
Started On: May 10th
Finished On: May 10th, 10:09 PM
Pages Read: 512

Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone
Started On: May 11th
Finished On: May 11th, 8:06 PM
Pages Read: 330

Traitor of Redwinter by Ed McDonald 
Started On: May 12th
Currently On: Page 0 of 571

Books Read: 15
Goal: 25 Books
Pages Read: 5960

Wednesday, May 8, 2024

Waiting on Wednesday #678, May 8th


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

Tidal Creatures by Seanan McGuire
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
Every night, a Moon shines down on the Impossible City…

New York Times bestselling author Seanan McGuire takes us back to the world of the award-winning Alchemical Journeys series in this action-packed follow-up to Middlegame and Seasonal Fears .

All across the world, people look up at the moon and dream of gods. Gods of knowledge and wisdom, gods of tides and longevity. Over time, some of these moon gods incarnated into the human world alongside the other manifest natural concepts. Their job is to cross the sky above the Impossible City—the heart of all creation—to keep it connected to reality.

And someone is killing them.

There are so many of them that it's easy for a few disappearances to slip through the cracks. But they aren't limitless.

In the name of the moon, the lunar divinities must uncover the roots of the plot and thwart the true goal of those behind these attacks—control of the Impossible City itself.

The Unwedding by Ally Condie
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
Ellery Wainwright is alone at the edge of the world.

She and her husband, Luke, were supposed to spend their twentieth wedding anniversary together at the luxurious Resort at Broken Point in Big Sur, California. Where better to celebrate a marriage, a family, and a life together than at one of the most stunning places on earth?

But now she’s traveling solo.

To add insult to injury, there’s a wedding at Broken Point scheduled during her stay. Ellery remembers how it felt to be on the cusp of everything new and wonderful, with a loved and certain future glimmering just ahead. Now, she isn’t certain of anything except for her love for her kids and her growing realization that this place, though beautiful, is unsettling.

When Ellery discovers the body of the groom floating in the pool in the rain, she realizes that she is not the only one whose future is no longer guaranteed. Before the police can reach Broken Point, a mudslide takes out the road to the resort, leaving the guests trapped. When another guest dies, it’s clear something horrible is brewing.

Everyone at Broken Point has a secret. And everyone has a shadow. Including Ellery.

Heiress Takes All by Emily Wibberley & Austin Siegmund-Broka
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
The Inheritance Games meets Ocean's 11 in this thrilling YA adventure about a teenager determined to pull off the perfect heist in the midst of her father’s wedding.

Seventeen-year-old Olivia Owens isn't thrilled that her dad's getting remarried...again. She's especially not thrilled that he cheated on her mom, kicked them out of their Rhode Island home, and cut Olivia out of her rightful inheritance.

But this former heiress has a plan for revenge. While hundreds of guests gather on the grounds of the gorgeous estate where she grew up, everyone will be thinking romance—not robbery. She’ll play the part of dutiful daughter, but in reality she’ll be redistributing millions from her father’s online accounts. She only needs the handwritten pass code he keeps in the estate's safe.

With the help of an eclectic crew of high school students and one former teacher, Olivia has plotted her mid-nuptial heist down to the second. But she didn't plan for an obnoxiously nosy wedding guest, an interfering ex-boyfriend intent on winning her back, greedy European cousins with their own agenda, or a vengeful second wife. When everything seems like it's going wrong, Olivia has to keep her eyes on what really matters: getting rich. And when she’s done, “something borrowed” will be the understatement of the year.

Bad Graces by Kyrie McCauley 
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
Yellowjackets meets House of Hollow in award-winning author Kyrie McCauley’s gripping and magical YA thriller following a group of young women as they face the stress of harsh elements, a mysterious monster, and an unraveling of secrets after their yacht is wrecked off the coast of North America.

Liv Whitlock knows she doesn’t belong there. But after years of stumbling between foster homes, often due to her own self-destructive tendencies, Liv desperately needs to change the trajectory of her life . . . so she steals her perfect sister’s identity.

Using her sister’s grades and clean record, Liv starts to rewrite her story, winning a prestigious internship on a movie set filming in Alaska. Then executive producer Vincent Bellegarde changes her travel plans. Instead of a commercial flight, Liv finds herself on a luxury yacht alongside pop star Paris Grace, actress sisters Effie and Miri Knight, Olympic gymnast Rosalind Torres, and social media influencer Celia Jones. Liv tries to find common ground with her famous companions, but just as the group starts to bond, a violent storm wrecks their vessel, stranding them on a slip of an island in the North Pacific Ocean.

Among the threats of starvation and exposure, they learn there is a predator lurking in the forest, unlike anything they’ve seen before—until they begin to see it in themselves. Every injury they suffer on the island causes inexplicable changes in their bodies, transforming them bit by inhuman bit. With little hope for rescue and only each other as their final tether to humanity, can the girls endure the ominous forces at work on the island? Or will they lose themselves to their darker natures?

Past Present Future by Rachel Lynn Solomon
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
They fell for each other in just twenty-four hours. Now Rowan and Neil embark on a long-distance relationship during their first year of college in this romantic, dual points of view sequel to Today Tonight Tomorrow .

When longtime rivals Rowan Roth and Neil McNair confessed their feelings on the last day of senior year, they knew they’d only have a couple months together before they left for college. Now summer is over, and they’re determined to make their relationship work as they begin school in different states.

In Boston, Rowan is eager to be among other aspiring novelists, learning from a creative writing professor she adores. She’s just not sure why she suddenly can’t seem to find her voice.

In New York, Neil embraces the chaos of the city, clicking with a new friend group more easily than he anticipated. But when his past refuses to leave him alone, he doesn’t know how to handle his rapidly changing mental health—or how to talk about it with the girl he loves.

Over a year of late-night phone calls, weekend visits, and East Coast adventures, Rowan and Neil fall for each other again and again as they grapple with the uncertainty of their new lives. They’ve spent so many years at odds with each other—now that they’re finally on the same team, what does the future hold for them?

Dead Tired by Kate Ailes
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
The second in a charming and hilarious mystery series by Kat Ailes, Dead Tired follows a group of new moms who didn’t think their maternity leave would involve so much murder.

"Full of charming characters, including Alice’s goofy dog, this fast-paced, original cozy is great fun."—Publishers Weekly

Being a new mom is murder.

Alice didn’t think her maternity leave would involve so much, well, murder. Before becoming proud new moms, she and her friends bonded more than members of a prenatal group usually would, as they became accidental amateur sleuths and solved a crime together. Now, with all this behind them and Alice’s son Jack somehow already a year old, Alice is keen to finally catch up on some sleep. So when an opportunity presents itself in the unlikely form of an eco-protest, Alice and her friends willingly chain themselves to trees and settle in as an excuse to get some overdue rest. Not the most comfortable arrangement ever, but at this point, they’ll take what they can get.

However, the next morning one of their fellow protesters is found strangled, and any hope of a peaceful interlude is suddenly swept away. Soon Alice and her friends become entangled in a plot involving rogue artists, an enigmatic local entrepreneur, and nude (optional) protesting, offering an unexpected—but not necessarily unwelcome—break from changing diapers and wrestling baby toys away from Helen the dog.

Alice, whose success rate in solving countryside murder is at an all-time high (one out of one), cannot resist the chance to demonstrate her detective skills once more, and assembles her gang of new moms to investigate this latest mystery in their not-so-sleepy English countryside village.

Follow Her Down by Victoria Helen Stone
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
Decades of doubt, fear, and suspicion won’t let a woman overcome her trauma in a riveting novel of suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe and The Hook.

The murder of Elise Rockwood’s sister shattered her family. Their mother’s anxiety kept her housebound. Elise’s paranoid brother, Kyle, saw conspiracies everywhere. Elise numbed her grief in an aimless lifestyle that left her emotionally broken. All of them victims. A local boy eventually confessed, but the damage was already done.

Years later, Elise is reinventing herself. She’s bought a mountain lodge to be close to home again and to find stability. Not even an email from her ex tempts her into revisiting the past. But Kyle won’t let it go. He still believes there’s more to their sister’s murder—and the confession—than meets the eye. When Elise’s ex is found dead in the same forest where her sister went missing decades before, Elise is finally willing to listen.

The traumas of the past are reemerging. So is the truth. Elise’s greatest fear now is who will survive it.

Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver
Expected Publication: June 6th, 2024
Contract killer Lachlan Kane wants a quiet life working in his leather studio and forgetting all about his traumatic past. But when he botches a job for his boss’s biggest client, Lachlan knows he’ll never claw his way out of the underworld. At least, not until songbird Lark Montague offers him a deal: use his skills to hunt down a killer and she’ll find a way to secure his freedom. The catch? He has to marry her first. 
 
And they can’t stand each other. 
 
Indie singer-songwriter Lark is the sunshine and glitter that burns through every cloud and clings to every crevice that Lachlan Kane tries to hide inside. The surly older brother of her best friend’s soulmate, Lachlan thinks she’s just a privileged princess, but Lark has plenty of secrets hiding in the shadows of her bright light. With her formidable family in a tailspin and her best friend’s happiness on the line, she’s willing to make a vow to the man she’s determined to hate, no matter how tempting the broody assassin might be. 

As Lachlan and Lark navigate the dark world that binds them together, it becomes impossible to discern their fake marriage from a real one. But it’s not just familiar dangers that haunt them. 
There’s another phantom lurking on their doorstep. 

And this one has come for blood.

Yeah, some really great books to start off the month, there's some books that I'm really excited for and I can't wait to read! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Waiting on Wednesday #623, April 19th

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

The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong
Expected Publication: May 23rd, 2023
From Goodreads:
Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.

Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

The Hook by Victoria Helen Stone
Expected Publication: May 23rd, 2023
From Goodreads:
Three betrayed women with revenge in common channel their fury in a twisting novel of psychological suspense by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Jane Doe and False Step.

A women’s boxing class is the perfect place for betrayed wife Katherine to work out her aggressions. Ideal, too, for Geneva, a teacher disgraced and ruined by a vengeful ex, and Luz, a software engineer battling an unjust system. Maggie, their instructor and mentor, guarantees she can right the wrongs they’ve endured. And if Katherine, Geneva, and Luz really want to unleash their rage, they must do what Maggie says.

Each woman’s secret task has its risks. Call it justice. Call it revenge. It’s bound to be worth it—if no missteps are made. As they take the leap to reclaim what they’re owed, their lives are turned upside down. Because no one could have guessed that it would all end in murder.

Now, coming together to harness their power, Katherine, Geneva, and Luz fear that the game they’ve been playing is playing them.

Just two books, but I really want them to be out, I've already read The Poisoner's Ring, and it was so fantastic! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Thursday, September 29, 2022

Random Reads #567, September 29th

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 1805 which turned out to be The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone! It's been on my TBR pile since September 17th, 2020, and I added it because I enjoyed her other books! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Waiting on Wednesday #572, April 27th

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating!
 
A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022
From Goodreads:
In this series debut from New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong, a modern-day homicide detective finds herself in Victorian Scotland—in an unfamiliar body—with a killer on the loose.

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.

May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.

When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.

Outlander meets The Alienist in Kelley Armstrong's A Rip Through Time, the first book in this utterly compelling series, mixing romance, mystery, and fantasy with thrilling results. 

Rise of the Catalyst by Honor Raconteur
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022
From Goodreads:
Follow Arwen Arnoult, a no-nonsense visually-impaired magical retrieval expert who uses her magical senses to uncover the truth behind magical artifacts. When she’s approached by the director of the Boston Museum with a mysterious mask, she and her companion, Flo McGrath, are baffled by its energy and origins. But they’re not ready to give up, sending them off on a journey towards the U.S. Southwest to return it to where it belongs…maybe.

One ancient mask with earth-bending powers searching for a bearer. One magical retrieval expert who is determined to seal it back in its tomb.

At the moment, both are failing at their goals, but Arwen is not about to be bested. So what if she doesn’t know what culture it’s from or where to put it back. She’s smarter than a semi-sentient mask. Hopefully. But if the thrice-cursed mask breaks out of her seal one more time, she’s melting it with prejudice, magical backlash be damned.

At the Quiet Edge by Victoria Helen Stone
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022
From Goodreads:
Abandoned by her fugitive ex-husband, Lily Brown is rebuilding her life on the edge of a Kansas town that still feels the sting of his crimes. Lily lies low, managing the isolated storage facility where she lives with her twelve-year-old son, Everett, and planning a better future for them both. That requires keeping secrets. Everett has them too.

After breaking into a storage unit, Everett finds photographs and news clippings of five girls missing for decades. For Everett, it’s an adventure and a tempting mystery to solve. But digging further into a stranger’s obsession is putting Everett and his mother in the crosshairs of a killer.

Then Lily’s ex resurfaces from the shadows. Just as suddenly, an attentive new man enters Lily’s life. And a suspicious detective, responding to reports of a prowler, watches every move Lily makes. It’s getting harder for Lily to know who to trust―or whose secrets pose the most frightening threat of all. 

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022
From Goodreads:
A witchy, atmospheric lesbian contemporary romance set in Salem—from the acclaimed author of Fans of the Impossible Life. Perfect for fans of Nina LaCour and Becky Albertalli.

Seventeen-year-old Eleanor is the least likely person in Salem to believe in witchcraft—or think that her life could be transformed by mysterious forces. Ostracized by her classmates after losing her best friend and first love, Chloe, Eleanor has spent the past year in a haze, vowing to stay away from anything resembling romance.

But when a handwritten guide to tarot arrives in the mail at the witchy souvenir store where Eleanor works, it seems to bring with it the message that magic is about to enter her life. Cynical Eleanor is quick to dismiss this promise, until real-life witch Pix shows up with an unusual invitation. Inspired by the magic and mystery of the tarot, Eleanor decides to open herself up to making friends with Pix and her coven of witches, and even to the possibility of a new romance.

But Eleanor’s complicated history in Salem continues to haunt her, and she is desperate to keep Pix from finding out the truth. Eleanor will have to reckon with the old ghosts that threaten to destroy everything, even her chance at new love.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches is an atmospheric and romantic coming-of-age about learning to make peace with the past in order to accept the beauty of the present. 

Together We Burn by Isabel Ibañez
Expected Publication: May 31st, 2022
From Goodreads:
Eighteen-year-old Zarela Zalvidar is a talented flamenco dancer and daughter of the most famous Dragonador in Hispalia. People come for miles to see her father fight in their arena, which will one day be hers.

But disaster strikes during their five hundredth anniversary show, and in the carnage, Zarela’s father is horribly injured. Facing punishment from the Dragon Guild, Zarela must keep the arena—her ancestral home and inheritance —safe from their greedy hands. She has no choice but to take her father’s place as the next Dragonador. When the infuriatingly handsome dragon hunter, Arturo Díaz de Montserrat, withholds his help, she refuses to take no for an answer.

But even if he agrees, there’s someone out to ruin the Zalvidar family, and Zarela will have to do whatever it takes in order to prevent the Dragon Guild from taking away her birthright.

An ancient city plagued by dragons. A flamenco dancer determined to save her ancestral home. A dragon hunter refusing to teach her his ways. They don't want each other, but they need each other, and without him her world will burn.

Some really great books coming out, some that I've already read and loved, and some that I'm dying to read! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Waiting on Wednesday #512, March 3rd

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

The Theft of Sunlight by Intisar Khanani
Expected Publication: March 23rd, 2021
From Goodreads:
I did not choose this fate. But I will not walk away if I can make a difference.

Children have been disappearing from Menaiya for longer than Amraeya ni Ansarim can remember. When her best friend’s sister disappears, Rae knows she can’t stay silent any longer. She finds the chance to make a difference in an invitation to the palace.

But Rae struggles to fit in with the lords and ladies of the court. Instead, she finds unexpected help in a rough-around-the-edges thief named Bren who always seems to have her best interests at heart. Soon even Bren can’t help her, and Rae must risk her life and well-being to face an evil that lurks in the shadows of the darkest hearts. 

The Last One Home by Victoria Helen Stone
Expected Publication: March 23rd, 2021
From Goodreads:
Lauren Abrams wants nothing to do with her damaged mother, whose spurious testimony sent Lauren’s father to prison for murder years ago. After a serial killer’s confession to the crime restored justice, Lauren chose to live with her father and grandmother. Now an adult, Lauren has come home to the Sacramento family estate for good, her mother’s lies be damned…It’s been decades since Donna made her cheating boyfriend pay, but she hasn’t forgotten the past. She knows her estranged daughter has made a terrible mistake by returning to the estate. There’s more to the story of the welcoming old homestead—and her childhood—than Lauren knows. As Lauren settles in, she is haunted by the questions of what really happened with her father, what her mother might be hiding, and what secrets the family ranch holds. It’s getting so dark, Lauren may not be able to see the truth to save her life. 
Danger in Numbers by Heather Graham
Expected Publication: March 23rd, 2021
From Goodreads:
On the edge of the Everglades, an eerie crime scene sets off an investigation that sends two agents deep into a world of corrupted faith, greed and deadly secrets.

A ritualistic murder on the side of a remote road brings in the Florida state police. Special Agent Amy Larson has never seen worse, and there are indications that this killing could be just the beginning. The crime draws the attention of the FBI in the form of Special Agent Hunter Forrest, a man with insider knowledge of how violent cults operate, and a man who might never be able to escape his own past.

The rural community is devastated by the death in their midst, but people know more than they are saying. As Amy and Hunter join forces, every lead takes them further into the twisted beliefs of a dangerous group that will stop at nothing to see their will done.

Doomsday preppers and small-town secrets collide in this sultry, twisty page-turning thriller. 

Flamefall by Rosaria Munda
Expected Publication: March 23rd, 2021
From Goodreads:
Revolutionary flames ignite around Annie, Lee, and a brand new POV character in the second book of the Fireborne trilogy.

After fleeing the revolution and settling into the craggy cliffs of New Pythos, the Dragonlords are eager to punish their usurpers--and reclaim their city. Their first order of business was destroying the Callipolan food supply. Now they're coming for the Dragonriders.

Annie is Callipolis's new Firstrider, and while her goal has always been to protect the people, being the government's enforcer has turned her into public enemy number one.

Lee struggles to find his place after killing kin to prove himself to a leader who betrayed him. He can support Annie and the other Guardians . . . or join the radicals who look to topple the new regime.

Griff, a lowborn dragonrider who serves New Pythos, knows he has no future. And now that Julia, the Firstrider who had protected him, is dead, he is called on to sacrifice everything for the lords that oppress his people--or to forge a new path with the Callipolan Firstrider seeking his help.

With famine tearing Callipolis apart and the Pythians determined to take back what they lost, it will be up to Annie, Lee, and Griff to decide what to fight for--and who to love.

Yeah, there's 4 amazing authors having books coming out, and I can't wait for them to be out! What about you guys? Happy reading! 

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Waiting on Wednesday #454, January 22nd

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

The Last Odyssey by James Rollins
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
To save the world and our future, Sigma Force must embark on a dangerous odyssey into an ancient past whose horrors are all too present in this page-turning thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Rollins that combines cutting-edge science, historical mystery, mythology, and pulse-pounding action.

For eons, the city of Troy—whose legendary fall was detailed in Homer’s Iliad—was believed to be myth, until archaeologists in the nineteenth century uncovered its ancient walls buried beneath the sands. If Troy was real, how much of Homer’s twin tales of gods and monsters, curses and miracles—The Iliad and The Odyssey—could also be true and awaiting discovery?

In the frozen tundra of Greenland, a group of modern-day researchers stumble on a shocking find: a medieval ship buried a half-mile below the ice. The ship’s hold contains a collection of even older artifacts—tools of war—dating back to the Bronze Age. Inside the captain’s cabin is a magnificent treasure that is as priceless as it is miraculous: a clockwork gold map imbedded with an intricate silver astrolabe. The mechanism was crafted by a group of Muslim inventors—the Banū Mūsā brothers—considered by many to be the Da Vincis of the Arab world—brilliant scientists who inspired Leonardo’s own work.

Once activated, the moving map traces the path of Odysseus’s famous ship as it sailed away from Troy. But the route detours as the map opens to reveal a fiery river leading to a hidden realm underneath the Mediterranean Sea. It is the subterranean world of Tartarus, the Greek name for Hell. In mythology, Tartarus was where the wicked were punished and the monstrous Titans of old, imprisoned.

When word of Tartarus spreads—and of the cache of miraculous weapons said to be hidden there—tensions explode in this volatile region where Turks battle Kurds, terrorists wage war, and civilians suffer untold horrors. The phantasmagoric horrors found in Homer’s tales are all too real—and could be unleashed upon the world. Whoever possesses them can use their awesome power to control the future of humanity.

Now, Sigma Force must go where humans fear to tread. To prevent a tyrant from igniting a global war, they must cross the very gates of Hell. 


The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
From the New York Times bestselling author behind the “joyful, warm, touching” (Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author) The Unhoneymooners comes a delightfully charming love story about what happens when two assistants tasked with keeping a rocky relationship from explosion start to feel sparks of their own.

Carey Douglas has worked for home remodeling and design gurus Melissa and Rusty Tripp for nearly a decade. A country girl at heart, Carey started in their first store at sixteen, and—more than anyone would suspect—has helped them build an empire. With a new show and a book about to launch, the Tripps are on the verge of superstardom. There’s only one problem: America’s favorite couple can’t stand each other.

James McCann, MIT graduate and engineering genius, was originally hired as a structural engineer, but the job isn’t all he thought it’d be. The last straw? Both he and Carey must go on book tour with the Tripps and keep the wheels from falling off the proverbial bus.

Unfortunately, neither of them is in any position to quit. Carey needs health insurance, and James has been promised the role of a lifetime if he can just keep the couple on track for a few more weeks. While road-tripping with the Tripps up the West Coast, Carey and James vow to work together to keep their bosses’ secrets hidden, and their own jobs secure. But if they stop playing along—and start playing for keeps—they may have the chance to build something beautiful together…

From the “hilariously zany and heartfelt” (Booklist) Christina Lauren comes a romantic comedy that proves if it’s broke, you might as well fix it.


Problem Child by Victoria Helen Stone
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
She’s cold, calculating, and can deceive with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling series—and this time she’s met her match.

After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now, looking next to normal, Jane has a lover and a job. But she hasn’t lost her edge. It sharpens when she hears from her estranged family.

Jane’s deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl’s eyes. It’s the empty stare of a sociopath.

Jane knows what vengeful and desperate things Kayla is capable of. Only Jane can help her—by being drawn into Kayla’s dark world. And no one’s more aware than Jane just how dangerous that can be.


The Sinner by J.R. Ward
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
A sinner’s only hope is true love in this passionate new novel in J.R. Ward’s #1 New York Times bestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Syn has kept his side hustle as a mercenary a secret from the Black Dagger Brotherhood. When he takes another hit job, he not only crosses the path of the vampire race’s new enemy, but also that of a half-breed in danger of dying during her transition. Jo Early has no idea what her true nature is, and when a mysterious man appears out of the darkness, she is torn between their erotic connection and the sense that something is very wrong.

Fate anointed Butch O’Neal as the Dhestroyer, the fulfiller of the prophecy that foresees the end of the Omega. As the war with the Lessening Society comes to a head, Butch gets an unexpected ally in Syn. But can he trust the male—or is the warrior with the bad past a deadly complication?

With time running out, Jo gets swept up in the fighting and must join with Syn and the Brotherhood against true evil. In the end, will love true prevail...or was the prophecy wrong all along?

Between Burning Worlds by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
Les Misérables meets The Lunar Chronicles in the out-of-this-world sequel to Sky Without Stars that’s an “explosion of emotion, intrigue, romance, and revolution” (Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series).

A traitor.
A prisoner.
A fugitive.

Wanted by the Regime. Destined to save the planet.

Laterre is on the brink of war. The Third Estate are rioting against the injustices of a corrupt system. The Patriarche, reeling from the murder of his only heir, makes brutal attempts to quash the unrest, while a new militant faction launches a series of deadly attacks.

And three outlaws find themselves pulled into the fray...

Marcellus is now a traitor to his planet, willing to do anything to stop his grandfather from seizing control of Laterre, even if it means joining the Vangarde, a rebel group back from the dead.

Chatine is a prisoner on Bastille. Desperate to survive the harsh conditions of the moon, she becomes embroiled in the Vangarde’s dangerous attempt to free their infamous leader.

Alouette is a fugitive who has been lied to her entire life. Searching for the truth about her mysterious past, she soon finds herself hunted by the Regime for reasons she’s only beginning to understand.

But when Laterre is threatened by the emergence of a deadly new weapon, these three renegades must risk everything, traveling to the far reaches of the System Divine and into the white hot center of a planet ready to ignite.


Thorn by Intisar Khanani
Expected Publication: March 24th, 2019
From Goodreads:
A princess with two futures. A destiny all her own

Between her cruel family and the contempt she faces at court, Princess Alyrra has always longed to escape the confines of her royal life. But when she’s betrothed to the powerful prince Kestrin, Alyrra embarks on a journey to his land with little hope for a better future.

When a mysterious and terrifying sorceress robs Alyrra of both her identity and her role as princess, Alyrra seizes the opportunity to start a new life for herself as a goose girl.

But Alyrra soon finds that Kestrin is not what she expected. The more Alyrra learns of this new kingdom, the pain and suffering its people endure, as well as the danger facing Kestrin from the sorceress herself, the more she knows she can’t remain the goose girl forever.

With the fate of the kingdom at stake, Alyrra is caught between two worlds and ultimately must decide who she is, and what she stands for.

-

Includes The Bone Knife, a bonus short story set in the world of Thorn. 

These books are from some fantastic authors, and I've enjoyed a number of these books as ARC's already, and yeah, can't wait for them to all come out! What about you guys? Happy reading!

Saturday, October 5, 2019

Week 40 Review: Problem Child

From Goodreads:
She's cold, calculating, and can deceive with a smile. Jane Doe is back in the Amazon Charts bestselling series—and this time she's met her match.

After a brutal childhood, Jane Doe has been permanently wired to look after herself and only herself. Now, looking next to normal, Jane has a lover and a job. But she hasn't lost her edge. It sharpens when she hears from her estranged family.

Jane's deeply troubled sixteen-year-old niece, Kayla, has vanished, and no one seems to care. Neither does Jane. Until she sees a picture of Kayla and recognizes herself in the young girl's eyes. It's the empty stare of a sociopath.

Jane knows what vengeful and desperate things Kayla is capable of. Only Jane can help her—by being drawn into Kayla's dark world. And no one's more aware than Jane just how dangerous that can be.

My Review:
Man, I really enjoyed this book! I loved reading the first book, and while I was doing that, I just so happened to see a review of this book mentioning that it was on NetGalley, so I just had to request it, and I was approved, and then I just had to read it! So the timing worked out very well for me!

This book is different from the first. Obviously, because Jane got her revenge. But she was pretty single minded about that, whereas in this book, the search for her niece, it's not as pressing, plus she's juggling work and her home life. It's different, but still so enjoyable!

We got to go back to Jane's hometown, to see what she grew up around, and some stories from her childhood made me cringe, because nobody should have to live like that. And given that it was how she was raised as well as her genes that shaped her to be a sociopath, well, kinda proves my point.

I really enjoyed her investigation, and her commentary on how society views and treats women and girls. And her interactions with Kayla were so interesting, because they are pretty similar. And that ending! I heard that there's going to be a 3rd book, and if there is, I'm thrilled, because I need more!

Loved this book so much, and if we get more, I can't wait to read it!

Author: Victoria Helen Stone
Series: Jane Doe #2
Read: October 1st, 2019
Source: NetGalley
Reason Why: Loved the first book, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Expected Publication: March 24th 2020
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Week 38 Review: Jane Doe

From Goodreads:
A double life with a single purpose: revenge.

Jane's days at a Minneapolis insurance company are perfectly ordinary. She blends in well, unremarkably pretty in her floral-print dresses and extra efficient at her low-level job. She's just the kind of woman middle manager Steven Hepsworth likes—meek, insecure, and willing to defer to a man. No one has any idea who Jane really is. Least of all Steven.

But plain Jane is hiding something. And Steven's bringing out the worst in her.

Nothing can distract Jane from going straight for his heart: allowing herself to be seduced into Steven's bed, to insinuate herself into his career and his family, and to expose all his dirty secrets. It's time for Jane to dig out everything that matters to Steven. So she can take it all away.

Just as he did to her.

My Review:
This book was so fantastic! It was dark and twisted, given that the main character is a sociopath who is getting revenge, but oh, so delicious to read! I enjoyed it so much! Besides being a story of revenge, it also is a bit of a commentary on our culture, that women make themselves smaller so that men can feel larger. Yeah.

It's funny, but Steven isn't evil. He's something of a monster in regards to the romantic interest in his life, spurring from insecurities from his mom cheating on his dad. But otherwise, he seems a fairly decent person. It's just that in this one area, he's extremely awful, and I have no idea if he knows it or not.

They were both manipulating each other. Though Jane was much better at it, because that's basically what she's been doing her entire life. And she went into this playing a role, so she could get her revenge. Inserting herself into his life, first at work, then his church, his family, his home, trying to find his weaknesses. Oh, boy, she found them all right!

I had no idea how she'd take her revenge. She was open to anything that hurt him as much as he hurt her and her friend. And we almost went down one path, but I'm glad that she chose the one that she did, because that definitely caused a lot of trauma!

This book was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for the sequel!

Author: Victoria Helen Stone
Series: Jane Doe #1
Read: September 7th, 2019
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Sounded really good and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2019 Book!
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Published: August 1st 2018
5/5 Hearts
5/5 Books
5/5 Stars