Category: awesomeness

The Best Books I Read in May (2024)

In May, I read 21 books, bringing my total for the year to 88. (One book behind schedule.)

Of those, four were really good. My three favorites were:

Thunder and Rain, by Charles Martin. Because obviously. I don’t even have a thing for cowboys and he made Tyler sound appealing. This was a lovely read.

The Dead Romantics, by Ashley Poston. Why had this been languishing on my TBR like it was nothing? I enjoyed every second of this read!

The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club, by Helen Simonson. So much to love about this historical fiction read!

The Best Books I Read in April (2024)

In April, I read 20 books, bringing my total for the year to 66. I’m behind, but I’m catching up! Of those, several were really excellent reads, but I narrowed it down to three favorites.

The Last Bloodcarver, by Vanessa Le. I really liked the unique magic system here that was combined with an early scientific culture. The characters were great, and I enjoyed even the secondary characters a lot. Can’t wait to read more in this world.

Remarkably Bright Creatures, by Shelby Van Pelt. A POV character is a curmudgeonly octopus named Marcellus? Are you kidding me? That’s all I needed to know to buy this. In hardcover. And it was worth it! I had to ration this and only read a few pages a day, because I loved it so much1

The Bourbon Thief, by Tiffany Reisz. First of all, this cover is gorgeous. Secondly, a friend suggested this after we were talking about the voice of a story I’m writing and how I felt like it should be more of a Southern fiction feel. And she was 100% correct! Beautiful Southern fiction feel, although parts of this were truly horrifying. I was fully invested from the very beginning.

Book Review: The British Booksellers, by Kristy Cambron   

Image belongs to Thomas Nelson.

Title: The British Booksellers
Author: Kristy Cambron     
Genre: Historical fiction   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

A tenant farmer’s son had no business daring to dream of a future with an earl’s daughter, but that couldn’t keep Amos Darby from his secret friendship with Charlotte Terrington . . . until the reality of the Great War sobered youthful dreams. Now decades later, he bears the brutal scars of battles fought in the trenches and their futures that were stolen away. His return home doesn’t come with tender reunions, but with the hollow fulfillment of opening a bookshop on his own and retreating as a recluse within its walls.

When the future Earl of Harcourt chose Charlotte to be his wife, she knew she was destined for a loveless match. Though her heart had chosen another long ago, she pledges her future even as her husband goes to war. Twenty-five years later, Charlotte remains a war widow who divides her days between her late husband’s declining estate and operating a quaint Coventry bookshop—Eden Books, lovingly named after her grown daughter. And Amos is nothing more than the rival bookseller across the lane.

As war with Hitler looms, Eden is determined to preserve her father’s legacy. So when an American solicitor arrives threatening a lawsuit that could destroy everything they’ve worked so hard to preserve, mother and daughter prepare to fight back. But with devastation wrought by the Luftwaffe’s local blitz terrorizing the skies, battling bookshops—and lost loves, Amos and Charlotte—must put aside their differences and fight together to help Coventry survive.

This was such a good read! I love that it was both World War I and World War II fiction. I loved young Charlie’s POV, but her adult self’s POV was just as interesting.  Seeing Eden’s adventures with the garden girls—and the handsome American Lawyer—was enthralling, too, but what I enjoyed most were all the literary references. Highly recommend this read!

Kristy Cambron is an award-winning author. The British Booksellers is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Thomas Nelson in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: The Last Bloodcarver, by Vanessa Le

Image belongs to Macmillan/Roaring Book Press.

Title: The Last Bloodcarver  
Author: Vanessa Le     
Genre: Fantasy     
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Nhika is a bloodcarver. A cold-hearted, ruthless being who can alter human biology with just a touch. In the industrial city of Theumas, she is seen not as a healer, but a monster that kills for pleasure.

When Nhika is caught using her bloodcarving abilities during a sham medical appointment, she’s captured by underground thugs and sold to an aristocratic family to heal the last witness of their father’s murder.

But as Nhika delves deeper into their investigation amidst the glitz of Theumas’ wealthiest district, she begins to notice parallels between this job and her own dark past. And when she meets an alluring yet entitled physician’s aide, Ven Kochin, she’s forced to question the true intent behind this murder. In a society that outcasts her, Kochin seems drawn to her…though he takes every chance he gets to push her out of his opulent world.

When Nhika discovers that Kochin is not who he claims to be, and that there is an evil dwelling in Theumas that runs much deeper than the murder of one man, she must decide where her heart, and her allegiance, truly lie. And — if she’s willing to become the dreaded bloodcarver Theumas fears — to save herself and the ones she’s vowed to protect.

I really enjoyed this world and these characters! This was dark, but compelling, and I ended up staying up far too late trying to finish this. The culture was fascinating, and the characters are vivid, flawed, and relatable. Love the magic system—it’s one of the more fascinating magic systems I’ve read, and I was engrossed in this from very early on.

Vanessa Le is from the Pacific Northwest. The Last Bloodcarver is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in March (2024).

In March, I read 20 books, bringing my total for the year to 45, and DNFed 14 books. Of those, some were really excellent, while others were very good. My four–sorry, can’t narrow it down to three–favorites were:

The Iron Traitor, by Julie Kagawa. I can’t remember it this was a re-read or not, but I still love this world and these characters. The author is so great at creating believable characters and worlds, and I’m always so immersed when I read her books.

Heir, Apparently, by Kara McDowell. Do you know how excited I was to get approved for this galley? This book (and the one before it) was just so much fun to read! Completely unrealistic, but entertaining on all levels, and I loved it.

My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry, by Fredrik Backman. I was just as transported on this, my second reading of this book, as I was the first time. I love the characters in this, and all the stories are so vivid to me! Can’t recommend this enough.

A Life Intercepted, by Charles Martin (audio). Yes, Charles Martin is my favorite author. And let me tell you why: I do not like football in the slightest, but he made football sound fascinating and compelling in this read, and his characters, like always, are both flawed and so interesting that it’s hard to put it down.

Book Review: A Feather So Black, by Lyra Selene

Image belongs to Orbit Books.

Title: A Feather So Black
Author: Lyra Selene      
Genre:  Fantasy    
Rating:  5 out of 5

In a kingdom where magic has been lost, Fia is a rare changeling, left behind by the wicked Fair Folk when they stole the High Queen’s daughter and retreated behind the locked gates of Tír na nÓg.

Most despise Fia’s fae blood. But the queen raises her as a daughter and trains her to be a spy. Meanwhile, the real princess Eala is bound to Tír na nÓg, cursed to become a swan by day and only returning to her true form at night.

When a hidden gate to the realm is discovered, Fia is tasked by the queen to retrieve the princess and break her curse. But she doesn’t go with her is prince Rogan, Fia’s dearest childhood friend—and Eala’s betrothed.

As they journey through the forests of the Folk, where magic winds through the roots of the trees and beauty can be a deadly illusion, Fia’s mission is complicated by her feelings for the prince…and her unexpected attraction to the dark-hearted fae lord holding Eala captive. Irian might be more monster than man, but he seems to understand Fia in a way no one ever has.

Soon, Fia begins to question the truth of her mission. But time is running out to break her sister’s curse. And unraveling the secrets of the past might destroy everything she has come to love.

I loved this! I enjoyed Fia’s point-of-view so much:  how she feels like she never fits in and she doesn’t really understand a lot of things but keeps trying her best anyway. I never liked the queen or Eala at all, and I wish Fia had been more observant when it came to both of them.

Rogan was likable enough, although I frequently wanted to smack him. Irian, I liked him from the beginning. Who doesn’t like a dark, handsome, mysterious, powerful stranger? I enjoyed this world and the bits of history sprinkled in it, and the magic and cultures were fascinating to me. Can’t wait to read more!

Lyra Selene lives in New England. A Feather So Black is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Orbit Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review: Heartless Hunter, by Kristen Ciccarelli

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  Heartless Hunter   
Author: Kristen Ciccarelli     
Genre:  Fantasy   
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

On the night Rune’s life changed forever, blood ran in the streets. Now, in the aftermath of a devastating revolution, witches have been diminished from powerful rulers to outcasts ruthlessly hunted due to their waning magic, and Rune must hide what she is.

Spending her days pretending to be nothing more than a vapid young socialite, Rune spends her nights as the Crimson Moth, a witch vigilante who rescues her kind from being purged. When a rescue goes wrong, she decides to throw the witch hunters off her scent and gain the intel she desperately needs by courting the handsome Gideon Sharpe – a notorious and unforgiving witch hunter loyal to the revolution – who she can’t help but find herself falling for.

Gideon loathes the decadence and superficiality Rune represents, but when he learns the Crimson Moth has been using Rune’s merchant ships to smuggle renegade witches out of the republic, he inserts himself into her social circles by pretending to court her right back. He soon realizes that beneath her beauty and shallow façade, is someone fiercely intelligent and tender who feels like his perfect match. Except, what if she’s the very villain he’s been hunting?

I really enjoyed this read! The first chapter or so was iffy for me, with Rune’s superficial artificial personality at the forefront, but she grew on me quickly. The society part was frustrating, because superficiality always frustrates me, but Rune played her part admirably and I loved how she had everyone fooled about the truth of her.

Gideon was a fascinating character: a strong man who was broken in the past. I enjoyed getting to know him and all the layers of his personality. The worldbuilding was fascinating, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

Kristen Ciccarelli is a bestselling author who lives in Ontario. Heartless Hunter is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of St. Martin’s Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #267

This was a great writing week! I got in five fiction-writing sessions, and I wrote three book reviews: The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden, and A Flame in the North, by Lilith Saintcrow, and the The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts was a historical fiction mixed with…something else. I was eager to read it because of the author, but it never fully resolved itself, to me. A Flame in the North felt like a very slow read. I loved the mythology setting, but I’m not sure I’ll read more, because of the pacing. The Book of Doors was a solid read, and ended up being very engrossing. I also wrote my February reading post, and the best books I read in February.

I have a plan to get my writing in while I’m traveling for work, so let’s see if that pans out.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in February (2024)

In February, I only read 12 books, which is…not very many for me. And there was an extra day! I need to catch up.

Of those twelve, two were fantastic and a few others were pretty good.

Fourth Wing and Iron Flame, by Rebecca Yarros. I saw mention of Fourth Wing being excellent on audio, so I gave it a shot…and got sucked in from the first three minutes. I could not stop listening. I was so caught up in these characters and this world that I bought the second one—also on audio—before I even finished the first. And now I’m languishing, wondering when the release date for the third book is. Those cliffhanger endings….

The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, by Kylie Scott. This book was just good, plain fun! I laughed from the very beginning, and I was completely invested in finding out if Lilah’s prophecy came through—I also love how the prince was handled. This would be a fun weekend read!

What I Read in February (2024)

Books Read in February: 12
Books Read for the Year: 27/215
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books: Yeah, so the first part of this month got away from me and I ended up not finishing any of my monthly reads and pushing them off until March. Except for Fourth Wing, by Rebecca Yarros. I listened to this on audio, and it was phenomenal! I can’t wait to listen to the next one.

Iron Wing, by Rebecca Yarros (audio). Sigh…Why is the next book in this not out yet?

For Review:

The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West, by Sara Ackerman. I enjoyed both timelines in this historical fiction and found all of it fascinating.

The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck, by Kylie Scott. This made me laugh hysterically in several places! Such a fun read.

When Grumpy Met Sunshine, by Charlotte Stein. This made me laugh several times, but there was a lot of cussing that seemed jarring/unnecessary, and Alfie’s reactions seemed…nonsensical at times.

The Framed Women of Ardemore House, by Brandy Schillace. I really enjoyed this read, and read it straight through in one sitting.

One Night In A Thousand Years, by Craig Cunningham. I enjoyed this short audio book a lot! It’s a very uplifting and poignant coming-of-age story.

Why We Read, by Shannon Reed. Nonfiction can be hit or miss for me, but this was engrossing, funny, and absolutely fascinating. It’s all about books, so that’s definitely something it has going for it, but the author’s voice is highly readable, to.

The Lost Dresses of Italy, by M. A. Mclaughlin. I thoroughly enjoyed this historical fiction read! I loved how Marianne’s work with the dresses was twined together with the tale of Christina Rossetti’s life in Verona. This was a very bittersweet read, but I enjoyed it.

The Warm Hands of Ghosts, by Katherine Arden. This was an odd historical fiction read, but compelling. Laura’s POV was my favorite, as Freddie’s felt hazy.

A Flame in the North, by Lilith Saintcrow. The mythology in this was fascinating, but it felt very, very slow.

The Book of Doors, by Gareth Brown. I enjoyed this. It felt almost leisurely, but I enjoyed it so much that I was eager to continue reading. The Book of Doors would be really cool!

Left Unfinished:

A Step Past Darkness, by Vera Kurian. I did not realize this was meant to be like IT until after I DNFed it…I love IT, although it absolutely terrified me (I’m scared of spiders. And clowns. Enough said.). I read about 20% of this, and all I got was…bored. I didn’t care about any of the characters or what happened to them. They were walking into the party in the mine where everything supposedly gets creepy when I stopped reading (and I knew that was about to happen), and I still couldn’t work up enough interest to keep reading.