Tag: reading

Book Review: The Serpent and the Wolf, by Rebecca Robinson  

Image belongs to Sage Press.

Title: The Serpent and the Wolf
Author:  Rebecca Robinson
Genre: Fantasy  
Rating: 5 out of 5

All her life, Vaasa Kozár has been sharpened into a blade.

After losing her mother—her only remaining parent—to a mysterious dark magic that has since awakened within her, Vaasa is certain death looms. So is her merciless brother, who aims to eliminate Vaasa as a threat to his crown. In one last political scheme, he marries her off to Reid of Mireh, a ruthless foreign ruler, in hopes that he can use her death as a rallying cry to finally invade Reid’s nation. All Vaasa has to do is die.

But she is desperate to live. Vaasa enters her new marriage with every intent to escape it, wielding the hard-won political prowess and combat abilities her late father instilled in her. But to her surprise, Reid offers her a deal: help him win the votes to rise in power, and she can walk free. In exchange, he will share his knowledge about the dark magic running through her veins—and help keep it at bay.

This proposal may be too good to refuse, yet Vaasa and Reid’s undeniable attraction threatens to break the rules of their arrangement. As her brother’s lethal machinations take form, everything is at stake: Vaasa must learn to trust her new husband, but how can she, especially when their perfect political marriage begins to feel like the real thing?

I was hooked from the very first scene. That’s when the action started, and it never let up. So much political intrigue! My brain just doesn’t work this way, with all the twists and turns and backstabbing, but it was fascinating to watch. I loved how the trust and emotion slowly grew between Vaasa and Reid as they got to know each other, and they genuinely started to care for each other. I loved all of this and can’t wait to read more.

Rebecca Robinson is a school administrator. The Serpent and the Wolf is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Sage Press in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Review:   A Legend in the Baking, by Jamie Wesley

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  A Legend in the Baking  
Author:   Jamie Wesley       
Genre:  Romance       
Rating:  3.8

August Hodges was supposed to be the silent partner in Sugar Blitz Cupcakes. Emphasis on silent. That is until his impromptu feminist rant about how women bakers are the backbone of the industry and baking cupcakes isn’t a threat to masculinity goes viral, making him the hottest bachelor in town. With a new location in the works, August and his partners decide to capitalize on this perfect opportunity to help cement their place in the community. But the hiring of his best friend’s younger sister, the woman who has haunted some of his best dreams for years, was as much of a shock as his new-found fame.

Social media manager Sloane Dell fell hard for her brother’s best friend the moment she met him more than a decade ago, but that teenage infatuation cost her dearly. Still, she accepts her brother’s request to revamp the bakery’s social media presence to take advantage of August’s newfound popularity, knowing it’s the big break her fledgling career needs. She’ll just ignore the fact that August is still August, i.e. sexier and sweeter than any man has a right to be. And that he drives her crazy with his resistance to all her ideas.

They vow to leave the past in the past. But when an explosive make-out session makes it clear their attraction burns hotter than ever, Sloane and August are forced to reconsider what it means to take a risk and chase your dreams.

As they’re both about to find out, all’s fair in love and cupcakes.

This was a decent read (I DNFed the first book in the series, so this one was clearly more to my taste). I enjoy second chance romances, although this one wasn’t quite that. I didn’t feel like there was much conflict here, except the manufactured one with the protestors—there was no hint of trouble, then, boom, they’re picketing? Again, this was decent, but nothing out-of-the-ordinary.

Jamie Wesley holds a master’s degree in sports management. A Legend in the Baking is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: On Heaven’s Hill, by Kim Heacox

Image belongs to Turner Publishing Company.

Title: On Heaven’s Hill   
Author:  Kim Heacox       
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5  

The small town of Strawberry Flats sits on a remote Alaska coast, peacefully left to itself—until controversial plans for a road and a bridge threaten to upend everything.

Former trapper Salt d’Alene never thought he’d find himself in the midst of such a dispute, but he’ll do anything to provide the best care for his son Solomon, recently diagnosed with muscular dystrophy. Eleven-year-old Kes Nash just wants her father—back from war in Afghanistan—to be normal again. And circling the perimeter of the town is a wolf, Silver, and his pack, quietly watching.

This was a slow-paced read, but I enjoyed it. The descriptions of nature were lovely, and I felt like I could actually see the landscape. The small-town setting of Strawberry Flats made my skin crawl—but only because I don’t care for small towns—I found it very true-to-life. This book got a bit political, which I could have done without, in favor of focusing more on the story. I also could have done without the author presenting anyone with religious beliefs as narrow-minded and intolerant. Solid writing and complex characters kept me reading, despite these issues.

Kim Heacox is an award-winning author. On Heaven’s Hill is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Turner Publishing Company in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #304

This was a good writing week! I got in five fiction sessions, and four book reviews:  The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri, Heist Royale, by Kayvion Lewis, On Heaven’s Hill, by Kim Heacox (review forthcoming (review forthcoming), and A Legend in the Baking, by Jamie Wesley.

Happy writing!

Book Review: Heist Royale, by Kayvion Lewis

Image belongs to Penguin Group.

Title:  Heist Royale  
Author:  Kayvion Lewis
Genre: YA        
Rating:  4.5 out of 5

It’s been six months since the end of the Gambit. Instead of winning an impossible wish, Ross has the threat of her family’s execution hanging over her head. Devroe, the only person Ross thought she could trust, could wish the Quests into oblivion at any time. Shockingly, despite his betrayal, Devroe is still making a play for Ross’s heart as the two work together pulling jobs for the Organization. But Ross has learned her lesson: A Quest can only trust another Quest.

When Ross finds herself at the center of a power struggle within the Organization, she sees her chance to change her fortunes. As a new deadly Gambit develops for control of the criminal underworld, Ross strikes a risky deal to guarantee protection for herself and her family.

In this final clash, Ross will square off against a ruthless opponent who will stop at nothing to seize power, and in their corner will be not only Devroe but his mother, who wants to destroy the Quests at any cost.

This was a lot of fun to read! I actually enjoyed it more than the first one. Non-stop action, danger, and tricky situations kept me glued to the page, and the different characters and their intrigues kept me invested. This was just solidly fun.

Kayvion Lewis lives in Louisiana. Heist Royale is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.)

 

Book Review:  The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title:  The Sunflower House  
Author: Adriana Allegri         
Genre: Historical fiction        
Rating: 5 out of 5

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss’s life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle’s bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it’s 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina’s family hides a terrifying secret—her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling.

One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler’s ruthless eugenics program.

The very idea of this eugenics program is horrifying to me, but the author did an excellent job of capturing bits of hope amidst such darkness. Allina experiences true horror the night her life fell apart, and she took a long time to heal from it, but she did. I appreciated the hope that part of the story illustrated. This was well-written and so moving—and I loved every page of it.

Adriana Allegri lives in Arizona. The Sunflower House is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark   

Image belongs to Tor Publishing Group.

Title:  The Dead Cat Tail Assassins  
Author:  P. Djèlí Clark        
Genre:  Fantasy       
Rating:  4 out of 5

The Dead Cat Tail Assassins are not cats.

Nor do they have tails.

But they are most assuredly dead.

Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins—resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories—have only three unbreakable vows.

First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.

Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.

The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget.

I thought this was unique and a bit quirky, and I liked the world quite a bit. I enjoyed Eveen’s personality a lot and would be happy reading more about her. This was a solid, fun read. Honestly, my only problem with this was when the gods showed up at the end, their dialect was almost incomprehensible. I’ve seen patois done really well, and this was not it.  There was some almost-contemporary slang throughout the rest of the story, so having the gods’ conversation be unintelligible didn’t really make sense to me.

P. Djèlí Clark is an award-winning author. The Dead Cat Tail Assassins is his newest novella.

(Galley courtesy of Tor Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

Sundays are for Writing #303

This was a very challenging week at work, so I didn’t get much reading done, and only one book review written, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins, by P. Djèlí Clark (out tomorrow). I did manage to eke out five fiction sessions as well, but that was a close thing.

Happy writing!

Book Review: All’s Fair in Love and Treachery, by Celeste Connally  

Image belongs to St. Martin’s Press.

Title: All’s Fair in Love and Treachery
Author: Celeste Connally       
Genre: historical fiction
Rating:  4 out of 5

June, 1815. London may be cheering the news of Napoleon’s surrender at Waterloo, but Lady Petra Forsyth has little to celebrate after discovering that the death of her viscount fiancé three years earlier was no accident. Instead, it was murder, and the man responsible is her handsome, half-Scottish secret paramour Duncan Shawcross—yet the scoundrel has disappeared, leaving only a confusing riddle about long-forgotten memories in his wake.

So what’s a lady to do when she can’t hunt down her traitorous lover? She concentrates on a royal assignment instead. Queen Charlotte has tasked Petra with attending an event at the Asylum for Female Orphans and making inquiries surrounding the death of the orphanage’s matron. What’s more, there may be a link between the matron’s death and a group of radicals with ties to the aristocracy, as evidenced by an intercepted letter. Then, Petra overhears a nefarious conversation with two other men about a plot to topple the monarchy, set to take place during three days of celebrations currently gripping London. As the clock counts down and London’s streets teem with revelers, Petra’s nerves are fraying as her past and present collide. Yet while all’s fair in love and war, she can never surrender, especially when more orphaned girls may be in trouble. And to save their lives, the monarchy itself, and even her own heart, Lady Petra must face her fears with the strength of an army of soldiers and fight with the heart of a queen.

This blurb isn’t strictly accurate, as Petra and Duncan’s relationship isn’t exactly a secret. And…I had trouble believing that Petra found a random anonymous scribble that’s less than two sentences long and suddenly believes that Duncan, who she’s known her entire life, murdered her ex-fiancé/his best friend. Nope. Not believable. Apart from that,  this was a solid Regency mystery read, and I enjoyed it for the most part, although it felt very contemporary.

Celeste Connally is an Agatha Award nominee. All’s Fair in Love and Treachery is her newest novel.

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

Book Review: Midnights With You, by Clare Osongco

Image belongs to Disney Hyperion.

Title:  Midnights With You  
Author: Clare Osongco        
Genre: YA         
Rating:  3.5 out of 5

“Where were you thinking of going?”

“Nowhere.”

“Great,” he says lightly, putting the car in gear. “Then we’ll go there.”

Seventeen-year-old Deedee’s life is full of family ghosts and questions she can’t ask. She longs for an escape, but guilt holds her back—that, and the fact that her strict Filipino single mom won’t let her learn to drive. But one sleepless night leads Deedee down a road she never thought possible: secret driving lessons with the new boy next door, Jay, whose turbulent family life also keeps him up until sunrise.

As midnights stretch into days, Jay helps Deedee begin to unravel her past, and as shared secrets blossom into love, Deedee starts to imagine a life where happiness is possible. But the deeper she digs into the trauma that has shaped her, the more that trauma threatens to tear Deedee and Jay apart. Together, these two must decide if the pain they’ve both inherited has the power to choose their fate, or if they have the power to choose for themselves.

Deedee’s mom was pretty horrible through most of this—and a liar, to boot. I didn’t care for that, but Deedee wasn’t entirely a sympathetic character either. She was self-absorbed and selfish and had moments of bitterness that were off-putting. I felt like this was very slow in some parts, and was never really fast paced, so my attention wandered a bit. I liked Deedee, but she was sometimes hard for me to read.

Clare Osongco lives in L.A. Midnights With You is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Disney Hyperion in exchange for an honest review.)