Recent Reads

Rise of the Magicks by Nora Roberts

Synopsis - After the sickness known as the Doom destroyed civilization, magick has become commonplace, and Fallon Swift has spent her young years learning its ways. Fallon cannot live in peace until she frees those who have been preyed upon by the government or the fanatical Purity Warriors, endlessly hunted or locked up in laboratories, brutalized for years on end. She is determined to save even those who have been complicit with this evil out of fear or weakness--if, indeed, they can be saved.
Strengthened by the bond she shares with her fellow warrior, Duncan, Fallon has already succeeded in rescuing countless shifters and elves and ordinary humans. Now she must help them heal--and rediscover the light and faith within themselves. For although from the time of her birth, she has been The One, she is still only one. And as she faces down an old nemesis, sets her sights on the enemy's stronghold, and pursues her destiny--to finally restore the mystical shield that once protected them all--she will need an army behind her.

Thoughts - The last book post I did I had just finished reading the first two books of this series and starting on the third and final book. You can check out my earlier reviews here. Let's start off by saying I was satisfied with the way things ended. Did it take a long time to get to the finish line? Yes. I understand the need to stretch out the story, it can't just be one big battle and you take down the big bad. Smaller victoires have to be made, hardships and setbacks need to take place so that the final fight and it's victory is earned but it just felt long. I would still recommend the series. I loved the girl power, I loved the friendships, hope, the coming together of people to fight for the common good. All good feelings. 

My Darkest Prayer by S. A. Cosby

Synopsis - “I handle the bodies.”
Whether it's working at his cousin's funeral home or tossing around the local riffraff at his favorite bar, Nathan Waymaker is a man who knows how to handle the bodies. A former marine and sheriff's deputy, Nathan has built a reputation in his small Southern town as a man who can help when all other avenues have been exhausted. When a beloved local minister is found dead, his parishioners ask Nathan to make sure the death isn’t swept under the rug.
What starts out as an easy payday soon descends into a maze of mayhem filled with wannabe gangsters, vicious crime lords, porn stars, crooked police officers, and a particularly treacherous preacher and his mysterious wife. Nathan must use all his varied skills and some of his wit to navigate the murky waters of small town corruption even as dark secrets of his own threaten to come to the surface.

Thoughts - I don't know about this one. Mr. Cosby has been getting a lot of buzz for his books. And the book was fine. Good mystery, did not see it coming. But there are a lot of good mystery, crime fiction out there. Is his work getting praise because it is very heavy on the violence and swearing. Because his hero was not a black and white good guy? I don't know. Maybe I missed the point.. maybe it just wasn't my style.  

 

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano

Synopsis - William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.
But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most? 

Thoughts - Holy hell where do I even begin? And if you have read this book you know what I am talking about. I didn't think I would like this book. Nothing about the synopsis lured me. This is my first book by the author. But oh my.. this book was beautiful. Like just amazing. I loved all the characters. Julia the least.. but they all had their flaws. This is an epic tale spanning decades. It has been compared to Little Women and while sure if we do a deep dive on the two books we can find similarities but the main similarity was that the books central characters were four sisters and a boy. I loved the family that these characters created.. the closeness, the love. Just go read it. There are mental health issues involved so caution. You will cry a lot, consider yourself warned. 

Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

Synopsis - In rural Caball Hollow, the James women serve up more than fried green tomatoes at the Harvest Moon diner, where the family recipes are not the only secrets.
Like her sisters, Linden was born with an unusual ability. She can taste what others are feeling, but this so-called gift soured her relationship with the vexingly attractive Cole Spencer one fateful night a year ago. A night when Linden vanished into the depths of the Forest and returned with no memories of what happened, just a litany of questions--and a haze of nightmares that suggest there's more to her story than simply getting lost.
Now, during the hottest summer on record, another girl in town is gone, and the similarities to last year's events are striking. Except, this time the missing girl doesn't make it home, and when her body is discovered, the scene unmistakably spells murder.
As tempers boil over, Linden enlists the help of her sisters to find what's hiding in the forest, before it finds her. But as she starts digging for truth about the Moth-Winged Man rumored to haunt the Hollow, about her bitter rift with Cole, and even about her family she must question if some secrets are best left buried.

Thoughts - This book was soooo slow. I am still surprised I finished it. It wasn't bad if you want a slow atmospheric read. I did not. And the whole Moth Winged Man bit.. I'm still not sure I understand it. 

Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Synopsis - Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away...because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom's protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Thoughts - This book has been all the rage.. I have seen it everywhere and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It has been a long time since I have read a very good fantasy book. And this was it. It checked all the boxes.. It is worth all the hype. But I must say it is a massive book.. over 600 pages and the sex scenes are explicit for those not into that. But otherwise read it!

Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros

Synopsis - Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky.

Now the real training begins, and Violet’s already wondering how she’ll get through. It’s not just that it’s grueling and maliciously brutal, or even that it’s designed to stretch the riders’ capacity for pain beyond endurance. It’s the new vice commandant, who’s made it his personal mission to teach Violet exactly how powerless she is–unless she betrays the man she loves.

Although Violet’s body might be weaker and frailer than everyone else’s, she still has her wits—and a will of iron. And leadership is forgetting the most important lesson Basgiath has taught her: Dragon riders make their own rules.

But a determination to survive won’t be enough this year.

Because Violet knows the real secret hidden for centuries at Basgiath War College—and nothing, not even dragon fire, may be enough to save them in the end.

Thoughts - Oh what a disappointment this was. Another 600 plus pages beast of a book.. but that wasn't the problem. The first 1/4 of the book was still riveting but after that it was too many new characters, too many new theories that made sense only because the author told us so. And don't even get me started on that ending. Also the hot will they won't they of the first book has been replaced by - I don't trust you.. I love you.. stop keeping secrets from me.. lets have sex.. I don't trust you.. blah blah blah. 

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Synopsis - Fifteen years ago, summer camper Emma Davis watched sleepily as her three cabin mates snuck out of their cabin in the dead of night. The last she - and anyone - saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the NYC art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings.. They catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of the very same Camp Nightingale - and when Francesca implores Emma to return to the camp as a painting counselor, Emma sees an opportunity to find closure and move on.

Yet, it is immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by surfacing memories, Emma is suddenly plagued by a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca, and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian apparently left behind about the camp's twisted origins. And as history begins to repeat itself and three girls go missing again, Emma must face threats from both man and nature in order to uncover all the buried secrets - including what really happened all those years ago.

Thoughts - This is my first Riley Sager book. I have a few more on my TBR. This was neither a yea or a nay for me. It passed the time just fine. I didn't guess the ending so that's a plus but I also didn't like the ending so that's probably the reason I didn't love it.

Two For the Dough by Janet Evanovich 

Synopsis - Bounty hunter Stephanie Plum is still learning the ropes at her cousin Vinnie's bail bond office, so when she sets out on the trail of Kenny Mancuso - a suspiciously wealthy, working class Trenton boy who has just shot his best friend - the stakes are higher than ever. That Mancuso is distantly related to vice cop Joe Morelli - who is trying to beat Stephanie to the punch - only makes the hunt more thrilling...
Taking pointers from her bounty hunter pal, Ranger, and using her pistol packing Grandma Mazur as a decoy, Stephanie is soon closing in on her mark. But Morelli and his libido are worthy foes. And a more sinister kind of enemy has made his first move... and his next move might be Stephanie's last.

Thoughts - What's not to like.. I mean really? These books are a hoot. Highly unpredictable with just one crazy thing happening after another.. Grandma Mazur was a real scene stealer. 

Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

Synopsis - Tiffy and Leon share a flat. Tiffy and Leon share a bed. Tiffy and Leon have never met…
Tiffy Moore needs a cheap flat, and fast. Leon Twomey works nights and needs cash. Their friends think they’re crazy, but it’s the perfect solution: Leon occupies the one-bed flat while Tiffy’s at work in the day, and she has the run of the place the rest of the time.
But with obsessive ex-boyfriends, demanding clients at work, wrongly imprisoned brothers and, of course, the fact that they still haven’t met yet, they’re about to discover that if you want the perfect home you need to throw the rulebook out the window…

Thoughts - I listened to the audiobook and it took me a while to get used to all the very strong accents but once my brain adjusted I loved this book. It had a quirky premise to begin with but soon the characters fleshed out and it wasn't just a cute little rom com.. it had more stronger elements and I am glad I gave it a listen. 

Daughters of the Night by Laura Shepard Robinson

Synopsis - Lucia’s fingers found her own. She gazed at Caro as if from a distance. Her lips parted, her words a whisper: ‘He knows.’
London, 1782. Desperate for her politician husband to return home from France, Caroline 'Caro' Corsham is already in a state of anxiety when she finds a well-dressed woman mortally wounded in the bowers of the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. The Bow Street constables are swift to act, until they discover that the deceased woman was a highly-paid prostitute, at which point they cease to care entirely. But Caro has motives of her own for wanting to see justice done, and so sets out to solve the crime herself. Enlisting the help of thieftaker, Peregrine Child, their inquiry delves into the hidden corners of Georgian society, a world of artifice, deception and secret lives.
But with many gentlemen refusing to speak about their dealings with the dead woman, and Caro's own reputation under threat, finding the killer will be harder, and more treacherous than she can know . . .

Thoughts - I don't know why it took me so long to get into this book. It was interesting, the historical setting, the mystery, all intriguing but I would tire of it after only a few chapters each night not feeling the need to keep reading. The fact that it was 580 pages long wasn't helping matters. But last week I finally powered through it. I did get more immersed in it and I did like the story and characters as well as the ending. I think the problem may have been more with me than the book. I would still recommend it. In fact I have another book by the same author on my bookshelf waiting to be read. 

On another note my very good friend and owner of The Mira Shoppe - Luxury Jewelry with a Purpose is hosting a giveaway on my Instagram account. So go check it out and enter for your chance to get one of her beautiful pieces. 

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