If you have read the Winston Brothers series then this will probably be a fun read for you. There are a lot of short little additions that didn't makeIf you have read the Winston Brothers series then this will probably be a fun read for you. There are a lot of short little additions that didn't make the cuts for the books but had a little something to them. Some were really good and heartwarming and others are just so-so.
Overall a fun read that I'm glad I picked up from the library since I'm not sure I'd ever read it again....more
Ready Player One was one of my favorite books and even the movie adaptation was really fun. But it was really written as a stand alone and so I wonderReady Player One was one of my favorite books and even the movie adaptation was really fun. But it was really written as a stand alone and so I wondered if I was going to like the next unplanned book quite as much. The short answer is no, but the long answer is there were moments.
“Two-Face was right. You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Will you like Ready Player Two? I think that is going to depend on a lot of things:
1 – Did you like Ready Player One?
If you did then there should be something in this for you. There is a lot of 80s knowledge from video games, John Hughes films and Prince that can be a lot of fun if you have a good foundation in them. For me while I liked the quests that included some of the SEGA video games I was much more into the John Hughes world and the prince world.
2 – Can you hang in there for awhile?
I ask this because well it takes awhile for the story to really get going. Wade is a new millionaire and Halliday left behind some cool tech that will change the oasis forever. Should they use it, should they not? Well of course they decide to use the fully interactive scan your brain for a fully immersive experience gear. So the first part of this is just how that totally changes the Oasis and affects the High Five and Wade and Artem3s’s relationship. It takes a little while to get to the new crisis and how to save the world.
3 - Are you ready for a Skynet situation?
“To quote Sarah Connor: ‘You’re all dead already.’ You, your friends, your customers—all of you. You poisoned your own planet, destroyed its climate, defiled its ecosystem, and killed off all of its biodiversity.” He pointed at each of us. “You’re going to be extinct soon, too, by your hands. And you know it. That’s why most of you spend every second you can wired up to the OASIS. You’ve already given up, and now you’re all just waiting around to die.”
Okay so the big bad is an AI of Halliday stored in the Oasis, who needs Wade to go on a quest to find the Seven Shards of the Siren’s Soul in a ridiculously short amount of time. If he can’t do it, well millions of people are going to die. This is when the story really starts to get going and get interesting. But to be fair it takes awhile to get there and there is some rambling along the way.
Overall, I liked a lot of the story but it isn’t as good as the wonder that was Ready Player One. The story takes a little while to set up and I really did like how everything shook out but there were some things that maybe could have been condensed and streamlined just a little bit.
Still if you are a child of the 80s and loved Ready Player One there should be some gems in this for you....more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
3.5 hearts
Tessa Dare is an autobuy for me now but I haven’t gotten to most of her considerable catalog because it wasn’t on audiobook, until now that is. As some of her earlier works have come to audio, I’ve been able to incorporate them into my reading. Even though I can tell she has grown as a writer since writing One Dance with a Duke, the first book of The Stud Club, it was still a very fun tale.
Amelia is a buxom gentry about to be put on the shelf at six and twenty. When her brother lets her know that due to gambling debts to the Duke of Morland, they can’t go to the cottage to summer all of her world crashes around her. In a bid to keep the little happiness and hope, she has left intact she does the unthinkable and asks the notorious Duke of Midnight to Dance, it is all downhill from there so to speak.
Spencer is great with horses and absolute rubbish with people. He hates crowds and so only shows up at parties at midnight for a dance and to escort a lady into dinner then disappears. He has cultivated quite a lot of rumor around him because of it. When he meets Amelia, the attraction he feels towards her is unexpected and when she stands up to him and gives him a dressing down, well that is it, he must get to know the woman underneath and naturally marry her.
“I'm infatuated with you, I cannot deny it. Physically speaking, you're a very attractive man. But I don't like you, the vast majority of the time. So far as I can gather, you behave abominably in public and are only marginally better in private. I only find you remotely tolerable when you're kissing me.”
Okay so the set up to the story is going well but not super clever, still I like it. Most of Amelia and Spencer’s issues stem from not really knowing one another going into the marriage. Spencer wants the loyalty that Amelia affords her family but doesn’t want to do the work to earn it. Amelia wants to know why her husband is obsessed with horses and could he have murdered a friend to get a token for a horse. Still I like the build to them trusting each other. Amelia’s brother, Jack, is a gambler and she and Spencer disagree on how best to help him, it causes a few issues in their marriage as well.
I can tell this was written about ten years ago before the ‘Me Too’ movement. I don’t think Spencer ever crossed a line and I thought much of it was pretty hot in that regard but if you are sensitive to dominant men, he might not be your kind of hero. This did have one of my favorite first kiss scenes in it. Spencer definitely can put a lot of thought into how to seduce a woman and does it with finesse and patience. It also takes favorite 'breath she was holding' line as well.
“He kissed her. Without warning, without permission. Without even deciding to do it, but simply because he couldn't have done anything else. He needed that breath she was holding. It belonged to him, and he wanted it back.”
I liked that the marital problems they faced were ones that you could see in a relationship today, when dealing with an addict and I saw both sides of the situation and understood where each was coming from which made the conflict better than in some romances.
Overall a solid historical romance read but not quite as funny or good as some of her more current books.
Narration:
Justine Eyre works fantastically for this story. She is a perfect narrator for historical romance and I love her voice on this as well.
Sale Alert: Currently on sale on Kindle $1.99 on 27Sept20
I’ve enjoyed the Jane Yellowrock series quite a bit but there is just something about Nell anSale Alert: Currently on sale on Kindle $1.99 on 27Sept20
I’ve enjoyed the Jane Yellowrock series quite a bit but there is just something about Nell and Soulwood that is just a little more special to me and I enjoy these books even more.
Nell is coming into her own. Every book she gains a little more confidence in herself and her powers. Every book she finds a new way to open up to those around her. I really did enjoy the direction this book took with Nell’s trust in her team, finally letting loose a few secrets she has been holding tight.
Nell and Occam, well aren’t they just the cutest. Occam is such a good guy and he seems to get Nell in ways no one else does. I love his patience with her and how he works so hard to both make sure she is safe while not overshadowing her. He allows her to be her own person and that is huge.
Ayatas Firewind hasn’t been someone I’ve liked in either series. But, in Spells for the Dead we get to dig into his character more and I’m starting to understand him more and might even like him a little. There is still a long way to make him a favorite character but he has some scenes that shine and he and Nell are not so different.
There is some death and decay magic floating about and when a famous singer and some of her entourage die our team is sent to try and figure out what happened. It is a curious thing as bodies seem to wither and die. It is magical in origin but the team is having trouble narrowing down what kind of magic it is and why the singer might have been targeted.
The plot of this was a bit twisty but when we reached the who done it part everything fell into place. There are just some scary things out there in Jane and Nell’s world.
I always like learning more of what Nell is and how the Plant people came into this world, it was interesting to see the different ways their magic can be. The vampire tree is of special interest as I like seeing in each book how the protector of Soulwood evolves seems more sentient. Mudd is still totally funny and adorable. Ester bringing new life into Soulwood was beautiful and I’m very interested in anything plant baby related, especially what a plantkitty might be. But I’ll wait since I want many more adventures with Nell and the Psy team....more
She is Nova, notorious villain Nightmare, undercover Renegade superhero Insomnia and the Arch-Enemy of the Sentinel.
He is Adrian, adopted son of the mShe is Nova, notorious villain Nightmare, undercover Renegade superhero Insomnia and the Arch-Enemy of the Sentinel.
He is Adrian, adopted son of the most famous superheroes in the city. Renegade team leader Sketch and also fly by the seat of his pants and don’t follow all the rules alter ego The Sentinel. Who, just happens to be searching for the very elusive Nightmare.
So, logic dictates they are bound to be attacked to one another by day when just being plain old Nova and Adrian. Each has no idea that the other has a secret identity they aren’t sharing and goals of their own. This is a bit of a mash up in my mind between Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story and the Avengers.
I really like Adrian and Nova together. The page time they have with each other is great and it seems that Nova is starting to have a few fractures in that grudge she is holding. Well at least I hope she is. The Renegades aren’t perfect but they are trying and doing their best.
“It’s not all black and white, good and bad. Peoples actions...their motives...there are” - he circled his hands in the air - “gray areas.”
Archenemies has the addition of a few new characters and a couple very cool objects. I do wish there was a little more movement on some plot points because this book seemed a little slower than Renegades.
This ended with Nova in a pretty tight spot. Not a cliffhanger but she is going to have to pick a side team Renegade, team Villain or she is going to have to make a whole new team to be the champion of. All I know is no matter what side she choses there will be some pretty big consequences.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how this all wraps up. ...more
Hard Time is the second book in the Time Police series, a spin off of Jodi Taylor’s hit series TThis review was originally posted at Books of My Heart
Hard Time is the second book in the Time Police series, a spin off of Jodi Taylor’s hit series The Chronicles of St Mary’s. In it we have Max and Leo’s mostly grown son, Matthew, with the time police in the future trying to figure out his place in the world and in time. The Time Police are a lot stricter and more regimented than the crazy group of historians at St Mary’s but Matthew is on Team Weird so they should we able to get into plenty of trouble in their last days as recruits.
I enjoy this series. Not quite as much as the Chronicles of St Mary’s but the banter and crazy back and forth of that series is hard to beat or even copy. Still team weird does its best and Jane and Parish have a decent banter in the group, even if some of it happens in Jane’s head.
There are people out there jumping through time for touring purposes. That is highly illegal and team weird gets called in when one of their tourists accidentally gets left in history 17th century London. It didn’t help that Parish used to date her and so she wasn’t exactly thrilled to have him show up to escort her back. But to find the company running the illegal time tourism Parish and Jane go undercover to figure out who is behind it all and that is when all the real danger starts.
I do miss all the members of St. Mary’s, I was glad that we did end up having a few chapters with them in it. They are a mess, but a crazy fun mess to be sure. Matthew is really growing into a fine young person and has found a team that matches him well. I enjoyed the overall story and the set up for some of the bigger bad guy story arc.
There is a lot of danger and fun to be had jumping through time and interesting things to see along the way. You can read this series without having read The Chronicles of St Mary’s but you’d be missing all the fun and history of that crazy lot so I recommend still reading that series first.
Narration:
Zara Ramm has narrated all if the books set in this world. The accent is fantastic and works well for the setting of the stories. I always love the interpretation she brings to all of the books set in this crazy time hopping world. I listened to the story at my usual 1.5x speed.
Another day another big blue Alien to steal my beating heart. I love Salukh and how he is a patient hunter, he will find a way to make Tiffany his.
TiAnother day another big blue Alien to steal my beating heart. I love Salukh and how he is a patient hunter, he will find a way to make Tiffany his.
Tiffany has kept a secret since she was abducted by Aliens, even from the girls who were captured with her. What the aliens did to her was unforgivable and it has made her very reluctant to trust anyone to touch her.
The men of the cave all want to touch her though and win her favor. It is like Josie isn’t even there and available too. She is the only one they seem to be fixated on, it is almost like they like the competition with each other more than her at this point. Everyone is just trying to win, or at least that is how she feels.
Salukh is different though. He has watched his Tiffany and learned about her. He knows she doesn’t like all the attention. He see how she is sometimes gets scared if you come up on her too quietly and how she doesn’t like to be touched. He has also noticed that most of her smiles don’t go to her eyes and he wants to be the male to change that. He just needs his cootie to get on board and resonate already.
Tiffany really wants to get over what happened to her on the ship and Salukh might be just the guy to practice with. She feels safe around him and it isn’t like he is trying to court her with gifts and such. They are friends, he will be safe, right? Famous last words.
This wasn’t my favorite of the series, probably because of the issues Tiffany is facing and I really just wanted her to speak up and take control of her life. But I loved the light that it shone Salukh in and how he really got to know Tiffany. Their love story is a cute one.
Another great alien smut romance from this series. Also, fantastic set up for Josie and Hayden who are up next....more
Historical Romance used to be my go to when I just wanted to kick back and enjoy a read without putting any work into it. Well move over HR because AlHistorical Romance used to be my go to when I just wanted to kick back and enjoy a read without putting any work into it. Well move over HR because Alien Porn is my new brain candy addiction.
Aehako is a fun-loving guy. He is the life of the party and everyone loves him, some a little too much. Don’t mind the blue skin like suede, the horns (all of them *wink wink*), or the tail, because he is worth it. He is completely besotted with the sad eyed Kira.
Kira is a bit serious and has never been the focus of someone’s affections like she has become Aehako’s focus. He is soooo tempting but Kira doesn’t want to trap Aehako into a relationship without a child or worse loose him to one of the other women on the planet who is still free to resonate. Kira knows why she will never resonate. Still the courting gift he gave her was tempting and hilarious, so….maybe.
Bad news is the aliens who abducted all the girls in the first place are coming back and Kira is the only one with anything trackable for them to find. Time to take a little snow trip and get the thing out. Aehako is game to come along since he wants some alone time with Kira so he can work all of his charms *cough* on her.
I loved this story too. Aehako and Kira together are fantastic and I adore how far he was willing to go to prove he didn’t need to resonate to know she was the one for him.
I’m addicted to this series. Time to move on to more blue love’n...more
This is totally alien romance smut and I enjoyed almost every moment o4.5 Big Blue Aliens are Totally Hot Stars
In for a penny in for a pound I think.
This is totally alien romance smut and I enjoyed almost every moment of it.
At first, Georgie is having the worst abduction possible. Waking up in a cargo hold with some other women, being tagged like cattle and learning that her captors are not above raping the merchandise can leave a girl a little cranky.
“And then I want to weep. To think I haven’t dressed properly for alien abduction.”
When there is some kind of trouble with the ship and she is stranded on an ice planet (Not Hoth) it looks like things are only getting worse, that is until big and Blue shows up.
Vektal is Mr. Blue Balls and his Khui has just told him that this small fragile little thing he found in his trap will be the perfect future baby momma and he needs to get on with that fast. He’s a nice guy even if he has some fangs, horns, tail and an interesting spur and so he will at least wait until she is conscious and feels a little better before mounting her.
I feel like there’s an alien bingo card somewhere that just got checked off. Horns? Check. Tail? Check. Crazy-ass cock? Check, check, check.
So to save the humans trapped in the crashed ship Georgie will literally take one for the team and hook up with Vektal. For survival *cough, cough*.
I really have a thing for stories where there isn’t a common language and two people/beings have to work to communicate and learn each other language. That was a nice kind of bonus to the story and it seems like body language was all the Georgie and Vektal needed most of the time.
After the semi dark abduction start of the book it takes a nice turn and I had a great time on this world of ice getting to know Vektal and all his blue person charms. I’m on to the next one in the series since I’m loving the Khui and how resonance bonding works.
Time to jump on the Alien Smut train for a minute.
“That’s what stories are for, Brin realized. They are magic that aid people in times like this. They provide hope, a light to see by when all others are snuffed out”.
As most endings to series, Age of Empyre left me with bittersweet feelings. The final book in the Legends of the First Empire series is one of the better series completions I have read, tying up most of the threads in the storylines and enlightening the reader to the true history of the war between the Elves and Humans that plays part in the Riyria Revelations series. It isn’t perfect, most endings aren’t but it was very satisfying. I’ve grown so fond of these characters; I will miss them all.
The Fhrey now have Dragons and are at the boundaries of the human war camps. Malcolm, as always, is in the middle of it all gently pushing here and pulling there, so when the time comes for all the threads to meet up he might push the coarse of the world in the direction he’d like it to go.
“With the world as his mother, the sky his father, and immortality granted from Alurya’s gift, he might be the only true god. Unfortunately, he’s the god of evil.”
The reader gets to travel through the underworld with our group of intrepid heroes, see the politics and machinations of the Fhrey (not as united as one might first think), and see the wonder of the some mythos as it is unfolded right before our eyes.
I loved the journey this series took me on and I’m so glad that Michael J Sullivan (MJS), with a bit of help from his wife Robin, understood the series couldn’t be wrapped up well in four books and so expanded the last book to be able to give the story the ending it deserved. In a hat tip to Dante’s Inferno some characters traveled the realm of death, some to return and others to be lost. Most of the story was focused on the underworld with other PoVs to let us know what was happening the Fhrey city and Nyphron’s camp. It was a well-told story that had some surprises in the end.
"All too often, that which we are most certain of is that which we are most wrong about; and that which we are wrong about can change everything."
I read all of the Riyria books and so I should have guessed a few things since I know how the true history didn’t survive and many of the facts have been twisted three thousand years later. Still it did come as somewhat of a surprise, which I credit MJS with being a skilled writer to make that so. One of my favorite parts of the story will be the origin of Kyle and the Feathers, I liked seeing how that started and learning the true tale.
So much has happened since the day Wraith accidentally killed a Fhrey to the ending. Suri still remains a favorite character of mine and I love where her story went, even if I didn’t agree with everything in it. Roan and Gifford are one of my favorite couples of all time, that remains even through this book. Moya and Tekchin also a romance for the ages. And Brin…well Brin was probably my biggest surprise of all.
If you are in the market for some solid Fantasy writing I recommend everything currently written by MJS. I personally would start with The Riyria Revelations before reading this series, but it isn’t necessary. It was just fun to see how twisted all of the history became over time. After finishing all I wanted to do was jump into Riyria Revelations and see what new Easter eggs were there for me.
Narration:
Tim Gerard Reynolds did a great job as always. He has narrated this entire series and all the others set in this world and does it well. He even, in light of the current global situation, did all of it from his home studio and much of the editing to get it out on time. I want to thank him for all the extra work he did to make the production just as great as all the other books in the series.
If you have read Riyria Revelations, which I hope you have if you are reading this book, then we know where Esrahaddon was found and the legend behindIf you have read Riyria Revelations, which I hope you have if you are reading this book, then we know where Esrahaddon was found and the legend behind him. But like most things after a thousand years the real story has been so lost and changed it was fascinating to read the real history of one of the most powerful human Artists in history.
This is a fascinating tale and an epic journey. The book was too long and too short all at the same time. As a child Esra was the sole survivor of a lion attach and then again when jackals came at his village. He was thrown out into the wilderness to die. But Turin had other plans for him and instead he was found by Goblins (Ba Rhen) and raised to serve one huge purpose.
”What is this crime I’m expected to commit? The one you must kill me to prevent. Maybe I can just promise not to. What is it I’m supposedly going to do?” “Destroy the world.” “And you’re okay with me destroying the world.” “I exaggerated. He didn’t actually say that.” “What did he say?” “He said you world destroy the empire.”
Mawyndule has been busy moving people into position for years and it is all about to come to a head. He has spent time sowing distrust between the Teshlor and the Artists, so much that each thinks the other holds the emperor’s favor and is a danger to the empire. The time is ripe to pull the strings taught and find the horn, blow it, to be able to be crowned Fane. It a goal he has worked at for 2000 years since he lost the last battle.
”A man cannot stand with two broken legs. I fought, but it’s like trying to reason with water and convince it not to run downhill; that’s the direction it has always wanted to go. Mawyndule has only provided the opportunity.
Esra in Turin’s cloak is the strongest human Artist since Suri. He has been selected to tutor the prince Nevrik along with Jerish. I totally loved this part of the story. Nevrik is a handful for such a young boy and enjoyed how maneuvered these two into his life. Going to the Avenpartha again was also interesting to see it before the Riyria tales. The reluctant friendship between Esra and Jerish reminded me a lot of another duo I loved.
“You have something on your face.“ “Really?“ The knight wiped a hand over his mouth. “Is it gone?“ Esrahaddon shook his head. “Nope.“ “What is it?“ “I think it’s a smile.“ Jerish frowned. “Ah, there it goes. You got it that time.“
I always feel a little bad for Turin in these stories as he is so alone in trying to set right previous wrongs. His journey is to counter some events and facilitate others and sometimes the events needed are horrible indeed. Complete series readers know what happened to the city of Percepliquis and now we know why. Parts of this story are absolutely heartbreaking. Elinya and Esra, in a different time could have had a different life together and I was so sad for their very short time together after realizing the feelings they had for each other. Esra is a hero and a villain, it just depends on which side of the battle you are standing on.
I was sad with where the story ended though. I had anticipated Yolrik and Turin’s conversation and I really would have liked to have that story told. Maybe in the time after Revelations we will see the fruition of that conversation. One can only hope.
I’ve loved all of these stories set in the between years from the Age of Legends to the time of Riyria. Each added a new layer of depth to the overall story. I think one of these days I will do a huge re-read of the entire series again and can’t wait to see all the new things I tease out on my 2nd and 3rd reads of some of the books.
Narration
Al always Time Gerard Reynolds is beyond fantastic in this tale and brings it all to life. I always enjoy his performances in all of Michael J. Sullivan's stories. He always brings the story to life in ways I might not be able to do in my own head and I love it....more
I got Cut and Run as the Audible monthly original deal for free a few months back and finally decided to listen to the full casteThis was so much fun!
I got Cut and Run as the Audible monthly original deal for free a few months back and finally decided to listen to the full casted short audio. It was hilarious and I loved the quick banter. Who knew I could love a few kidney thieves and want them to get away with it all.
This completely brightened up my day and I recommend it to anyone looking for a little laughter in their life right now....more
I'm just cleaning up my 2020 reads. I loved this book and will write a full review in 2021I'm just cleaning up my 2020 reads. I loved this book and will write a full review in 2021...more
A Heart of Blood and Ashes has one of my favorite tropes ever, a marriage between strangers and enemies to boot. 4.5 Fall in love with a Warrior Stars
A Heart of Blood and Ashes has one of my favorite tropes ever, a marriage between strangers and enemies to boot. This is firmly in the Romantasy realm as it is a fantastic blend of fantasy intertwined with romance.
Maddek has come to the enemy’s territory on word of his parent’s death only to find his hands have been politically tied and he is not allowed vengeance on those that murdered them. The only possible way to thwart his enemy is to steal away the hidden daughter and get her with child so she can claim the throne.
Yvenne is from a line of warrior Queens touched by the goddess, yet she has been locked in a tower her entire life and so she is small, weak and nothing like the line of Queens she came from except in cunning and understanding of people. Her mother trained her well in the tower and after a lifetime of cruelty at the hands of her father and brothers she is willing to sell her soul and marry a stranger who blames her for his parent’s death in order to save her kingdom and get revenge.
I loved Yvenne, she is a murderous little thing and smart as a whip. She made her decision on the man who could be the warrior she needs to take the throne from her father. The share a deep hate of her family and solid alliances have been built on less.
Maddek takes a little while to warm to. He is a bit cruel to Yvenne in the beginning, trying to make her balk and not knowing that nothing he does or says to her will be worse than the life she led in the tower as a prisoner.
For Maddek was truly a great warrior, finding vulnerabilities Yvenne had not known she possessed. He could even make weapons of her sighs, transform her longing into a blade, and use them to slice through her heart.
It isn’t until she is able to show Maddek he is only a warrior now and needs to learn some lessons to be a good king to his people that he starts to see Yvenne for the treasure she could be to him.
She had promised to make his life a misery. He still believed she would. But in that moment, he’d realized his life would also be a greater misery if Yvenne wasn’t in it.
I enjoyed the worldbuilding throughout this story. There is magic (good and bad), gods in the realms of men, interesting creatures an evil despot getting ready to invade and a deep history built into story teased out a little at a time. I liked that Yvenne was weak in body but strong in mind and spirit. You could tell that she had been through so much and she might always be small but she would figure out how to be a warrior queen all the same.
The goddess, Vela has tasked Yvenne with hard mission and given Maddek a dire warning
In bed and in battle, a warrior is too dependent upon his sword. Until you have the heart of a king, you will never truly have her and you will never truly protect her—and because you lack a king’s heart, you will lose her.
They will both have to learn to trust each other, confide in each other and possibly love each other if their peoples will be able to unite and save their realm from the coming of The Destroyer.
This is my first full length novel by Milla Vane, but isn’t going to be my last. I was impressed by how balanced the romance and fantasy of this world is. I liked that the main characters were not perfect and made mistakes along the way but learned lessons from each. It was a great story of love and revenge....more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Anthologies are generally hit and miss for me but UnBound was a complete hit. A lot of that has to do with the fact that it explored some of the places and cultures that were mentioned in the Unwind series, but not explored. Then other stories featured some side character adjacent stories. And then just to round it all off there were a few of the other short stories I’d read before, now in one convenient location.
UnBound are stories set in the world of the Unwind Dystology, an alternate world much similar to our own, where the technology allows you to abort a child up until they turn 17, and convert a troublesome teen into parts that can be used in other people. It is a strange world and one of my favorite complete YA series of all time. UnBound was published in 2015 but I never got around to reading it because there wasn’t audio available; I’m so happy this has finally been put into audio format.
UnSchooled – Did you ever wonder if Jasper, the parts pirate, was always such a vengeful creature. Well, this is how he went from being a kid in a pretty ordinary family, to finding kids to unwind. He’s no better as a teenager than as an adult.
UnFinished Symphony – This follows a girl in the same orphanage as Risa, when they were going through the budget cuts, that ended with Risa on a bus headed to an unwind camp. It almost wasn’t the case but an event outside Risa’s control and a girl named Brookyn had a part to play in it.
As for Risa Ward, she will disappear, as if she had never been born. And no great loss. It’s not like she would have changed the world.
UnDevoured – Roland played a large part in Unwind. He didn’t have a good childhood and he was almost always a bully. This is just a small story of his life with his stepfather and the shark attack that made him get the tattoo on his arm. This was my least favorite story of the bunch.
UnClean – Clappers weren’t the only terrorist type plot against unwinding. There was also one man who thought to put cancerous parts in others by chemically hiding, then ruining and infecting the unsuspecting people who received those parts. Will they be able to do it or will they be thwarted by an unexpected group?
UnStrung – I’d read this story before. It is how Wil ended up in the hands of the parts pirates and Lev started down a path he never expected to go when he was a tithe. It was heartbreaking all over again, my heart aches for the boy Lev could have been, if that had never happened. But then there wouldn’t be the story of the man he became.
UnNatural Selection – Thailand is one of the only places on earth that doesn’t believe in Unwinding but it isn’t a safe place as Colton is about to find out. The Burmese Dah Zey is right over the border and people go missing from Thailand all the time. Colton is about to find out what happens to them when they do and why UnWinding isn’t the only thing to fear.
This was one of my favorite stories out of the anthology as it hit on some of the places we didn’t get to see during the original dystology.
UnConfirmed – Grace is now a really rich woman and she has a favor to ask of Hayden. She also has a few theories about what may have happened to Conner and Risa after all the events of the main series. There wasn’t a lot of meat to this story but it was a fun way to ponder where our characters rode off into their sunset.
UnTithed – Miracolina was one of my favorite characters from the main series, well eventually, she takes a little time to really come around. This is set in the middle of the Unwind series after she has returned to her family. She is trying to find purpose in her life, a way to be connect to the world. She was going to sacrifice herself into parts to help, now she just needs a way to do it while still remaining whole.
Live like Lev. Miracolina thinks. That was the battle cry of the rescued tithes back in the Cavenaugh mansion. Do not give in to the urge to extinguish oneself in the waters of the world, but instead be a light above those waters to help guide the way.
Micacolina is helping AWOLs and might just save a few lives tonight
Rewinds – This I think was one of my favorite tales of the entire book. It follows Cam and Una after the events of the series and we get to see how all the Rewinds are integrating back into society.
“The world is full of bad ideas that turn into wonderful things”
I’m so happy for both Cam and Una in this new life and thought it was very fitting how things worked out. Not all Rewinds are created equal though and some will be better whole people than others.
Unknown Quantity – Argent Skinner played a big part in the main series, but what happened to him after all the events? This story shows the reader where Argent went after the events of Undivided and why one day, he might see some of the characters we loved so much again. It is a small world after all.
This is definitely a must read for lovers of the Unwind Series. I was so glad to be back in this world and see some of my favorite characters again. Overall, most of the stories captured my attention and made me miss the original series. Narration: The narration of this included multiple narrators that seemed appropriate based on the characters being represented. I listened to this at my normal 1.5x speed.
Now that Leah and company have made it out West to the land of gold and opportunity everything should be easy, right? Well not really, first you have Now that Leah and company have made it out West to the land of gold and opportunity everything should be easy, right? Well not really, first you have to find some good land with gold on it. Not too hard with Leah on your side since she is a witchy girl and can sense gold. Next you just have to figure out how to keep said land from claim jumpers. Not as easy, as California is a place with few laws and many unscrupulous men.
“Bad men are never all bad, and good men are never all good, and it makes it hard to know up from down.”
Leah has found the spot but then it seems her uncle has found her and he hasn’t given up on the idea that she belongs with him. Just when life is starting to settle on their claim Leah ends up in the grip of her uncle and needs to find a way to get herself and a few of her friends home.
Man, this book was sad and harsh. I’m sure that things like this happened in this time in history and some of it was just so sad. Leah’s uncle stole Indians to work in his mine and barely fed them, treated them as less then people. The prejudices and injustices were really horrid. The time with Leah’s uncle was hard, I wanted to burn him and all of his men with fire. Almost everyone deserved a brutal death that ran that mine.
But in the midst of all the trouble there are bright points. Leah and Jefferson are finding a way into each other’s hearts after growing up and being best friends all their lives. Jeff is adorable in his devotion to Leah and no matter the circumstance he always had a smile the lit up his eyes every time he saw her. He just needs to find a way to convince her that marrying him isn’t akin to giving up everything she is.
“I think you’d better stay extra alert tonight.” “Okay.” “I’m serious, Jeff. Someone snuck up on both Hampton and Martin, and neither of them are shirkers.” He grins. “You’re worried for me, aren’t you?” “Course I am.” “Know what I think?” I scowl at him, which only widens his grin. He steps closer, puts a hand to my chin, and lifts it so I can’t avoid his gaze. “I think you’re in love with me,” he says. I stare at his lips. What comes out of my mouth is: “Jefferson McCauley Kingfisher, you have the swagger of a rooster and the swelled head of a melon.”
Leah’s past is full a few mysteries and while I’m not sure we’ll ever discover them all it was good to get some insight into the dynamic between her Mom, Dad and uncle and why he is so set on keeping her.
I liked a few of the new characters that we meet in this book. From Tug and the boys to Mary and the big silent guy. I few people are gems in the wilderness. I liked where the book ended but it was really dark at times and I wasn’t sure how many people we might lose along the way.
Time to finish the journey though and I’m onto the final book in the series. ...more
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the conThis review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
Review copy was received from Publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Juliet Marillier is a fable teller or what I like to think of as a modern-day Grimm. She weaves these very intricate stories that usually involve humans with hints of the fae and she does this very well. Shadowfell is the first book in the, already completed but new to audio, three book Shadowfell series. While Shadowfell isn’t my favorite story by Juliet it still has the unique feel Juliet Marillier brings to her stories to transport you into another world.
There are some great things this book has going for it. For one it has the orphaned girl who has been on the run for years now and the head of the King’s elite task force who seems to care about her more than he should. That has forbidden love written all over it so I was totally in. Then there are the Fae, I do love a good story with Fae in it. I couldn’t help but root for Neryn as she traveled to find the very secret place of Shadowfell and learns she might have a gift that could save her kind and the Fae too if used on the right side.
“It seemed to me it would be better to die standing up to a tyrant than to survive as a tool of his will.”
The struggle I had with this as with many fantasy books is all the travelling. Neryn is on the road the majority of the book and while she meets some very cool people along the way most of the time she is alone, or sick, or struggling to get to where she is going and it all felt like it was taking so long. I’ve had this issue before in fantasy and I’ll have it again I’m sure, I usually enjoy the traveling parts in a story as much as other things and so I really wish we would have made it to the resistance earlier in the journey.
Still this is a really great introduction into the world and I did love learning what Neryn could possibly be, there is a lot that can be done with that. I even liked the hints that she would eventually have to deal with all the Lords of the Fae so to speak. This is still a very nice faery story, great villain we have yet to see in person but the King is horrible to be sure. I’m definitely continuing on with the series.
Narration:
Henrietta Meire did a fantastic job with the tone of the story and all of the content. She really brought a lot to characters and made the story feel real. With over 100 titles to her narration credit you’d think I’d have heard her before, but this was my first book narrated by her. I was definitely impressed and was able to listen easily at my normal 1.5x speed.
I first got to know Tiffany Reisz when I read her series The Original Sinners (books 1-4), which pushed my reading boundari4.5 Romantic Mystery Stars
I first got to know Tiffany Reisz when I read her series The Original Sinners (books 1-4), which pushed my reading boundaries in the sex department quite a bit. The Lucky Ones is pretty tame by comparison, in the sex depart at least, and if you’ve never tried Tiffany Reisz before it is a good place to see if you like her style. I knew I did so it was just a matter of fitting it into my ever-growing pile of books I want to read.
I was hijacked immediately into caring about Allison. We enter her life just as her lover is leaving her and I couldn’t help feeling for her right away as she is a woman who is loosing a man she cares for but was never really hers and the family who abdicated her years ago is reaching out as the head of it is dying.
“I’m a little sad,” she said. “But don’t worry. Sad’s the weather, not the climate.”
Allison lost her parents when she was seven and put into the foster care system. Saved by Dr. Vincent Capello, Allison was brought to his dragon house by the sea to live for years until someone tried to kill her and she went to live with her elderly great aunt instead. It is thirteen years later and she is going back to see the children she loved, in the house that holds secrets and the man she called father.
“Sometimes you slay a dragon. Sometimes you cut off its head and three more grow in its place.”
This is an interesting tale, part love story part mystery as Allison tries to piece together what happened thirteen years ago and reconnects with the first boy she fell in love with as a child. Very interesting to see him now as an adult through the eyes of a grown woman.
Roland had hallway eyes—labyrinthine hallways made of marble and lit by torches resting in iron sconces. She could wander those shadowy hallways forever and never once feel lost.
I really liked the banter between the grown kids in the book. The way they make fun of one another and how they tease Allison and Roland in their new relationship that smells slightly of Flowers in the Attic.
“What are you reading?” she asked. “Book I picked up at the library this morning,” he said. “Little ditty called Flowers in the Attic. Ever read it?” He looked up at her and grinned as manically as the Joker. Allison glared at him. “Ohh...” he said, shuddering. “You give a good death stare. Almost better than Thora’s.” “Roland is not my brother. I am not his sister. We are not flowers nor are we in the attic,” Allison said. “True, but No Flowers in the Beach House doesn’t have quite the same ring to it,”
I loved the fact that the trauma in Allison’s childhood and with the other kids in the house had nothing to do with anything as pedantic as sex. No something truly chilling happened to the kids in the book and I was so surprised by some of the revelations that were made when all the connections were revealed.
“She'd known nothing but love here, nothing but kindness. But someone must have left a door open a crack and evil had snuck in when no one was looking.”
Again, Reisz uses some of the theological knowledge to explore both sex and religion in an off to the side kind of way. I enjoyed how both Allison and Roland interacted and accepted each other’s very different life choices without judgement.
Another solid read from an author I forgot I loved. It might just be time to read her entire catalogue. I didn't continue with the Siren Series only because at book 4 it was practically perfect and I didn't want anything to be ruined moving forward so I'll brave a few of her other series before succumbing and finishing it....more
James Islington has grown as a writer from his first book The Licanius Trilogy. I thought that perhaps this was not going to live up to my enjoyment lJames Islington has grown as a writer from his first book The Licanius Trilogy. I thought that perhaps this was not going to live up to my enjoyment level of the first book and was pleasantly surprised that it not only was as good as The Shadow of What Was Lost, but surpassed it. An Echo of Things to Come takes what we learned in the prior book and builds on it in interesting ways. Sometimes what you think you know/believe is so wrong it destroys you when you learn the truth.
“The lesser of two evils, or the greater good. Get a good man to utter either of those phrases, and there is no one more eager to begin perpetrating evil.”
This is an epic tale spanning millennia if you take in the full scope of the story. We learn who/what Caeden really was as he starts to remember things from his past that he hid from himself. Every memory he relives shines a new light on the overall story and why Caeden made the choices in his past that led to his decision to wipe all his memories of the past clean and come through the boundary. He is trying to hold on to this new version of himself as every new revelation shows him the lengths he went to in the past and the atrocities committed for his cause.
“A friend of mine once told me that when I got my memories back, I would have a choice. That no matter what I’d done, who I’d been … that I had a decision to make, moving forward. That the man I have been since I woke up in the forest, the one I want to be, doesn’t have to be erased by what I remember. Shouldn’t be erased.”
There is a lot going on in this story and none of the PoVs were superficial of just filler. Every moment and character is needed for the tale and you need to pay attention because there is a lot going on and while there are some clues along the way I was gob smacked by a couple of the twists in the story, especially the epilogue. It once again through me for a huge loop.
“I’m telling you that you should doubt—as I do my own beliefs. The day on which you decide not to question what you believe, is the day that you start making excuses for why you believe it.”
Wirr is trying his best to be the North Warden when almost everyone on the council is trying to undermine him because he is also gifted. Wirr has grown a lot from the first book and how he is handling himself and those poised against him shows he was taught well how to be a political creature.
Asha has a more interesting storyline this time for me. Still a shadow she is on a mission to discover where all the other shadows in the city went after the battle in the last book. She also has had a run in with a few of the Venerate and learned some interesting things. I do like the woman she is becoming. Finding out what the shadows really are was just wow. I didn’t see that coming, but it made perfect sense.
Davian is again at the center of some rather large happenings. At Tol Shen he is trying to convince the gifted to go north to the boundary to start to put it back together again. But there is pushback, fear and some other augers standing in his way. We get to see just why all the augers were feared so long ago.
So much happened in this book and a lot of the most important reveals came from the memories that Caeden is reliving. Nethgalla was the most interest new character explored. The shapeshifter’s history with Caeden especially is very interesting to say the least and messed up.
An Echo of What Was Lost is aptly named as the true history of the world is revealed and so much of the lore is explained. This ended with everyone in a lot of danger and Caeden devastated by his last memory. I do wish that the only relationship I’m really rooting for got more page time. Davian and Asha could have a great love story eventually if they ever get to be in the same place for longer than a day of two. The devotion the two friends show for one another even while separated it adorable if slightly unbelievable. Still here is hoping in the end they get a future, right now that is not looking very hopeful.
Can’t wait to finish out this trilogy to see where the next story takes us. ...more
I’ve had a few misses and some meh experiences in trying out new authors in the UF genre so I’m a liJoint review with Anne posted at Books of my Heart
I’ve had a few misses and some meh experiences in trying out new authors in the UF genre so I’m a little excited about new to me author Annette Marie’s Taming Demon’s for beginners. This seems like one of the more promising first books in a series that I’ve read lately. So far there are interesting characters, nice conflict, mysteries to be uncovered and a pretty cool world.
Robin grew up with some loving parents that always taught her to stay away from magic and it will stay away from you. So, imagine her surprise when she learns that her family line was one of the premier demon summoners and that her uncle is trying to do it illegally from the house she is staying in.
First off, I really like that Robin isn’t your typical kick-ass I’m great at absolutely everything kind of heroine. She reads books, loves to bake and hates confrontation of any kind. She knows about magic and has studied it, but is not a practitioner, well wasn’t a practitioner anyway. I like that she is a bit sheltered, naïve and kind without being TSTL. Sure, she is thrown into a lot of learn fast or die situations, but that was the fun of this story.
The second thing that I really liked is that this has witches and demons. I think there are going to be some pretty cool reveals down the line about the ‘known things’ both on the human side and demon side of the veil. The world set up is working very well for me and I like the slow trickle of information that we are getting as things progress.
Lastly the plot set up is going well in this story. Not to be a KU snob, but I’ve found that some of the stories on that bypass plot for a plethora of action scenes. There were action scenes for sure but there is also the character development of Robin and the Demon Zylas that made this such a good read. I loved the dynamic between Robin and the demon, most of their banter was great and funny. I really enjoyed the relationship they currently have and I do have some high hopes that down the line it might turn romantic.
Overall is was a really fun read for me. I’d never read this author before so I didn’t realize until after that this is set in the same world as another series written by Ammette Marie. So before I can continue into this series I’ll need to read Three Mages and a Margarita series....more
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