Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

 

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

An actual current read this week! This teaser had me cracking up because it's things I've thought before! Lol.

"I just pray the soldier stationed down there isn't trigger-happy. If he kills my beloved mare, I'm going to hunt him down, put a bullet in his skull, and then hunt his ghost down, too." p 31

TITLE: Silver Elite
AUTHOR: Dani Francis
PUBLISHER: Del Rey
GENRE: Dystopian
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Books That Feature Travel

*in no particular order

10. REAWAKENED by Colleen Houck--with a spring break trip to Egypt that involves hanging out with a reincarnated mummy, you know there's traveling involved!
9. STORM GLASS by Maria V. Snyder--I feel like with any fantasy read you're bound to get traveling in of some kind! I vaguely recall Opal having to do a lot of riding around in this one!
8. PALE DEMON by Kim Harrison--ROAD TRIP!

7. REFLECTION by Elizabeth Lim--Mulan travels to the Underworld...and then you know transverse the land of the dead! 
6. DAUGHTER OF THE PIRATE KING by Tricia Levenseller--obviously some sailing the seas and oceans are involved!
5. ILLUMINAE by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff--the whole book takes place on a spaceship! So space travel!

4. STOLEN TIME by Danielle Rollins--time traveling!
3. SPARKS OF LIGHT by Janet B. Taylor--more time traveling! And I'm sure there were other modes of transportation happening in this row too. Probably by horseback.
2. OLD MAGIC by Marianne Curley--my first book involving time travel and via magic! SOOO good!

1. ONCE UPON A BROKEN HEART by Stephanie Garber--this series had a lot of traveling too! But of course, with this one we start the journey to the Magnificent North via ship!

Let's Discuss: When the Order Doesn't Matter

 

Random thought popped in my head the other day. I know I've talked about starting a series out of order when it was meant to be read in order for the most part, but then I got to thinking about those series where authors say you can read it in any order, it doesn't "really" matter. I wondered...how do you choose to read it?

To Read in Order or To Not Read in Order?

One series that comes to mind...that I am still actually reading in some sense but haven't gotten back to in awhile is Christine Warren's The Others series. It's a paranormal romance series where each book is a different couple. You can essentially read whatever book you want whenever you want. The only "spoilers" per se that you might encounter is knowing who winds up with who, if it's even a question. Because really, if you look at that couple's book, you can pretty much figure out they'll wind up together.

Her series is really interesting because it was published out of the order she envisioned it to be in. I can't remember the why of that, but it essentially doesn't matter. Some characters might pop up in another's book but you'd only be spoiled to know if a human gets turned into a paranormal creature or if there was ever a chance of a love triangle, you'd know who the "winner" was. But to be honest, I don't recall any love triangles. I'm not even sure if there was a jealous ex who couldn't accept that they were over...I mean that one is possible, but it's been so long I really can't remember if that was a scenario or not! Lol.

But anyway, the author said you can read this in whatever order you'd like. There's the publisher's version of when books were released, there was the author's order that she aligned them in, or you can go all over the place! It didn't matter.

So what do you do? What would you do? In this scenario I decided to go with the author's route! Mainly because of timeline purposes. Like meeting a character while they are still human not seeing them as a vampire and then jumping back to seeing them single and human and not with their lover.

I'm sure I've had other series like this too. Even when you just follow different couples in the same world. There might be just some minor continuity spoilers, but nothing major really. But even then, when it comes to that, I will read in the published order (unless the author throws out that there is a more chronological order to go with!). 

Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld can kind of be read in any order as well. But once she started returning to previous heroines and giving them an extra book, it's kind of best to have at least read those women's books in the right order for spoiler purposes! Of course, with that series, I also read that in proper order! Lol.

So needless to say, if an author says you can read their series in "any order," I am still going to read it in the chronological order. It's just how I'm built!

What about you? If you are told you can read a series in whatever order you'd like with there only being minimal spoilers (like knowing who winds up with who and how they possibly escape their conflict/problem), what order do you choose to read that series in?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a fun meme where we gather to share what we've read last week and our reading plans for this week.

Last Week I Read:

The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong (4 stars)
No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally (5 stars)

Currently Reading:

Silver Elite by Dani Francis

What I Plan to Read Next:

The Devouring Light by Kat Ellis (ARC)

Other Posts of Interest:

Let's Discuss: "Video" Reviews
Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays
Let's Discuss: Who's Your Book Dealer?
Can't Wait Wednesday #196
Books from the Backlog #135
Book Blogger Hop #358
Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves

 

Stacking the Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts, and of course ebooks! The meme is now hosted by Reading Reality.

This was another meh kind of week. I'm also writing this post earlier than usual since I'll be busy Saturday night, which is my usual night to write this post. I live so vicariously, lol! The week was made better by having an author event to attend on Thursday! Although we had a rush of bad weather on Friday, but luckily it was pretty quick and our neck of the woods didn't really get anything. My anxiety was still tripping though. Thursday I attended the Fierce Reads Sour & Sweet Tour with the last Sweet stop with Mary E. Pearson, Axie Oh, and D.L. Taylor! It was fun! I talked with other readers and got to meet some great authors and get my books signed! My Mary E. Pearson collection is fully signed up to date and that's always a fun feeling...until the next release that is! Lol. I have one more signing coming up next week, which hopefully I'll still be able to attend. Some things are happening within the family that could possibly prevent me from going, but I'm hoping to still go if things remain okay. It's just a wait and see kind of situation.

Anyway, onto this week's haul!

A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout--Apollycon edition SIGNED! I'm never allowed to attend Apollycon because the ticket queue quite literally hates me. It allows me to get to the "buying" area lets me think I can add the ticket to my cart before throwing me out of the room. Seriously, this has happened for like 5 years now. But at least I'm allowed to buy JLA's exclusive editions. 
Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout--Apollycon edition SIGNED!

The Beasts We Bury by D.L. Taylor--SIGNED!
Enigma by RuNyx--a spontaneous purchase...one of many. Okay, one of 3. The other two I had to order online and I'm waiting for the 4th planned purchase to hopefully become available on B&N instead of the Zon.

Then for review from the publisher I received:

The Last Vampire by Romina Garber (ARC)--saw this one not too long ago and when it was offered I took it because that cover! And the title! I mean seriously, how can you say no to a vampire story like this?!

THANK YOU Wednesday Books!

Then I got the preorder pin for Mary E. Pearson's The Remnant Chronicles from the Fierce Reads event:

THANK YOU Fierce Reads!

And then I made a rather impulsive purchase. To be fair I had been stalking the website for months, I even talked to the store about it and when they said it may or may not come back, I decided to buy this from a reseller:

I mean, it's perfect for every book lover! I had debated about buying it wayyy back in November or October when it was the free gift with purchase. But I think it was something you would receive with like a $250 purchase? It was a crazy amount--when I was nearly finished with my Christmas shopping--and this was before the Beauty and the Beast castle came about otherwise I would've just bought that for myself! Lol. So I didn't buy the Lego, regretted it because it vanished from the site or remained there as sold out. So I started looking around at eBay and Mercari. With a set value at $20 I wasn't psyched to pay what I paid, but it was essentially wayyy less than what I would have had to pay to get it free. Pretty sure you still had to spend like $250 because I was thinking that's soooo much money to get this set when I didn't need any other set to get it free! Lol. So yeah, it was less than half off if I think of it that way...which I will. Lol. Still need to build it though!

And that was it for me this week! I don't think I have anything I should be receiving Saturday that I would have missed in this post, but if something pops up by surprise express, I'll share it next week! 

What all did you get this week?

Book Blogger Hop #358

 

This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!

This week's question is: What are some of your favorite books to re-read? (submitted by Nicole @ The Christian Fiction Girl)

MY ANSWER: I'm not much of a re-reader these days, too many books that need to be read for the first time in my TBR pile! I have re-read Stephanie Garber's books a few times in preparation for her latest release! Lol.

In the past, I remember I re-read Demon in My View by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes a lot! For if there wasn't going to be a new vampire book for young me to read, I would just re-read the one I did have! Lol.

I also remember re-reading Old Magic by Marianne Curley quite a bit! My first time traveling book with magic and it was amazing! I still love that book!

I recall re-reading Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost at least once too because I was dying for that vampire read! Lol. 

But yeah, not too much re-reading around here these days unless it's for a Stephanie Garber series! Which since she's starting a new one, I probably won't have a re-read in my future anytime soon!

Review--No Place Left to Hide by Megan Lally

 

Some secrets just won't stay hidden in this twisty new thriller from New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Megan Lally!

To Brooke, image is everything. She works hard to maintain perfect grades, perfect looks, a perfect life—especially after "the incident" that threatened it all. Getting into her dream university puts her that much closer to a fresh start. How can she say no to celebrating with all her classmates?

Hanging out with her crush by the bonfire is the perfect end to the night. Except it isn't the end. An old truck starts aggressively tailing Brooke and her best friend on the isolated road toward home. Someone thinks they know the truth about "the incident," and they won't stop until it's all out in the open. This terrifying drive is about to bring out Brooke's worst fears…if she survives it.

Megan Lally's latest YA thriller, No Place Left to Hide is an on the edge of your seat thrill ride, quite literally as most of this takes place while speeding down a winding deserted road in the middle of nowhere! This one was definitely a very twisty read and as sinister as her previous YA thriller despite the two having no connections.

Brooke is preparing for the end of her senior year and is waiting to hear back from Yale to see if she got in or not. For the past several months she has been trying to put a mysterious "incident" behind her and move on and things are finally starting to trickle back to normal and most everyone has forgotten the "incident" except for one mysterious person. For months now, Brooke has been harassed by a mysterious person who has not forgotten what happened and keeps throwing the event back in Brooke's face. She's done her best to keep things under wraps as the last thing her over the top father needs is another scandal while he makes way to become a judge.

It takes Brooke's best friend Jena to convince to her to come to an end of the year party to celebrate making the Ivy Leagues and reluctantly, she agrees, if only to see her crush, Dylan and finally, hopefully, make her move. The action truly doesn't begin until after they leave the party and notice a white Bronco driving behind them that continues to get closer and closer. Someone is determined to make Brooke confess what really happened that night of the "incident."

We do get chapters that flashback to the night of the incident to help paint a better picture. And boy does that picture get painted!

This was a seriously twisted read! I feel like I started to figure out what was going on shortly into this long ridden chase. Don't worry, while a decent amount of time is spent with Brooke and Jala being chased by a mystery assailant in the white Bronco, other things do happen to cause mayhem, so you don't get that feeling like you're trapped in one room for an entire novel.

The dangerous edge to this one was seriously spot on! At one point a little thing happened that had me reeling, like what the heck is going on?! And this was after I started figuring things out! Lol. I got so lost into the story that I forgot my theory for a second! That is how remarkable Lally's writing is...that you can get so consumed by the story you completely forget reality for a few minutes!

The ending was oh so satisfying! I love an ending like this! I can't get into more descriptive feels over that for fear of treading on spoiler territory but just know, I loved this ending! I think it's pretty safe to say Megan Lally is now one of my favorite thriller authors! Her thrillers are so well paced, so thought out, that they can still take you completely by surprise even after you think you've solved the puzzle! They are twisty and chilling and are positively the best kind of thriller reads out there!

Overall Rating 5/5 stars

Books from the Backlog #135

 

Books from the Backlog is a fun way to feature some of those neglected books sitting on your bookshelf unread.  If you are anything like me, you might be surprised by some of the unread books hiding in your stacks. This is a fun meme hosted by Carole's Random Life in Books!

The Angel of Death has a name: Azrael. He also has a purpose - to soothe the souls of the suffering into the peaceful passage of the afterlife. But in his twilight existence, Azrael himself has never known peace or pleasure...

Until he meets Sara, the first mortal who can somehow see him in his Reaper form. Charming and spirited despite bearing her own burdens, she intoxicates him with the pleasures of life, even taming his brutal dark side with her fearlessness. But Azrael’s new happiness is short-lived when he realizes Sara’s health is fading. The bright flame of her life is about to be blown out.

And he’s to blame.

I added Kristen Painter's Dark Kiss of the Reaper to my TBR in July of 2016! I was enjoying her House of Comarre series at the time so I added this to my wishlist and I believe I received it as a gift. It's a standalone and it sounded super intriguing with the Reaper vibes! I still want to read this one at some point...as to its actual location in my TBR pile, it's hard to say as I don't rightly know! Lol.

Review--The Boy Who Cried Bear by Kelley Armstrong

 

In The Boy Who Cried Bear, New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong keeps readers on the edge of their seats while detective Casey Duncan tries to locate the threat before it’s too late. . .

Haven’s Rock is a well-hidden town surrounded by forest. And it’s supposed to be, being that it’s a refuge for those who need to disappear. Detective Casey Duncan and her husband, Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel at home in their new town, which reminds them of where they first met in Rockton. And while they know how to navigate the woods and its various dangers, other residents don’t. Which is why people aren't allowed to wander off alone.

When Max, the town’s youngest resident—taught to track animals by Eric—fears a bear is stalking a hiking party, alarms are raised. Even stranger, the ten-year-old swears the bear had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, so they’re taking it seriously. But odd occurrences are happening all around them, and when a dead body turns up, they’re not sure what they’re up against.

I am past due for a Kelley Armstrong read, so I landed on The Boy Who Cried Bear, the second book in her Haven's Rock series which is a continuation of her Rockton mysteries but a new town means a new name for Casey and Dalton's adventures! While this one was definitely a somewhat chilling read, I can't help but feel like something was missing. Some kind of spark of intrigue to make things really exciting. While it was still an enjoyable read, it just felt like something was missing.

Casey and Dalton are still still trying to get everyone settled in their new Rockton, Haven's Rock and things are going as well as they could be. But there are still many dangers and problems surrounding them in the wildness that's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. You have the group of people looking to escape the modern world, the group of people who are more wild and unsavory, and then there's the new mining group who shares property lines with Haven's Rock. Things remain steady...until they upheave.

Max is one of the youngest residents of the town. His mother moved him and his brother to the town to escape serious dangers from down south that left their mother injured. Max begins to think he sees a bear walking the edge of their property lines and the thing is, he thinks he seems it actually walking...as it right side up, like a person, but totally covered in the thick hide of a bear. And then the unthinkable happens, Max goes missing.

Soon Casey and Dalton are scouring the forest looking for any sign of the young boy and trying to work with the miners in getting permission to enter "their" land. It's not long into the search that they find a dead body that begins a whole new set of problems.

I don't know why, but this book felt almost too simple compared to Armstrong's previous books. Or perhaps I'm still getting off my fantasy kick and this mystery just felt too easy for me. I think with having finished a few books with a more complex plot going with characters deceiving others that this one just came off as too clean cut. Like you knew the villains right from the get-go and you were just waiting for the heroes to figure it all out.

There was also a bit of personal complications going on with Casey and Dalton that will likely continue onto other books, which should prove for interesting developments given the situation. I'll be curious to see what other side characters might be popping up in this series to bring about new mysteries. It kind of gives you Angela Lansbury feels where there's always a killer running about wherever they go! Lol.

As far as pacing goes this one was pretty good; I'd put it at moderate. Not too slow, not overly fast, but just right for a mystery of this caliber. Did I solve the whodunit? Not quite, I'll be honest! Lol. I felt like there were factors I couldn't foresee until Casey started doing her investigating!

All in all I felt like The Boy Who Cried Bear was an intriguing read and a good segment of the Haven's Rock series. It wasn't quite a bone-chilling mystery, but it was a mystery filled with some twists and a few shudders that's for sure! As with any Kelley Armstrong novel, I am eagerly anticipating the next one...which happens to be in my TBR pile somewhere! Lol.

Overall Rating 4/5 stars

Can't Wait Wednesday #196

 

Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted at Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine.

A teen girl's dream job aboard a luxury train derails when she discovers the strange cargo being transported—a mysterious and beautiful greenhouse—but its flowering façade may hide deadly thorns beneath, in this atmospheric and lush novel from the author of Those We Drown.

Lara Williams is desperate to get away. When she gets a job working aboard the luxury train The Banebury for her gap year, she this is her chance to reinvent herself, after the incident that wrecked her relationships and her college prospects several months ago.

At first, the train is everything Lara expected—a five-star escape from her past, demanding customers and all. Even after she learns that her ex-friend, Rhys, who she definitely did not have feelings for before their relationship imploded, is one of her new coworkers, she's determined to make things work.

But on the first night of their journey, the trip takes a strange turn when two mysterious carriages, filled with an array of beautiful and rare plants, are attached to the end of the train in the middle of the night. With them come a pair of siblings. Gwen and Gwydion are wealthy, Welsh, and alluring as they are odd--not to mention, incredibly protective of their botanical cargo.

The siblings claim the plants they're transporting are for research, yet Lara can't shake the feeling that there's something...otherworldly about them. Something that calls to her, night after night, whispering in her dreams. 

Soon, Lara will you can't outrun your troubles. You have to grab them by their roots. And if she can't dig up the secrets of the Banebury, they might just consume her whole...

I loved Amy's debut and still need to read her second book but I feel pretty much like a fangirl already because that first book was soooo good! And the second book gave off the same supernatural thriller vibes as does this one, so yeah, I am excited for this one for sure!

TITLE: Predatory Natures
AUTHOR: Amy Goldsmith
PUBLISHER: Delacorte Press
GENRE: YA Supernatural Thriller
RELEASE DATE: July 8, 2025

Let's Discuss: Who's Your Book Dealer?

 

Where do you frequently buy your books? I feel like my "dealer" of choice has changed greatly over the years and now it's a bit of a mixed bag, depending on the occasion!

Who's Your Book Dealer?

In the beginning...lol, I would shop at Borders! They were my go to store! I also loved their smaller store Waldenbooks at the malls! Before they just decided to hop into a larger space at the mall! Those were the places I shopped at the most growing up. 

Then they closed, and my heart broke and I had to switch to Barnes and Noble. Because, ironically, the Books a Million that we had also closed. Plus it was just one location that was far out of the way kind of thing at a dying mall that is dead now. So B&N it was.

I will admit, I also shopped Amazon for a time. Not proud of it, but they did discount their books for awhile and since I'm a book hoarding bibliophile I needed to save money wherever possible! But I stopped shopping them for books when their prices were cover price. I mean, I will gladly shop at Indie stores as well and if I'm paying the same price, there's no question as to where I will shop!

That being said, I also go to Indie bookstores. Not as much as I would like, but I go for events and will always buy a book when I attend. I also frequent my favorite one on Indie Bookstore Day and when in the area I always pop in to see if there's something I need right away!

I will also buy from Target and Walmart on occasion as well! Particularly if they have an exclusive edition! Or a sale like they did last week! BOGO 50! And most of their books usually have a bit of a discount well, so when I decide to spontaneously purchase two $33 hardcovers, I came out getting them for the price of 1! Walmart purchases tend to be more sporadic and rarer. I think I usually only buy an exclusive edition from them and maybe the once in a blue moon random purchase. They are the store where I found a MMPB of a book that was originally just in HC at the time. My mom didn't believe me when I said I saw it somewhere and we went to like 4 different Walmarts that day and the last one we stopped at, one we usually avoided, had it! 

So yeah, I pretty much buy from all over! But usually just B&N and the Indie stores with a rare purchase elsewhere on occasion.

Where do you typically get your books for your keeper shelves?

Teaser & Top Ten Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Purple Princess of The Purple Booker. 

Here are the rules:

1. Grab your current read
2. Open to a page
3. Pick out 2 lines that are SPOILER FREE
4. Name the title, author, etc.

Sharing a teaser from my last read yet again! What with Mother's Day on Sunday I didn't really get a chance to dive into my next read, so there you go! Lol.

"Our mouths were too close. All it would take was a shift and we'd collide. We'd crash into each other, and the shock waves would destroy us both." p 264

TITLE: Shield of Sparrows
AUTHOR: Devney Perry
PUBLISHER: Red Tower Books 
GENRE: Fantasy Romance
RELEASE DATE: May 6, 2025

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and The Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

This week's topic is: Top Ten Ways My Blogging/Reviewing Style Has Changed Over Time (submitted by Susan @ Bloggin' 'bout Books)

*in no particular order

10. ELIMINATED INTERVIEWS--in the early days I would interview authors a lot, have a contest for their new release. But that kind of engagement has gone way down over the last few years.
9. STOPPED CONTESTS--I've also stopped holding said contests as well, since even that kind of engagement had gone down.
8. STOPPED POSTING MILESTONES--I also used to post blogoversary posts with a contest but I think I stopped doing that in the last 2 years maybe? I would also celebrate follower milestones, but stopped doing that too when the number never changed.
7. ENDED COVER REVEALS--it seemed like in the early days, seeing a cover early in some vein was a BIG DEAL and I always loved posting about them as soon as I saw them somewhere.
6. LESS RANDOM POSTS--yes, I even stopped doing my random posts. I bought books filled with random whatnot info that I shared and I would occasionally post about other random-like things. If they are book related I end up making it into a discussion post.
5. STARTED REVIEWING RE-READS--I use to hardly ever re-read anything, and it's still pretty rare when/if I do, but on the more recent re-reads I did a little re-review even if it was more just me gushing over things! Mainly with Stephanie Garber's books! Lol.
4. LESS BLOG REFRESHES--when I used the free blog templates from wherever I used to get them...honestly I don't even remember! I would update it maybe once every 2 years or so? Then I won this blog design maybe 5 years into my blogging life and just never bothered to change it. I still like it, but yeah, it's been awhile.
3. BLOGGING TIME WENT DOWN--there used to be a time I spent hours blogging a day! Like with visiting blogs on the traveling meme and reading reviews, but then most bloggers I knew retired and other people took to BookTok, which I don't have time for. So the time I spend blog hopping and all is seriously less than it used to be!
2. HARDER TO FIND REVIEWS--I know I could always go to Goodreads, but I find it harder to find reliable reviews from readers I can trust. I know my TBR pile is still out of control and I could use the break of adding to it with new things that I'm taking a chance on, but I kind of miss that "ooh, something new!" vibe I used to get with blogging.
1. REVIEWS ARE MORE PERSONABLE--I feel like in the beginning when I was trying to find my review vibe I didn't know how to write them, but now I just kind of write the review I want to read and turn into an almost conversation piece. Like if you let me ramble about a book I just read this is pretty much what I would say...if I could think as coherently as I sometimes type and have time to fashion my words. Lol.