May 31, 2024

Review--My Blood, Your Bones by Kelly Andrew

 

A seductively twisted romance about loyalty, fate, the lengths we go to hide the darkest parts of ourselves . . . and the people who love those parts most of all.

Wyatt Westlock has one plan for the farmhouse she's just inherited -- to burn it to the ground. But during her final walkthrough of her childhood home, she makes a shocking discovery in the basement -- Peter, the boy she once considered her best friend, strung up in chains and left for dead.

Unbeknownst to Wyatt, Peter has suffered hundreds of ritualistic deaths on her family's property. Semi-immortal, Peter never remains dead for long, but he can't really live, either. Not while he's bound to the farm, locked in a cycle of grisly deaths and painful rebirths. There's only one way for him to break free. He needs to end the Westlock line.

He needs to kill Wyatt.

With Wyatt's parents gone, the spells protecting the property have begun to unravel, and dark, ancient forces gather in the nearby forest. The only way for Wyatt to repair the wards is to work with Peter -- the one person who knows how to harness her volatile magic. But how can she trust a boy who's sworn an oath to destroy her? When the past turns up to haunt them in the most unexpected way, they are forced to rely on one another to survive, or else tear each other apart.


I went into Kelly Andrew’s My Blood, Your Bones with an open mind and mild trepidation. The story itself sounded promising but as I got into the meat and bones of it, things took a somewhat complicated turn. It was still a gripping enough puzzle that I sought to see it through in the end. 

Wyatt has returned to her childhood home after her father has passed. It wasn’t a great childhood, but it wasn’t terrible either. But it was bad enough that Wyatt just wants to set it on fire and be done with it all. But as she’s wandering around the house giving it one last goodbye, she finds her childhood friend, Peter chained up in the basement. As to why he was there—as a prisoner no less— is only the start to the mysteries!

Peter is an immortal tangled up with some pretty powerful forces that lurk just past the boundaries of Wyatt’s home. Her father was once the protector of the land, using his abilities and blood magic to keep the darkness at bay. But with his death the barrier grows weaker and Wyatt will have to pickup the helm of her father’s work or else terrible things will happen. 

What Wyatt doesn’t know is that Peter must kill her in order to be rid of his own curse. For years throughout their childhood he tried but could never bring himself to do it. With the evil things growing closer, he’s being hounded to carry out the very dark deed or else it will take matters into its own hands. 

I will say that though there were some confusing situations and explanations of things and why they were happening, the story was still very intriguing! I was curious about the forest and the evil hiding inside it. There’s a great deal of mystery surrounding it and it will play tricks on your mind! It’s very hard to trust what you’re seeing sometimes because it may not be what you think it is. This is a lesson Wyatt has to learn several times over. 

Of course Wyatt is also struggling to deal with her father’s role in everything and learning just what Peter is and his abilities. These are all new concepts for her. But she’s learning that the boy she longed to love is keeping his own secrets too. 

There’s definitely complicated romantic tension running between Wyatt and Peter. They like each other but then one wants to kill the other and also wants to protect her from the evil lurking around them. So yes, it’s a very complex situation you’re walking into. 

The ending does get intense as well. It got a little confusing for me but I could also blame that on outside distractions when I was trying to read. But ultimately, it had a very good ending indeed. Strange for sure, but still satisfying. It’s usually a breath of fresh air to read a standalone book as usually, the end is the end! Are there threads that could turn into more? Definitely, if the author wants to go down that path! That’s always the best kind of standalone novel in my opinion!

In the end, while I was a little befuddled by some of the events I found the story to be very intriguing! The mysteries were woven intricately together with magical aspects. The elements blended well together but I might have missed something in the execution to keep myself thoroughly entertained but I was still mildly so! If you’re looking for a read that’s magical and just a bit twisted I’d highly recommend giving My Blood, Your Bones a try!


Overall Rating 3.5/5 stars

 

 

 

 


 

Book Blogger Hop #308

 

 
This meme is hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addict!
 
 
 
This week's question is: June 5th is World Environment Day. Can you suggest a book that has an environmental message or theme? (suggested by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer)




MY ANSWER: Well...I can't really recall if any books I've read contained an environmental message, but I do recall a few that had environmental themes...sorta. Maybe. I guess depending on your interpretation of themes and what you consider environmental! Lol. Yeah...I'm stretching that one!


My first rec is the Weather Warden series by the late and great Rachel Caine! This was one of the first "adult" Urban Fantasy series I picked up and is still one of my faves as I consider it an OG! Lol. It involved a group of people who had magical powers related to the weather. They helped to control Mother Nature's darker tendencies with storms and such, trying to make it easier for the rest of humankind. There were also Djinn involved which were connected to Mother Nature as well! It was a freaking awesome series! Before Rachel passed, she was trying to write out one more adventure for this series that I fully backed on Kickstarter, but sadly she had other contractual obligations that came first, then she got sick, then you know the rest. But the series still ended in a good sense and even had a spinoff that was amazing!



Then there was Elle Cosimano's last YA series, Seasons of the Storm! It was an intriguing duology that had these groups of the four seasons all as teenagers who always had to kill the next season before theirs was to begin. So in this instance, Jack, the Winter entity had to kill the Fall entity and then Spring would come and kill him when it was time for Spring to start. But then one day, Jack decides he doesn't want to do this anymore as he had fallen in love with the Spring who always killed him. Chaos, naturally, ensues.







May 30, 2024

Let's Discuss: Forgetting Words

 

It always seems like in the final hours of the month, I am hit with idea after idea for a discussion! Lol. So here we go!

I was browsing through the contests on Goodreads the other day and I largely look at covers as I do an endless scroll. I'll enter the ones that are books I know I want to read and then I sometimes will pause when I see something that looks interesting and I'll read what it was about. Well, on this particular scroll I saw a cover that caught my eye...I already forgot what the book was, so don't ask, lol. But when I started reading its description I only got in a few words that automatically had me scrolling and then it got me thinking...


Forgetting Words


Okay, another lame title choice, lol. I try to keep them short, but then there are the ones that are hard to explain in 3 words or less! Lol. But basically, what are words you'll read in the synopsis or "cover description" that automatically have you saying, "nope!"

In this particular one I was hit with two where I was just like nope! It's nothing against the words or anything, it's just knowing, from this first sentence, I know this book will not be for me. You make me read it and I'm not going to like it and give a low rating and that's if I force myself to read the whole thing. Words like: warm, hopeful, atmospheric, lyrical, prose, and sometimes powerful--depending on the context--are words that would basically send me running in the other direction. From these words I can gather that the story will not be one of my liking. I run for the hills.

Granted throwing in "contemporary" is likely to do that too, but that's mainly genre related! 


What are words that if you read in a book's synopsis or cover description that would have you automatically passing on it? I feel like having been a reader for so long and constantly adding books to my never-ending TBR pile, I've gotten a good feel for what books will or won't work for me. So I can easily pass on ones that even though at first glance look like they could be a good read, I know they won't necessarily be the kind I am looking for.






Books from the Backlog #85

 

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 @ Carole's Random Life in Books.

 

 

Delilah S. Dawson’s award-winning Blud series comes full circle as Tish and Criminy, stars of Wicked as They Come, embark on a sexy and harrowing final adventure in a world RT Book Reviews called “delightfully edgy with hidden charms.”

Ever since landing in the magical world of Sang and falling in love with dashing ringmaster Criminy Stain, Tish has been waiting for the axe to fall. Until her dying grandmother’s last breath on Earth, Tish can’t bring herself to give up her all-too human frailty and commit to life on Sang as a youthful, long-lived Bludman like her handsome husband. But when a peculiar twist of fate delivers Tish’s grandmother to Sang, an unexpected chain of events forces Tish and Criminy to embark on one last wild adventure. From old friends to new and into the lair of terrifying enemies, the couple’s love and longevity will be pushed to the brink by each harrowing encounter. Is blud thicker than blood, and can Tish and Crim find their wicked ever after?

 

 

I added Wicked Ever After by Delilah S. Dawson to my TBR pile in October of 2015! It's definitely a Kindle book as this was one last adventure in Dawson's Blud series which I LOOVED way back when! I can't say why I haven't picked this one up. Likely because it's on my Kindle and I always forget about those books because they are not staring me in the face like my other TBR books do! It's very hard to pass them up when they glare at you so! Lol. I'm hoping I can dive into this one without needing to reread the series, as I do recall the books followed different characters each time around while seeing the previous characters. This does lead us back to the first couple, so it should be a nice trip down memory lane!

 

 

 

 
 


May 29, 2024

Let's Discuss: Similar Covers

 

So I was reading another post that talked about similar covers and it got me thinking about a few covers I could recall being very similar! I know that sometimes it's due to cover stock images getting pulled by different publishers and maybe doing some tweaking here and there. Not entirely sure how it all works and what not but feel like that could be part of the answer! 


Similar Covers


On the left we have Alyssa Rose Ivy's First that was a novella she wrote (2014) from her hero, Levi's point of view when her novel Flight was from the heroine's point of view. Then at book 3 in Jennifer L. Armentrout's Origin series they decided to change the gorgeous covers they had to ones with people...go figure as to why. I loved those OGs! But behold! In 2018, The Darkest Star was reprinted with this image to represent Luc. Ironically, both guys had an "L" name. 



Then ironically, the next set that I remembered also involved another JLA title! Abbi Glines' Existence not released in 2004 and I can't remember when I read it. Probably a good time later when my blog was up and running! Then while not the same cover and the first edition was even different from this one too, Obsidian clearly came from the same photo shoot here! I feel like all of us bloggers who were reading the Lux books at the time quickly became familiar with Pepe! Lol. I just remember thinking it was cool to have these two books and the majority of the Lux books looking like they came from the same photo shoot!



The next one I found were these two covers Wake Unto Me by Lisa Cach and Not Your Ordinary Faerie Tale by Christine Warren. These you have to look closely on. They aren't 100% the same, but I feel like they could be the same photo shoot. As the left cover the guy's arms are more down and on the right they are up. Plus we're dealing with half their faces on the right and he's ghostly on the left. But when I did a closeup look when I had them both in my hand awhile ago...before they went into storage, I was convinced they were the same couple! What's funny is the left is YA and the right is adult, but they seem to pull it off for both age ranges.



So my next problem was as I scrolled through my Goodreads list as again, my books are all in storage so posts like these are hard. They are based on my spotty memory or my Goodreads usage, is that when I pulled up one cover, I was convinced I saw one cover on another book but I only own one of the books. The "other" book is likely one from my spotty memory in the blogging days where I saw someone with said book and I was like OH! THAT LOOKS LIKE THE COVER FOR X TITLE! Problem is that other book was likely one not in my genre or scope of reading, so I cannot remember what it is! Lol. But I figure 3 is good enough! Lol!

Have you ever came across the same cover--or what looks like the same cover but could be from the same photo shoot or the same picture with a little skillful editing--on two different books? Which book did you see first and how long was it when you saw the second book? Looking at these examples, it really wasn't all that long for me! Lol.








Can't Wait Wednesday

 

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.

 

From the author of The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy comes a heartwarming fantasy with a best friends-to-lovers rom com twist--When Harry Met Sally, but with dragons!—set in the delightful demigod and donut-filled world of Tanria.

The entire town of Eternity was shocked when widowed, middle-aged Twyla Banneker partnered up with her neighbor and best friend, Frank Ellis, to join the Tanrian Marshals. Eight years later, Twyla and Frank are still patrolling the dangerous land of Tanria, the former prison of the Old Gods.

Twyla might look like a small town mom who brings cheesy potatoes to funerals and whips up a batch of cookies for the school bake sale, but her rewarding career in law enforcement has been a welcome change from the domestic grind of mom life, despite the misgivings of her grown children.

Fortunately (or unfortunately) a recent decrease in on-the-job peril has made Twyla and Frank's job a lot safer ... and a lot less exciting. So when they discover the body of one of their fellow marshals covered in liquid glitter--and Frank finds himself the inadvertent foster dad to a baby dragon--they are more than happy to be back on the beat.

Soon, the friends wind up ensnared in a nefarious plot that goes far deeper than any lucrative Tanrian mineshaft. But as the danger closes in and Twyla and Frank's investigation becomes more complicated, so does their easy friendship. And Twyla starts to realize that her true soul mate might just be the person who has lived next door all along...

 

I did not expect to love The Undertaking of Hart and Mercy as much as I did two years ago, but omg, it was so cute! I am just loving these sort of cozy paranormal reads! It's a nice break from some of my other paranormal reads that can get a little intense! But don't get me wrong, I love those too! It's just a nice change of pace without having to leave the genre!

 

TITLE: The Undermining of Twyla and Frank
AUTHOR: Megan Bannen

PUBLISHER: Orbit
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE: July 2, 2024

 

 

Nothing sucks more than fake dating a vampire in this paranormal romantic comedy from the USA Today bestselling author of My Roommate Is a Vampire.

Amelia Collins is by definition successful. She would even go so far as to say successfully single. But not according to her family, and she’s tired of the constant questions about her nonexistent dating life. When an invitation to yet another family wedding arrives, she decides to get everyone off her back once and for all by finding someone–anyone–to pose as her date.

After a chance encounter with Reginald Cleaves, Amelia decides he’s perfect for her purposes. He’s a bit strange, but that’s fine; it’ll discourage tough questions from her family. (And it certainly doesn’t hurt that he’s very handsome.) For centuries-old vampire Reggie, posing as her plus-one sounds like the ultimate fun. And if it helps his ruse of pretending to be human, so much the better.

As Amelia and Reggie practice their fauxmance, it becomes clear that Reggie is as loyal to her as the day is long, and that Amelia’s first impressions could not have been more wrong. Suddenly, being in a real relationship with Reggie sounds pretty fang-tastic.

 

Okay, I still need to read My Roommate is a Vampire, but it sounds so darn cute and paranormally that I feel like it's one I will enjoy. So I am tentatively putting this one on my list too! Though I am definitely going to read MRIAV first before buying this one just to be safe since it is that extra fuzzy kind of paranormal romance! But yeah, I will most likely be adding it to my TBR! Lol.

 

TITLE: My Vampire Plus-One
AUTHOR: Jenna Levine

PUBLISHER: Berkley
GENRE: Paranormal Romance
RELEASE DATE: September 17, 2024

 

 

 

 


 
 


May 28, 2024

Review--Revelations by Bella Higgin

 

Truth comes at a cost.

Ever since Renie Mayfield survived the merciless attack on Belle Morte that killed donors and vampires alike, she is forever changed. Now a vampire, the agonizing transformation of her body and mind is rivaled only by uncovering the horrific truth about her sister, June, who has escaped the mansion in her rabid form, adding even more chaos to Renie’s reality.

As the vampire responsible for Renie’s change, and now her distress, Edmond Dantes remains in his own desperate place. He’s confined in the secret cells of Belle Morte, awaiting the arrival of the council and the subsequent punishment for his actions. Edmond questions if what he did was right and deeply regrets what has become of his home.

Desperate to free Edmond, find June, and bring justice to whoever is behind the recent violence, Renie is out for blood in more ways than one. The smell of corruption is embedded in the walls of Belle Morte, but behind the walls are even more secrets that may lead to the truth and to justice.

 

 

Bella Higgin's Revelations was an exciting and thrilling installment in the Belle Morte series and picks up right where we left off in Belle Morte! It's always interesting to see when a series continues if they'll pickup right where you left off or have some time roll by and I have to say I much prefer the former as it makes you feel like you haven't missed out on anything.

Picking up where we left off, Renie is a newly turned vampire and after a harrowing few days of transitioning, she has made it through the worst of it. Only to wake up and learn that Edmond has been imprisoned for turning her, as it's consider a crime in the vampire world to do so without getting permission first. Ysanne had given Edmond the okay to help Renie through the first few days but now must follow the rules she had helped established.

Meanwhile, Etienne and her rabid sister, June are MIA. No one knows where they have went and that will be another issue to be addressed by the Council. When the council arrives to discuss what had happened when June attacked the house and what led to Renie's change, things take a drastic turn. In that, Etienne makes an appearance with a very different story to tell, one that the Council members believed as the truth. Naturally, Renie is outraged! As I was I! Nothing makes me madder when people believe the liar and their lies and take it as truth! So I was raging right alongside Renie but Etienne masterful wove his lies into a believable truth, one that painted Ysanne as the villain.

It's not long before chaos ensues, one that makes Renie, Edmond, Ysanne, Ludovic, and Renie's friends Roux and Jason run for their lives. There are traitors among Ysanne's vampires and they are set to believe in Etienne's lies and turn everyone against the motley crew and paint Ysanne as the ultimate villain. Naturally, the group of vampires and human feeders will have to work together and come up with a way to get Ysanne her House back and expose the truth so that the world at large knows what really happened.

This was definitely an entertaining read for sure! Although, I was fully enraged when everyone just seemed to believe Etienne's lies. Nothing makes me madder when everyone willing believes a liar and won't listen to any other side of the story. I can't explain it, but I feel full on Hulk anger! Lol.

I also enjoyed watching Renie adjust to her new life as a vampire. It's always interesting to see how authors write their vampires as they are all different. Renie has a tough road ahead of her, but adapts fairly well to her new circumstances. The pacing was done very well too as we move seamlessly from one problem to another and all the continuing conflicts that roll along with it.

Renie and Edmond's romance continues to develop. I guess the problem with binge reading is that things seem to move along at a rapid pace relationship wise. While it took a little time to develop in the first book, the attraction was running rampant between them. Now the fire's even hotter and since Renie is running at vampire stamina, well you can imagine hot and heavy things get between them!

I was also really surprised by how this one ended! Things seem like they are at a nice pause and I really ought to not read onto the next book and have to wait another year for the conclusion, but who am I kidding? I'm going to pick it up to discover what the next conflict is and end with a killer cliffhanger! I can feel it! Lol. Things are relatively resolved for now, the main conflicts at least. There are lingering results that will need to be addressed and life as Renie knew it even after becoming a vampire have been irrevocably changed. So yeah, I am definitely looking forward to seeing where things will go from here!

If you're looking for a classic YA Vampire love story rife with action and mystery then I would strongly recommend picking up the Belle Morte series! It's been a delight so far and has such a great vampire storyline going on that I can't help but breeze through the pages.



Overall Rating 4/5 stars






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.

 

"Ysanne's eyes burned fiery red and her fangs were fully extended. She stalked across the floor and kicked ipen the doors with a stilettoed foot." p 117



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

TITLE: Revelations
AUTHOR: Bella Higgin

PUBLISHER: Wattpad Books
GENRE: YA Paranormal
RELEASE DATE: May 9, 2023



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 I was Super Excited to Get My Hands On, but Still Haven't Read



*in no particular order
**pleases don't ask why I have yet to pick any of these up! I honestly do not know!


10. CRUEL ILLUSIONS by Margie Fuston--it pretty much had me at Caraval meets Buffy the Vampire Slayer!
9. THE MASKED TRUTH by Kelley Armstrong--
I used to always be caught up on Kelley's books then something happened and I am now forever behind!
8. CURSED CRUISE by Victoria Fulton & Faith McClaren--
was SUPER excited for this one then my copy was lost and then I had to wait again for the replacement and then I had moved onto other books.



7. FOXGLOVE by Adalyn Grace--was so ready for this book at one point but then obviously something happened and it kept getting pushed further down the queue!
6. THRONE OF THE FALLEN by Kerri Maniscalco--
was super excited for this one but then when I saw its sheer size I knew I didn't have time for it once I got it as I am super slow reader! Hopefully I can squeeze in sometime this year!
5. SORCERY OF THORNS by Margaret Rogerson--
really need to read this one asap! Hopefully can make it my next next read since the series I thought I was binging isn't actually over yet! Oops!



4. TRULY DEVIOUS by Maureen Johnson--how have I not started this series yet?!
3. THE LIBRARY OF SHADOWS by Rachel Moore--
any book with a ghost as an actual character vs nemesis to be defeated grabs my attention!
2. THE FOREST GRIMM by Kathryn Purdie--
the cover...and the title say it all! Why haven't I read it yet?!



1. THE RETURN by Jennifer L. Armentrout--every year I say I'll read this but every year I somehow fail to do so! That I haven't read it sickens me to my core! I need to fix that!