Author: Jolie

I love to read. My favorite genres are women's fiction, romance, psychological thrillers, fantasy, young adult, steampunk, dystopian, LGBTQIA, and paranormal.

Beyond The Dark Gate (The Flow of Power: Book 2) by R.V. Johnson

Beyond The Dark Gate: Epic Fantasy Adventure (The Flow of Power Book 2)

Title: Beyond The Dark Gate

Author: R.V. Johnson

Publisher: Lost in The New World Publishing

Date of Publication: December 13th, 2016

Genre: Dark Fantasy

Number of pages: 532

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Flow of Power

Beyond the Sapphire Gate – Book 1 (review here)

Where you can find Beyond The Dark Gate: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads): 

The Flow of Power Rages On.

Faced with a choice that could save or destroy those Crystalyn loves, madness looms at the edge of her broken mind. Jade’s aura-reading ability develops, evolving beyond wholesome. Garn’s enslavement ends, something far worse taking its place.

Determined to destroy the foundation of power on Astura, the hooded man’s intrigues wreak havoc on the land.

A brilliant Dark robe executes a bold plan that, if successful, will unleash a great malevolence.

Enduring in the shadows for millennia, a new influence emerges. Gaining strength from others, its alien cunning has subjugated entire worlds with none the wiser.

With peril lurking everywhere, Crystalyn’s great and brittle strength becomes ever more imperative to her friends’ and families’ welfare…but only if she can hold up.

The epic saga continues in this action-packed second novel of The Flow of Power series.

My review:

There are times where I dread reading series, mainly series where I absolutely loved the first book. My expectations are usually too high and it’s a let down when the 2nd book isn’t as good as the first one. Fortunately for Beyond The Dark Gate, my expectations were beyond met and I was most definitely not let down.

Beyond The Dark Gate starts off almost immediately after Crystalyn, Jade and company returned to Astura through the gate in Ruena Day’s office. The reason why they decided to back to Astura, to find and defeat Darwin Darkwing, a powerful Dark User and one-time love interest of Crystalyn.

Jade seemed to get the short end of the stick in this book, again. Not only is she separated from Crystalyn fairly early in the book, but she is also taken over by the entity called The One Mind and is completely under its power. It takes over people by inhabiting their minds and forcing them to do its will. Jade is able to keep a part of her mind separate from The One Mind but she is aware of everything that it is doing. For some reason, it reminded me of Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the old cult classic). Luckily, for her, before she got possessed, she actually met up with Garn. I say luckily because It listens to him.

Crystalyn, however, keeps getting sucked into battle after battle….on top of trying to locate her missing sister. I don’t know how she did it because I would have been overcome with exhaustion. Plus, she kept getting injured and bouncing back. I couldn’t believe it when she was up and walking after getting her head split open by Brother Craven. I did like seeing how she was a very strong female leader who didn’t take anything from anyone. Her anger issue was still there, from the last book, but she seemed to be better at controlling it and channeling it into her symbols.

The secondary characters were what made the book. From Broth, Crystalyn’s bondmate, to 8 foot tall Lore Rayna who was half tree and had a dress that was made out of leaves to Atoi, the Dark Child who has allied herself with Crystalyn for reason’s only known to herself to Hastel, the one-eyed warrior, and many others. They wove a rich backdrop and played vital roles in the story for both Jade and Crystalyn.

I think I was very surprised when Sureen, Garn’s wife and Jade’s and Crystalyn’s mother, showed up not only alive but as a User. There were hints in the first book but I wasn’t ready for her appearance in this book. Neither was Crystalyn. The talk that they had about her disappearance was exactly the one I would have had if my mother had disappeared on me years ago.

There were some unexpected deaths’ in the book that made me very sad and a bit surprised. I was not ready for this character’s death and I think I might have let a few curse words slip out.

The end of the book was fantastic and oh my, what an epic battle.

How many stars will I give Beyond the Sapphire Gate: 4

Why: 3 Dimensional characters and a plotline that kept my attention.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older teen

Why: Violence and talk of sexual situations (just talk, nothing is described)

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Catch Me (The Donovan Family: Book 9) by Margaret Watson

Catch Me (The Donovan Family Book 9)

Title: Catch Me

Author: Margaret Watson

Publisher: Dragonfly Press

Date of publication: March 31st, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 342

POV: 3rd person

Series: The Donovan Family

Love Me – Book 1

Watch Me – Book 2

Find Me – Book 3

Trust Me – Book 4

Cover Me – Book 5 (review here)

Protect Me – Book 6 (review here)

Save Me – Book 7

See Me – Book 8

Catch Me – Book 9

Where you can find Catch Me – Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

When Chicago Bearcats baseball player Sam Marini witnesses a brutal confrontation outside a bar, he can’t help the victim. So he does the next best thing – shoots a video of the attack.

He assumes he’ll hand it over and be done with the case. But when the investigating detective is Julia Carleton, a woman he’d met at his sister’s wedding, he can’t walk away. Julia, however, hides dark secrets, and can’t get involved with Sam.

As they work together to ensure justice, their simmering attraction heats to combustion. But the father of the attacker is a wealthy, powerful man who doesn’t like to lose. When Dean Kirby grows more and more desperate to protect his son, the threats against Sam and Julia escalate.

Julia vows to protect Sam, but can she keep her heart safe? Choosing him means risking the job that means everything to her.

My review:

Catch Me is Sam and Julia’s story. Sam, if you remember from the past novels in The Donovan Series, is Priscilla younger brother and Julia is a cop on the force with the Donovan siblings/Priscilla. Both Sam and Julia have made appearances in the past books, so I was waiting for them to have their own story. I was a bit surprised that it was with each other.

I loved the storyline. Sam, a professional ballplayer with the Bearcats, was walking home from the game when he witnesses a crime. Having caught the crime on his phone, he is the star witness in the case….which was just assault and battery. Julia is the first detective on the scene and takes the scene over from an overbearing, woman-hating cop who was trying to intimidate Sam into giving his phone to him. When Sam’s name is released in a police blog, he becomes a number one target for the bad guys. When that doesn’t work, they move onto his mother. Which was a mistake.

The chemistry between Same and Julia sizzled. That is one thing that I look for in a romance novel when I read it. Chemistry that comes off the pages in waves and oh boy, did they have it. Poor Julia tried to keep it under control, tried to stifle it and well, let’s just say that it made for a pretty memorable first sex scene. Talk about needing a fan.

I thought the bad guys were pretty stupid in this book and not very bright. One was a roid head and the other one thought he could use his wealth to bully people around. Not going to go much into them but they got what they deserved in the end….all of them did.

The ending was very fitting for this book and I loved that everyone was at the hospital waiting for Priscilla to have the baby. I also liked that they were taking bets. I kinda laughed at that one because I had something similar happen with my youngest. Except no one won because she was in a hurry to be born (I had her 10 mins after being admitted to L&D).

How many stars will I give Catch Me: 4

Why: A well-written romance with a great plotline and characters that had some sizzling chemistry.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it

Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series: Book 3) by Emigh Cannaday

Catch & Release (The Sloane Spadowski Series Book 3)

Title: Catch & Release

Author: Emigh Cannaday

Publisher: Silver Poplar Press

Date of publication: April 5th, 2017

Genre: Romance

Number of pages: 222

POV: 1st person

Series: The Sloane Spadowski Series

Jerk Bait – Book 1 (review here)

Slip Sinker – Book 2 (review here)

Catch & Release – Book 3

Where you can find Catch & Release: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Jaded from years of playing catch and release when it comes to men, Sloane is ready to land one for keeps. When she winds up stranded at the Barbie dream house deep in the heart of Texas, she sees it as a chance to cast her net on true love. What begins as a not-so-innocent play date quickly turns into a summer packed full of adventure and romance. Not wanting to rock the boat, Sloane keeps her deeper feelings a secret until the right moment comes along. But living in a world of make-believe can’t last forever. As the summer comes to an end she has to decide if she’s going to hang on and fight or cut the line.

* The Sloane Spadowski series is a whimsical, rowdy, dirty blend of Contemporary Romance and Romantic Comedy with occasional adult language and adults behaving badly. This is the third and final installment of a complete series.

My review:

Catch & Release was everything that I hoped it would be and then some. But what I didn’t expect was the emotional rollercoaster I went on reading this book. I went from joy to grief within pages of each other. Of course, we can’t forget falling in and out of love.

I enjoyed seeing Sloane growing up in this book. What I mean growing up, she matured big time. She went from being a self-centered girl who changed jobs and men as often as she changed her underwear to a woman who realized that she couldn’t keep that lifestyle going and needed to make personal and lifestyle changes. Of course, though, this happens all after her trip to Texas. Before that, I could see her changing.

I am not going to come out and say that I was unhappy that she and Andy broke up. They were not happy together. I do think that maybe Sloane should have broken it off sooner than later. I mean, Barbie did ask her to break it off as soon as they had sex but she couldn’t do it.

The whole showdown at Barbie’s Dreamhouse was heartbreaking. I actually felt for Andy and I didn’t blame him one bit for him freaking out on both Sloane and Barbie. They both deserved it. I mean they did have sex while Sloane was still in a relationship with Andy. What shocked me was the way he found out: Sloane talks in her sleep. Talk about ouch!!

The sex between Barbie and Sloane was hot, as usual. But what got me was the scene in the pool, after Andy left and both Sloane and Barbie were still reeling from Andy’s speech. OMG, the feels and the song that was used to set it. Wicked Game by Chris Isaak. Love that song!!

I was very surprised with the turn that the book took at the end. While I understand why it was written that way, I couldn’t get over why it was written the way it was written. Saying that I was shocked was an understatement. But, like I said in the beginning of this review, it actually went well with Sloane’s transformation.

I am going to miss this series and reading about Sloane’s shenanigans. The book couldn’t have ended on a better note (once I got over my shock) and I am hoping that Sloane, Andy, and Barbie make an appearance in another book or a short story.

How many stars will I give Catch & Release: 4

Why: This was a great ending to a great series. Sloane, Barbie, and Andy grew on me. The plot was great and the twist at the end of the book did shock me.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Dragon Court (Dragon Highlands: Book 2)by Jennifer Amriss

Dragon Court (An M/M Gay Fantasy Romance)

Title: Dragon Court

Author: Jennifer Amriss

Publisher: Magelight Press

Date of publication: May 3rd, 2017

Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance

Number of pages: 379

POV: 3rd person

Series: Dragon Highlands

Mage of Legend (review here)

Dragon Court

Where you can find Dragon Court: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

The Dragon King Returns.
But his reign may be at an end.

Xastrian and Velithor return to the Dragon Highlands expecting a celebratory welcome. Instead, his assassin is still at large, and the court is in an uproar. Xastrian may lose his right to rule, if not his life.

A kingdom at war.

A long-exiled warrior race is invading through a rip in the veil between worlds, and the court lays the fault at Xastrian’s feet. Faced with this new threat, the court wants to see a new elf on the throne.

A reluctant new co-ruler.

Velithor has kept away from crowds all his life, but his love for Xastrian is stronger. But when his father-in-law raises him as the new Dragon King, serving beside Xastrian, it might be too much. Especially when an old enemy emerges, this time with Velithor in his sights.

My review:

I can’t tell you guys how excited I was to read this book. I had read book 1 (Mage of Legend) and fell in love with Xastrian (Xastri) and Velithor (Veli). So when Jennifer was sending out the ARC’s for Dragon Court, I pounced on it. It exceeded my expectations and I was literally glued to the page.

The romance between Xastrian and Velithor was what made the book.  Their love for each other couldn’t be broken. Not by anyone or anything. I loved reading a book where such a love was put on display. Sure, the relationship was majorly tested, but they overcame it by talking about their issues (gasp). Amazing that fictional characters can do what real life people don’t do….talk about things.

I liked how Xastrian’s grandfather and father were portrayed in the book. I feel into Instalove with his grandfather, Va’asdrian. He was so accepting of Velithor and went out of his way to make sure that Velithor was comfortable. Now, Xastrian’s father, Mivikial, was a jerk when he first met Velithor and to be honest, I didn’t care for him. But the more he showed up in the story, the more he grew on me and I will say, that after a certain scene…..I loved him. If you want to know what that scene is, read the book.

The invasion storyline was very interesting because the invaders were coming through a rift caused by Xastri in the first book. I did wish that we were taken to that world by the author. That way I could have understood how they had magic nulling powers. Maybe another book because I find it is a race that I am fascinated with.

The Red Dragon storyline was very interesting. I say that because of what is revealed when Veli is taken there. I’m not going to go into it much because doing that will kinda ruin a part of the book. I will just leave it at this: Red Dragons are not what you think they are. Read the book to find out more about them.

Now, the assassin storyline. I will say that I did figure out part of it pretty early in the book. I figured it out right before Asseisal called for Xastri to be dethroned for his actions. I was a little shocked, though, at what happened afterward. Actually, a little shocked doesn’t cover what I felt. Again, something that I don’t want to show because it is a big part of the latter half of the book. You really need to read the book to find out what I am talking about.

I have to mention Velithor’s father. He was such an idiot (keeping that Amazon PC) and I was honestly surprised that Xastrian didn’t beat him down. But, when Velithor was stabbed, his father was there for him and took over his healing. It was during that healing that Velithor’s father reveals why he said was he said and expressed remorse for his past and present behavior. He also admitted a ton of guilt for the way Velithor was conceived and the miscarriages that followed his wife’s blood ritual. I was glad to see that Velithor and his father were working things out.

The sex scenes were hot. The last sex scene, though, speared my heart. Talk about an awesome way to heal and it made me love Veli and Xastri even more.

The end of the book had a twist in it that I didn’t see coming. Nothing was mentioned up until it was revealed and I was pretty shocked. But what also shocked me was what happened afterward. But, it was very fitting for all the mischief and mayhem that was caused in the book. There is a hint of a HEA in the book too….which makes me very happy.

How many stars will I give Dragon Court: 5

Why: This book exceeded everything I hoped for it. Amazing, well-written characters, storylines that were intense and kept me on my toes and a love that couldn’t be kept on the pages.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Violence, sex, and language. There are some scenes that could easily trigger people so I would read with caution

I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Excalibur Rising: Book One by Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Excalibur Rising: Book One of an Arthurian Saga by [Hodgetts, Eileen Enwright]

Title: Excalibur Rising

Author: Eileen Enwright Hodgetts

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: September 1st, 2016

Genre: Fantasy

Number of pages: 326

POV: Alternating 3rd person

Series: Excalibur Rising

Excalibur Rising: Book 1

Excalibur Rising: Book 2

Excalibur Rising: Book 3

Where can you find Excalibur Rising: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In a villa in Florida, a woman with violet eyes dreams of an ancient document. In a hotel room in Las Vegas, a renowned historian who claims to have found the sword Excalibur dies a violent death at the hands of one-eyed man. In London, a treasure hunter sets out to find the sword that cannot be and the resting place of the king who could not exist.
Powerful forces are at work breathing life into the legend.
At long last Excalibur is rising.

My review:

Now I know that I have mentioned my love for all things King Arthur/Camelot in past blogs. I can’t read enough about it and when Eileen approached me to review Excalibur Rising, I pounced on it after reading the blurb. I am glad I did because this book is not what I thought it was going to be. I thought it was going to be a love story with some action mixed in. Instead, what I got was a book that was definitely not a romance. If I had to classify it, I would say that it was more like Angels and Demons except thrown in a whole fantasy element and a dash of romance along with the intrigue and adventure.

The book starts off with Marcus Ryan, a professor of archeology who used to be a star on his own syndicated TV show. He is now a has been and is working for a mob boss verifying different artifacts that come through his hotel. Honestly, I didn’t like him at first. He just rubbed me the wrong way. He came off as an irresponsible, selfish man who only cared for himself. The scene where he justified to himself why he did certain things (like not having a relationship with or supporting his wife and daughters) made me dislike him even more. He also could not stick up for himself and if he did, people ignored him when he did stick up for himself and he just went along with what people planned. Which is how he ended up with a chalice, a paper and a piece of crystal that was given to him by his mentor before the mentor died. The chalice, paper and the piece of crystal were clues to finding Excalibur.

Violet Chambray was a very interesting character to read. When she was first introduced into the story, she was somewhat of a con artist. I say somewhat because she can see images from objects that she touches and she has visions but she chooses to use her gifts for her own gain. She knows nothing of her past….except that she was left at an orphanage in France and at an early age. She saw something on that piece of paper that made Ryan’s mobster boss take her with them. What she saw, though, revealed clues to her past and to where Excalibur could be.

What I really liked about this story is that the author chose to explore the myth that Arthur was sleeping instead of waiting to be resurrected by Merlin. Every angle of the Arthurian myth discussed and basically disproved…..except for the Arthur is sleeping myth.

I also liked how the two main storylines (the dam being built along with Ryan’s search for Excalibur) were woven together pretty early in the story. The sense of urgency that showed up when Ryan and company were in England became even more pronounced once the sluice gates to the dam opened up.

The one-eyed killer was a pretty evil dude and he left a wake of mayhem behind him wherever he went. At first, I couldn’t understand why he was so vested in finding Excalibur but the explanation was later in the book. That’s when I went “Ahhhh, ok. Makes sense.”

The end of the book was very anticlimactic and it definitely left an opening for book 2. Which I can’t wait to read because I need to find out what happens to certain characters!!

How many stars will I give Excalibur Rising: 4

Why: A great take on the King Arthur myth. The plot was fast and the characters were engaging. I couldn’t read this book fast enough.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Mild language and violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Real Friends by Shannon Hale, Illustrated by LeUyen Pham

Real Friends

Title: Real Friends

Author: Shannon Hale

Illustrator: LeUyen Pham

Publisher: First Second Books

Date of Publication: May 2nd, 2017

Genre: Comics, Graphic Novels, Middle Grade

Number of pages: 224

POV: 1st person

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book Synopsis: 

When best friends are not forever . . .

Shannon and Adrienne have been best friends ever since they were little. But one day, Adrienne starts hanging out with Jen, the most popular girl in class and the leader of a circle of friends called The Group. Everyone in The Group wants to be Jen’s #1, and some girls would do anything to stay on top . . . even if it means bullying others.

Now every day is like a roller coaster for Shannon. Will she and Adrienne stay friends? Can she stand up for herself? And is she in The Group—or out?

Newbery Honor author Shannon Hale and New York Times bestselling illustrator LeUyen Pham join forces in this graphic memoir about how hard it is to find your real friends—and why it’s worth the journey.

My review:

Real Friends is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel about a girl who is trying to find her place at school and at home. Dealing with subjects like bullying, anxiety, and OCD, Real Friends is a must read for any child or parent who is going through something similar.

I think that this should be a book that every parent should have their children between 2nd and 5th grade read. Shannon could be any child, in any school with these very real problems and I think it would do a child good to read a graphic novel where the character is going through the same things as they are. That way they can see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and that one day, those that were picking on them eventually end up in their shoes.

Shannon did come across as someone who would do anything to stay in “The Group”. Anything and when I was reading those chapters where she was doing that, I wanted to cry for her. She was trying to so hard and they just treated her like she was invisible. But as she got older and more mature, she slowly began to realize that it wasn’t her. I think that when she broke up with “The Group” and started making friends with the older kids in her grade (she was in a 5th grade/6th-grade split class), that she realized her worth.

Adrienne and Jen annoyed the ever-living out of me. Adrienne for not being a true friend to Shannon. She allowed those girls, well mainly Jen, to bully Shannon, spread lies about her and just make Shannon’s life miserable. What really got me annoyed with her was when she allowed her brother to scream at Shannon and then agreed with some of what he said.

And don’t get me started on Jen. What a miserable, unhappy girl. She found an easy victim in Shannon and took every opportunity to let her know how unpopular she was or how lucky she was being allowed to hang out with them. I will say that I agreed with Shannon’s decision at the end of the book. I know the author had some reserves about writing that part of the story the way she wrote it and I will say…I agreed with the way it was written.

The drama at home was pretty hard to read too. Shannon’s sister, Wendy, was portrayed as a bear for most of the book and she was so mean to her. I was a little shocked that there was physical violence shown. That being Wendy smacking Shannon around and I started to get angry at Wendy. But, the more the story went on, the more that the author let little things slip about Wendy. About her struggles with bullies and making friends at school. Which made me understand why she acted the way she acted.

The end of the book was very well written and I loved the afterward that the author wrote.

How many stars will I give Real Friends: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading this book and thought that the message that was included in it was one that every child should read. This was the 2nd graphic novel that I have read and I really liked it. The illustrations were fantastic!!

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Child

Why: This is a middle-grade book, written for children between 8-12. There is some slight violence in the book but it is going with the storyline about bullying and drama at home.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Mostly Human by D.I. Jolly

Mostly Human: Young Adult Werewolf Rockstar Fantasy Novel by [Jolly, D.I.]

Title: Mostly Human

Author: D.I. Jolly

Publisher: Tinpot Publishing

Date of publication: July 4th, 2016

Genre: Young Adult, Paranormal, Fantasy

Number of pages: 494

POV: 3rd person

Where you can find Mostly Human: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Alex Harris is a world-famous rock star, lead singer of the Internationally acclaimed band The Waterdogs. But Alex is no ordinary rocker, he has a secret that he and his family have painstakingly kept since Alex was ten years old.

This is the story of him, and his life, growing up with his parents and his elder sister Annabel whilst coming to grips with a strange condition.

Follow them as this Journey twists and turns its’ way through tragedies, heartbreak, intrigue and into the clutches of organized crime.

My review:

I am going to be blunt. The cover of Mostly Human does not show the awesome story that is beyond the cover. If I were browsing on Amazon and saw this, I would pass on by. My suggestion to the author would be a new cover that reflects the story. Because Alex looks like he’s part zombie and the picture of Annabel in the background doesn’t do her justice….at all.

I really liked that the book was told in 3 parts. Alex as a child, Alex as a teen and Alex as an adult. I think that it fully showed how being a werewolf affected Alex at each stage of his life. As a child, he couldn’t do sports anymore (because of his strength and speed) and he had to adjust to being a werewolf. He couldn’t get his heartbeat up, get upset in public or do anything that a normal tween that age would do. He had to learn to live with his wolf which was achieved through breathing exercises, meditation, and Tai Chi.

As a teenager, Alex had to learn to deal with typical and atypical situations as both a teenage boy and as a teenage werewolf. While he was dealing with changes, an awful thing happens and Alex blames himself. Actually, blames himself to the point where he starts looking for a cure so he could be normal again. I wanted to cry during his scenes with his grandfather and grandmother when he went to live with them to get over what happened. That was the saddest part of the entire book. The guilt he had was very overwhelming.

As an adult, Alex was successful, a great brother/son/uncle and still was a werewolf. He explained his absences during the full moon as a “medical condition”. I do think that he still struggled with being a werewolf at times but it came across that he accepted it. He also came across as a bit of a player. His relationships didn’t last beyond 3 months and when he wasn’t exclusive with a girl, he was sleeping with a different one each night. That was probably the only thing I didn’t like about the book.

The end of the book ended with a cliffhanger and it made me scream. If you have followed my blog for any time, you know that I don’t care for cliffhangers. While I see their purpose, they annoy the ever-living out of me. Saying that this cliffhanger does make me want to read book 2 when it comes out. I need to find out what happens to Alex!!

How many stars will I give Mostly Human: 4

Why: Mostly Human was a different take on the typical werewolf story and it definitely appealed to me. The plot was fast and engaging, the characters were 3 dimensional and there was plenty of action.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Sexual situations, language, and some violence

**I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it**

The Millionaire’s Wife by Shalini Boland

The Millionaire's Wife: An absolutely gripping psychological thriller by [Boland, Shalini]

Title: The Millionaire’s Wife

Author: Shalini Boland

Publisher: Adrenalin Books

Date of publication: April 27th, 2017

Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

POV: 1st person

Number of pages: 306

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

How far would you go for the one you love? Lie…cheat…KILL?

When a woman is killed on the other side of the world, Anna Blackwell realizes that her past has caught up with her. That her greatest fear is about to come true. That it’s her turn next.

Uncover a web of lies and deceit in this chilling, twisty suspense thriller.

My review:

I like it when a mystery/suspense/thriller is so creepy that I am still creeped out…the day after I read it. This book kept me on the edge of my seat while I was reading it. I devoured The Millionaire’s Wife and I finished it within a day.

The suspense and thriller parts of the book are what sold me. From the first chapter, when Anna is getting the mysterious texts to when Fin showed up to the one twist I didn’t see coming and the twist I figured out, I couldn’t stop reading the book.

What I also liked about this book, which normally I don’t like and usually complain about, was that the book went back and forth in time. The book mainly takes place in 2017 but every few chapters, the author would flashback to different times. Starting with 2005 and ending in 2014, you got a good look into Anna and Fin’s relationship. As well as her relationship with Sian and her parents. Like I said, I normally don’t like it but in this case, it worked with the book. While Anna is dealing with her present-day issues, the past Anna has a whole bunch of issues that give to her present-day problems.

I did think Anna acted like an ostrich during the first couple of chapters. But honestly, if I were in her shoes, I think I would have done the same thing. Just keep everything to myself and pray that it goes away. But in her case, it didn’t go away. But that is what made the book so good.

Fin was a seriously deranged dude. Even when Anna and he first got together, I could see it. And the years that they spent apart didn’t do anything but make him even more insane. If you want to know what I mean, read the book.

There are two twists in the book. One that I saw coming (the way that the past scenes ended really did hint at it and it was a no-brainer when the twist became known). But the other one, well that shocked me. Talk about a character doing a 180. I couldn’t contain my shock. I was also shocked by the puppy hatred by another character. It made me sad but I can see why the author wrote it that way.

The end of the book was also a bit of a surprise but I enjoyed it. It was the perfect ending to the story.

How many stars will I give The Millionaire’s Wife: 4

Why: I really enjoyed this book. It had a great storyline, characters that I felt bad for, rooted for and that creeped out me out.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Language, violence, and some sexual situations

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

A Chosen War by Carly Eldridge

A Chosen War

Title: A Chosen War

Author: Carly Eldridge

Publisher: REUTS Publication

Date of publication: April 25th, 2017

Genre: Paranormal, Fantasy, Science Fiction, New Adult, Romance

POV: 3rd person

Number of pages: Unknown

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Nineteen-year-old Maia has spent her life haunted by dreams of a man with uniquely brilliant blue eyes. She never expected she’d actually come face-to-face with him, or that he’d be the harbinger of a chaotic new life. But as shocking as meeting Blake is, it’s less unsettling than her sudden ability to adversely affect electronics and seemingly control—even heal—plants.

Before she can figure out what’s happening, Blake’s cryptic warning about the impending approach of something big manifests as a freak earthquake, destroying Maia’s home and killing her parents. Devastated, Maia has no choice but to turn to Blake, where she learns that the earthquake was not as natural as it seemed. The reigning Terra guardian, or Mother Earth, has gone rogue, wiping out her replacements in a series of orchestrated natural disasters around the world—and Maia is next.

Worse, she’s the only one who can stop the Terra guardian from destroying not just Earth, but the fabric of the universe itself. Now, thrust into a world of celestial beings charged with the protection of the universe, Maia must come to terms with her new powers and the idea that her destiny was shaped long ago. And she must do it all before she faces off with the woman who controls nature itself.

Intelligent and thought-provoking, A Chosen War takes the idea that everything is connected and wraps it in a globe-spanning adventure with just a tinge of romance.

My review:

For those of you who have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I have recently started reviewing New Adult books. The genre is growing on me. As with all genres’, you have the exceptional books, the good books, and the bad books. A Chosen War falls somewhere between exceptional and good.  Why does it fall between exceptional and good? Because I didn’t feel that connection with two of the main characters….which is important in books that I review. What also caused this book to fall exceptional and good was that the plot seemed to creep at points.

I think that A Chosen War did fit into the paranormal, fantasy, romance, and New Adult perfectly. I loved that there were guardians (or praeses) of the earth, animals, plants, air, water, and the moon with mythical guardians, called Talis, who guard the Council that watches over them. It was a perfect blend of mythology (angels, demons) and the author’s own imagination. The way that each praeses interacted with their environment was pretty cool. Blake was the praeses of the Sun, Leo was the animals, Reed was the plants, Lana was water, Poppy was Air and Selene was the moon. The ruler of them all was Gaia (Earth). Actually, the Sun ruled them all but Gaia co-ruled with him…if that makes sense. They were like the King and Queen of the praeses.

Maia, I actually didn’t like at first. She was socially awkward, riddled with anxiety and really didn’t want to be the new Gaia. She even kept pushing Blake away. Well until Russia and then she did a 180…which drove me nuts. I understand that her past made her not trust people. Also, I didn’t like that the author started mentioning her past with her abusive grandparents and then just dropped it. Again, something that makes me go nuts.

Blake was too patient, in my eyes. It must have killed him to not say anything and let her find everything out for herself. I am going to say this, I thought his written Australian accent was kinda annoying. The expression “Yeah-nah” drove me absolutely crazy when I saw it. Also, he decided to and go live with Heidi and look how that turned out (read the book)

I did find the romance between Maia and Blake to be very cute but almost too sweet. Actually the romances between Leo and Lana, Reed and Selene, Poppy and Mac were the same way. Saccharine sweet. I did like that they were able to communicate without talking. Which was very helpful when Blake was living with Heidi because she couldn’t read his thoughts.

Heidi was a bad, bad girl. She struck a deal with an unknown man (he wasn’t revealed until the end of the book). She was abusive towards Selene and decided to exterminate her replacements and succeeded until Maia. Put it this way, she was so bad that her powers were voluntarily leaving her and going to Maia….which is something that was unheard of.

The end of the book was a cliffhanger, which I didn’t like. I do want to read book 2 because I need to find out about certain things/events.

How many stars will I give A Chosen War: 3

Why: While I loved the storyline, I couldn’t connect with either Blake or Maia. I also felt that some of the dialogue was a little annoying (like Blake saying “Yeah-nah”….a lot) and that the story did lag between Blake going to live with Heidi and the end of the book. But, saying that, I did like the “treat the Earth right” theme that ran through it and I am interested in reading book 2 when it is published

Will I reread: Maybe

Will I recommend to family and friends: Maybe

Age range: Late teen

Why: Language, violence, and some sexual situations

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Fly Like An Eagle by (Ages of Invention: Book 2) by S.B.K. Burns

Fly Like An Eagle

Title: Fly Like an Eagle

Author: S.B.K. Burns

Publisher: Self-published

Date of publication: February 28th, 2017

Genre: Romance, Science Fiction, Steampunk

Number of pages: 263

POV: 3rd person

Series: Ages of Invention

Entangled – Book 1 (review here)

Fly Like an Eagle – Book 2

Where you can find this book: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

It’s 1824 Philadelphia at the opening of the Franklin Institute of Science, and one of its founders, Samantha’s father, wants her to marry his business partner, a much older man, to keep their war industry dealings secret.

Looking for a way out of the arranged marriage, tomboy Sam finds it in Eagle, the half-Native American son of the man she is to marry.

Eagle brings Samantha into his spiritual world, his bimijiwan, in order that she might stop their father’s preparations for an ironclad Civil War at sea. To do this, Sam might have to convince Benjamin Franklin to abandon his kite experiment.

My review:

What attracted me to Fly Like an Eagle was the cover. I absolutely loved it. You have the heroine with her back to the hero, who is in full Native American attire. Above them, is a hang glider (which does have a major part in the story) and next to the title is a small picture of who I am going to assume is Electress Sophie. Normally I really don’t pay attention to the cover’s but this one caught my eye. I mean look at it. Migizi is almost defiant looking, which goes 100% with his character in the story. Samantha is trying to act demure but you can see her looking at Migizi out of the corner of her eye….like she is almost afraid to look him. If I saw this in the store, with this cover, I would be buying it.

The science fiction element of the book was fantastic. I will admit, that during the time travel scenes (where they used the flow to runtime machines), I did have visions of Doctor Who popping up. But that aside, if I were to picture time travel, this makes the most sense to me. The reason it made sense to me….well because it was found (note that I said found not founded) by a mathematician. I also liked that there were people who could travel the Flow naturally. Migizi was one of them and it went with his native American roots. Except it wasn’t called the Flow, it was called bimijiwan and it was revered by Migizi’s Delaware clan.

I really liked the steampunk elements of the book too. I think I would have acted like Samantha if I had to go to Piscatawnia. I mean, you have people dressed like you have never seen them dressed before (corsets worn over dresses, watch fobs as accessories) and then you have all the machines flying around. It was awesomely wonderful. I also like how certain famous missing people showed up in the book and how it was explained how they got there.

The romance part of the book was pretty standard. I didn’t like, though, that there was a love triangle, of sorts, between Migizi, Samantha, and John (Migizi’s father). To be honest, it creeped me out….even though it was explained that the marriage was to be in name only. I do think that maybe it should have been just Migizi and Samantha from the get-go. Other than that, I thought the love story between Samantha and Migizi was sweet. The sex, which there was a lot of…both were insatiable, was pretty hot too.

I liked the appearances of historical figures in the book. Ben Franklin definitely gave the last part of the book that “oomph” it needed and he was hilarious to boot. The whole scene where he was talking to Samantha’s father and Migizi’s father and giving advice about the ladies. Oh lordy…I was dying laughing.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading the book but you do need to read book 1 first.

How many stars will I give Fly Like an Eagle: 4

Why: I enjoyed reading the book. From the cover to the characters, I enjoyed everything about it. There were some parts that bothered me (mainly the father/son love triangle) but they were resolved in a way that made me very happy for everyone involved.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and some mild violence

I received a free copy of this book and volunteered to review it