Lion’s Heart: A Tale of Sherwood Forest (High Tower Fairytales) by Jacque Stevens

I was very excited when I got Lion’s Heart’s mobi in my inbox. I enjoyed the other books in the series and couldn’t wait to see how Marian and Robin’s romance ended. Plus, I wanted to know how the author handled King Richard coming back. I wasn’t disappointed.

Lion’s Heart is the 3rd and final book in the Robin Hood part of the High Tower Fairy Tales series. This book picks up almost immediately after the events of book 2. Marian is traveling to Germany with Queen Eleanor to free King Richard. While in Queen Eleanor’s company, Marian learns to hone her power and spirit. She also realizes that the King Rob idolizes is impulsive and reckless but cares for his people.

Meanwhile, back in England, Rob is furious over Marian leaving him. But bigger things are happening. Gisbourne is laying siege to Rob’s castle. Rallying his friends and allies, Rob prepares to war to protect his people and home. Can Marian come home in time?

I liked Marian in Lion’s Heart, but I wouldn’t say I liked how she confirmed when she was with Queen Eleanor. Marian was a folk hero and used to running wild. I loved that part of her, and honestly, it made the previous books. To read and see her transformation didn’t jive with me. I understood why the author had her do it. She needed to fit in during the journey to Germany, and she needed not to draw attention to herself. But still, I wouldn’t say I liked it. It didn’t fit with the character presented during the first two books.

I loved Rob in Lion’s Heart. I felt that I got to know him better in this book than in books 1 and 2. I loved how the author had him actively dealing with his PTSD while trying to defend his people against Gisbourne’s forces. That scene where he told Will to take the bottles away (so he wouldn’t drink) stuck with me. What also stuck with me was that he was afraid he would hurt Marian, so he didn’t sleep (like sleep-sleep, not having sex) with her. It broke my heart and made me want to hug him.

The author didn’t discuss the plotline with Gisbourne until about the middle of the book. I had wondered what had happened to him after the events of book two, and the author answered my questions. I felt a little bad for Gisbourne initially, but that faded around the middle of the book. Then I started rooting for Marian and Rob.

The plotline with Marian going with Queen Eleanor to rescue King Richard was exciting. I enjoyed reading about medieval England court life, putting aside Marian’s change. I also thought that Queen Eleanor was a badass. She handled everything like a boss!!

The romance angle of Lion’s Heart was sweet. I loved the chemistry that Rob and Marian had.

The end of Lion’s Heart was a little bitter-sweet. The author was able to wrap up all of the storylines across the three books in a way that satisfied me. I also liked the epilogue!!

I would recommend Lion’s Heart to anyone over 16. There is light sexual content, mild language, and mild violence.

The Devil’s Whispers by Lucas Hault

Publisher: TCK Publishing

Date of publication: February 20th 2022

Genre: Horror

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Goodreads Synopsis:

In a silent, sleepy castle, evil has awakened…

Famed British lawyer Gerard Woodward is summoned to an ancient Welsh castle to assist a dying lord in his final affairs. But as his host slips closer to death, Gerard begins to feel less like a guest and more like a prisoner. When he finds himself locked inside his room, he realizes he must escape.

After finding his way out of his room, Gerard begins to wonder if he was safer locked inside. The labyrinthine halls echo secrets. A terrible wail and the rattling of chains sets his nerves on end. Something sinister is happening within the walls of Mathers Castle, and when he descends into the dungeons, he discovers a horrible secret…

In nearby London, children vanish into the night, animals are horribly mutilated, and a savage creature stalks the shadows. When Gerard’s wife, Raelyn, becomes the creature’s next target, his need to escape reaches a fever pitch. He must get out alive so he can dispel the evil that threatens to destroy his beloved Raelyn… and the rest of us.

Fans of epistolary Gothic horror classics like Dracula, Frankenstein, and The Picture of Dorian Gray will devour The Devil’s Whispers.

First Line:

To His Eminence the Archbishop of Canterbury, I lie here on my deathbed with a terrible secret, one that hangs heavily upon my heart and belongs locked away in the archives of the Vatican.
the devil’s whispers by lucas hault

It has been a while since I have read a horror book. While I like the horror genre, I tend to avoid them because I mainly read at night. But, when the author emailed me and asked me to review The Devil’s Whispers, I accepted. I had decided that when I read the book, I would read it during the day. And I kept to that, believe it or not. While I am glad that I read The Devil’s Whispers, I was “meh” on the storyline and how the author presented the book.

The Devil’s Whispers had a slow-paced storyline that stayed pretty steady throughout the book. There was some lag in the middle of the book (during Jayda’s entries), and the book never recovered from that.

The Devil’s Whispers is not a traditionally written book. While it does have a plotline with the main characters, it is instead told through journal entries. I enjoy reading books written this way, and I feel that it is a different way to present a story. But, when there were more than two journal entries, I started getting confused and a little bored. I would have been thrilled with just reading the book through Gerard and Raelyn’s POV (with maybe Jayda’s popping in to clarify some scenes).

The Devil’s Whispers is a rewrite of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. I have read many books that attempt to rewrite or write their take on that story. This book is no exception, except the vampires are different. They can give birth, but their babies need to be raised by humans to survive. They can shapeshift into various animals. They can go outside in the sunlight and survive in the water. I found it fascinating that while these vampires could travel, they could only do it within a certain radius of their vases (where they lived). And to kill them, you needed to break the vase.

I do want to touch upon trigger warnings. I usually do not include these in my reviews, but I feel that I need to make an exception in this case. This book is very violent, very bloody. There is gore (oh so much), animal abuse, excessive violence, and child death. I like to think that I have a high tolerance for things like that, but there were scenes where I had to put the book down because it was just too much.

I liked Raelyn, but I felt she didn’t match when the book was written. Her thoughts and actions were more of a modern-day woman than a woman of that era. Not to say I didn’t like her (I did), but it didn’t jive with me and made it hard for me to connect with her. I will say that she was very driven to find Gerard and help Noah, but she was also blind to what was happening around her.

I liked Gerard too. He was the real MVP of the book. He had escaped the vampires once, and he was willing to do whatever it took to beat them. He also loved Raelyn and was ready to do whatever it took to free her from the vampires. I loved those later chapters (that last battle was a doozy) because they breathed life into the book.

The end of The Devil’s Whispers was a little anti-climatic. I did like that everything was resolved. But, I wondered about something mentioned at the very end and if the threat was over.

I would recommend The Devil’s Whispers to anyone over 21. There is extreme violence, language, and sexual situations.

Rose: Future Heart by Jazalyn

Publisher:

Date of publication: December 19th, 2020

Genre: Poetry

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

A beautiful and charismatic but blowsy and lonely rose faces external turbulences and internal battles of life and love, but She overcomes them filtering the positiveness and the negativeness, and She becomes the future heart deep down inside She always was.

First Line:

We rise/And we fall;/We fall/And we rise;/In a time/That rise/Is the new fall/And fall/Is the new rise
Future Rose Heart by Jazalyn

I had stated in a previous review that poetry is challenging for me to review. I am used to reviewing novels and discussing plotlines and such. But it isn’t as easy to do when it comes to poetry. I am going to try my best with this review!!

Rose: Future Heart is about a beautiful rose. The rose is dealing with the loss of great love and negative influences in her life. She realizes that to find love, she needs to love herself. And when she does, she finds a love that transcends everything.

The author beautifully wrote the poetry in this book. The poems themselves were easy to read. While I didn’t connect with them, reading and reviewing poetry is out of my comfort zone, I enjoyed reading them.

I would recommend Rose: Future Hearts to anyone over 21. There is language, no sex, and no violence.

Crystal Vision by Larry Rodness

Publisher: Valley of Books

Date of publication: January 9th, 2022

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

Scotland, 1342. The Great Plague ravages the countryside. In its wake the body of a beautiful, young noble is laid to rest on a funeral pyre. Her fiancé begs a sorcerer to use his magic to summon a demon and bring the young woman back to life in exchange for his own.
Fast Forward to:
America, Present. Fourteen year old Jeremy McKee attends a fantasy workshop which is run by a young woman named Ariella. One afternoon, an old vagrant on the street offers Jeremy a small crystal which produces visions of a young woman resurrected from death hundreds of years ago. Slowly, the truth begins to reveal itself. The woman in the vision and the one running the workshop are one in the same. The vagrant is the sorcerer, Armand. He explains that Jeremy’s ancestor, D’Arcy, offered his soul for the life of his betrothed but reneged at the last minute. Now the demon has returned for payment and is prepared to unleash the Black Plague if he doesn’t get what he he is owed.

First Line:

The sound of slow-beating drums echoed through the hills as it moved solemly toward the Stones, a curious outcropping of twenty monoliths, jutting twenty feet into the sky.
crystal vision by larry rodness

Young Adult fantasy has been a hit-or-miss genre for me in the past, but lately, I seem to have been hitting a gold mine with this genre. Crystal Vision is a hit for me. It appealed to the nerd in me (a role-playing fan here), and it was a book that I could see my 14-year-old son reading. So, yes, I am thrilled that I read this book.

Crystal Vision had a fascinating plotline. Jeremy is 14 years old, and he has spent his summer role-playing at a fantasy workshop run by the beautiful Ariella. But, on the last days of his summer vacation, Jeremy’s life is turned upside down when a vagrant named Armand presses a crystal to his forehead, and Jeremy sees a vision with Ariella in it. Armand reveals himself to be a sorcerer and tells Jeremy a story about true love, cowardice, bravery, demons, and immortality. What is Jeremy’s role in that story? Does he have what it takes to do the right thing, even when he doesn’t want to? And can he take on a demon who is determined to get the girl?

Crystal Vision had a medium-paced plotline. It slowed down during certain parts of the book and sped up during other parts. I had no issue with the changing pacing and thought it suited the book perfectly. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Jeremy and his friends were trying to track down the dagger), but it didn’t affect how I liked the book.

I liked how the teenagers were portrayed in Crystal Vision. They acted their ages!! I know that most of you are going, “Well, that’s not special,” but in this case, it is. They didn’t have powers or unlimited resources. They had limitations and were treated like regular kids. Heck, there was even a lice outbreak towards the beginning of the book. I enjoyed it. It made me connect with Jeremy on a level that I wasn’t expecting. The mother in me was internally yelling because of some of his stuff. But the gamer/fantasy love in me was also urging him on.

The fantasy angle of Crystal Vision was well written. I liked that the author chose to omit specific facts from Ariella’s resurrection and then gradually added them into the plotline. Put it this way; I was 100% behind her when she was freaking out on Armand because of what the author chose to reveal. But, when she had her vision, the author showed the missing pieces. I did a huge “AHA” at that.

The adults in this book (minus Armand and Ariella) did disappoint me. Jeremy’s father came across as weak during various parts of the book. Spike (the Overlord) and his gang were cruel and did many unnecessary things to Jeremy and his father during the first half of the book. Jeremy’s mother was petty (to Jeremy’s father). It didn’t ruin the book, though. Instead, the adults were a perfect foil for Jeremy and his friends.

I loved that the author chose to incorporate role-playing games into the plotline. The game the kids were playing reminded me of Dungeon and Dragons. I wish the author had gotten more into the game’s mechanics (it would have come in handy during a specific fight scene), but that was a minor annoyance. I was more thrilled about RP getting shown in a positive light!!

The pandemic angle did rub me the wrong way, but (and I stress but) I liked how the author chose to revive a previous pandemic. So, instead of it being a COVID-like pandemic, it was something else. And actually, it was something that I could see happening under the right circumstances.

The end of Crystal Vision was interesting. The author did wrap everything up in a way that made me happy. I did feel for Jeremy when he realized what had to happen to banish the demon (and I will never look at donkey-eared beings the same way again).

I would recommend Crystal Vision to anyone over 13. There is mild violence, mild language, and no sexual situations.

Shadow Guard (Mind Stalkers: Book 2) by Reily Garrett

Publisher: Garrett Publishing

Date of publication: January 14th, 2022

Genre: Romance, Suspense

Series: Mind Stalkers

Silent Depths—Book 1 (review here)

Shadow Guard—Book 2

Whispers After Death—Book 3

Mind Hunters—Book 4

Purchase Links: Amazon

Goodreads Synopsis:

If you could read someone’s mind, what would you do with the truth?

Hunted by both the military and her own personal stalker, Dani conceals her psychic abilities and hides in plain sight. Within her mind is the ability to change the landscape of nations. For that, a branch of the government would lock her away—to ensure her safety.

Marc Crofton left his black-ops unit to join his brothers’ private investigative after discharge. A chance meeting with the quiet, unassuming spitfire in his veterinarian’s office sends his world in a tail spin involving spies, both domestic and international.

Each must rely on the other to survive a world where betrayal and deception, desire and trust, weave a fabric that transcends time.

Perfect for fans of for fans of CM Sutter, Dale Mayer, Dean Koontz, LT Ryan, and Fiona Quinn.

First Line:

Demi watched as Dr. Carari breezed through the reception area with purse and keys in hand, smiling at the last client preparing to check out.
Shadow Guard by Reily Garrett

When Reily emailed me with a request to review Shadow Guard, it was an immediate yes. I had read (and enjoyed) Silent Depths and knew that book 2 in this series was coming up. I am so glad that I did say yes because I enjoyed this book a lot.

Shadow Guard is Demi and Marc’s story. Demi is a powerful clairvoyant who is on the run from several criminal organizations, including the one that imprisoned Callie in Silent Depths. Figuring that hiding in plain sight would be the best, she settles and works at a veterinarian’s office. That is where she meets Marc. Marc is part owner of Ambrosia and works at his brothers’ PI firm after being discharged from the military. He also trains guard dogs as a side gig, where he meets Demi. Marc and Demi’s paths merge when she is attacked at a dog show, and Marc brings her home for protection. Marc realizes that there is something different, something special about Demi, but he can’t exactly pinpoint what it is. But, Demi is hiding secrets, and those secrets can kill. Can Marc protect the woman he is coming to love and prove that he loves her and her gifts? Or will she fall into the hands of evil?

Shadow Guard is a fast-paced book. Because of everything that happens and the time frame in which it occurs (within a couple of weeks of the opening scene), I felt the pacing fit the book. If the book had gone any slower, I think that the slower pace would have ruined it.

I loved Demi’s character. She had overcome so much in her life. I do have to say that I am happy that she had good role models growing up because I feel that she could have been easily turned into a criminal as a teenager (when the criminals were fostering her). She had a strong sense of right and wrong. I mean, she was instrumental in getting Callie out of The Institute!! Plus, she loves animals and formed an attachment with Darius (the Schutzhund that Marc was training) almost right away.

Marc was a boss in Shadow Guard. He knew what he wanted (Demi), and he was going to get it. He wasn’t surprised when he figured out that she was a clairvoyant. He suspected it when he brought Demi back to his house after the dog show. There was a gap between him figuring things out and her telling him. So he was left to think things and wait for her reactions, which was pretty funny. His black ops training also came into play during the last part of the book, when they were tracking down Ray and the Tuckers.

The romance angle of the book was well written. I liked that the author built the romance up and let it simmer before Marc and Demi had sex. That leads to some super-charged sexual tension between the two of them. Once they did have sex, it was amazing and one of the better sex scenes I have read in a while. They were so connected on so many levels, and I loved it!!!

The suspense angle was great. I loved that the author kept dragging out critical points of the plotline (Demi’s abilities, Ray’s evil plans, the Tucker families plans) until I almost couldn’t take it anymore. I had to keep on reading; I needed to know what would happen. And man, I was glad that I did.

There was no big twist to the plotline. Instead, the author threw something very unexpected out and let it sit there. She didn’t resolve that little tidbit of information, and I wonder how it will play into the upcoming books. I can’t (and won’t) let you guys know what I am talking about, but it was exciting, and I have several theories about how the girls are connected. I am very interested in seeing which one is right!!

The end of Shadow Guard was a little bittersweet. I liked that the author wrapped Demi’s storyline up, for the most part. The author left enough unanswered for me to be interested in book 3.

I would recommend Shadow Guard for anyone over 21. There are language, violence, and sex/sexual situations.

The Insect Room by Felicity Hughes

Publisher:

Date of publication: February 15th, 2022

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Purchase Links: Amazon

Synopsis:

Lord Rupert Lacy gives Caz the creeps. But her hippie mother and dreamy younger sister have fallen for his act and accept his invitation to move in. While it’s a step up from living in a van, the dilapidated mansion scares Caz. As she explores its lonely corridors, she begins to suspect that the reclusive aristocrat is hiding a dark secret. Haunted by strange noises and bizarre dreams, Caz tries to warn her family. Only nobody is listening.

In thrall to Lord Lacy, her mum begins to believe that Caz is unhinged and needs medicating. Increasingly desperate and isolated, the teenager feels compelled to take drastic action. Will it be enough to save them before it’s too late?

The Insect Room is a coming-of-age suspense that will keep you guessing right up until its shocking ending.

First Line:

The van doors clanged open and Caz bolted out into the field.
the insect room by felicity hughes

I was instantly intrigued when I read The Insect Room’s blurb on the author’s website. I got a vibe (from the cover and the blurb) that this wasn’t going to be a run-of-the-mill suspense novel. I wasn’t disappointed. This book took me for a ride.

The Insect Room takes place in the summer of 1994 in the English countryside. Caz, her mother, and her younger sister travel around the countryside in a van. Caz meets Lord Lacy when her mother’s boyfriend is arrested, leaving them without housing. Lord Lacy generously offers them his guesthouse. But Caz is suspicious of Lord Lacy. Her suspicion deepens when she discovers that Lord Lacy’s daughter went missing five years previous. What happened to Lord Lacy’s daughter? How are Caz’s strange dreams connected to her disappearance? And what happens when everything comes crashing down?

The Insect Room has a very fast plotline. The entire story takes place within a month, and if the plotline moved any slower, it would have ruined the book. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book, but nothing that I didn’t expect. The book’s pacing was almost frantic in places, and it matched Caz’s state of mind during various points.

I felt terrible for Caz. She did not want to be traveling with her mother and sister. She wanted to be home with her grandparents. So, I didn’t blame her for acting out or being a brat. My feelings of pity didn’t fade after the middle of the book. Instead, they amplified. Not going to get into it, but she had gone through a lot in her life. She got zero support from her mother. Her mother favored her younger sister, and it was pretty sad to read.

I did not like Lord Lacy. The way he acted with Caz’s younger sister disgusted me. Every instinct in my body screamed “pedo” during those scenes. Also, I was not too fond of how he acted when he was around Tink (Caz’s mother) and her group of friends. He was too willing to let them party, do drugs, and drink on his property. He came across as too needy if that makes sense. It was creepy.

There were a couple of twists in the plotline, one happening on the very last page. I will not talk about that one except to say that I didn’t see it coming. It also took me 3-4 times to understand what happened, which shook me. The other twist happens a little more than halfway through the book. When it was revealed, it threw everything happening and what Caz was experiencing in a whole different light.

The suspense angle was well written. I couldn’t read The Insect Room fast enough because I wanted to see if my suspicions were right about certain people/events.

The end of The Insect Room was insane. As I mentioned above, there was a doozy of a twist that I didn’t see coming. And also, as I mentioned above, I did have to reread the ending of The Insect Room 3-to 4 times before my brain comprehended what I was reading.

I would recommend The Insect Room to anyone over 21. There is mild language, mild violence, and drug and alcohol use.

Heir of Blood and Secrets by Linda Xia

Publisher: New Degree Press

Date of Publication: August 24th, 2021

Genre: Fantasy, Dystopia, Young Adult

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N

Goodreads Synopsis:

“We’re all complicit in things we regret. Sometimes, we just do what we must.”

In the city-state of Devovea, behind the walls of the Castle, Scylla Delevan waits for a chance to prove herself. When a Magistrate is murdered and her father stands accused of the crime, she eagerly sets out to prove his innocence. As she races to find the real killer before it is too late, she begins to unearth dangerous secrets that could throw the fragile balance of her city into chaos. In too deep to turn back, Scylla is forced to question all she has ever known and choose between what is expected of her and what is right.

Family loyalty and personal beliefs collide as Scylla navigates a dystopian world divided by race and gender. Heir of Blood and Secrets will challenge you to consider how far you are willing to go—and what you are willing to sacrifice—to forge a better world.

First Line:

“So this is what hell looks like.”
heir of blood and secrets by linda xia

I am a massive fan of YA. I am also a huge fan of dystopia. So when the author approached me to read/review Heir of Blood and Secrets, I jumped on it. Why wouldn’t I? They are two of my favorite genres. But, as I started to read this book, I was also surprised to find out that the author added a mystery. All three combined made for an exciting book that kept my attention.

Heir of Blood and Secrets had an intriguing plotline. Scylla (pronounced sky-la) is the only daughter of a Magistrate in the city of Devovea. As the sole heir to the Magistrate, Scylla is expected to attend events where her father mingles with other Magistrates and the wealthy. At one of these events, another Magistrate is murdered, and Scylla’s father is arrested for doing it. Confident of his innocence, Scylla has a limited time to prove his innocence. But, as she follows leads, Scylla finds a lot more than her father’s innocence at stake. Can Scylla prove his innocence and keep the secrets she has learned from getting out? Or will she be destined to lose her father and destroy her home?

Heir of Blood and Secrets was a fast-paced book. Considering that it takes place over three-four days, I wasn’t surprised by the pacing. There was a slight lag in the middle of the book (when Scylla was shadowing the detective), but it didn’t affect how I felt about the book. It was just right.

Scylla has to be one of my favorite female main characters to date. She was spunky, and she was tenacious. She was determined to find evidence to clear her father’s name. Her loyalty was also a central focus of the book. Even when faced with truths that she didn’t want to believe, she was steadfast.

I would love to see a book with Ilya or Galen in the future!! The secondary characters were well written and added additional depth to the plotlines. I usually do not get attached to secondary characters, but I did with these.

The mystery angle of Heir of Blood and Secrets was well written and kept me engaged. I did figure out who the killer was about halfway through the book. But, and I stress but, the author made me rethink who it was. So, by the time the murderer was revealed, I was surprised (but also doing an internal fist pump because I was right).

The dystopian angle of the book had me wanting to visit there. Devovea is a city-state ruled by an enigmatic ruler called The Crown. I was fascinated by the class system outlined in the book and how everything trickled down. Up at the top was The Crown, then the Magistrates, then the guards, and everyone else. The Magistrates and The Crown lived in The Castle. Everyone else lived in an area called The Tiers. As explained in the book, the higher the address, the poorer the neighborhood.

The author weaved a little romance into Heir of Blood and Secrets, but the author kept it on the backburner. Honestly, I didn’t see it coming and was surprised at who it was.

The end of the book was a blur, but it was so good. There was so much happening that I almost couldn’t keep track of it. The author wrapped some things up but left other things up in the air. Doing that, she left an opening for book 2, which I can’t wait to read!!!

I would recommend Heir of Blood and Secrets to anyone over 16. It is a clean book (no sex or kissing or language). There is some violence, but none of it is graphic.

Blog Tour: The Counterclockwise Heart by Brian Farrey

Hello and welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Counterclockwise Heart!!! Pull up a chair and enjoy my review. Also, be on the lookout for any clocks going backward or strange onyx statues mysteriously appearing. There might be something happening!!

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Date of publication: February 1st, 2022

Genre: Children’s Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tick . . . tick . . . tick . . .

Time is running out in the empire of Rheinvelt.

The sudden appearance of a strange and frightening statue foretells darkness. The Hierophants—magic users of the highest order—have fled the land. And the shadowy beasts of the nearby Hinterlands are gathering near the borders, preparing for an attack.

Young Prince Alphonsus is sent by his mother, the Empress Sabine, to reassure the people while she works to quell the threat of war. But Alphonsus has other problems on his mind, including a great secret: He has a clock in his chest where his heart should be—and it’s begun to run backward, counting down to his unknown fate.

Searching for answers about the clock, Alphonsus meets Esme, a Hierophant girl who has returned to the empire in search of a sorceress known as the Nachtfrau. When riddles from their shared past threaten the future of the empire, Alphonsus and Esme must learn to trust each other and work together to save it—or see the destruction of everything they both love.

First Line:

The empire of Rheinvelt when the people of Somber End awoke to fine the Onyx Maiden in their tiny village
the counterclockwise heart by brian farrey

When I returned from my hiatus in early 2021, I decided to do blog tours. When Algonquin Young Readers approached me to not only be on the blog tour for The Counterclockwise Heart but to read/review it, I almost turned it down. I didn’t (and still don’t) like being tied down to a specific time to have a review done. But, I decided to accept because I wanted to read the book, and if it meant doing a blog tour, I’d do it. I am glad that I accepted because I enjoyed reading this book so much that I went and bought it for my kids.

The Counterclockwise Heart is the story of Alphonsus, the young Prince of the empire of Rheinvelt. He is sent by his mother, Empress Sabine, to the village of Somber End. In Somber End, there is a giant onyx statue named the Onyx Maiden. There is also a young man, Guntram, who has been talking to the Onyx Maiden daily and is bitter about being replaced by Alphonsus. Things change when the Maiden moves when Alphonsus talks to it, and Guntram’s bitterness spirals into hatred and rage. While that is happening, a young Hierophant named Esme has just arrived in Rheinvelt. The Collective of Hierophants has sent her to find the Nachtfrau, who happens to be Esme’s mother. The Collective expects Esme to do is mind-boggling but what she does when she meets the Nachtfrau surprises her more. What will happen when Esme and Alphonsus meet up? Will Guntram get his way?

The Counterclockwise Heart had a fast-paced plotline, even with the 3 (and sometimes 4) different POVs‘. What surprised me more was that the author could keep the book’s flow going and avoid the lag that could happen. That made for a more enjoyable reading experience for me.

I will log a teeny tiny complaint before I go into the rest of my review. Before I get into it, I want to clarify that this had zero effect on my enjoyment of the book, but it did annoy me. The first line of every chapter was abbreviated (see my first line above). I had to guess who it was and what they were doing. As I said, it was annoying but didn’t affect my reading in any way. It seemed more like a formatting issue than an editing mistake.

The Counterclockwise Heart is rated as a middle-grade fantasy. For the most part, I agree, but I would highly recommend that parents read this book if they are planning on letting younger kids (under 10-11) read it. There are several scenes that I feel would scare the little one.

I did feel bad for Alphonsus, but I liked that he rose over all obstacles thrown in his way. I liked that he was written as your typical tween. He was down to earth, a little sheltered, and one of the sweetest characters that I have met. He was able to see through Guntram’s facade, and he did try to warn his mother/guards of what was going on. His connection with the Maiden was sweet, and I laughed when he was trying to teach her to talk. But it was his immediate connection with Esme that I liked. I also liked that he could absorb everything that life threw at him and seemed to come out the other end relatively unscathed. I mean, his whole world was turned upside down, and he processed everything with an understanding that went beyond his years.

I loved Esme, but I felt that she was a little too over the top with her hatred of the Nachtfrau. It did bother me that she refused to listen to her or let the Nachtfrau explain. But, it was meant to be in the grand scheme of things, whether I like it or not. I enjoyed Esme’s gradual awakening to the fact that maybe not everything The Collective had told her. I felt that it fleshed her character out.

I did find her use of magic fascinating. I also found it one of the better explanations of magic in any of the books I have read. Magic was a give-and-take balance. So if Esme were to cast an earth-based spell, she would be thirsty afterward. Using too much magic could kill a user at the worse or the best, making them very sick. It was fascinating, and I enjoyed reading about Esme using it.

I know that Guntram was the villain, but I couldn’t help feel bad for him at first. I understood why he felt betrayed by the Maiden. He spent ten years pouring his heart out to her, and she moved for Alphonsus. I would have been mad too. But to have his betrayal and anger morph into what it became? At that point, I stopped feeling bad for him and thought that he got what he deserved. The Maiden, later on in the book, put it best.

The secondary characters were just as vivid and fleshed out as the main characters. They made the book easier to read and added more depth to the plotline.

The end of The Counterclockwise Heart broke my heart and uplifted me simultaneously. I can’t get into it (spoilers), but every question asked in the book was answered. Nothing was left unanswered (even if it broke my heart). I hope there will be a second book because I would love to read more about Esme and Alphonsus’s adventures.

I would recommend The Counterclockwise Heart to anyone over 11. I would strongly suggest the parents read this book if they have younger kids reading it. There is violence. It is a clean book.

vViIrRuUsS: I Never Forget by Jazalyn

Publisher:

Date of publication: December 19th, 2020

Genre: Poetry

Purchase Links: Amazon | B&N | Kobo | Google Play

Goodreads Synopsis:

A virus invades the lives of all humanity and causes a madness pandemic from the reminder of the past and the exposure of thoughts threatening to change everything, but then another virus attempts to erase the memories and recover the future, while a third virus scopes to save the new generations.

First Line:

virus 0.1/Got embedded/Into the light/And entered/The eyes
Quantum Waves/vviirruuss: I never forget by Jazalyn

I am going to be very honest here; I avoid reviewing poetry. It’s not that I don’t like it (I am a huge Emily Dickinson fan); it’s just that I have a hard time putting my thought to words. To me, reading poetry is something personal. What a poem might mean to one person might not mean the same thing to another. That is excellent about poetry, but it also makes it so hard to review. So, this review is going to be very short.

vViIrRuUsS was an exciting book for me to read, and it did hit a nerve since we are still, technically, in the middle of a pandemic. The poetry’s range (from anger to love) was terrific.

I am curious to see how her other works are. Like I said above, I usually don’t review poetry, but this book was fresh and innovative. It was fast-paced and well written. I can’t wait to see how her other works are!!!

I would recommend vViIrRuUsS to anyone over 13. Other than language, it is a clean book.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of Publication: January 11th, 2022

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary

Purchase Links: Amazon | Audible | B&N | WorldCat

Goodreads Synopsis:

When Kayla Carter’s husband dies in an accident while building their dream house, she knows she has to stay strong for their four-year-old daughter. But the trophy home in Shadow Ridge Estates, a new development in sleepy Round Hill, North Carolina, will always hold tragic memories. But when she is confronted by an odd, older woman telling her not to move in, she almost agrees. It’s clear this woman has some kind of connection to the area…and a connection to Kayla herself. Kayla’s elderly new neighbor, Ellie Hockley, is more welcoming, but it’s clear she, too, has secrets that stretch back almost fifty years. Is Ellie on a quest to right the wrongs of the past? And does the house at the end of the street hold the key? Told in dual time periods, The Last House on the Street is a novel of shocking prejudice and violence, forbidden love, the search for justice, and the tangled vines of two families.

First Line:

I’m in the middle of a call with a contractor when Natalie, our new administrative assistant, pokes her head into my office.
the last house on the street by diane chamberlain

Before I start this review, I want to apologize to the publisher and author. A few months back, I had posted a review for The Last House on Needless Street on NetGalley, Goodreads, The StoryGraph, and BookBub. See, these two books were right beside each other on not only NetGalley’s list but my Currently Reading on Goodreads. I wasn’t paying attention, and c/p The Last House on Needless Street’s review under The Last House on the Street. I didn’t know what I did until I was contacted by everyone on the above list and asked to remove the review. It was an honest mistake. The titles were (are) so similar, and I should have been paying better attention.

Now that has been said, let’s get onto the review of The Last House on the Street!!

The Last House on the Street is the story of Kayla and Ellie. In the year 2010, Kayla is struggling to overcome the death of her husband and raise their 4-year-old daughter. Moving into the house they built together and where her husband died should be healing. But strange occurrences happen. From a mysterious woman threatening Kayla at work to mutilated squirrels left at her house, Kayla is left wondering why. In 1964, Ellie realized that the world she lives in isn’t equal for everyone. Determined to help, she joined the SCOPE program. But what Ellie doesn’t expect is that she will meet her greatest love that summer and that she will suffer her worst heartbreak. Coming back home wasn’t in Ellie’s plans, but she does to help with her elderly mother and terminally ill brother. She meets Kayla and becomes embroiled in Kayla’s issues. Someone wants Kayla out, and it is all tied to a summer night where Ellie lost everything. What happened that night? What are people trying to hide?

The Last House on the Street is a fast-paced suspense/thriller that doesn’t slow down. The transitions between 2010 and 1964 were seamless and did not mess with the book’s pacing. There was some lag in the middle of the book, but I did expect it. It did not take away from my enjoyment of reading The Last House on the Street.

The Last House on the Street did a great job showing racism in NC during the early 1960s. I was not surprised by the descriptions of how brown and black people were treated during that era. Brown, black, and yellow-skinned people still get treated like that today. It might not be as evident as in 1964, but it is still there.

I wasn’t surprised at how widespread the KKK was in this area of NC (I say this area because I live in the area of NC being portrayed) in the 1960s. I was also sickened by it. The author, again, did a great job of describing the KKK rallies (which reminded me of a fair) and how mob mentality takes over. My heart hurt for Ellie during those scenes because she saw people for how they truly were.

I had no clue about the SCOPE program until I read about it in The Last House on the Street. I can’t even begin to say how those men and women were heroes. They put their lives on the line to get African Americans to go and vote.

I liked Kayla, and I felt terrible for her. She was still getting over her husband’s death when she moved into the house they designed together. I could understand why she didn’t want to move into the house at first. Her husband died there, and she didn’t feel comfortable. She was the only house on the street that was finished, and she seemed to have attracted a stalker, and I didn’t blame her for wanting to sell. I was surprised to see how her and Ellie’s past connected. I still have an issue believing what Ellie’s father told her about that night (back in 1964). I do think that he might have been involved and not admitted it.

I loved Ellie’s character. I loved watching her morph into this woman who wasn’t afraid to fight for what she wanted. She was passionate about her beliefs and was willing to put herself in harm’s way for them. Her connection with the African American families was profound, and she truly wanted what was best for them. But her true strength was that awful night. She fought with everything she had to get to Win but couldn’t get to him. I had tears pouring down my face. Her anxiety, her helplessness, and her despair poured off the pages. Oh, and let’s not forget her shock when everything is revealed at the end of the book. I will admit, I was shocked by that confession too.

There is a romance angle to The Last House on the Street. Ellie’s love for Win was evident. I saw it happening before she even admitted it to herself. And Win was crazy for her. So, it made what happened all the more tragic and heartbreaking. Interracial relationships were frowned upon in 1964 North Carolina, and all holy hell did come down on them.

The mystery angle was wonderfully written. I had an idea of how that mysterious woman was, but when another character mentioned wigs that another wore, it was like a lightbulb went off. Then there was the mystery of what happened to Win. That cropped up a little later in the book. It was a no-brainer what happened, but I hoped it wasn’t the case. That was resolved at the end of the book.

The author wonderfully wrote the suspense angle also. I was kept on the edge of my bed (I was reading at night) with what would happen next. I kept wondering how it would escalate for Kayla, and I wondered the same thing for Ellie.

The secondary characters were also wonderfully written. I had extreme feelings for them all. But Miss Pat, Ellie’s mother, well she took the cake. She was, ugh, I wish I could finish that thought. But that would give away spoilers. Let’s say I didn’t like her and leave it at that.

The end of The Last House of the Street was what I expected. The author wrapped everything up, opening a new chapter on Ellie and Kayla’s life. I liked seeing everything coming full circle!!

I would recommend The Last House on the Street for anyone 16 and over. There is non-graphic sex, violence, triggering language.

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