The Third Step by William Lobb

The Third Step by [Lobb, William]

4 Stars

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

Date of publication: November 3rd, 2017

Genre: Thriller, Suspense

Where you can find The Third Step: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Dark, gritty, and riddled with back alley characters, The Third Step is one man’s journey into the black recesses of his own soul…
Meet Frankie, a young, disaffected amateur boxer, really more of a punching bag, a drunk, and a drug addict. He is a loser at love, except for his relationship with his grandma, who, rumor has it, is a white witch. She, along with a handful of others, serve as his moral compass.

Frankie fights a lifelong struggle to find an understanding of the creator of the universe, not the poisoned caricature painted by the church and the “holy” people who seem to torment him.

His journey takes him from the East Coast down to New Orleans to face confrontations with his demons, both real and imagined. Along the way, the story is littered with tales of drug smuggling, murder, an affair with a woman who may be the devil herself, and an ultimate quest for revenge.

Frankie comes to terms with his addictions, but his search for a deeper understanding of this God entity and his need to connect with his soul could be his ultimate addiction, one that may follow him beyond the grave…

My Review:

The Third Step is a raw, gritty book that follows a young man as he deals with addiction, failed relationships, and a struggle with religion. Frankie does questionable things with his life. Things that include drug smuggling, murder, being involved with a girl who is disturbed and revenge. As Frankie starts spiraling out of control, he heads to New Orleans. It is there that he finds the strength to deal with his demons head-on.

Frankie was not a likable character and I am not going to pretend to like him. He did some despicable things in the book. Awful things. But, there were moments where you could see what type of person he could have been. That is what made this book so compelling and what kept me reading it.

Like I mentioned above, this is a raw, gritty book. If you are looking for a book that has a happily ever after, this book is not it. If you are looking for a book where the main character realizes that he needs to turn his life around to better himself, again not the book. This is the book to read if you are looking for a book that is based in reality. This is also a book that doesn’t shy away from anything.

I didn’t like The Third Step. But it was a compelling read and I had to finish it. I had to find out what happened to Frankie. It drew me in.

Now, why did I give The Third Step a 4-star rating if I didn’t like the book? Like I mentioned, the book was a compelling read. It was also very well written. Frankie’s angst over everything came across very clearly.

The end of the book bothered me. It wasn’t what I expected.

I am not going to do a like/dislike section because I was so conflicted.

I would give The Third Step an Adult rating. There is sex. There is violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Third Step. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The Third Step.

All opinions stated in this review of The Third Step are mine.

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

Immortals’ Requiem by Vincent Bobbe

5 Stars

Publisher: Jump Start Publishing

Date of publication: June 29th, 2018

Genre: Fantasy, Horror

Where you can find Immortals’ Requiem: Amazon

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

There are beings that live a shadow’s breadth from our reality. They are the dreams and nightmares of humanity, the ancient seeds of fairy-tale and superstition.

These are the Immortals, creatures of magic that should live forever… and they are fading.

When a horror two thousand years dead returns to contemporary England, creatures long thought lost to myth and legend collide in a scramble for survival that could tumble civilization back into the dark ages of blood and death.

If you like urban fantasy, ravening zombies, terrifying shapeshifters, scheming vampires, and vast supernatural worlds, you’ll love Immortals’ Requiem!

Content Advisory: This book is intended for mature audiences and contains graphic violence.

My review:

When I first read the blurb for Immortals’ Requiem, I thought this would be a run-of-the-mill fantasy. Since I like fantasy, I figured why not? The worst thing is that this book is cookie cutter vampire/shifter/zombie novel. Well, wasn’t I super wrong. Immortals’ Requiem was like nothing I had read before. Let’s put it this way; I loved this book. I loved how the author took everything that terrified people (vampires, shifters, zombies) and put his unique spin on them. I liked how his heroes were flawed. I loved that the author wasn’t afraid to kill off characters.

There were things I didn’t like about the book, but they were minor things that didn’t affect my review. I didn’t like how the zombies in the Tower of the Dawn came. More specifically, who was behind it. I wasn’t expecting that. I also didn’t like how the Barghest (Cú Roí’s children) came to be. When the birthing scene played out, all I could think of was the movie, Alien. The last thing that I didn’t care for was Mark. I didn’t like him <shrug>.

There are several plotlines that are in Immortals’ Requiem. There is Grimnir and Cú Roí’s. Grimnir was charged with killing Cú Roí over 2,000 years ago. So, when Cu Roi comes back to Earth, Grimnir is resurrected. Then there is Mark’s. He is obsessed with hunting down and killing supernatural beings. He is also obsessed with keeping the reincarnation of his late wife alive. Lastly, there is Cam. Cam is a dissatisfied Elf who has distanced himself from his heritage and family. He meets Grimnir in a pub, and the rest is history.

This is a long book, 552 pages. While I like long books, some people don’t. Personally, I think that longer books are great. There is more time for the author to do world and character building. Which is what the author did here. He built a complex world with complex characters. I loved it!!!

I liked that the heroes in Immortals’ Requiem were not “good” per se. They were grayer. Take Mark, for instance. He became Immortal after peeing on a stone that told Grimnir’s tale. It was a punishment for a cocky young Roman man. He was also forced to live watching his true love die before he could save her every 50 years. He cannot die, so that means he cannot kill himself. So, what does he do? He starts to hunt for the person responsible for his Immortality, the Maiden. He starts hunting down all supernatural beings and killing them. I consider him a “good” guy because he decided to help Rowan and his sister escape Cu Roi and then helped Grimnir and Cam when push came to shove.

There is a lot of violence in Immortals’ Requiem. Normally I wouldn’t touch it in my review, but I feel that I have to in this one. If you do not like violence, don’t read the book. Other than that, dive right in. This book is blood-soaked. No character is safe. Major characters are killed off without a thought. It was different, and I loved it. But I did get sad when a certain foul-mouthed Elf met his end. That was a death I was not expecting. But what a way to die!!!

The end of Immortals’ Requiem was awesome. There were some things that happened that I expected, some I did not. I love how the author chose to reveal what Immortals’ Requiem meant in the book. Loved it! Almost all the storylines were brought together and ended in a way that I was satisfied with. Notice that I said almost. There was one storyline that wasn’t ended. I am hoping that it leads to book 2!!

What I liked about Immortals’ Requiem:

A) A unique spin on vampire/shifters/zombies

B) Flawed heroes

C) The author not afraid to kill off characters

What I disliked about Immortals’ Requiem:

A) How the zombies were created and how was behind it

B) How the Barghest was birthed

C) Mark

I would give Immortals’ Requiem an Adult rating. There is sex. There is language. There is explicit violence. I would suggest that no one under 21 read this book.

I would reread Immortals’ Requiem. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review Immortals’ Requiem.

All opinions in this review of Immortals’ Requiem are mine.

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

Rough Ride (True Brothers MC: Book 4) by Gillian Archer

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: July 24, 2018

Genre: Romance

Series: True Brothers MC

Ruthless – Book 1

Rebellious – Book 2 (review here)

Resilient – Book 3 (review here)

Rough Ride – Book 4

Where you can find Rough Ride: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Hang on tight. When it comes to love, this loyal soldier plays rough.

Amber:
Two years ago I would’ve made a play for a guy like “Bam” in a heartbeat. That was before my father died in a puddle of blood in the middle of a parking lot before I swore off his fellow bikers and their stupid “business.” But I still need answers about what happened to my dad, which is why I’m poking around at a nightclub owned by the Russian mafia. And that’s where I run into Bam, who carries me out of the club in his ridiculously strong arms like I was True Brothers property.

Bam:
Motorcycle club princess Amber Bennett is the last person I’d expect to see at a club like Howl. She’s flirting with some dangerous people, and it’s my duty to step in and protect her before she gets in over her head. Like I don’t have enough on my mind without cleaning up Amber’s drama. Besides, she’s the definition of off-limits. If only she weren’t so f***ing hot. And determined to take care of everything herself. And oddly vulnerable. Because when we cross the line, I’m forced to choose between my true family — or my true feelings.

Look for all of Gillian Archer’s smoldering True Brothers MC romances:
RUTHLESS | REBELLIOUS | RESILIENT | ROUGH RIDE

My review:

I was excited to read Rough Ride. I have read the True Brother’s MC series from book 2. This series has captivated me. I love reading about bad boys who find their true love with good girls. I have loved reading this series and Rough Ride was no exception.

What I liked about this book was how relatable Amber and Bam were. I also liked the chemistry between Amber and Bam. Even when they were in denial about their feelings for each other, it was still there. I also liked that both of them were not afraid to stand up to people. Bam stood up to his MC family for his relationship with Amber. And Amber stood up to the son of the head of the region’s Russian mafia.

There were also things I didn’t like about the book. I didn’t like how Tank acted for 90% of the book. I get that he felt guilty about what happened with Stitch but still. He acted like a jerk when he began to suspect that Bam had feelings for Amber. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought Tank had feelings for her. I also didn’t like Bam’s mother. She was a vile woman. That whole scene in the casino turned my stomach. The last thing I didn’t like about the book was how Amber’s mother acted the entire book. I get that she was destroyed when Stitch was murdered. That would have destroyed me too. But she wallowed in it. Kept drinking and forced Amber to take over paying the mortgage and all the house bills. She redeemed herself halfway through the book, but the damage was still done. I couldn’t look at her like when Brittany was introduced in Rebellious.

I liked the plot of Rough Ride. It takes place a year after Stitch was murdered. We find Bam is a full member of the book, despite what happened in Resilient. Amber struggles to take care of her mother and keep the bills paid while going to school. She also needs closure with her father’s death. So she decides to go to the Russian Mafia-owned club and demand answers. She gets them, and she gets the unwanted attention of Ruslan, the son of the head of the region’s Russian Mafia. When the Brothers discover that Ruslan is stalking Amber, Bam is put on duty to watch her and keep her safe. Which Amber resents and fights against. But soon, they start to develop feelings for each other. Can their love survive? Or is it destined to be a failed love story?

Ok, let’s talk about the cover. While I like it and think the model is hot, he does not look like what I expected Bam to look like. Bam was described by Amber as looking like a Viking. I was expecting a cover model who looked like a biker Viking.

I liked how Bam and Amber’s romance was slow going. Bam didn’t want to be attracted to her. She was off-limits to him, and he was fighting his attraction to her. But once he kissed her, the romance took off. Of course, it wasn’t easy-going.

The chemistry between Bam and Amber was insane. The author took her time having them do the dirty, but when they did, it was insane. As was every other sex scene that they had together. I do have one question, which wasn’t answered in the book. Was Bam pierced like Reb and Tank? The author didn’t mention it, and inquiring minds want to know…lol.

The end of the Rough Ride had me in tears. I agreed with Amber about why she did what she did. But, I also agreed with Maverick. She shouldn’t have run. I loved the epilogue. Loved, loved, loved it!!!

What I liked about Rough Ride:

A) How relatable Amber and Bam were

B) The chemistry between Amber and Bam

C) How they weren’t afraid not to stand up to people

What I disliked about Rough Ride:

A) Tank and how he acted for 90% of the book.

B) Bam’s mother. What a vile, vile woman

C) Amber’s mother.

I would give Rough Ride an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is violence. There is language. I would suggest that no one under 21 read this book.

I would reread Rough Ride. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Rough Ride.

All opinions stated in this review of Rough Ride are mine.

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

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney

Believe Me: The twisty and addictive follow-up to the bestselling The Girl Before by [Delaney, JP]

4.5 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine

Date of publication: July 24th, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Trigger Warning: Mental Illness

Where you can find Believe Me: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In this twisty psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before, an actress plays both sides of a murder investigation.

A struggling actor, a Brit in America without a green card, Claire needs work and money to survive. Then she gets both. But nothing like she expected.

Claire agrees to become a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. Hired to entrap straying husbands, she must catch them on tape with their seductive propositions. The rules? Never hit on the mark directly. Make it clear you’re available, but he has to proposition you, not the other way around. The firm is after evidence, not coercion. The innocent have nothing to hide.

Then the game changes.

When the wife of one of Claire’s targets is violently murdered, the cops are sure the husband is to blame. Desperate to catch him before he kills again, they enlist Claire to lure him into a confession.

Claire can do this. She’s brilliant at assuming a voice and an identity. For a woman who’s mastered the art of manipulation, how difficult could it be to tempt a killer into a trap? But who is the decoy . . . and who is the prey?

My review:

This book messed with my head, big time. See, I liked psychological thrillers. I like reading a book where I don’t know what will happen from one chapter to the next. I like damaged main characters. I didn’t think I would get that with Believe Me. I thought this book was going to be your typical who done it with the female main solving the crime. Instead, I got a book that kept me guessing from chapter to chapter. A book that I had a hard time forgetting about once I was done with it. A book that got under my skin. I should have known better than to assume the book would be typical.

Believe Me’s plot started off simple and progressed into the complex. Claire was a British ex-pat actress living in New York City without a green card. Desperate for work, she starts doing decoy work for divorce lawyers. That job puts her in the path of Professor Patrick Folger. His wife is found dead the day after the setup. Claire is brought in for questioning since she was the last person to see her alive. She is recruited by a shady psychologist to get to know Patrick and to get a confession out of him. Little does Claire know that her life will be turned upside down and inside out.

Claire was such a complex character to write about. As a reader, I love it when characters have different layers. Claire definitely had them. At one point in the book, I questioned her memories of growing up in foster care. She was such a great actress that she made me, the reader, question what I was reading. I am sure that was the author’s intention. I loved it!!

I didn’t know how I felt about Claire. My feelings for her went from one extreme to another. I could love her in one chapter and then hate her in another. I have never had another book do that for me. Even at the end of the book, when we saw the “real” Claire, I was still on edge about her. Was that the real Claire we were seeing, or was it another one of her personalities?

I’ve gotta say that Patrick had me fooled the entire book. I went from thinking one thing about him to thinking another to rethinking my opinion. So, needless to say, I was surprised by what he revealed to Claire. I shouldn’t have been, but I was. Actually, let me rephrase that. I was more shocked by what he revealed.

I was also surprised that the poem referenced in the book “Les Fleurs du Mal” is an actual book written by Charles Baudelaire. To be honest, I did think that it was made up. Until I did a google search, and there was a ton of information about it. I’m not going to go too much into him, but I will say those poems are freaky. Google them and him. You’ll see what I mean.

The end of the book was insane. It is where the plotline went from simple to complex. I will not get into much of the ending, except I wasn’t expecting what happened. Also, as I mentioned above, I wasn’t too sure about Claire. Even with everything revealed, I still had my doubts about her.

There were a few reasons why I didn’t give Believe Me a 5-star rating. The main reason was that the book got off to a slow start. I know that the author was laying the groundwork for Claire’s story. It crept. I almost DNF’d (but I am glad I didn’t).

I also felt that the plot faltered towards the middle of the book when Claire was in the mental hospital. I felt that her hospital experiences were irrelevant to the storyline. It was interesting but not relevant.

My last reason was the book’s last few chapters and how Claire’s secret came out. While it was shocking, I definitely didn’t see it coming. It came out of the left field. When the book finally ended, I felt it was anticlimactic.

What I liked about Believe Me:

A) Got under my skin

B) Complex characters

C) The end of the book

What I disliked about Believe Me:

A) Book got off to a slow start

B) Plot faltered towards the middle of the book

C) The ending felt almost anticlimactic

I would give Believe Me an Adult rating. There is sex. There is violence. There is language. I would suggest that no one under 21 read this book.

There is a trigger warning for Believe Me. They are mental illness. If you are triggered by that, I suggest not to read the book.

I would reread Believe Me. I would recommend this book to family and friends. But I would include a warning about the triggers.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Believe Me

All opinions stated in this review of Believe Me are mine

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

Everytime You Go Away by Beth Harbison

4 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: July 24th, 2018

Genre: Women’s Fiction

Trigger Warning: Anxiety, Death of a Spouse/Parent

Where you can find Every Time You Go Away: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book’s Synopsis (from Goodreads):

In New York Times bestselling author Beth Harbison’s most emotional novel ever, a fractured family must come together at a beach house haunted by the past.

Willa has never fully recovered from the sudden death of her husband, Ben. She became an absent mother to her young son, Jamie, unable to comfort him while reeling from her own grief.

Now, years after Ben’s death, Willa finally decides to return to the beach house where he passed. It’s time to move on and put the Ocean City, Maryland house on the market.

When Willa arrives, the house is in worse shape than she could have imagined, and the memories of her time with Ben are overwhelming. They met at this house and she sees him around every corner. Literally. Ben’s ghost keeps reappearing, trying to start conversations with Willa. And she can’t help talking back.

To protect her sanity, Willa enlists Jamie, her best friend Kristin, and Kristin’s daughter Kelsey to join her for one last summer at the beach. As they explore their old haunts, buried feelings come to the surface, Jamie and Kelsey rekindle their childhood friendship, and Willa searches for the chance to finally say goodbye to her husband and to reconnect with her son.

Every Time You Go Away is a heartfelt, emotional story about healing a tragic loss, letting go, and coming together as a family.

My review:

I am going to start this review out on a complaint. If you go on Goodreads, you will notice that there is a different blurb for the book. Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the NetGalley page feature the one I used for the synopsis. I got confused about what I was reading because the blurbs were different. I went through a small “WTH” moment when I realized that. I came <this close> to emailing the publisher to clear up the confusion. I didn’t after reading several reviews that pointed out the same thing. At that point, I decided to use Amazon’s blurb because it matched with what I read on NetGalley’s page. I do not like being confused. And over something as simple as a blurb.

Not that is out of my system, let’s get to how I feel about the book. I liked Every Time You Go Away, even if it made me feel sad for about 90% of the book. I liked that the author shows that love transcends death. I liked that I was able to see Willa heal while fixing up the beach house. I liked that Ben was able to help with Willa’s healing. I liked that Jamie ended up being a normal teenager, once he got away from his possessive ex-girlfriend. This is a book that you need to read with a box of tissues nearby because you are going to cry. Trust me on this one.

There were parts of the book that I didn’t like. I didn’t like Roxie. She brought nothing to the book except stress for Jamie. She was a manipulator. Oddly, I didn’t like the real estate agent. She grated on my nerves. I know it was her job but she could have shown a little more tact and understanding of Willa’s situation. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the ending.

I thought Willa was a hot mess at the beginning of the book. She took no pleasure out of her life after Ben died. She existed. She shut herself from everyone, including her son. Her anxiety was out of control. I thought I was bad with having my kids check in. She so much worse. But I understood why she was like that. To have someone died so suddenly was traumatic. I loved seeing her gradual healing throughout this book. Being at the beach house was what she needed, even if it brought back memories of her and Ben.

I liked the paranormal turn that the book took. While I thought that the book would have been fine as it, having Ben helping Willa get over him made the book even better. I did get some vibes from Ghost during the scenes when they interacted. Mainly the end of the book.

I liked the sub-storyline with Jamie and Kelsey. It was cute and mirrored Ben and Willa’s. I do wish that the author gave some closure to that storyline. I would have loved to see if they ended up together.

Like I mentioned above, I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending. I didn’t feel satisfied with it. I wanted more. I wanted to know what was going to happen to everyone. The book just ended. I get driven nuts by that.

What I liked about Every Time You Go Away:

A) Love transcends death

B) Ben helping Willa getting over his death

C) Jamie ends up as a normal teen after dumping his psycho girlfriend

What I disliked about Every Time You Go Away:

A) The confusion over the blurb

B) Roxie. I did not like her

C) The ending. Wasn’t a huge fan of that.

I would give Every Time You Go Away an Adult rating. There is no sex but there are sexual situations. There is very mild language. There is no violence. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings in Every Time You Go Away. They are the death of a parent/spouse and anxiety. If you are triggered by those, I suggest that you don’t read this book.

I would reread Every Time You Go Away. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank. St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Every Time You Go Away.

All opinions stated in this review of Every Time You Go Away are mine.

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

Snow (The Black Ice Trilogy: Book 1) by Mikayla Elliot

Snow (The Black Ice Trilogy, #1)

3.5 Stars

Publisher: Independent Book Publishers Association, Member’s’ Titles

Date of publication: July 31st, 2017

Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Young Adult, New Adult

Where you can find Snow: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Series: Black Ice Trilogy

Snow – Book 1

Blizzard – Book 2

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Taken from all she has ever known and loved, Neva finds herself swept into a world of vampires where she learns she will determine their future. Yet she quickly discovers she is the target of a vampire, Zachariah, seeking to stop her from altering the vampire lineage. She must decide which path she will take while trying to protect the family she left behind and discovering a past she cannot escape.

My review:

When I started reading this book, I thought that it was going to be a vampire Snow White type of book. I don’t know why I thought that, but I did. If I paid more attention to the blurb, I would have seen that. Oh well.

I don’t understand how Snow was labeled as a young adult novel. Neva, the main character, was married. If I were to guess at her age, I would put her in her early to mid-’20s. I thought that his book was better suited for the NA genre than YA. But that’s me. Someone else could have a different take on it. Which is a wonderful thing about writing reviews. No one’s opinions are wrong. Unless you didn’t read the book and give your opinion, then I don’t pay attention to those reviews.

I liked the plot of Snow. I thought that it was original. Neva is brought into the vampire world when her life was almost taken in an attack. She is thrust into the middle of a conspiracy that will leave everyone reeling. Can Neva bring Zachariah to his knees and save the vampire lineage? Or will she become a pawn in an ancient war?

I liked Neva but I found her whiny for most of the book. Yes, she had a terrible shock when she was turned. It would have been a huge shock for anyone. Even after Thedryk explained why she was turned and who she was, she still whined about it. She didn’t understand the danger she was in. For an adult, she didn’t act like one. I did like that she wised up during the last half of the book. Seeing what happened to her family shocked her into wising up.

I didn’t think that Zachariah wasn’t that bad of a guy for most of the book. Yes, he didn’t like Neva and yes, he was only with Eliza because he cared about the power. The author showed a 100% different side to him when he was interacting with his adopted daughter. He cared for them. I honestly don’t think that he is going to be as bad as he was made out to be. I do think it is awful what he did in the last half of the book. But it didn’t go with what the author showed. I wonder if there is more to his story and if it will be revealed in book 2.

I loved what the author did with the vampires in this book. While these vampires need human blood, they don’t need it that often. They can eat regular food but it doesn’t do anything for them. Not everyone can be turned into a vampire, though. The author explained that people can be turned into vampires have a special aura. The vampires can see it but can only turn if they have permission from the Council. If someone is turned who doesn’t have the special aura, they become something out of a nightmare. The author also had the vampires have a special gift. Some are stronger than others but everyone has it.

There is even a science fiction angle of Snow. There is a vampire that can open portals into different dimensions. It is explained more thoroughly in the book. I found it fascinating and wished that it has been added sooner in the book.

The end of Snow was action packed and moved very fast. What happened to Zachariah, he deserved it. But it was the end of the book that made me go what. First with the introduction of a famous fictional character. Then it was who was introduced in the very last pages of the book. It is that revelation that makes me excited to read the next book in the series.

What I liked about Snow:

A) How the vampires were portrayed

B) Neva’s storyline

C) The science fiction angle

What I disliked about Snow:

A) Neva. She was a whine bag for most of the book

B) Zachariah. I was on the fence with him for most of the book. But the ending events turned me

C) What happened to Neva’s family

I would give Snow an Older Teen rating. There is no sex or sexual situations. There is violence. There is no language.

I would reread Snow. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Independent Book Publisher’s Association, Member’s Titles, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Snow.

All opinions stated in this review of Snow are mine.

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

The Remnant by Channing Whitaker

The Remnant

4 Stars

Publisher: Off Speed Press

Date of publication: May 21st, 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Where you can find The Remnant: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

In this suspense-filled, neo-monster, horror novelette, a writer named Gene Winfield discovers an ominous, handwritten book among the belongings of his late, adventurer aunt. As Gene reads, he becomes captivated with the volume’s account of a savage, unearthly creature. In spite of the book’s warning, with his writing career failing, Gene can’t resist the inspiration. Near the roaring fire in his aunt’s otherwise cold, empty manor, Gene begins a story of his own, but will he unleash more than his imagination…

My Review:

Horror stories have always been hit or miss for me. I either love them or hate them. No middle ground. Same goes for short stories. Either they are fantastic or they aren’t. With The Remnant, it fell into the first categories. I loved the book and thought it was fantastic.

I am going to keep this review super short. Why? Because if I gave my usual in-depth review, there would be spoilers. There is no way of writing my usual review without revealing something from The Remnant.

I thought the plot was original. Gene was a writer whose aunt dies. When he goes to her house to clean up, he finds a book in the embers of a fire with a warning to him. Ignoring the warning on the inside cover/first page, Gene reads the book. What happens afterward, well you need to read the book to find out. Let’s say that it was scary and kept me glued to the pages.

The author did a great job at keeping me up after I read this book. A fantastic job. I don’t scare easy, so you know that if this book scared me enough to keep me up at night then it is good.

The ending of The Remnant was eerie. I did an “Oh no” when I realized what happened and what was going to happen. I will say this. I am excited to read more by this author!!

I am not going to do a like/dislike section. Only because of how short the book was and I could let some spoilers out by accident.

I would give The Remnant an Adult rating. There is no sex. There is explicit violence. There is language. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

I would reread The Remnant and I plan on reading more books by the author. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank the author for allowing me to read and review The Remnant.

All opinions stated in this review of The Remnant are mine.

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

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

3 Stars

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Date of publication: July 17th, 2018

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Where you can find Baby Teeth: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Sweetness can be deceptive.

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained homeschooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette’s husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

My review:

I enjoy reading thrillers. I love it when a book gets under my skin and I can’t stop thinking about it. When the publisher offered me the book through the widget and I read the synopsis, I thought “Sure, why not“. I figured that the book would be like John Saul’s books. Creepy kids who end up doing horrible things because they were possessed. For the first half of the book, it was that. Then it got creepy and got under my skin (not in a good way).

Baby Teeth’s plot is pretty straightforward. Hanna wants her Daddy to herself in the worse way. But to have that, her Mommy needs to go away. So Hanna starts a campaign to drive Suzette out of the house. When she realizes that isn’t working, Hanna decides that Mommy needs to go.

Suzette is stressed to the max. Taking care of a special needs child is a full-time job. She needs a break. But Hanna will not let that happen.

Alex is oblivious to what Hanna is doing and writes off Suzette’s complaints as petty. That is until something happens. What happened?? Read the book.

Hanna was so evil. The things she did to Suzette was awful. Like taking pictures of a naked, sleeping Suzette and putting that picture next to a dead woman. Or impersonating a long-dead witch. Or messing with Suzette’s Crohn’s medication. I was disturbed that a child could hate her mother that much and at such a young age.

Suzette did bother me for most of the book. I couldn’t understand why she didn’t record Hanna talking or even set up a nanny. It baffled me. Instead, she ranted and raved about how Hanna was doing this and doing that with no evidence. No wonder Alex was oblivious to what was going on. It wasn’t until the tack incident that he finally figured it out. Also, her attitude toward Hanna bothered me. She treated her like she was a burden for most of the book.

I mentioned in the first paragraph that I thought that this book was going to be like John Saul’s books. I did think that Hanna was possessed by the ghost of the witch. There was nothing that suggested otherwise. Until midway through the book. Then my mind was changed.

Like I said in the first paragraph, this book got under my skin. By the end of the book, I was disturbed by it. I have read reviews where people thought this book was fantastic. As a mother, I was disturbed by the lengths that a 7-year-old went through to try to kill her mother. I kept comparing this book to “Rosemary’s Baby” and other horror books that are similar. What made this book stand out from them was that it was raw and gritty and different from any other book in the thriller category.

There was not a happy ending to Baby Teeth. The implication in the last chapter was chilling and kept me up thinking about it the rest of the night.

I am not going to do a Pros/Cons of this book. I can’t do that without giving spoilers.

I would give Baby Teeth an Adult rating. There is sex, language, and violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are triggers in this book. They are abuse (of a parent by a child), PTSD like symptoms, and Crohn’s disease.

I am on the fence about recommending Baby Teeth to family and friends. I would have to make sure that they like thrillers and can deal with what this book is about. I would also include a warning about the triggers. I am on the fence about rereading this book too.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Baby Teeth.

All opinions stated in this review of Baby Teeth are mine.

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

The Family Tabor by Cherise Wolas

1 Stars

Publisher: Flatiron Books

Date of publication: July 17, 2018

Genre: General Fiction, Women’s Fiction

Where you can find The Family Tabor: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

Harry Tabor is about to be named Man of the Decade, a distinction that feels like the culmination of a life well lived. Gathering together in Palm Springs for the celebration are his wife, Roma, a distinguished child psychologist, and their children: Phoebe, a high-powered attorney; Camille, a brilliant social anthropologist; and Simon, a big-firm lawyer, who brings his glamorous wife and two young daughters.

But immediately, cracks begin to appear in this smooth facade: Simon hasn’t been sleeping through the night, Camille can’t decide what to do with her life, and Phoebe is a little too cagey about her new boyfriend. Roma knows her children are hiding things. What she doesn’t know, what none of them know, is that Harry is suddenly haunted by the long-buried secret that drove him, decades ago, to relocate his young family to the California desert. As the ceremony nears, the family members are forced to confront the falsehoods upon which their lives are built.

Set over the course of a single weekend, and deftly alternating between the five Tabors, this provocative, gorgeously rendered novel reckons with the nature of the stories we tell ourselves and our family and the price we pay for second chances.

My Review:

There are times when I request a book from NetGalley, get accepted and immediately think “Oh man, what am I in for“. The Family Tabor is such a book. When I saw it on NetGalley, I immediately thought it would be a book like The Ring by Danielle Steele. A drama that crosses generations of the same family. In a way, The Family Tabor is like that. But it also is not like that. This book isn’t a multigenerational drama. Instead, it focuses on secrets and how they can wreak havoc with lives.

I found The Family Tabor to be confusing to read. The 3rd person perspective jumped from family member to family member in the same chapter. I could be reading about what Roma was thinking and then it switched to Phoebe with no warning. There were times that I had to reread the chapter to understand who I was reading about. I do not like it when I have to do that. It ruins the flow of reading for me.

While I understand Harry’s guilt over something that happened over 20 years ago, I don’t understand how he suppressed the memory of it. I am not an expert on these things but his company was funded with some of the missing money. You would think that he would remember something like that. It didn’t scream realistic to me. It also didn’t make me like him once the full truth came out. He took advantage of a situation and got away with it.

Out of the 3 kids’ issues, the only one that I actually connected with was Camille’s. I still don’t know what I want to do with my life. Simon’s issues were spiritual. Phoebe was the one that I couldn’t understand. She didn’t have to lie about having a boyfriend. But she did. It made no sense.

I didn’t like Simon’s wife. When he told her that he wanted to look more into his religion, she flipped her wig. She didn’t want him to be a Jew? Seriously? And to end her marriage of 10 years because of that was ridiculous. So much for true love. Also, her irritation with Lucy and her repeating words was beyond annoying. To be honest, after that bigoted comment, I skimmed over her parts. I didn’t want to read anything more about her.

I wish more attention had been paid to Roma. I was fascinated by her grandmother’s story and how it shaped Roma’s life. I was also fascinated by Roma’s profession. I wanted to know more about her patient and why that child was running.

The last half of the book was as awkward to read as the first half. I barely hung in throughout Harry’s epiphany and disappearance. The only thing that perked me up was the almost mystical dreams that Camille, Simon, and Phoebe had. I felt that their resolutions to their problems were convenient. Even the end of the book was blah. I saw it coming from a mile away.

What I liked about The Family Tabor:

A) Nothing. Normally I find something nice to put here but yeah, not this time

What I disliked about The Family Tabor:

A) Confusing to read

B) Simon’s bigoted wife

C) Everything after Harry’s disappearance

I would give The Family Tabor a rating of Adult. There is mild violence. There is mild language. There are sexual situations and sex but they are very vague. I would not recommend this book to anyone under the age of 21.

There are no triggers in The Family Tabor.

The Family Tabor is a book that I would not recommend to family and friends. I would not reread this book or be willing to read any other books by the author.

I would like to thank Flatiron Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Family Tabor.

All opinions stated in this review of The Family Tabor are mine.

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

Playing Hurt (Aces Hockey: Book 6) by Kelly Jamieson

4 Stars

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept

Date of publication: July 17th, 2018

Genre: Sports, Romance

Series: Aces Hockey

Major Misconduct – Book 1

Off Limits – Book 1.5

Icing – Book 2

Top Shelf – Book 3

Back Check – Book 4

Slap Shot – Book 5 (review here)

Playing Hurt – Book 6

Where you can find Playing Hurt: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Book synopsis (from Goodreads):

He’s playing hurt. She’s laying low. And they’re both flirting with disaster.

“Kelly Jamieson is my go-to author for hockey romance.”—Jami Davenport

Chase: The last thing I’d ever want to do is let my team down. After overcoming my bad-boy reputation, I was dominating on the ice. But things aren’t going so well this season, and even my parents think I’m partying again. Now I’m really worried about my career. The only bright spot in my life is the Twitter flirtation I’ve struck up with pop princess Jordyn Banks. Turns out she’s a huge hockey fan—and she’s willing to wager a date on her favorite team. . . .

Jordyn: Even though I’m an L.A. fan now, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Aces, since I grew up in Chicago. Then I lose a bet to Chase Hartman, and suddenly I’m up close and personal with a pro athlete who’s anything but soft. Not only is Chase the hottest guy I’ve ever met, but he’s also secretly super sweet. As if I had time for a relationship . . . yeah, right. But when I suddenly have nothing but time on my hands, he’s the only one who understands. Now, with both of our careers at stake, Chase is tempting me to put my heart on the line too.

My review:

I needed to read Playing Hurt. I needed to read a romance where I didn’t have to use my brain to figure out complex plots/relationships. I was able to relax and enjoy reading this book. Which is something I haven’t been able to do in a long time!!

Playing Hurt is the 6th book in the Aces Hockey. This book can be read as a stand-alone. While the other characters from the earlier 5 books are in Playing Hurt, they do not take over the book. Which is something I liked.

The plot of Playing Hurt was cute. Chase starts flirting with Jordyn over Twitter. Eventually, they go on a date after she loses a bet to him. Sparks fly but nothing happens. It wasn’t until Jordyn suffers a vocal injury that lays her up for a year that she reconnects with Chase. That is where the story takes off.

I liked Chase, even if he was a stubborn SOB. Why was he stubborn? Well, he refused to go to the Dr and checked out. Even when he was in obvious pain. So yeah, that was the one part of him I didn’t like. Everything else, I loved. He was romantic (hello, surprise trip to Aruba!!) and more importantly, he knew how to communicate. Well, except for his injury. I did feel bad for him. His parents were jerks. Withholding love because he wanted to quit hockey as a child. That was awful.

I loved Jordyn. She was down to earth. She was sweet. She knew how to hold her own with Chase. My only issue with her was that she was almost too nice. There were a few points in the book where I wanted her to do something naughty to spice up her character. She was almost too sugary sweet. But that aside, I loved her. She was perfect for Chase. She was the ying to his yang.

The romance part of this book was sweet. I loved how the author chose to keep their relationship on a slow burn for the first half of the book. It made the chemistry between them insane. Sparks flew when they interacted. Be it Twitter, text, face to face or phone. And in turn, those sparks made for some pretty intense sex scenes.

I loved the end of the book. While it was your typical happily ever after, I had no issue imagining Chase and Jordyn lasting in real life.

What I liked about Playing Hurt:

A) Chase and Jordan’s Twitter romance

B) How romantic Chase was

C) How realistic their romance was

What I disliked about Playing Hurt:

A) Chase being so stubborn. I wanted to smack him upside his head

B) Jordyn being sugary sweet.

C) Chase’s parents

I would give Playing Hurt an Adult rating. There is explicit sex. There is language. There is some very mild violence. I would recommend that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are no trigger warnings for Playing Hurt.

I would reread Playing Hurt. I would recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group, Loveswept, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Playing Hurt.

All opinions stated in this review of Playing Hurt are mine.

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

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: