Wrap Up | January 2021

January 31, 2021January 31, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! I know I haven’t done wrap ups in a while but they are definitely back. There are going to be some changes though. I’m not going to be going super in depth on what I read or my specific ratings and do something more like bullet point updates. This may evolve and change over time, but I’m going to do what feels right to me.

If you want to see all the books I read and my ratings on books that I read that I don’t necessarily cover on the blog – you are more than welcome to add me as a friend or follow me over on Goodreads. There are some books that I don’t always write up full reviews for, but I always rate them over there.

While today is still technically the 31st, I don’t anticipate finishing any more books by the end of the day, so I’m fairly confident this post will be accurate. In the month of January I’ve completed a total of 32 books, which does include a good mix of poetry, manga, graphic novels and short stories/novellas in addition to full length novels.

For my TBR game I ended up completing four of the six books I had selected, which I’m pretty happy with. Yes, I probably could have taken care of at least one of them this weekend, but it ended up being more of a self care weekend where I did other things. I will be carrying Shutter and Bed of Roses over until I finish them.
For my Nancy Drew reread “challenge” I ended up completing three books, which were 12-14 – The Message in the Hollow Oak, The Mystery of the Ivory Charm and The Whispering Statue.
For my Series I want to complete in 2021 goal I made progress on both Fruits Basket and Locke and Key.

Now for something completely new, I decided that when I can clearly define what my favorite book of the month was I would include it in my wrap up. This month I definitely had a favorite, which ended up being Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. I cannot praise this book enough and encourage everyone to read it, if you want to find out more you can always check out my review of it for more info.

That’s going to cover it for this month! As I said I will likely make changes to what information I include in wrap ups, but for now this is the type of format I’m going to work with.

Happy reading!

Review | The Sprite and the Gardener by Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego

January 30, 2021January 30, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Long, long ago, sprites were the caretakers of gardens. Every flower was grown by their hand. But when humans appeared and began growing their own gardens, the sprites’ magical talents soon became a thing of the past. When Wisteria, an ambitious, kind-hearted sprite, starts to ask questions about the way things used to be, she’ll begin to unearth her long-lost talent of gardening. But her newly honed skills might not be the welcome surprise she intends them to be.

The Sprite and the Gardener, the debut graphic novel by Joe Whitt and Rii Abrego, is bursting with whimsical art and vibrant characters. Join our neighborhood of sprites in this beautiful, gentle fantasy where both gardens and friendships begin to blossom.

If you’re looking for a heartwarming story about finding friendship and doing what makes you happy, this is a wonderful, whimsical graphic novel that will fit the bill. Though we don’t get a ton of insight into the other sprites as much as we do into Wisteria, they still come across as individuals. Wisteria’s need to do something and to have a purpose was very sweet and her creating bonds with others as the story went on was a great plot point. The story itself is very sweet and the art style matches that. Overall it was a great pick me up read that will leave a smile on your face.

Happy reading!

February TBR | Reading Plans

January 29, 2021January 29, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Well, another month has pretty much passed us by. Where did January go? It’s been a pretty good reading month and with a couple more reads I’m trying to get a couple more reads in, but I’ll discuss that in my wrap up (yes, wrap ups are coming back!). As of writing this post I have read four of the six books that I picked for January and I’m hoping to finish at least one more before the month ends. As a reminder I’m not punishing myself if any are unfinished – I am carrying them over and picking them up as I can, but I’m not pressuring myself with any punishments or anything. My wrap up will come in a few days, but for now let’s get to what the cards determined for February.

4 of Diamonds – Netgalley
2 of Spades – Kindle + YA
Jack of Clubs – Under 300 Pages
King of Clubs – Rich’s Stack of 5
10 of Hearts – Historical
2 of Clubs – Classic

Most of these made me sigh with relief as I was hoping for a slightly lighter month – especially since I’m always playing catch up due to the century that was 2020. For the most part I was really happy with what the cards revealed.

For my NetGalley pick I went with the next blog tour I have scheduled, so This Golden Flame will be covering that card pick. For the Kindle + YA I have a collection on my kindle that is just YA, so I decided to be kind to myself and chose a short story/novella, which was The Automaton’s Treasure.

Under 300 pages did make me cheer just a bit and I was super excited to grab Kiki’s Delivery Service right off my book cart. Rich got it for me for Christmas and I have been dying to read it ever since, so I jumped at the chance to squeeze it into the TBR.

I groaned just slightly when that king card came up, just because most of the books Rich chose when I started this challenge are a bit on the larger size and I had already had one of the stack of 5 on January’s TBR. For this one I ended up going with Kill Creek.

Historical is one that will probably be removed from the board at some point just because I don’t have a ton of historical books – but for this category I’m including other genres that may have a historical setting, so I went with Stalking Jack the Ripper since I really need to get to that series.

Finally we landed on classic and I won’t lie, I was cringing just because I haven’t been in the mood for classics, but then I remembered that I still have some Shirley Jackson that I haven’t read so I leapt at the chance to pick up Let Me Tell You by her. Even though it was released only a few years ago, it’s previously unreleased work by her, so I’m counting it.

So there we have it! I think this months picks will be mostly easy to handle and if nothing else, fun to read!

Happy reading!

Blog Tour | Forgiven by Garrett Leigh | Review

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

High school sweethearts Mia and Luke get a second chance at love in this brand-new contemporary romance from award-winning author Garrett Leigh.

When Mia Amour returns to England to open a florist shop, all she wants to do is put her lousy ex behind her and never look back. But getting a fresh start is easier said than done when her first love, the boy who once broke her teenage heart, strolls back into her life. He’s every bit as sexy as she remembers, and the urge to melt back into his arms almost makes her forget how devastated she was when he took off without a word. Almost.

Left with no choice, Luke Daley did what he had to do, leaving town to earn enough money to save his broken family, though it just about broke him, too. But now he’s back, running his uncle’s business and trying desperately to forget about Mia, the girl he left behind all those years ago. When he runs into her in town, the shock of seeing her again brings an intense rush of emotions: love, guilt…and an overwhelming urge to find out if it’s still as amazing between them as it used to be.

It doesn’t take either of them long to give in to desire and discover the fiery passion they once shared burns hotter than ever. With each new touch, each moment of forgiveness, old hurts heal and the future they’d hoped for ten years ago becomes possible again. But their fragile connection is tested by a threat neither of them saw coming—a threat that could end their second chance before it even gets started.

Oh boy, if you’re looking for a second chances romance that is full of angst and very strong emotions, then this one will fit the bill. These characters and their feelings towards each other were deep rooted and intense, but not in a bad way. I really enjoyed Mia and Luke’s journey even though some of Mia’s reactions and emotions seemed perhaps a little too much, still it was believable with what she had been through as well as her personality overall.

It was an intense story, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The writing style was easy to read and moved along at a good pace which made this a perfect read for a single sitting. I also really enjoyed some of the side characters and their interactions, which pointed towards the next book in the series.

Garrett Leigh is an award-winning British writer and book designer.

Garrett’s debut novel, Slide, won Best Bisexual Debut at the 2014 Rainbow Book Awards, and her polyamorous novel, Misfits was a finalist in the 2016 LAMBDA awards.

When not writing, Garrett can generally be found procrastinating on Twitter, cooking up a storm, or sitting on her behind doing as little as possible, all the while shouting at her menagerie of children and animals and attempting to tame her unruly and wonderful FOX.

Garrett is also an award winning cover artist, taking the silver medal at the Benjamin Franklin Book Awards in 2016. She designs for various publishing houses and independent authors at blackjazzdesign.com, and co-owns the specialist stock site moonstockphotography.com with photographer Dan Burgess.

Connect with Garrett Leigh

Happy reading!

Review | The HAunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates

January 27, 2021January 27, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Could you survive a week in a haunted house?

Mara is the daughter of spiritualists. Her childhood was filled with séances, scam mediums and talk of ghostly presences.

When Mara finally left her family’s home, she vowed she would never allow superstition or false religion into her life again. Now she’s ready to start over with her fiancé, Neil, in a world based on rationality and facts.

But her past isn’t ready to let her go just yet.

Mara and Neil purchase Blackwood House, a derelict property outside of town. They’re warned about strange occurrences in the crumbling building. Doors open by themselves, voices whisper in the night, bloody handprints appear on the walls, and cold spots linger in the basement, where the house’s original owner was murdered.

But Blackwood was dirt-cheap and came with a large plot of overgrown land. Mara loves her new home, and disregards the warnings.

Because ghosts aren’t real…

…are they?

This was my first experience with Darcy Coates’ writing, but I had been wanting to pick up her books for ages and so many of them had caught my eye. I wanted to start with this one because the synopsis grabbed me and I was not disappointed. If you’re looking for a creepy haunted house book that is also psychological, this is a great example. I kind of wished more of the history of Blackwood House had been revealed a little earlier as I did feel that some of the foundation of the story was a little slow, but when we did get to the meat of the history it was definitely a great payoff. Mara did sometimes get on my nerves with how…fiercely independent she was, but that was explained in a great way that made it very understandable, so I was happy about that. While I did guess the final twist before it happened, it didn’t lessen the story’s impact for me, so I will definitely be picking up more of Darcy Coates’ books in the future.

Happy reading!

Writing Update | January

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

So…I know I’ve been pretty quiet for the last month or so regarding my writing – and honestly I was just letting myself take a little break. The last few months have been stressful everywhere, but certain things have definitely affected my mental health and such. In that time I have been reading a ton, but not necessarily writing.

I have opened some of my WIPs and read through them, have done some editing and have also spent time thinking through the plotlines of a couple of them. But actual writing? That hasn’t happened…and I’m perfectly ok with that.

Sometimes you need a break, especially when things in your life are a little topsy turvy. Plus, it’s always good to take a mental health break from things if you need to.

I definitely plan on doing Camp NaNoWriMo in April, but before that I’m not sure if there will be a ton of updates on the writing front. Who knows? We’ll see how my self care goes and if inspiration strikes me then I will definitely act on it.

How’s everyone else’s writing going so far this year?

Happy writing!

Blog Tour | Aftershock by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell | Review

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 DeAnne2 Comments

When an earthquake strikes San Francisco, forensics expert Jessie Teska faces her biggest threat yet in this explosive new mystery from the New York Times bestselling authors of Working Stiff and First Cut.

At first glance, the death appears to be an accident. The body is located on a construction site under what looks like a collapse beam. But when Dr. Jessie Teska arrives on the scene, she notices the tell-tale signs of a staged death. The victim has been murdered. A rising star in the San Francisco forensics world, Jessie is ready to unravel the case, help bring the murderer to justice, and prevent him from potentially striking again.

But when a major earthquake strikes San Francisco right at Halloween, Jessie and the rest of the city are left reeling. And even if she emerges from the rubble, there’s no guaranteeing she’ll make it out alive.

With their trademark blend of propulsive prose, deft plotting and mordant humor, this electrifying new installment in the Jessie Teska Mystery series offers the highest stakes yet.

After reading the first book in the series, I knew I wanted to read this one as well. While you can read this one by itself without reading the first one, there are some references which will stand out more if you have already read the first one. That being said, I loved this one just as much as I enjoyed First Cut.

The twists and turns of this one, especially with the earthquake thrown in, made for a fast paced story. Jessie is strong in her desire to discover the truth and admittedly that doesn’t always sit right with people, especially those who haven’t appreciated it in the past. Some of the best moments in the book are the interactions between characters and how hard Jessie works to uncover what really happened. To be fair she doesn’t always choose the best way to do it, but it makes the story more impactful.

Judy Melinek & T.J. Mitchell are the New York Times bestselling co-authors of Working Stiff: Two Years, 262 Bodies, and the Making of a Medical Examiner, and the novel First Cut. Dr. Melinek studied at Harvard and UCLA, was a medical examiner in San Francisco for nine years, and today works as a forensic pathologist in Oakland and as CEO of PathologyExpert Inc. T.J. Mitchell, her husband, is a writer with an English degree from Harvard, and worked in the film industry before becoming a full-time stay-at-home dad to their children.

Big thanks to the publisher for including me in the blog tour – happy reading!

Blitz | A Warlock’s Storm by Marie-Claude Bourque

January 24, 2021January 24, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

A Warlock’s Storm
Marie-Claude Bourque
(The Order of the Black Oak – Stories #1)
Publication date: January 21st 2021
Genres: Adult, Paranormal, Romance, Urban Fantasy

A WARLOCK’S STORM: A Seasoned Urban Fantasy Romance

Meet the Order of the Black Oak: a powerful order of modern-day warriors fighting evil to protect the ones they love.

When rugged warlock turned fisherman Reynolds Stanford finds himself stranded in a haunted New England harbor at the approach of a powerful tropical storm, he must battle more than sea monsters and revenants. The gorgeous female panther shifter sent to help him by his family is tugging emotions buried deep within his soul and he fears that while he might survive the night from the deadly assault on his ship, he may very well end-up losing his heart in the process.

If you love loyal tough guys with hearts, satisfying slow-burn paranormal romance and safe Happily Ever Afters, the Black Oak World is for you.

Fantastic series of action, magic and awesome romance. You will fall in love with the characters and feel you are right with them.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo / Google Play

—

EXCERPT:

Meet Rey…. (Her POV)

Reynolds Stanford was a tall strapping man. His shoulders were wide under the fitted white t-shirt now sullied from the slayed monster’s blood, his posture solid with the harpoon planted at his side.

Saira’s insides, still bristling from the shifting hormones, rumbled with lust. Her niece Kerala had forgotten to mention how hot the recluse warlock was.

“What the hell is this?” Rey glanced at the sea then back at her, his brows knitted in confusion. “Where did you come from?”

She shrugged, her lips still curled in gentle amusement at recalling his earlier shock of seeing her appear out of nowhere. “Your cousin Diesel sent me.”

“Diesel, huh?” His tone lightened as he shook his head and stored his harpoon by the hatch leading below. “I should have known, the boy likes his magic.”

“He thought you might need help.” Barely five minutes ago, she’d been standing inside a magical circle at Breaker Hall in Seaport while Diesel and his mother, both extremely powerful sorcerers, had performed the ritual that had sent her here.

When her niece Kerala—who also happened to be Diesel Stanford’s wife—had learned through her fishermen connections that their cousin Rey had decided to sit out the tropical storm in a haunted cove, Diesel had been worried for his safety. Saira had volunteered to help. She’d been visiting with the couple for a fortnight and getting bored.

From her perch on the top deck, she surveyed the perfect circle of bay in the last light of the ending day. The mounting surf crashed at the shore on high cliffs dotted with tall pines. The one narrow pebble beach was littered with small, broken derelict boats, their mismatched planks oddly jutted upwards in their final journey.

She shuddered and her smile vanished. “Devil Eye Cove. Doesn’t look like the friendliest place.”

Author Bio:

Marie-Claude Bourque is a Seattle-based author of gothic paranormal romance and the winner of the American Title V award with her first novel ANCIENT WHISPERS.

Her writing features modern-day fantasy skillfully weaved into infinitely romantic supernatural stories between smart strong women and complex passionate heroes.

Happily Ever After always absolutely guaranteed!

Newsletter / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram / Bookbub / Amazon

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Hosted by:

Review | Gudetama: Mindfulness for the Lazy by Wook-Jin Clark

January 23, 2021January 23, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Mindfulness takes a lot of mental energy to wrap your brain around. Gudetama is here to help you become a better person…sort of.

Empathizing with others, understanding your feelings, learning to be selfless. These all sound like really hard things to do! Well fear not, come along with Gudetama who’ll guide your way to learning things and more. Living selflessly is something many struggle with. Don’t worry, Gudetama does too, and wants to join you on your journey in finding the wonders of mindfulness.

I’ve really enjoyed the last couple Gudetama books I’ve read from Oni Press, so as soon as I saw this one pop up I wanted to read it as well. I knew it would be filled with humorous but also some wholesome content. This approach to mindfulness was no different. Gudetama is equal parts funny and morality lessons and some of the situations he finds people in are relateable and super easy to identify with. The art style is the same signature style that Gudetama always has, whether he’s laying down to take a nap or hiding in his shell, he always takes time to talk people through their issues and give them helpful advice – whether they take it or not is up to them. It’s a quick read that will make you smile and laugh and I’d say that’s perfect if you need a pick me up.

Happy reading!

Review | The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

January 22, 2021January 22, 2021 DeAnneLeave a comment

Prince Liam. Prince Frederic. Prince Duncan. Prince Gustav. You’ve never heard of them, have you? These are the princes who saved Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Snow White, and Rapunzel, respectively, and yet, thanks to those lousy bards who wrote the tales, you likely know them only as Prince Charming. But all of this is about to change.

Rejected by their princesses and cast out of their castles, the princes stumble upon an evil plot that could endanger each of their kingdoms. Now it’s up to them to triumph over their various shortcomings, take on trolls, bandits, dragons, witches, and other assorted terrors, and become the heroes no one ever thought they could be.

Christopher Healy’s Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom is a completely original take on the world of fairy tales, the truth about what happens after “happily ever after.” It’s a must-have for middle grade readers who enjoy their fantasy adventures mixed with the humor of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. Witty black-and-white drawings by Todd Harris add to the fun.

If you’re looking for a tongue in cheek adventure full of quirky characters that try their best but don’t always succeed the way they think they will, then this will be a fun read for you. We follow four princes who have each been dubbed “Prince Charming” in their respective kingdoms, and some of them don’t necessarily enjoy the way their stories unfolded. This story is a mashup of multiple fairy tale couples who aren’t really having a happy ever after, more like they don’t really know their partners and have some real relationship hiccups along the way. They aren’t traditional heroes by any means, but they find ways to work together…sometimes. It was a funny story that constantly had ups and downs and I think for a middle grade reader who understands the tongue in cheek nature it would be great. For any age it would be an entertaining read featuring price’s as we’ve never seen them before. I also loved the artwork that was included throughout the book, looking like pencil sketches on the page.

Happy reading!