Review | Violet Tendencies by Kate Dyer-Seeley

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Britta Johnston and her aunt Elin are delighted that their Portland floral boutique is part of the city’s Rose Festival, which draws thousands to the Pacific Northwest for dragon boat races, fireworks, and other attractions–capped off by a big parade. They’re building a float that’s sure to rock the judge’s boat . . . until a gang of angry protestors shows up. The group, who call themselves Dark Fusion, are decidedly not into flower power, and they want to take down the system . . . including the upcoming extravaganza.

Then their leader is strangled with a garland of violets–and Britta finds the body. With tensions running high and so much at stake, there are plenty of suspects, from the Grand Marshal to a longtime volunteer to a former Rose Queen. But before Britta and Elin can stem the violence, the case is going to get even more explosive . . .

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I love the Rose City Mystery series for a number of reasons, but firstly because of how Dyer-Seeley describes Portland and flowers. I really enjoyed this installment in the series, as we follow Britta and Elin as they create a float for the Rose Festival Parade as well as deal with a group of anarchist protesters who are focusing on the parade and making sure it doesn’t go to plan. Britta, as always, is a strong woman who wants to find out the truth, though that often ends up in her getting into sticky situations. I loved the further depth that Tomo had in this book and would have loved even more about Pete as he and Britta continued their will they/won’t they relationship. Also, learning more about Elin’s past was a great interjection and really filled out her character even more. All in all a great mystery that will leave you changing your mind on how the killer is just as much as Britta.

Happy reading!

Review | Robots Vs. Fairies

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A unique anthology of all-new stories that challenges authors to throw down the gauntlet in an epic genre battle and demands an answer to the age-old question: Who is more awesome—robots or fairies?

Rampaging robots! Tricksy fairies! Facing off for the first time in an epic genre death match!

People love pitting two awesome things against each other. Robots vs. Fairies is an anthology that pitches genre against genre, science fiction against fantasy, through an epic battle of two icons.

On one side, robots continue to be the classic sci-fi phenomenon in literature and media, from Asimov to WALL-E, from Philip K. Dick to Terminator. On the other, fairies are the beloved icons and unquestionable rulers of fantastic fiction, from Tinkerbell to Tam Lin, from True Blood to Once Upon a Time. Both have proven to be infinitely fun, flexible, and challenging. But when you pit them against each other, which side will triumph as the greatest genre symbol of all time?

There can only be one…or can there?

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Anthologies are one of my favorite things to read and this one has been on my ‘currently reading’ stack for quite a while, so I’m super happy to have finished. While there wasn’t really any stories that I didn’t enjoy, there were a lot that were just ok. Entertaining and enjoyable, but didn’t blow me away. I did enjoy the back and forth, plus the letters from each author about their stance and a little more about their stories, but I just found myself really wanting more, and there were a few stories that took me way too long to read. All in all, it was definitely a fun read and there were a few stories that were stand outs for me.

Here’s a full breakdown of how I felt about each story-

Build Me a Wonderland by Seanan McGuire – 4 stars
Quality Time by Ken Liu – 3 stars
Murmured Under the Moon by Tim Pratt – 4 stars
The Blue Fairy’s Manifesto by Annalee Newitz – 3 stars
Bread & Milk by Sarah Gailey – 2.5 stars
Ironheart by Jonathon Maberry – 3 stars
Just Another Love Song by Kat Howard – 4 stars
Sound & Fury by Mary Robinette – 3 stars
The Bookcase Expedition by Jeffrey Ford – 3 stars
Work Shadow/Shadow Work by Madeline Ashby – 3 stars
Second to the Left & Straight On by Jim C. Hines – 3 stars
The Buried Giant by Lavie Tidhar – 3 stars
Three Robots Experience Objects by John Scalzi – 4 stars
Ostentation of Peacocks by Lila Bowen – 4 stars
All the Time We’ve Left to Spend by Alyssa Wong – 4 stars
Adriftica by Maria Dahvana Headley – 2 stars
To a Cloven Pine by Max Gladstone – 3 stars
A Fall Counts Anywhere by Catherynne M. Valente – 3 stars

Happy reading!

Weekend Reading Plans

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So where I am it’s already around 3 p.m. in the afternoon on Saturday, but I still thought I would discuss my reading plans for the weekend. I’ve got a lot of ARCs to read and it is ARC August so I’m hoping to make good progress. Since this weekend is projected to be some of the hottest days of the year in my neck of the woods, camping on the couch with a stack of books near the AC is not a bad thing to do.

I’m in the middle of a few different books, so those are definitely top priority on my list. I would really like to tackle my review books because there are so many books I have wanted to request, but haven’t allowed myself to because I want to get more caught up, so the weekends of August will hopefully be devoted to those books (as well as others in my half finished pile).

With that said, wish me luck and it things do well I’ll do an update post to catch up tomorrow evening (fingers crossed)!

Happy reading!

Review | Camp by Kayla Miller

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Olive and Willow are happy campers!

Or are they?
 
Olive is sure she’ll have the best time at summer camp with her friend Willow – but while Olive makes quick friends with the other campers, Willow struggles to form connections and latches on to the only person she knows – Olive. It’s s’more than Olive can handle! The stress of being Willow’s living security blanket begins to wear on Olive and before long…the girls aren’t just fighting, they may not even be friends by the time camp is over. Will the two be able to patch things up before the final lights out?

After reading Click I was excited to pick up the next installment and follow more of Olive’s adventures. Kayla Miller perfectly captures real life situations that kids go through. This story ticks a lot of boxes as we follow Olive and Willow to summer camp, and Olive – being an extrovert, starts making friends immediately and dives into summer camp, while also spending a lot of time with Willow. Willow, who is homesick and feels like she only has Olive, sees things from a different perspective. It’s a great look at young friendships, making new friends and learning that you don’t have to be the only person in someone’s life. I really enjoyed the story, though sometimes Willow’s reactions to things seemed a little over the top. The message that it would give young readers would help them navigate friendships of their own as well as enjoy a great story about two friends going to summer camp.

Happy reading!

Cover Reveal | A Sweet, Soft Glow by Joshua Magnotta

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A Sweet, Soft Glow
Joshua Magnotta
Publication date: December 15th 2020
Genres: Adult, Thriller

In the ten years since John Malley lost his wife and daughter, he has slowly faded into obscurity in a rural Pennsylvania town. He spends his days at the local bar and tries to numb the pain of his loss. That is, until Ted’s Dead Rose Tavern becomes the home of the biggest mass killing in the history of the town. John, the lone survivor of the killing-spree, is forced on the run. He heads north where he hopes to hide out at his brother’s house.

Meanwhile, in New York City, young Melanie Parker investigates a disturbing new trend she discovered online. From what she has learned, metallic black bands worn along the forearm are responsible for some form of mind control. Skeptical of this theory, Melanie embarks on a night time excursion that places her in the middle of a riot in the middle of the city. Melanie fights for her life as chaos spreads throughout the city.

As John witnesses the events in New York, he is compelled to take action. But once in the city, John is forced to confront his past.

Add to Goodreads


Author Bio:

Josh Magnotta has been a resident of northern Pennsylvania for most of his life. Throughout his early life and teenager years he was an avid writer but during college drifted away from the passion as work and other priorities took precedence. In 2014 he graduated from college and soon began working swing shift in a factory. It was here, during off shifts where Josh would read during the night to stay awake, that his passion for writing was rekindled. After leaving the factory-life behind Josh went back to college and began work on his first novel, A Sweet, Soft Glow. He has since been writing ever since.

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Blitz | Witch & Wolf: The Complete Series by RJ Blain

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Witch & Wolf: The Complete Series
R.J. Blain
Publication date: December 18th 2018
Genres: Adult, Urban Fantasy

Life is never easy for those with the strength to change the world.

These are their stories.

Inquisitor

When Allison is asked to play Cinderella-turned-Fianceé at a Halloween ball, the last thing she expected was to be accused of murder. She has to find the killer or she’ll be put to death for the crimes she didn’t commit. To make matters worse, the victims are all werewolves.

On the short list of potential victims, Allison has to act fast, or the killer will have one more body to add to his little black book of corpses.

Winter Wolf

When Nicole dabbled in the occult, she lost it all: Her voice, her family, and her name. Now on the run from the Inquisition, she must prove to herself—and the world—that not all wizards are too dangerous to let live.

Blood Diamond

The world is full of corpses, and Jackson knows them by name. When a group strives to destroy the Inquisition, his powers may be all standing between the supernaturals and extinction.

Silver Bullet

Finished with being a victim, Vicky will do everything in her power to put an end to Basin once and for all, even if it means she must make the ultimate sacrifice and bite a silver bullet for the sake of her family, her friends, and the rest of the supernatural world.

This collection also contains Tales of the Winter Wolf Vol. Six.

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / iBooks / Kobo

—

EXCERPT:

From Inquisitor:

Autumn had come, and I was powerless to stop it—this time. A yellowed leaf clung to its branch, mocking me with its splash of color. The rest of Central Park clung to the hope of summer. I stood on my toes and snatched at it, but a chilly wind ripped it from my reach.

The leaf landed on the path several steps away. When I reached it, I crushed it beneath my boot.

“Wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, Allison?”

I twisted my heel while wrinkling my nose. With light brown hair and creamy skin prone to burning rather than tanning, Mark would never be my tall, dark, and handsome, though he was good looking and aggressive with his money. With my sort of luck, he’d never account for anything more than an occasional lunch buddy who needed my help with his finances. Then again, maybe it was better for both of us that way.

Some girls had all the luck. Me? I had more money than I knew what to do with, most of it acquired from Mark in management fees like I was some sort of modern-day vampire. Too bad money couldn’t buy me a life.

“Who said I went to bed last night?” Hopefully, he wouldn’t think too long or hard on my delayed quip.

“What’s got your tail in a bunch?”

I shoved my hands in the back pockets of my jeans and swallowed my relieved sigh. No tail. Good. Last thing I needed was to sprout a tail on Halloween at noon. “N-nothing. You’re always ‘blah, blah, blah, something’s wrong.’ Nothing’s going on.”

Mark arched his brow at me. “So what did that poor little leaf do to you?”

“It failed its calculus test twice.”

Author Bio:

RJ Blain suffers from a Moleskine journal obsession, a pen fixation, and a terrible tendency to pun without warning.

In her spare time, she daydreams about being a spy. Her contingency plan involves tying her best of enemies to spinning wheels and quoting James Bond villains until satisfied

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Blog Tour | The Friendship List by Susan Mallery | Review

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Already a worldwide success in mass market and trade paperback formats, Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional, witty, and heartfelt story about two best friends who are determined to help one another shake things up and live life to the fullest…only to discover that possibilities are everywhere–especially in the most unexpected of places.

Ellen and Unity have been best friends basically since birth, but they couldn’t be more different. Unity married her childhood sweetheart just after high school and became an Army wife, moving from base to base…until her husband’s shocking death in the line of duty leaves her a widow. Grief-stricken, it’s time for Unity to come back home to Ellen—the only person she can trust to help her rebuild her life. But Ellen has troubles of her own. Boys never seemed to notice Ellen…until one got her pregnant in high school and disappeared. Her son is now 17 and she’s wondering what to do with herself now that he’s heading off to college and he’s literally her entire world.

But now that Ellen and Unity are reunited, they’re done with their stale lives. It’s time to shake things up and start living again, knowing that they’ll always have one another to lean on. So they create a list of challenges they have to accomplish–everything from getting a tattoo to skydiving to staying out all night. And whoever completes the most challenges is the winner. But with new adventures and love just around the corner, there’s no such thing as losing…

BUY LINKS | Amazon | Barnes & Noble |Books-a-Million |Indie Bound | Kindle | Nook | Google Play | Apple Books | Kobo | Walmart | Target | Bookshop.org

Rating: 4 out of 5.

I was super excited to pick up another of Susan Mallery’s books as I enjoyed the last one I read from her and wanted to experience more of her writing. Once again I was immediately sucked into the story of Ellen and Unity, as well as the other characters whose perspectives come in. I will say that I sometimes had a hard time connecting with Unity’s personality and story, but Ellen’s story always had me invested.

I did not expect as much romance as there was after reading the synopsis, but I ended up loving it. I really enjoyed as the stories progressed and Ellen and Unity grew and transformed in a way. The pace of the writing is fast and the story keeps moving at a pretty good clip. I got a little frustrated at moments with some things, such as Unity’s refusal to admit she’s in a rut, but overall I really enjoyed the story and loved the characters.

SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women’s lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations,” and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.

Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She’s passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two Ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.

SOCIAL LINKS | Twitter: @susanmallery | Facebook: @susanmallery | Instagram: @susanmallery |
Author website: https://www.susanmallery.com/

The Friendship List is out now, so make sure to pick it up if it sounds good to you – happy reading!

Blitz | The Other Side of the Looking Glass by Kathleen Harryman

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The Other Side of the Looking Glass
Kathleen Harryman
Publication date: June 29th 2020
Genres: Adult, Romance, Suspense

She wakes up to a life she doesn’t recognize…
And to a husband she can’t imagine loving.

Kate find herself in a hospital with no memory of who she is or anything about her life. Everything is blank.

An attractive, well dressed and obviously wealthy man stands there claiming to be her husband. Yet, as she first looks into his cold eyes, she wonders how she could have loved and married the man.

As Kate is taken home to her luxury mansion. she realizes her ordeal is just beginning. Life with the controlling Liam, her husband, is more than she bargained for.

Then, her memory starts to come back and the truth emerges…

“A well written, thought-out, intriguing and beguiling story by the author, as told by the characters involved.” ~ Goodreads Review ~

“The Other Side of The Looking Glass by Kathleen Harryman was intense, intriguing, well paced and an absolute pleasure to read.” ~ Goodreads review

Read this romantic suspense thriller from the author of Hidden Danger and When Darkness Falls, The Other Side of the Looking Glass is a tale of subterfuge, mystery, mistaken identity and true love.

Goodreads / Amazon

—

EXCERPT:

Chapter One

KATE

He clinical smell of detergent penetrates my senses and my eyes flutter open. I find myself staring at a white-tiled commercial ceiling, questioning if I am awake or asleep – though it does seem like a rather strange dream to have. I blink. The ceiling remains. My senses give my brain a nudge and it fires up but provides no answers. Brows wrinkling in confusion, I begin trying to determine what is going on.

One thing I am certain of, is that my body is sore and stiff. Muscles aching, I remain as I am, twisting my head to the right. The sun glares through a wide, steel window. From the sun’s height in the sky, I estimate it has been there some time.

A feeling of guilt settles over me. It appears sleeping in isn’t something I indulge in.

To my right, between the bed and window, is a small white cupboard and a plastic-coated armchair. Sunflowers sit in a vase on the bedside cupboard. I like sunflowers. Though at this moment, I fail to recall why.

An irritating beep-beep sound comes from my left, and I swing my eyes in that direction, lifting my head slightly. Wires litter my body and a pink cellular hospital blanket covers me. The beeping begins to make sense, along with the plastic-coated chair and wires. I am in a hospital.

A sigh escapes my lips as I resist the urge to panic. Instead, I acknowledge my dislike of hospitals. Then again, name a patient or visitor who likes them. There is that clinical smell that lingers long after you have left, and they are full of sick people. At present, I am reluctant to place myself in the ‘sick people’ category, even if my brain is screaming at me, telling me I wouldn’t be here if I was fit and well.

Tentatively, I sniff the air. This hospital does smell nicer than the ones I have stayed in and visited before. At present, I am unable to remember ever spending time in or visiting a hospital, though I’m sure I have done so.

My eyes widen and adrenalin is released into my bloodstream. Hands shaking, my breathing quickens. Panic grips me. Why can’t I remember anything? My eyes fly round the room, unseeing. What has happened to me?

If I am in a hospital, I am safe and cared for. Quantifying this fact allows reason to be heard. Though my heart still hammers, its beat is more regular than it was. My memories are in there, somewhere, I just need to find them. It’s probably the drugs they have given me, clouding and confusing my brain.

Closing my eyes, I demand that my brain starts its cognitive processing. My demand falls into a black hole of nothingness. Not giving up, I decide to think about the sunflowers, as they’d triggered a feeling of happiness. Unfortunately, this simple request is met with vacuity, and a hollow feeling takes up residence in the pit of my stomach. The only mental input I receive is that sunflowers are bright, cheery plants.

My eyes fly open and I face the frightening fact that my life is a blank.


Author Bio:

Kathleen Harryman is a storyteller and poet living in the historically rich city of York, North Yorkshire, England, with her husband, children and pet dog and cat.

Kathleen first published a suspense thriller in 2015, The Other Side of the Looking Glass. Since then, she has developed a unique writing style which readers have enjoyed and is now a multi-published author of suspense, psychological thrillers, poetry and historical romance.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


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Review | Clap When You Land

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In a novel-in-verse that brims with grief and love, National Book Award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Acevedo writes about the devastation of loss, the difficulty of forgiveness, and the bittersweet bonds that shape our lives.

Camino Rios lives for the summers when her father visits her in the Dominican Republic. But this time, on the day when his plane is supposed to land, Camino arrives at the airport to see crowds of crying people…

In New York City, Yahaira Rios is called to the principal’s office, where her mother is waiting to tell her that her father, her hero, has died in a plane crash.

Separated by distance—and Papi’s secrets—the two girls are forced to face a new reality in which their father is dead and their lives are forever altered.

And then, when it seems like they’ve lost everything of their father, they learn of each other. 

Rating: 5 out of 5.

If her first two books hadn’t already landed Elizabeth Acevedo on my auto-buy list, this one would have done it. I will say that I prefer her books in verse as I love her specific style, but I will also pick up anything she writes in prose as well. It’s not just her writing, but so many other things such as the impact she crafts with her words, the soul she gives her characters and more. I spent a lot of this book crying and sometimes I didn’t even understand fully what was making me cry, but it was heartbreaking. Being someone who has gone through the death of a father, I always appreciate (but also hurt) when authors are able to capture different aspects of grief and the different things people may experience/how no one’s grief is the same – and Acevedo perfectly captured that in this book. There are definite trigger warnings for death of a parent, sexual assault and grief in this book and I think it’s important to know that if those subjects are triggering for you, be aware.

It’s a hard read emotionally, but so worth it and I love that she drew inspiration from the real life crash of flight AA587 – while also shedding light upon it. Too often important events that impact hundreds, if not thousands, of lives get pushed aside or buried because something deemed bigger or more important happens. This should be on everyone’s lists, but make sure you have tissues handy.

Happy reading!

Review | Almost American Girl by Robin Ha

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A powerful and timely teen graphic novel memoir—perfect for fans of American Born Chinese and Hey, Kiddo—about a Korean-born, non-English-speaking girl who is abruptly transplanted from Seoul to Huntsville, Alabama, and struggles with extreme culture shock and isolation, until she discovers her passion for comic arts.

For as long as she can remember, it’s been Robin and her mom against the world. Growing up in the 1990s as the only child of a single mother in Seoul, Korea, wasn’t always easy, but it has bonded them fiercely together.

So when a vacation to visit friends in Huntsville, Alabama, unexpectedly becomes a permanent relocation—following her mother’s announcement that she’s getting married—Robin is devastated. Overnight, her life changes. She is dropped into a new school where she doesn’t understand the language and struggles to keep up. She is completely cut off from her friends at home and has no access to her beloved comics. At home, she doesn’t fit in with her new stepfamily. And worst of all, she is furious with the one person she is closest to—her mother.

Then one day Robin’s mother enrolls her in a local comic drawing class, which opens the window to a future Robin could never have imagined.

Rating: 5 out of 5.

As soon as I read the synopsis for this graphic memoir I had to pick it up. I’m always interested in anything related to Korean culture and individuals so I definitely wanted to read about the author’s experiences and perspective.

Taken as a whole this is a very complex story where the author examines her relationships with her mother and others, her internal feelings and thoughts and cultural differences – plus having to deal with being a teenager at the time that her life went through major upheaval. Even if you haven’t dealt with many of the things she dealt with, you can probably sympathize with being a teenager who’s unsure of themselves and unsure how to fit in.

The way Ha addresses a lot of the cultural differences and issues was also great to see, she perfectly showed snippets of some of the different perspectives in Korean culture vs. American, and some of the racism she experienced just because of what she looked like and spoke like.

I really enjoyed her storytelling in this work and her art style with the changing color palettes that denoted time and emotion. It was just a beautiful story to experience in my opinion and I will definitely be looking up her other works.

Happy reading!