Author Archives: Kristin

Review: Blood King by Abigail Owen

The Blood King
(Inferno Rising #2)
by Abigail Owen
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Publication date: Aug. 25, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Ruthless dragon king Ladon Ormarr must keep his throne at all costs. And now, with war on the horizon, he’ll need a miracle. Luckily, the fates have dropped Skylar Amon right into his lap.

Except he may have met his match.

The feisty Amon sister has no fear — of him or any other dragon shifter — is brash, doesn’t stick to protocols, and regularly offends his warriors and advisers.

Skylar also has no intention of sticking around. She doesn’t believe in the whole destined mates thing and believes all dragon kings to be dangerous. But if it means taking out the High King who murdered her parents, she’ll put up with Ladon… temporarily.

But the fates have other plans. And when Skylar disappears in the middle of a battle, Ladon will burn down the world to find her.

 

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Sneak Peek Wednesday: Booked for Murder by R.J. Blain (Giveaway)

Booked for Murder
(Vigilante Magical Librarians #1)
by R.J. Blain
Publisher: Pen & Page Publishing
Publication date: Aug. 18, 2020
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Life as a bodyguard and driver for the rich, famous, and powerful is dangerous on a good day, and after sustaining a crippling injury while on duty, Janette’s left with few options. Having signed a ‘for life’ contract but unable to work, she uses her skills to disappear.

Her new life as a librarian suits her. Nobody cares she limps and sometimes requires a cane to walk. She’s wanted for her knowledge, not her lethal magic. She’s surrounded by books, a woman’s best friend.

But when her former employer’s best friend is murdered on the steps of her library, old loyalties and secrets might destroy her – or set her free.

Teaming up with her co-workers to find the killer might keep her from being booked for murder, but unless she’s careful, she’ll find out exactly how far her ex-boss will go to reclaim what is rightfully his.

Her. For life.

 

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Review: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Twilight
(The Twilight Saga #1)
by Stephenie Meyer
Publisher: Little, Brown, and Company
Publication date: Sept. 6, 2006
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance
Rating:

About three things I was absolutely positive.

First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him—and I didn’t know how dominant that part might be—that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.

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Sneak Peek Wednesday: Girl With Three Eyes by Priya Ardis (Giveaway)

Girl With Three Eyes
by Priya Ardis
Publisher: Vulcan Ink
Publication date: Aug. 28, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

She would hate her third eye less if it actually gave her special powers.

When her secret is threatened, she may be the only one who can save the kingdom.

“In this series opener, Ardis…presents an engaging mix of fantasy worldbuilding and teenage courtship…A piquant mix of adolescent romance and adventure.”Kirkus Reviews

Sixteen-year-old Kira puts on a show about having empathic abilities, but she miraculously wakes a highborn boy from a coma after a near-fatal accident on mountainous slopes. When his father threatens to expose her “magic” to the queen, she attends the kingdom’s most elite academy as a bodyguard.

Soon, she’s immersed in a strange new life—one of being a simple student trying out for the school’s skyboarding team. Her fake life becomes the life she’s always wanted, but Kira cannot escape who she truly is. Nothing in the court of the Raj is as it seems…

Will she risk her freedom to unmask a killer before the crown falls?

 

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Review: Geekerella by Ashley Poston

Geekerella
(Once Upon a Con #1)
by Ashley Poston
Publisher: Quirk Books
Publication date: April 4, 2017
Genre: Yound Adult Romance
Rating:

Cinderella goes to the con in this fandom-fueled twist on the classic fairy tale.

Part romance, part love letter to nerd culture, and all totally adorbs, Geekerella is a fairy tale for anyone who believes in the magic of fandom. Geek girl Elle Wittimer lives and breathes Starfield, the classic sci-fi series she grew up watching with her late father. So when she sees a cosplay contest for a new Starfield movie, she has to enter. The prize? An invitation to the ExcelsiCon Cosplay Ball, and a meet-and-greet with the actor slated to play Federation Prince Carmindor in the reboot. With savings from her gig at the Magic Pumpkin food truck (and her dad’s old costume), Elle’s determined to win…unless her stepsisters get there first.

Teen actor Darien Freeman used to live for cons—before he was famous. Now they’re nothing but autographs and awkward meet-and-greets. Playing Carmindor is all he’s ever wanted, but the Starfield fandom has written him off as just another dumb heartthrob. As ExcelsiCon draws near, Darien feels more and more like a fake—until he meets a girl who shows him otherwise.

 

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Sneak Peek Wednesday: I Am Here Now by Barbara Bottner (Giveaway)

I Am Here Now
by Barbara Bottner
Publisher: Macmillan
Publication date: Aug. 4, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Poetry

Set in the 1960s, Barbara Bottner’s I Am Here Now is a beautiful novel in verse about one artist’s coming of age. It’s a heartbreaking, powerful and inspiring depiction of what it’s like to shatter your life―and piece it all back together.

You can’t trust Life to give you decent parents, or beautiful eyes, a fine French accent or an outstanding flair for fashion. No, Life does what it wants. It’s sneaky as a thief.

Maisie’s first day of High school should be exciting, but all she wants is to escape.

Her world is lonely and chaotic, with an abusive mother and a father who’s rarely there to help.

So when Maisie, who finds refuge in her art, meets the spirited Rachel and her mother, a painter, she catches a glimpse of a very different world―one full of life, creativity, and love―and latches on.

But as she discovers her strengths through Rachel’s family, Maisie, increasingly desperate, finds herself risking new friendships, and the very future she’s searching for.

 

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Review: The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

The Bromance Book Club
(Bromance Book Club #1)
by Lyssa Kay Adams
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Nov. 5, 2019
Genre: Romance
Rating:

The first rule of book club: You don’t talk about book club.

Nashville Legends second baseman Gavin Scott’s marriage is in major league trouble. He’s recently discovered a humiliating secret: his wife Thea has always faked the Big O. When he loses his cool at the revelation, it’s the final straw on their already strained relationship. Thea asks for a divorce, and Gavin realizes he’s let his pride and fear get the better of him.

Welcome to the Bromance Book Club.

Distraught and desperate, Gavin finds help from an unlikely source: a secret romance book club made up of Nashville’s top alpha men. With the help of their current read, a steamy Regency titled Courting the Countess, the guys coach Gavin on saving his marriage. But it’ll take a lot more than flowery words and grand gestures for this hapless Romeo to find his inner hero and win back the trust of his wife.

 

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What Month Is It Again?


I’m linking this post to Sunday Post, and It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

 

Is anyone even keeping track of time anymore? It seems like we are in an alternate universe or something where time is irrelevant. So, yeah… I’ve missed a few of these monthly wrap-ups due to me not having a clue what day it is anymore. Every time I turned around it was a new month, and yet we are still stuck in the same limbo. Back in June we were reinstated back at work. I have to say, it’s an odd feeling being back there, even months later. We still get people who come into the building who don’t want to wear their face coverings, or don’t keep their distance from others. It’s just crazy to me with the amount of people who are still traveling (both in country and from other countries) during a deadly pandemic.

My reading has gotten better. I’m reading a bit more than I previously was, and I’m finding new books/authors to read that weren’t on my radar. Not all of the books I’ve tried over the last handful of months have been winners for me, but I’ve found some gems in there. I’ve also read some forgotten and neglected books that have been sitting on my shelves for years.

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Review: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

The Glittering Court
(The Glittering Court #1)
by Richelle Mead
Publisher: Razorbill
Publication date: April 5, 2016
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Big and sweeping, spanning from the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court.

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies who appear destined for powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training, and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and then when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands…

 

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Review: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

Nerve
by Jeanne Ryan
Publisher: Dial Books
Publication date: Sept. 13, 2012
Genre: Young Adult
Rating:

ARE YOU PLAYING THE GAME OR IS THE GAME PLAYING YOU?

Vee doesn’t know if she has the guts to play NERVE, an anonymous online game of dares. But whoever’s behind the game knows exactly what she wants, enticing her with lustworthy prizes and a sizzling-hot partner. With Ian on her team, it’s easy to agree to another dare. And another. And another. At first it’s thrilling as the Watchers cheer them on to more dangerous challenges. But suddenly the game turns deadly. Will Vee and Ian risk their lives for the Grand Prize dare, or will they lose NERVE?

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