Author Archives: Kristin

What Month Is It Again?

2 August, 2020 11:37 am , 9 Comments ,


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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Posted in: meme

Review: The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

31 July, 2020 7:24 am , 2 Comments ,

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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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Nerve by Jeanne Ryan

27 July, 2020 8:45 am , 5 Comments ,

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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Posted in: YA Contemporary, Young Adult , Tagged: ,

Review: High Heat by Annabeth Albert

24 July, 2020 12:20 am , 2 Comments ,

High Heat
(Hotshots #2)
by Annabeth Albert
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication date: July 27, 2020
Genre: M/M Romance
Rating:

Smoke jumping is Garrick Nelson’s life. Nothing, not severe injuries nor the brutal physical therapy that follows, is going to stop him from getting back with his crew. But when a lost dog shows up on his front porch, he can’t turn her away, and he can’t take care of her on his own. Thankfully, help comes in the form of his new sexy, dog-loving neighbor. As they work together, trying to re-home their little princess, Garrick can’t resist his growing attraction for the other man, even though he knows this guy isn’t the staying type.

Rain Fisher doesn’t take anything too seriously. He dances through life, one adventure at a time, never settling in one place for too long. When his hot, conveniently buff, neighbor shows up on his doorstep, dog in tow, Rain’s determined to not just save the adorable puppy, but her reluctant owner as well. He never expects their flirtation might tempt him into stay put once and for all…

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: Mystery Man by Kristen Ashley

20 July, 2020 8:16 am , 3 Comments ,

Mystery Man
(Dream Man #1)
by Kristen Ashley
Publisher: Forever
Publication date: Dec. 11, 2012
Genre: Romance
Rating:

Night time is the right time…

Gwendolyn Kidd has met the man of her dreams. He’s hot, he’s sexy, and what started as a no-names-exchanged night of passion has blossomed into a year and a half-long pleasure fest. Sure, it’s a little strange that he only appears in her bed at night, but Gwen is so sure he’s the one, she just can’t turn him away…

Hawk Delgado knows more about Gwen than she could ever imagine. She’s gorgeous, headstrong, and skittish about relationships. But Hawk is facing his own demons, demons that keep him from connecting with anyone. Yet when Gwen is drawn into Denver’s lethal underground scene, Hawk’s protective nature comes out full force. The problem is, when Gwen gets a dose of Hawk’s Alpha attitude in the daylight, she’s not so sure he’s the one anymore….

 

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Posted in: Romance , Tagged: ,

Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer

13 July, 2020 11:34 am , 4 Comments ,

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
(Cursebreakers #1)
by Brigid Kemmerer
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: Jan. 29, 2019
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

Fall in love, break the curse.

Cursed by a powerful enchantress to repeat the autumn of his eighteenth year, Prince Rhen, the heir of Emberfall, thought he could be saved easily if a girl fell for him. But that was before he turned into a vicious beast hell-bent on destruction. Before he destroyed his castle, his family, and every last shred of hope.

Nothing has ever been easy for Harper. With her father long gone, her mother dying, and her brother constantly underestimating her because of her cerebral palsy, Harper learned to be tough enough to survive. When she tries to save a stranger on the streets of Washington, DC, she’s pulled into a magical world.

Break the curse, save the kingdom.

Harper doesn’t know where she is or what to believe. A prince? A curse? A monster? As she spends time with Rhen in this enchanted land, she begins to understand what’s at stake. And as Rhen realizes Harper is not just another girl to charm, his hope comes flooding back. But powerful forces are standing against Emberfall . . . and it will take more than a broken curse to save Harper, Rhen, and his people from utter ruin.

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron

10 July, 2020 1:29 am , 2 Comments ,

Cinderella Is Dead
by Kalynn Bayron
Publisher: Bloomsbury YA
Publication date: July 7, 2020
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rating:

It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

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Posted in: YA Fantasy , Tagged: ,

Review: Ancient Protector by Katie Reus

6 July, 2020 11:47 am , 1 Comment ,

Ancient Protector
(Ancients Rising #1)
by Katie Reus
Publisher: Self-published
Publication date: June 30, 2020
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Rating:

Even as he fights for their future…

With the world still rebuilding after massive dragon attacks, famous singer Star isn’t willing to rely on a stranger to protect her family—though dragon shifter Lachlan is difficult to resist. Something about him is strangely familiar, but she doesn’t understand why. He’s already helped Star rescue her sister from a recent abduction, but trust doesn’t come easy when his kind has nearly hunted her race to extinction. When her sister’s kidnapper launches another violent attack, Star has no choice but to accept Lachlan’s aid. But no matter that he’s stepped up to protect her, she’ll never allow the ancient Scottish dragon into her heart.

They’re bound by the past.

Lachlan lost the woman he was meant to mate millennia ago. Unable to live in a world without her, his pain drove him to hibernation. He never thought he would move on—until Star. He’s well aware the feisty shifter is his new destiny, so if tailing her to New Orleans is what he has to do to be near her, then so be it. When Star is attacked, Lachlan resolves to protect her at all costs. And he won’t have to do it alone. It will take Lachlan, his clansmen, and Star’s misfit band of friends to rain fiery vengeance down upon their enemy if she and her sister are to ever be truly free. Only then can he claim her and discover the shocking truth that lies buried in their past.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged:

Review: Night Shift by Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, & Milla Vane

29 June, 2020 3:04 pm , 2 Comments ,

Night Shift
By: Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, Lisa Shearin, & Milla Vane
Publisher: Berkley
Publication date: Nov. 25, 2014
Genre: Paranormal Romance

New York Times bestselling author Nalini Singh delivers a smoldering story with Secrets at Midnight , as the scent of Bastien Smith’s elusive lover ignites a possessiveness in him that’s as feral as it is ecstatic. And now that he’s found his mate, he’ll do anything to keep her.

In #1 New York Times bestselling author Ilona Andrews’ novella, Magic Steals , when people start going missing, shapeshifting tigress Dali Harimau and jaguar shifter Jim Shrapshire must uncover the truth about the mysterious creatures responsible.

It’s seer Makenna Frazier’s first day on the job at Supernatural Protection and Investigations, and her first assignment is more than she bargained for when bodyguard duty for a leprechaun prince’s bachelor party goes every which way but right in national bestselling author Lisa Shearin’s Lucky Charms .

From Milla Vane—a warrior princess must tame The Beast of Blackmoor to earn a place among her people. But she quickly discovers that the beast isn’t a monster, but a barbarian warrior who intends to do some taming himself.

 

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Posted in: Paranormal Romance , Tagged: , , , ,

Review: Three Mages and a Margarita by Annette Marie

26 June, 2020 7:20 pm , 5 Comments ,

Three Mages and a Margarita
(The Guild Codex: Spellbound #1)
by Annette Marie
Publisher: Sept. 14. 2018
Publisher: Dark Owl Fantasy
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Rating:

Broke, almost homeless, and recently fired. Those are my official reasons for answering a wanted ad for a skeevy-looking bartender gig.

It went downhill the moment they asked me to do a trial shift instead of an interview—to see if I’d mesh with their “special” clientele. I think that part went great. Their customers were complete dickheads, and I was an ***hole right back. That’s the definition of fitting in, right?

I expected to get thrown out on my ***. Instead, they… offered me the job?

It turns out this place isn’t a bar. It’s a guild. And the three cocky guys I drenched with a margarita during my trial? Yeah, they were mages. Either I’m exactly the kind of takes-no-*** bartender this guild needs, or there’s a good reason no one else wants to work here.

So what’s a broke girl to do? Take the job, of course—with a pay raise.

 

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Posted in: Urban Fantasy , Tagged: ,