Adult

Book Review: Eight Perfect Hours

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If you’re looking for a cute, fluffy, and heartwarming book to dive into while curling up on the sofa, this book is for you! The book follows Nicole Butterby and Sam Attwood who find themselves in the same place at the same time after being stuck in a snowstorm on the highway. The more and more they bump into each other, the more they’re starting to realize that fate has other plans for them and while they don’t know where it’s going to take them, they’re more than willing to give it a try.

While I did enjoy the plot and how it developed, I did feel like the characters were a little under developed and some of the things they did annoyed me. Both Nicole and Sam are very flawed and complicated characters but the romance between the two wasn’t as real or believable so it was hard for me to completely invest into their romantic relationship. But, I did enjoy the story itself as was heartwarming and real with two people who are trying find out what life has in store for them so check it out if you want!

Kiss Her Once For Me

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It’s not always something I love when it comes to one night stands that lead to misunderstandings but that is exactly what happened with this book. It follows Ellie Oliver who is at her wits end after losing her job a few weeks after having a one night stand with a mysterious woman named Jack at a Christmas party at the local book store. Everything was perfect until the next morning that left Ellie feeling hurt and rejected. That all changes or so she thinks when Ellie, finds herself a new job where she meets Andrew who is dealing with his own problems. The two strike a deal with Ellie pretending to be his girlfriend for the holidays in order to secure his inheritance and Ellie thinks this will get her back on easy street except for when they arrive at his parents house and she finds herself face to face with Jack.

The dynamics between the characters especially Ellie, Jack and Andrew were fleshed out and felt real. The author does a good job with balancing the comedy and drama throughout the book and sometimes that can be tricky to do especially with how it’s written. The beginning of the book shows how Ellie’s mother walks all over her and she can’t say no to her giving her the last dollar she has and while I found that frustrating, I do wish the author would’ve spent more time with adding more to the relationship. I found myself connecting to both Jack and Ellie and I was glad to see Ellie’s growth from beginning to the end to see her taking more chances with her own personal happiness and learning to put herself first. It’s a cliche message but it’s always a good reminder to take care of yourself in every possible way.

Book Review

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“She knew that someday, her feelings would transform into something else entirely, something beautiful and strong, and the memories would still ache but with a sweet sort of sadness—the way sorrow often does, given enough time.”⁣

Three generations of witches must come together to solve a twenty year old mystery in the small town Yarrow, Kentucky as the witches are known for their shadow garden. Their magic can cure any headache and the fruits of that garden can bring a special quality to the local bourbon distillery where one day every year, a shot of Bonner Bourbon will make your worst memory disappear. But, twenty years ago on that day, the town gave up more than a memory and forgot the entire summer where someone died and the other person disappeared.

This was such a delight! I absolutely loved every single part of it and I can’t believe it’s a debut and i am looking forward to more books by this author.There is more than one romance that goes on in this novel and i love and appreciate that the author focused more on the romance between the older characters than younger. Not that I didn’t like it but it really gave it more of an adult feel and made me more invested in the book itself and I found all the characters interesting and unique with real flaws that made it easy to relate and feel empathy for. The dynamics between the characters felt very real and I did appreciate how the author kept up the suspense till the end as i was turning the page in anticipation about what would happen next. What I absolutely loved the most was the idea of the shadow garden taking pain and turning it into something beautiful in a metaphoric sense of healing from painful experiences. That actually made me tear up and it was executed so well and it could’ve been botched and lost the powerful meaning of what healing really is. All in all, it was a fun, exciting, and heartwarming tale so please check it out!

book Review

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“Men don’t have to pay attention the way we do. Men die because they make mistakes. Women? We die because we’re female.”

In horror movies, the final girl standing is the who’s left when all said is done. The one who survived while others including loved ones, friends, and others around her are gone, the one who fought back and made it to the end of the movie but what really happens to the brave souls who did what they needed to make it to the end? Well as I’m sure you would think anyone who survived something like this is need of extensive therapy and that is exact what happens once they get out of it. These brave women try to not let it define them as they work through their pain together in therapy as a group but what happens when one of the girls doesn’t show up for a session? The others know something is sinister is happening and they must act quickly before they get picked off one by one until there are no more final girls left.

This book was quite a wild ride and one that I didn’t expect to be so all over the place. This is my second book that I’ve read by Hendrix and I do like how he mixes in witty and dry humor as it makes it so more interesting and how he writes horror is done really well with keeping up the suspense throughout till the end.It did take some time to like some of the characters especially Lynette, I found her annoying but I did appreciate how different they were from one another. They seemed like such a odd bunch but the dynamics between them felt very real and not forced or awkward and the ending was absolutely bonkers. Being a horror novel, this book was filled with gore and gruesome acts of violence but it didn’t bother me as much as it would’ve years ago because I’m older and I do enjoy good slasher films from the time to time. If you’re into slashers, you might check this out but if you have a queasy stomach then I would skip this one.

October TBR

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Here is it! Can’t wait to share my picks with you for this month!

The Book of Gothel by Mary McMyne
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Retelling

Camp Scare by Delilah S. Dawson
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade

The City We Became by N.K. Jesmin
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

Coven by Jennifer Dugan
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix
Genre: Adult, Horror, Fiction

The Genesis of Misery By Neon Yang
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

In The Shadow Garden by Liz Parker
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

Lakesedge by Lyndall Clipstone
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Romance

Love Live The Pumpkin Queen
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Retellings

Mina and the Undead by Amy McCaw
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Middle Grade

Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism

Over My Dead Body by Sweeney Boo
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Graphic Novels

Princess of Souls by Alexandria Christo
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Paranormal

Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal

The Stitchers by Lorien Lawrence
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade

These Fleeting Shadows by Kate Alice Marshall
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling
Genre: Fantasy, LGBT, Romance

Twelve New Mysteries by Various Authors
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Short Stories

The Wild Hunt by Emma Seckel
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Mystery

The Very Secret Society Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

The Witchery by S. Isabelle
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, LGBT

The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction

book Review

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“If only there were a way to hold a moment in your hands and keep it alive forever.”

Under the moon throne, there have been centuries of suffering at the hands of despotic emperor, and his sons, the three terrors, as they hold the countryside in their hands. They bleed the land and leave the citizens living in fear of their dark powers they inherited from the god god locked under the palace. But, the god cannot be contained forever and with the aid of Jun, a broken guard who is still trying to deal with his grief-stricken past and Keema, an outcast fighting for his future, the god is freed from her prison and flees from her own children, the three terrors who would drag her back down to her prison where she belongs. Now, the three must find a new home for the god and keep her away from harms way and find a way to end the moon throne but the road to freedom is paved with danger wherever they go.

What a thrilling and exciting read! I’m not usually a fan of long books but this one was well worth it and while the plot was very straightforward and something that you see a lot of in fantasy books, the author does a fantastic job with the writing to make it seem like something completely new and unique. Not only do you get a compelling love story but you also get a story that shows how love drives motivations, actions, and serves as a ray of hope. All of the characters were motivated by their scorn or want for love and how the author portrayed that throughout the book was brilliantly done. It was a truly a fantastic and thrilling read and I loved the dynamics between Keema and Jun, it felt very open and real and the two of them do a lot of growing throughout the novel. Highly recommend this one!!

Book Review: The Long WAY TO A SMALL ANGry PLAneT

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“All you can do, Rosemary – all any of us can do – is work to be something positive instead. That is a choice that every sapient must make every day of their life. The universe is what we make of it. It’s up to you to decide what part you will play.”

Not expecting much when she joins the crew of the aging Wayfarer, Rosemary Harper finds herself right at home with a chaotic and crazy life abroad the Wayfarer. The ship has seen better days but it offers a bed, a chance to explore the far off galaxies and most importantly a long distance from her past. Rosemary knows how to keep to herself and finds the crew very different from herself and it’s about to get even dangerous when the crew accepts the job of a lifetime. A job that could mean the end of her life and her crew members if they’re not careful leaving Rosemary in a position that she was trying to get away from. The young woman must learn how to put her trust in others, a team of odd balls that will teach her how to love and trust and that having a family isn’t the worst thing in the world.

There’s nothing that I love more than feel-good science fiction and this book did more than deliver. Glad there are other books in the series because i really enjoyed this one. I love it when there’s a rag tag team of odd balls who are sent on a mission to save the world, it’s so much fun. Along with the feel good vibes, I really loved learning about the world and it felt so real and how it was written really made me love it even more. The writing is what really helped it seem so real and unique so that’s a bonus when you get that in fantasy and sci-fi novels. I loved Rosemary, she was a likable and relatable protagonist and I really felt for her and how she was trying to deal with her past trauma. I think a lot of us are dealing with that right now and it can be very overwhelming to do but I did enjoy her relationships with the other crew members. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to reading more of the series!

Book Review: The Murder of Mr. Wickham

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The happily married, Mr. Knightley and his wife Emma are throwing a house party, bringing together distant relatives and new antiquates, characters beloved by Jane Austen fans. It will be a delight for everyone but all that is dashed when a unwelcome guest, Mr. Wickham shows up and it’s very obvious that no one is thrilled to see him as his latest financial scheme has earned him a long list of enemies, including people attending the party. As the party starts, secrets are to be revealed and tensions start to flare with everyone wishing Mr. Wickham would’ve never come at all. But they’re all shocked when the uninvited guest ends up murdered. To solve the mystery, they need someone who isn’t a suspect in the case and that falls on two of the youngest guest, Jonathan Darcy and Northranger Abbey and the two must put aside their poor first impressions before an innocent person is hanged.

This was a really fun who-dun-it and I absolutely loved how it was a retelling featuring Jane Austen’s leading literary characters as she’s one of my favorite authors. I thought the story was nicely done but I do wish that she would’ve added a bit more suspense and action in some of them because it did feel a bit boring at times. It did get chunky but at least the ending didn’t feel so rushed and wasn’t something that I predicted. I am planning on reading more retellings of historical fiction mysteries because I did really enjoy this one and hopefully will find more as enjoyable. If you’re looking for a fun and entertaining who-dun-it than this is it for you!

Book Review: Dark Night, Golden Dawn

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“They complemented one another well, the perfect mix of dark night and golden dawn.”

In a place where the elite are just as powerful as gods, the season is about to begin in where The Immortal Orders will gather, pair and create a spectacle for all Nuva Troi to witness. But, if there is one person who isn’t interested unlike past years it’s Harlow Keane who is more concentrated on fixing her broken heart. Fate has other plans as when the season begins, the order comes to her with a job offer and they promise to back off, if she agrees to pair with their most eligible bachelor, Finn McKay. She has been burned by Finn before and knows that she’ll get burned again. But as the season goes on, strange things begin to happen and the balance of power between Immortal Orders and Humans is growing deadlier by the day. Only Finn and Harlow are the ones who notice what is going on and if they want to save their city, they must put aside their petty grudges and find out what is happening before it’s too late.

Although the start was a little slow, I’m glad it picked up and that I ended up enjoying it as it was a fun and exciting read and I feel like it lived up the what it was about. Sometimes, summaries can be very deceiving and there’s nothing worse than when a book doesn’t live up to it. Besides the beautiful world-building, I really enjoyed Harlow and her relationships especially wit her family, it was so comforting and wholesome. You could tell how much they truly cared for one another and they were all so interesting and unique, it’s not always you find secondary characters as fleshed out as the primary characters. So it’s always nice to have that and I did enjoy the banter between Harlow and Finn, I did fine the romance to be believable and that’s a good sign because there’s nothing worse than a forced romance. Overall, I really enjoyed it so if it sounds like something