KIng of Battle and Blood

January 17, 2022 | piperreads

“All of the stars in the sky are not as bright as my love for you.”

While many brides find their wedding day to be their happiest day but not Isolde De Lara, she expected to wed the vampire king Adrian Alexksandr Vasiliev in order to end a decades long war. She is planning to kill him on their wedding night but things don’t go as planned as he catches her in the act and threatens to raise her as the undead, which is the thing that she hates the most. Isolde isn’t going to go down without a fight as she finds other ways to defy him and survive the brutal vampire court. But, the court isn’t what she fears most. It’s Adrian himself and despite their obvious electrifying chemistry, she wants to know why he would chose her as his consort.

Well, here have another predictable enemies to lovers vampire story that I found myself engrossed in even if the writing was choppy in some parts. From the reviews on this book, people either loved it or hated and I’m one of those people who is in the middle. I didn’t exactly love it as much as I wanted to love it but it was entertaining and I did like the smut. The second book isn’t coming out for awhile and I don’t even know if I’m gonna read it but let’s get started on the good with this book. As I mentioned, the smut was pretty good and I did enjoy that because sometimes either the smut is written poorly or there’s not enough. While I did find Isolde annoying, I did buy the chemistry between herself and Adrian so that’s one of the pluses. One reason why I didn’t completely like Isolde is because I got I’m not like most girls vibe and I hate that type of character because it’s over done so it made me enjoy the book even less.

But, overall I enjoyed it and maybe I’ll check out the second book when it comes out!

Lore Olympus by Rachel Symthe

January 15, 2022 | piperreads

“I know it may seem overwhelming right now. If I were lucky enough to have somebody love me, I would try everything to make it work. You’re lucky to have that even if it hurts.”

Young goddess of the spring, Persephone, is new to Olympus but as the young woman who has promised to train as a sacred virgin is about to get more than she’s bargained for when she’s meets the mysterious, Hades during a night out with her new roommate and sister Artemis and her life is thrown into a chaos as she finds herself attracted to the older man who is charming yet very misunderstood ruler of the underworld. Now, Persephone must find her place among the world of Olympus all while navigating through the confusing politics and find her true power.

I know what you’re thinking! Great, another Persephone and Hades retelling? I hear ya I hear ya but this is one retelling that is guaranteed to keep you wanting more. Going into this, I thought it was going to be a similar retelling and it was the opposite and it did not disappoint as I loved everything about it especially the personalities of the gods especially Hades and Persephone. In addition to the fantastic characterization, the dynamics between the gods and chemistry between Hades and Persephone felt very real. They are so cute together and I can’t wait to read more of their adventures in the next book coming out this year but not until July, ugh that’s too long. Not only did it feel real but it was relatable at times especially with how Persephone was navigating through the political climate in Olympus while trying to figure who she is and what he wants to do with her life.

Definitely check this out if you love mythology but I think many people would actually enjoy this book as it was a wild, entertaining, and fun ride from beginning to end.

The Exiled Fleet

January 14, 2022 | piperreads

“What’s our motto, friends?”
“Get it done fast and don’t die, sir.”

The crew of sentinels, led by courageous Adequin Drake are making a desperate preparations to return to the galaxy that abandoned them all before they all starve. Having stabilized the situation at the Divide, the immediate threat, the crew is now low on supplies and their is a impending mutiny brewing. With tensions building, the team must find a way to get through this or they may not make it out alive.

A thrilling and entertaining follow up to The Last Watch and I am so happy that I didn’t have to wait a long time to read this follow up or else I would’ve been unhappy. I was engrossed from beginning to end and while I did find the novel very entertaining there were a few things that didn’t make me love it as much as the first one. One plus was the continued developed fo the characters as I felt like it was very real and and relatable especially with Rake and her own self-doubt about whether she’s fit to be a leader. Out of all the characters, she’s probably my favorite. It’s hard not to root for her and the other members. I felt like this novel was a bit overcrowded with new characters, plot details, and a bit too much information that made me confused at times. I think I would’ve enjoyed it more it there wasn’t so much going on as it was hard to keep track of who was who especially with new characters being introduced in this book. But even with all of that, Dewes crafted a entertaining and fun follow up to the first book and I am excited for the third to come out even though it won’t be for a long time!

The Last Watch

January 9, 2022January 9, 2022 | piperreads

“One act doesn’t define someone, good or bad. I hate what you did. Not you.”

The Last Watch follows a band of criminal misfits who have been banished to the edge of space that have to their petty grievances aside to save the universe from certain destruction. Each character has their own agenda but if they want to save earth and find a way to redeem themselves, they must work together before it’s too late.

Wow! This book was truly enjoyable and I’m glad that I don’t have to wait for the second book. I’ve been reading a lot of Sci-Fi lately and I’m really glad that I have because I haven’t had a miss yet and will probably be my new favorite Sci-Fi series. The plot wasn’t something that I’d seen before with a band of misfits coming together to save the world but the way it was done here made it more unique and interesting and I believe the writing had a lot to do with that. It honestly felt like I was there and I could feel the tension between the characters in stressful situation. Another great aspect of the book were the characters as they each had their own flaws that made them very relatable and I felt invested not only with their personal journey but how they fit in with the rest of the group. Overall, this was a really good suspenseful Sci-Fi space opera filled with everything you would hope for a Sci-Fi series to have.

Quiet In Her Bones

January 7, 2022 | piperreads

“Ten years was a long time for evidence to age and fade. For flesh to disappear. For everyone to forget that Nina Parvati Rai had been a living, breathing woman who’d loved music and cooking and had a mind like a computer.
In another life she could have been a professor.
In this life she’d been a rich man’s wife.
Now she was just bones.”

Quiet In Her Bones tells the story of socialite Nina Rai who disappeared mysteriously one night and was never seen again. At the time, no one thought it was suspicious, just a trophy wife tired of her wealthy husband. But when her bones turn up in the forest greens that surrounds their wealthy neighborhood where secrets have been kept but now people are starting to ask questions and while the rich who live there may not want to know what happen, one person knows that something terrible happen. Her son, Aarav remembers the chilling scream that came from his mother that fateful night ten years ago and he’s determined to find out what happen to her no matter the cost.

Wow! What a fantastic murder thriller and I truly mean that. While this book had his downsides which I will get to in a bit, this was a truly exciting and gripping thriller that had me turning the page for more. The writing style was a bit different and while I did like it, there was also a downside to it as some of the writing was a bit over-sexualized and almost came off as though it was written by a man. While I understand that the author could’ve been intending it be portrayed a little over the top, it still felt a bit much. But, there were other parts of the book that helped me enjoy it as much as I did. I felt as though the characters were well developed and while there was a lot of them, I was invested in each of them so that’s always a good thing cause there’s nothing worse than under developed characters. Lastly, what made this novel so great was the twists throughout the book and usually with some thrillers, they can very predictable but not in this book and I think that makes this a true thriller. I recommend it if you like you suspenseful thrillers that keep you wanting more.

January TBR

January 2, 2022 | piperreads

Wow!! Can’t believe it’s January and I’m excited for this new year to begin so let’s get started with my picks for this month!

Adaline and the Sphere by Beady Vries
Genre: Fiction, Fantasy, Romance

Cold The Night, Fast The Wolves by Meg Long
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, Sci-Fi

How To Stop Time by Matt Haig
Genre: Fiction, Historical-Fiction, Sci-Fi

King Of Battle and Blood by Scarlett St. Clair
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

The Last Watch by J.S. Dewes
Genre: Adult, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Love, Lists, & Fancy Ships by Sarah Grunder Ruiz
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction, Romance

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology

Nightrender by Jodi Meadows
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction, YA

Quiet In Her Bones by Nalini Singh
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Thriller

Read Between The Lines by Rachel Lacey
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance

Serendipity by Various Authors
Genre: Contemporary, Romance,

Take Me To Your Nerdy Leader by Hailey Gonzales
Genre: Contemporary, LGBT, Romance,

Things that Should STay Buried

December 24, 2021 | piperreads

“As above, so below. Trouble a star, watch it explode. The harbinger soars, the earth is bowed. There is chaos in the heavens, there is chaos in the soil.”

Clawing their way from their long-forgotten tomb, the Zodia are emerging ravenous to claim everyone born under the star signs. They are plotting to resurrect kingdoms no human knew existed, they are driven by a hunger for vengeance against the one who buried them: Aries. Larken is a natural born sprinter, but even she can’t outrun the darkness closing in. As time passes, they find themselves in a shelter in place order where some are following it and others acting like nothing is happening. Left with no other option, Larken”s brother calls for Aries in order to save his sister’s life.

I had actually planned to read this book a few months back but didn’t get to it before the end of the month. I’m glad that I decided to pick up for this month cause I really enjoyed it. I love anything astrology so I was super into the premise of the book and found it engaging until the end. I found the concept truly unique and interesting and while I did find it a little slow, it did pick up so I was happy about that because there’s nothing worse than a cool and interesting concept and the rest of the book is a dud. Another thing that made me love the book were the characters especially Larken as she very relatable throughout the entire book and I loved seeing the character development. This book was truly enjoyable so if you’re into fantasy and astrology, I highly recommend this book.

Nutcracked

December 13, 2021 | piperreads

If there are two things that Georgie loves, it’s Christmastime and Ballet and this year is even more amazing as she is finally playing the part she was born to play in The Nutcracker as Clara. Her life long dream has come true as every time she dances with The Nutcracker, she enters a magical world where everything around her is larger than life. It’s so magical and amazing that Georgie can’t wait to return but what happens when the magic starts seeping into the real world and threatens to destroy Christmas for Georgie and her friends.

This was a cute book for the holiday season, I usually try and read books dedicated to the holiday as it’s always fun. Obviously, this is a middle grade book and I did like the characters, I found Georgie fun and adorable and enjoyed her relationship with her friends and The Nutcracker. The problem that I had with the book is that it started too slow and ended too fast. I felt like things were super slow and then all of a sudden everything got solved in such a short time that I actually had to reread the last few chapters to make sure I didn’t miss anything. I felt like it could’ve been fleshed out a little more with a few developments because that’s my big pet peeve with books. I’m not a fan of rushing things as it makes me feel like there I’m missing something but if you’re looking for a fun, cute, and quick read and you love retellings, then this is just for you!

December TBR

December 5, 2021 | piperreads

Wow, I can’t believe the year is already up! This year has flown by so quick and I am ready for it to be done. I am excited for the books that I’ll be reading this month and I can’t wait to share them with you.