C. N. Crawford & Alex Rivers: Avalon Tower

 

In the first of a series, Crawford and Rivers have a unique twist on the story of King Arthur and the Avalon Tower.

As a first book in a series there is going to be some information dumping so that you understand the world that you are in. I think at Crawford and Rivers really excelled in this and I knew not only the world but who the bad guys are and what they are wanting to achieve. I felt like the book took awhile to get the who plot going and we don't really get any traction till around the 75% mark, so I will say I struggled at times to read this book. I don't mind a slower pace but I feel like things should be happening at least around the 50% mark. This is the age old question can the last 25% make up for the rest of the book and man does this book end on a high note.

Nia is a fun character and I like how loyal she is to her friends, and at the beginning when she helps the half Fae escape you know that she is going to be brave.  But she does suffer from many of the tropes that are associated with women in the fantast or romantasy genre (she has a special power, she's not like other girls etc.). I just wanted more out of her as a character and I felt like I never really got to know Nia.

I do like Raphael and Nia as a couple, but I don't understand the whole no "relationships" at the spy school, I mean if there is any place that people need to let off some steam I feel like it is there. I am also interesting to see where things with the dream walker/nightmare walker go. I feel like there is more there than what happened.

This book was a good start to a series and with the ending I want to pick up the next book of the series. I hope that i get to know more about Nia in the next book and I am looking forward to see where Crawford and Rivers take this plot and characters. I just hope the next book is a little more fast paced.

Enjoy!!!!

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Tarryn Fisher: The Wives

Tarryn Fisher takes readers on a ride and questions how much do we really know those we love:

This is the second book that I have read by Fisher and I will read another by her. I like how she writes a story but overall it just didn't compel me as much as I wanted it to even with the twists along the way. I thought I knew where this book was going, but Fisher was able to take it in a completely different direction which I appreciated.  And at first I didn’t mind the shift but the farther I got into the book it felt like Fisher took the easier route, and I wanted her to be a bit more create in the end.

This book is full of manipulation from the very beginning and you don't know who to trust. As we only get Thursday's POV readers will want to side with her but you see glimpses of how she manipulates her marriage situation to benefit herself. You can tell that she is insecure in her relationship from the beginning even though she puts on a good front.

I will say only read this book if you are okay not liking any of the characters by the end. All the people in the book do horrible things to each other that really none of them are redeemable. And really I have to question parents who name their daughter after a day of the week.

This book was not for me in the end, but I want to try another book from her I like her writing style, I think the plot lay out and twist were just not for me.

Cheers.

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Laurie Forest: The Shadow Wand

In The Shadow Wand, Laurie Forest shows that you cannot hide from who you are forever or those around you will seek to control you or kill you:

As the third book in a series, please don't read below as there will be spoilers for what has occurred and you really need to read the first two books in this series to understand the dynamics of this world, characters and the relationships that they have.

By book three in a series I really feel like this is a make of break point for me as to whether I will continue on, and I definitely will. This book was really good and very fast pace throughout but that did not take away from the very important events that occurred within this book. This book was truly heartbreaking throughout and just when you think Forest has broken  your heart enough nope she goes in for another kill. Although the pacing was good throughout the book, I did find that the book lacked suspense at times but i think that this is due to the training 

Elloren really grew in this book. She realizes she can no longer be passive and in the dark when it comes to to confronting evil. You know she has a long and hard road ahead of her but she now actually seems up for that challenge. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Lucas and Elloren and the relationship that they create together. They are both in hard spots but the dedication they have to each other and what it right was lovely. 

I loved that Forest had some additional POV through the book as our heroes are scattered through the empire. It was great to see how things were going for other and how their relationship to Elloren really was affecting whether they were accepted or not. Though i do hope we get a POV for Rafe in the next boo. I personally felt his absence in this one.

This third book was a whirlwind and I was here for it. The chapters were a bit long so it made it hard to find a place to stop when I was forced to put it down. I can’t wait to see where Forest takes the plot and characters of this series. Highly recommended series.

Enjoy!!!

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Margo Smythe: Retrograde

 

Margo Smythe takes readers to a dystopian world where one will go to any lengths for revenge.

I love the dystopian genre, especially when the author goes on the darker side of things and I was really excited to read this book and I was into this book, plot world and characters until I wasn't. I enjoyed the world and political overtaking that Smythe has. I enjoyed the capturer/captive aspect and the hate that they have for each other (really him more than her) but some how along the way I feel like Smythe lost her way and who the characters are as well as if felt rushed.

The world that Smythe has created is a bleak one, but nothing really new in the dystopian genre. Those in power are hungry for more of it and will do anything to achieve it. We mainly see what they have done through the back story POV for both Aron and Riley and it is not pretty. And the world has suffered, there are areas that are so badly contaminated that people cannot go near them or they die. It has become a very much a scavenger culture of those outside of power.

This will be a first for me when reading in this genre but I felt like we got to know Aron more than Riley. Don't get me wrong Smythe does a good job with Riley's backstory but I just felt like more effort was put in to creating Aron as a character and I was here for it. Normally it is the FMC who shines in these types of books but for me this book was all about Aron. He was such a verging on black MMC and they way he would put fear into the enemy is first class. I just wish that Aron's character Arc was better and didn't stray from who he actually was.

I thought the additional of Riley being a photographer in order to show the horror's of the war and what was really happening on the battlefields was unique and well done. It is often through these means of media that people really see what is happening, especially the atrocities so I think it was fitting for Riley to have this profession.

While I stated above that this book was on the darker side of things, I think there were times when Smythe could have pushed the envelope a little further, but that is more a personal preference than anything. If you are going to tell me this book is dark then I want dark but what is dark to one person may not be dark to me.

So this book was good, but I think it suffers when it comes to the characters in the latter part of the book as well as the ending. The ending felt rushed and like Smythe just wanted to get it done. I believe this is going to be a series and I am on the fence whether I would continue on.

Cheers!!!!

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Kelley Armstrong: Writing Mr. Wrong

 

In Writing Mr. Wrong, Kelley Armstrong asks the question, Would you use someone from your life to feature in a story you are writing?

If you have been around here for awhile you will know that I am a BIG fan of Kelley Armstrong. I love her writing style and they way she presents each of her stories. She writes in multiple genre, but this is the first time that I have read something by her in the romance one. This was a fun, cute, easy read that had Armstrong's strong writing ability to draw a reader in.

Gemma is a relatable and likeable character. Though she, in a way, is stuck in the past with her still feeling hurt from high school with what Mason did to her, I like that she was able to channel those feelings into her writing. I did want more from her though, I mean she is in her mid thirties, still stinging over something that happened in High School and especially when it came with dealing with her ex and the whole book scandal. I wanted retribution, and just felt like I never really got it.

Mason is a Hockey play MMC, who is trying to learn from the things that he did wrong in the past. You can see him struggle once he realizes how Gemma saw him and what occurs in the book she wrote. He actually is very reflective as a character (something you don't always see in an MMC) and wants to not only do right by Gemma but make things better for her and himself.

This book had a lot of the tropes that I enjoy, hockey romance, fake dating, great banter, second chance and no third act. And just overall is a cute read, that has you rooting for the romance between the two main characters. Now that I have read one romance book by Armstrong, I'll try her other ones as well.

Enjoy!!!!

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Christina Lauren: The Unhoneymooners

Christina Lauren shows what happens when two people who don't like each other take an unexpected Honeymoon to Hawaii.

This is the first book that I have read by Lauren and it was so much fun. Yes, it may have the miscommunication trope throughout the book and the history between Olive and Ethan but they way that it plays out in this book is probably the one time that I have enjoyed it. This book also made me want to go back to Hawaii as I think that Lauren did a great job of describing what one can do there without making a story all about it. 

I personally loved how Olive and Ethan's relationship developed with having it start as a fake marriage, from realizing that Olive is a horrible liar and that maybe they do have some for of attraction to each other. Honestly, I laughed so many times when reading this book, especially when they go out to the excursions while in Hawaii. Olive and Ethan really are amazing with each other, as their personalities may be different but they fit so well together.

I think the one thing I did not love about this book was the third act and the way that no one even tried to believe what she was saying. That she was making it up, or misinterpreting the actions that happened to her and the information that she found out.

I know after reading this book that I will be reading more by Lauren. This was such a fun, cute and easy read that one needs to read every once in awhile.

Enjoy!!!

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