Sarah Barrie: Unforgiven

Sarah Barrie shows what happens when a once victim becomes the vigilante:

Lexi has dedicated her life in just trying to survive, she drinks to much and sleeps with whomever she likes as long as they pay her. But Lexi's true passion is as a Hacker. Tracking down pedophiles, gathering information about them to put them away. Lexi was the last victim of the notorious pedophile known has the Spider, oh so she thought as a new individual has come forward claiming to be the real Spider as they emulate the murderous acts. Now everything from before is being called into question, even the innocence of the man convicted of being the spider. Did they get it wrong all those years ago?

This is the first book that I have read by Barrie and I can tell you this will not be the last. This book is a dark, gritty thriller that you will not want to put down as you get caught up in the search for "copycat" serial killer. This book will seem darker than other thriller books and that is because the victims are children. I will say that Barrie does not go into detail of what happens to the victims but does give enough detail that you KNOW what has happened to them and it is heartbreaking and sick. So if you have triggers of child abuse then this book will not be for you, as I said not a lot of detail of what is happening but enough to know as a reader what is happening.

Lexi is a straightforward but also complex character at the same time. I love that Barrie did not sugar coat her past or make it seem like what she lived though has not affected her, it has and Barrie does not shy away from this. Lexi is trying to recover from her past and help those who cannot help themselves yet at the same time she is unable to forgive herself for what happened and what almost happened to her sister. Lexi has chosen to be an escort as she believes that is really all she is good for, but Lexi is nothing but a survivor and she always will be. I appreciate that Barrie does take time to explain Lexi's history as well as the link between her and DI Rachel as their history brings some of tension that is felt throughout the book.

This book had quite a few twists and turns along the way and I like that all the evidence is not just handed to the police or Lexi. Lexi does a lot of digging on the internet so that type of information can take time to dig through, especially the type of groups that Lexi has had to infiltrate over times. I will also totally admit that I did not see that final twist coming. 

In the real world would the let Lexi be as involved as was probably not but I’m okay with how Barrie dealt with it in the plot, I mean this is a work of fiction so you need to dispel things a bit. And how Barrie presents it in the story works.

This was a terrific read, Highly recommend this book if you like thriller books and be prepared to read this one in one sitting. I can’t wait to read the next book in this series, Lexi is the type of character I am drawn to in these types of books. 

Enjoy!!!

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Megan Boley: The Darkness All Around Us

In her debut novel Megan Boley explores what happens when you give a pharmaceutical company too much power:

Pharmmatrox was on the cutting edge of medical science, they had created incredible drugs that were supposed to save the world, no on would ever get sick again. But instead of curing people, they created an additive drug called Dust, that eventually turns the user into a zombie like creature.  Stella is just trying to survive and keep her promise to find her friends before people started turning on mass. But Stella has a few problems, no only is she a user of Dust she is also on the run from a woman who is hunting her believing she is the reason why there are turned in the first place. Stella knows her time is running out in more ways than one and she has to try and find her friend and hopefully do some damage to the company that caused this in the first place.

When I read the premise of this book, I knew it was one that i would want to read. I am all for books where there are morally grey characters, and when the book is presented as Dark and Gritty. I have not read a zombie based book in quite some time, I think many have moved away from the genre for awhile (it did get oversaturated there for awhile), but I am happy to delve back into the genre. I like Boley's take on how the zombies are created, this is not your typical you get bitten you become a zombie. No this is if you use this addictive drug too long, it is going to turn you into one and all those who take it know this. However, like in many zombie or apocalyptic novels, the zombies are really the least of your worries, it is the other survivors you need to worry about. I think that Boley does a great job of showing how far humanity can fall and how the two different groups The Faction and Pharmatrox (troxies), are battling each other for control.

I struggled to get into this book at the beginning, I wish there had been a prologue to give readers the general idea of the dystopia we are about to step into, the two sides and why they are fighting. Instead, we have to wait till chapter 10 in order to get even a hint of what occurred before. I wasn't able to understand why people hated Troxies and wanted them all dead or how people were becoming zombies, so I felt like I was muddling through the first few chapters trying to figure it all out. 

I think I saw a review where some people had a hard time believing one of the twists in the book, I personally thought it was quite obvious, and not surprising and it just made since when you think of most dystopia/end of the world type books; everyone changes in some way or another, from who they are to their names, people have to change and adapt in order to survive. The other twist I did not see coming at all, and does it really affect things in the book, not really, so I am fine with it.

I appreciate that Boley does not waste the side characters in this book, they are not just there to be there, but feel like they are fully fledged people and different from each other even though they do not get their own POV. Each of them has a purpose in this story, especially those around Stella and I enjoyed that we got to know them as well. They also helped keep Stella grounded in certain situations which Stella needed quite a bit of in this book. I mean how can you not like Quinten. 

Death was an interesting addition and I wasn’t sure of her purpose until halfway through the book, so if you find the Death character confusing to begin with don’t worry. Their presence is explained and I actually wish there was more of Death at times (Death starts to fade out the farther you get into the book), to really show the downward spiral of Stella and her Dust usage and in the same way explain why she continued to use.

Overall, this is a really good debut novel and for most of the book you do not think that you are reading one. Boley does not let up on the action, suspense or darkness throughout the book. There are times when I wish the stakes were a little bit higher (but I don’t want to give any spoilers). I look forward to reading what Boley puts out next and I better not have to wait long for book 2.

Enjoy!!!

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Rebecca Ross: Divine Rivals

In the first book in a duology Rebecca Ross shows the power of the letter:

Gods have awoken after centuries of sleep and they are at War again. Some hear the cry to volunteer to join while other are forced to. Iris' older brother Forrest heard the call to war and is now serving on the front lines of it. In order to try to hold the family together for his return, Iris Winnow takes a postion with the Oath Gazette, but what she does not realize that she has a rival for the colomnist position a hansome man named Roman Kit. In order to help stave off her loanliness Iris begins to write letters to Forrest, as she has not received any from him, and slips them under her wardrobe door, where they have started to vanish. Iris did not know where they were going, and hoped that they were going to Forrest, only to discover a letter had been written back to her one day by an anymous person. 

I have heard of Rebecca Ross and have been meaning to read her book A River Enchanted but somehow I ended up reading this book first and it really wants makes we want to move A River Enchanted up on my TBR list. This book was extremely well written that a reader just falls into the story and characters. I did not want to put this down, I found that the book was really enchanting and I enjoyed it more that I thought I would (I think I read this book at the perfect time for me when i was craving something a bit lighter) and I would say that it lives up to the hype that has been created around it. 

I think that people need to be aware that this is not a High Fantasy book, as how the premise is written I think a few people would make this mistake. I went into this book not really knowing what it was about, only that it was one of the best books from last year (at least according to Goodreads). 

I would classify this book in the fantasy light genre as while there are mention of Gods, and it is there war that is causing WWI, as well as using creatures to fight this war, there is very little interaction with them. The most mgical or fantasy based aspect we get is the enchated typewriters that Kit and Iris use to exchange messages. This book is also classified as Young Adult but it falls some place between young adult and new adult in my opinion just based upon the age of the characters and the subject covered. Though I don’t think that this classification should disway you from reading this book.

I absolutely loved the relationship between Iris and Kit, how they are rivals at the newspaper, are from two different classes and that they open up to each other in letters. I think what I loved most about the letters is how sincere they were in them, even when they didn't know who was on the receiving end of them and how those words could lead to something more. I appreciated that Ross gave equal time to their POV and further demonstrated how the same and different Iris and Kit were but their love of the written word was strong for both of them.

This is such a sweet and cute read that really draws you into the story and relationship of the two main charters. You’ll want to pick up the next book in the series right after that ending, I can't wait to pick up the next book in this duology.

Enjoy!!!

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Eve Kellman: How to Kill a Guy inTen Ways

In her debut Novel Eve Kellman, flips the table on Men who try to take advantage of Women:

Millie Masters has set up a hotline for women, Message M, when they feel that unsafe to get home. Millie sees the worst of men in these situations, looking to take advantage of women Night after Night. Sometimes she even sees the same guy over again and that the men will just continue to do the same thing night after night. Millie is sick of them getting away with it with no consequences especially when an assault happens close to home. Millie decides it's time to switch things up and take the law into her own hands.

This is Kellman's debut novel and I appreciate the premise that she has presented here. I mean you do not often get the read about female serial killer (in Fiction or real life) and you know you are getting something along those lines based upon the title of this book. I think that when you realize the men that Millie is choosing, the question becomes, can you really blame her for the men she decides to kill? And when does it change along the way.

I struggled reading this one and I don’t know why, I found I wasn’t in the mood to read it when I first started it. I will admit that the book picks up and gets interesting the further you go into the book it just take a bit to get there. There was a point at around the 3/4 marks where I fully said holy fuck out loud with where Kellman took a plot point. it was totally unexpected, and I was there for it. I think people will either love or hate the ending, but I was there for the ending as it was not your typical one at all.

This book was really hindered by having long chapters. I’m just not a fan of them and it just seemed like each chapter went on and on and on and didn’t really give readers a break to process what was going on. I felt like there were places that Kellman could have broken the chapters up a bit instead of forcing them on. I feel like most people prefer shorter chapters than longer ones.

Millie as a character is fascinating and the moral ground and questions that she asks herself, especially at the beginning are really interesting. It is when you find Millie later in the book where she sees that she may not be just killing for saving women anymore. I like that Millie really started out just wanting to help women get out of situations that are just uncomfortable to downright dangerous with her Message M number and side job that she has. It is this side of her life where she feels purpose and excels, and I feel like there is a job that she could make of this somehow.

I would have liked a POV from someone else in the book, I'm not really sure who maybe James, not at the beginning as we have not met him yet but later in the book would have been great. Just break it up a bit, and then once again this could have broken up the longer chapters. I just felt that the book felt a bit stagnant with only having one POV.

I will not deny that this was an interesting read and Millie as a character was truly fascinating. I think that you can tell that this was Kellman's debut novel with the chapter length and the overall flow of the book. But that last 25% of the book and ending made me happy that I pushed through on this one. I do look forward to seeing what Kellman comes out with next.

Enjoy!!!

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Erin La Rosa: Plot Twist

Erin La Rosa, shows that maybe to understand love, one needs to go back and find out why it didn't work out before:

Sophie is a romance writer who has never been in Love. She has written one successful book and now her editor and publisher is wanting more, but Sophie is unable to write anything. With deadline looming Sophie decides to do something drastic, she decides to go visit her exes and try to determine why they never fell in love, what went wrong in their relationships. Maybe visiting the past will help shape her future. Especially, when her landlord, Dash Montrose (former Teen Heartthrob) has been interacting with her more. But Dash is not sure if he is in a good place to be in a relationship and not sure if he can offer the commitment that Sophie seems to want. All both know is that they do need to figure themselves out before the commit to anything else

This is the first book that I have read by La Rosa and I know that i will like to read another book by her. As far as I can tell this does have a slight tie in to one of her other books For Butter or Worse (love the title) but not enough of one to say that I was lost in the characters in this book. This one can be read as a standalone but beyond that it can be enjoyed as a standalone as well.

What can I say about Plot Twist other than it was a super cute read that for sure had a sweet and sexy side to it. The sexy scenes are pretty hot at times and especially the first one it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I was here for it. I like that it was unexpected and in an unexpected location compared to other romance books I have read (And I will be the first to admit it is not that many). I think many people (myself included) would not really want to talk to all my exes, that I had at different points in my life, so you have to applaud Sophie for doing it. And let’s just get this out of the way, Sophie is Bisexual, so she has exes with both women and men. I liked how La Rosa just made this feel normal and not at all forced or weird in any way.

I like that both Sophie and Dash want to focus on themself, in order to get themselves better than just wanting to jump into or need a relationship to function. Though they are going through different aspects about themselves it is at the same time nice they can bond over this as well. This book does deal with the mental health of both individuals quite well and that not everything is okay all the time.

Now this book has ALOT of Miscommunication throughout the book. I want to say that the book has the miscommunication trope but it happens throughout the whole book as Dash and Sophie are trying to figure out what they want in relationship and life, that it has just become part of their story as a whole. Another trope is the friend's older brother whom Sophie has had a crush on her entire life.

There is also a very toxic family aspect in this book, and you cannot help but fell sorry for Dash any time that he interacts with some member of his family and the lengths that they will go to to help him stay in the media spotlight when he has no desire to do so.

One of my favourite aspects of the book is how they bond over a squirrel (Richarad Gere), yep squirrel. It was super cute and funny at the same time.

Plot Twist is all around cute read, that I enjoyed. I look forward to reading more by La Rosa.

Enjoy!!!

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Vanessa Lillie: Blood Sisters

Vanessa Lillie takes readers to rural Oklahoma where missing women are just a fact of life:

Syd Walker spends her days trying to protect what is left is left of the indigenous past and lands. She is an archeologist with the Bureau of Indian Affairs and it is her job to help those that are found return home. When Syd receives a call that that brings her back home to discovers not only is she there for her job with the BIA but that her sister Emma Lou has vanished. Syd is afraid that Emma Lou will become another body buried in the vast desert only to be discovered in time and Syd is going to do everything in her power to get find her and get her back. But there are lots of people that are not happy with Syd returning, some due to the fact that she works for the BIA and some don’t want her looking too hard into Emma Lou's disappearance. All that Syd know is that the truth needs to be unearthed one way or another.

I was really excited to read this book as I liked the idea of an archeologist working on uncovering bodies of the missing First Nation women, but for me this aspect of the premise was never really met except for the beginning of the book when we are first introduced to Syd as she is on a dig site. The book does start out strong with the prologue and why Syd needs to go back home, but then the pace gets sluggish and does not pick up till a lot later in the book. Due to the fact that the story really slows down, I found that I did not really want to pick up this book to read. I mean I finished it but there were times that I really struggled.

At the beginning I liked Syd as a character, not only do i find the aspect of archelogy fascinating I appreciated that Syd chose to work with BIA in order to help families receive the closure. There are several times throughout the book where I thought to myself that Syd needs to stick to archeology and not detective work. Syd would often go into situations unprepared and without thinking or even telling someone where she will be or have back up. I feel like this info would be in the rules 101 of the BIA. I think that Lillie could have had an additional character in this book to fill the detective role and have Syd and this individual work together.

I really liked Ghost Luna as a secondary Character, she never leaves Syd's side and servers as an ever reminder of how she failed Luna. Luna also seems to be more of a deceive at times, pointing Syd in the right direction.

There is no denying that First Nation women go missing and are murdered at a much higher rate than any other race certainly within Canada and i think it is the same in the United States. Often these women are never found, and never returned home in any capacity and while this story highlights this throughout the book this is mainly seen when Syd in speaking with people in her home community, the plot aspect of the book does not play out till the end. There was no link suggested to Sister's disappearance with other missing people even by halfway through the book. Sure, it is thought about but there is no real evidence to support this theory. Syd does not continue to engage in what she knows best and that archelogy work, instead she decides to be a detective instead.

I enjoyed the idea of this story, but I do not think that the profession that lily chose for Syd matched what she wanted to achieve in this book. I appreciate that Lily brought the missing and murdered First Nation women to the forefront of this book and is not a topic that I have seen often in fiction writing, but I just was not able to get into the story. 

Cheers!!!!

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Hannah Kaner: Godkiller

In her Debut novel, Hannah Kaner has four individuals forced together on a quest to find answers from the Fallen Gods:

Kissen is a Godkiller. She makes her way in the world by killing the Gods who are still around and determine to make plight against Humans. Kissen has every reason to hate Gods, as she was once destined to be a sacrifice for one. Kissen enjoys what she does and there has never been a God that she has refused to kill, until she meets a young girl name Inara, who somehow has a God bound to her. If Kissen were to kill the God it may kill her as well. This is why they are on a journey together, to try and find an Old Gol who can tell them how to break the bond. Along the way the meet a mysterious man Elos the baker, who is more than he seems, but with the darkness and treachery on the trail another set of eyes is reluctantly welcome. Especially when the world is in a time of upheaval, demons stalk the night and a civil war is brewing and all must face their reckoning.

This Kaner's debut novel and what a novel to debut with. I will say that this book does not read like a debut with the writing, plot and characters so well developed. The book reads like it was written by a seasoned writer, so I was really shocked to discover this was her debut. This book really hooked me in the first chapter, but I will admit that the next 50ish pages are a bit slow as we meet the characters of the book but after that it is really interesting when the quest really starts.

This book has a simple world so not much world building is required, as it had a very medieval feel to it and that Gods were once prevalent throughout the land are no more or not as strong as they once were. Gods feed on prayers and offering and as they have dried up so have the Gods and their powers. I would also classify it as Fantasy Light due to this fact, as the world is not that complex as High fantasy novel. I'm personally okay with the world building taking a side to the quests that our characters are on, as this is not a very long book I feel like excessive world building would have gotten in the wat of the plot.

I loved that there were Gods for everything really, anything that people have ever prayed to. There were the more known Gods like God of War and God of fertility and such but there was also God of Little White Lies (Skedi), God of different rivers and water and even buttons. I liked the creativity that Kaner had on this aspect.

I really enjoyed that we get the view of a fledgling God, Skedi as he tries to make sense of his purpose in life and the things that he desires among everything else, for offerings and prayers. Each POV is unique in this book, there is really no repetitiveness between the characters. I can’t help but like all the characters in their own way. Kissen’s with her path of vengeance against all Gods for what was done to her. Elo’s never wavering loyalty and love for his King, Inara a girl who has lost everything but the God who is bound to her and Skediceth (Skedi) a God of white lies who yearns to be free and wants to be a true God.

This was a great debut novel and I really enjoyed this book. I felt like I was invested in all four characters, which I don't think has happened before in a book for me. I can't wait to read the next book in this series to see where Kaner takes this story especially with that ending and what comes to light in this book.

Enjoy!!!

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Rachel Hawkins: The Heiress

Rachel Hawkins, shows that the most complicated relationship you have is one with your Family:

The McTavish family name has always had money and power in the small town in North Carolina, and when the heiress Ruby dies and leaves the fortune and Ashby House to her adopted son Camden, everyone is shocked that he wants nothing to do with it. Camden flees and becomes a teacher and wants to forget everything that is associated to the McTavish Name and Ashby House. But as much as Camden wants to forget his relatives and house keep calling, and he wife Jules finally convinces him that it is finally time to go home and confront everything. Everyone has their secrets and all of them seem to buried in Ashby house, it's whether they are buried deep enough to keep them safe that matters.

This is a good domestic suspense book as it is all about family and all the complications that families have. This is especially true when the family has money and influence, and the feeling like they are being left out with the money. This is really seen when Jules and Cam return to the house and the ugliness and pettiness that comes out of Cam's cousins and great Aunt is just appalling. I do not think that there is one nice things said to them while they are there, everything is extremely petty, snide or cruel. You can understand why Camden left and never wanted to return.

There are so many lies secrets, double crosses that you don’t know which voice to trust in this book, as you can tell that they are all holding on to a few secrets along the way. There is quite a bit of family meddling that goes on in both timelines and sometimes that meddling is between people that you did not think that it would occur between.

This was a quick and interesting read once you get into it, but I will say that I found the very beginning a bit slow. It wasn’t until we got the first few chapters from Ruby's POV that I really found myself invested in the book. I found that Ruby's POV was the most interesting one, but not the only one with twists. I was able to figure out Jules' twist but only some of Camden's. Really, I think that if Hawkins did Camden's character a disservice, he could have been interesting and I wish that Hawkins would have had more to him. I do find it interesting that although he wanted nothing to do with Ashby House and the money, yet he never actually got rid of either. Maybe it was just a small act to keep going what Ruby wanted, but it is never really explained why he did decide to still hold on to it.

I enjoyed the letter format that Hawkins used for Ruby's part and it just makes sense overall in the context of the book as it allows for 2 timelines of events but have them interact in a seamless way. I also liked that Jules breaks the fourth wall throughout the book, makes it feel like she is talking directly to you as the reader.

This was a good book and once I was able to get into the story I did enjoy it. If you enjoy a book that has a lot of family meddling and secrets, then you will enjoy this one. Another good book from Hawkins and I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.

Enjoy!!!!

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Jennifer Estep: Protect the Prince

As this is the second book in a series you will need to read the first book Kill the Queen to understand the dynamics and people in this book, it is also a great read full of gladiators battles and magic so what is not to love there.

Jennifer Estep is back with the second book in her Crown of Shards book and this time Evie is looking to protect people from death instead of inflicting it:

Everleigh Blair might have started as the low in the court as one could be, became a gladiator and then became the Queen of Bellona. Court Life has not gotten better since becoming Queen, instead of being in the background, she now has to deal with meddling nobles. Unfortunately, Evie remembers every slight that has ever occurred against her. If that was not enough Evie an assassin tries to kill Evie in her own throne room. Despite all the dangers, Evie knows that she needs allies more than ever, which is why Evie needs to go to the Kingdom of Andvari to talk alliance. But there are Dark forces at work inside the Kingdom of Andvari and soon Evie realizes that no one is safe.

This one basically picks up right when the first book left off, only a few months have passed, and I appreciated that, as there has not been that many times for actions to be taken against Evie. This book has less action than the first as this is not gladiators based like the first one so I did miss that aspect at times but loved the court and political intrigue. But with the less fighting we get a book that is more spy and cunningness that Evie and all the other individuals in the group.

Evie is a great character doing what it takes to not only survive but protect her kingdom. Nice to see more development of her power. I also like that Evie is ever protective of the people around her. It was nice to get more of a history about Evie and how she became an orphan.

The book are still light on world building, so I still have questions. Why do the Morton’s hate everyone and want to rule it all. There has to be a story there. Love the magic system and variety of powers that are presented throughout the book. 

I was able to figure out who the traitor was as well as one other aspect of the book that I will reframe from talking too much about as it is a bit of a spoiler (though I thought it was pretty obvious).

I really enjoyed this book and it was a great follow up book to the first one. Cant wait to get to the third and final book in this series to see what Estep has in store for readers next.

Enjoy!!!!!

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Amy Tintera: Listen for the Lie

In Listen for the Lie, Amy Tintera shows that a town is ready to convict a woman for murder even though she has no memories of the event that happened:

Five years ago, Lucy's best friend, Savvy, was murdered, not only is this devastating to Lucy, but Lucy was found wandering, covered in Savvy's blood. What starts out as Lucy also being a victim is twisted into Lucy being the one to kill Savvy. Lucy should be able to clarify what happened that night, but Lucy has no memory of that night. With not enough to charge Lucy, but a town willing to convict her. Lucy left, to find a place where no one knows who she is. That changes when the Pod Cast Listen for the Lie decides to look into Savvy's death and is drumming up notoriety that Lucy does not want. When the host decides to visit her home town, Lucy is forced to go back and confront the past and horrible events she ran away from, she doesn’t want to regain those memories just in case she did it, just in case she really did kill her best friend.

This is the first book that I have read by Tintera and after reading this one it will not be the last. The twists keep on coming in this book both related to the murder of Savvy and the craziness of secrets in this small town will knock you back each time. I enjoy that Tintera did not just focus on the murder of Savvy but realized that the small town secrets all affected what happened to Savvy.

You cannot help but feel sorry for Lucy for a good chunk of the book. Not only does she not remember what happened to her best friend, but everyone around her (including her parents) believe that she murdered Savvy. This leads her to questioning herself, could she have killed Savvy. I enjoyed and that it was unique that Lucy murders people in her head and this happens basically every interaction that she has especially when she doesn’t like someone. Lucy gets creative in the ways she murders people and always takes into account what she has on hand to use. This is a constant in the book, and really adds weight to Lucy’s thoughts that she may have killed Savvy.

Does it add anything to the Pod Cast book genre. I would say yes and no, it is hard to really add anything new to this sub-genre but I will say that Trenten did feature more people in the Podcast than I have read in other books, which i appreciated as it really showed that most of the town was against Lucy and in doing so reveal additional secrets of the town. I would like to know in real life how podcasters choose which unsolved murder(s) in random small town that they choose. What are the boxes that need to be ticked to choose that one over others.

I really enjoyed this book by Tintera, and although I was able to guess what happened to Savvy, I will say that Tintera had me questioning my guess till the very end. Highly recommended book, you're going to want to read this one in one sitting.

Enjoy!!!

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Ivy Asher: The Lost and the Chosen

In the first in a new series, Ivy Asher has a woman who finds out where she came from, one that is full of more danger than anyone could ever have guessed:

Vinna's life has been full of secrets and questions, especially when one night when she is 16 strange ruins show up all over her body. These ruins give Vinna amazing abilities and when her trainer Talon finds her on the street he starts to train her to fight. It is after one of her cage fighting matches that Vinna stumbles into a world that she knew nothing about, but one that has the answers to her magic and past plus possible a family she has been longing for, especially when she meets the Boys. The road to finding the answers Vinna wants is a dark and dangerous as there are those that want Vinna for their own purposes.

I knew nothing about tis book when I went in to is, I just liked the cover and the premise sounded like something I would enjoy. I'm a fan of Urban Fantasy so if something can pique my interest I'm going to try it. I will say I did not realize this book was going to be a reverse harem book, at least I think it is going to be, I mean I have been wrong before, but if it is one, it seems like it will be a slow burn one, so maybe I’ll be more into that, but no promises. I will also say that we get a really interesting beginning and ending to this book but nothing really seems to happen through the middle chapters. I mean it wasn’t slow per say but just nothing major happens in the middle.

What kept me engaged in this book was the main character Vinna, she is your kickass heroine who is both a regular fighter, due to her fighting in cage matches, and she has some really cool abilities with the ruins all over her body. She has the ability to pull magic weapons from the ruins on her body and not just swords, but staff, bow and arrows, mace, almost anything that you can think of. As this book starts with an awesome cage match and fight scene, I was kind of disappointed that it took so long for Vinna to return to the cage.

There is not a lot of world building in this book, even when you get to the town. There are some things that I still want to know, why shifters are looked down upon by the mages and more about how the council is formed things like that. I mean it didn’t take away from the story but I still have questions.

Pretty sure Asher needs to send me Vinna's workout playlist, i know i could Jam out to it. 

Although this book was slow in the middle, I really did like Vinna as a character as well as the cool powers that she has. The last 25% of this book are crazy and with action and completely heartbreaking. It ends with a cliffhanger, so I know that I will be picking up the next book in the series.

Enjoy!!!

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Kat Ailes: Expectant Detectives

In her debut novel Kat Ailes explores what happens when a death happens so close to a prenatal class in a small town.

Alice and her partner Joe have decided to move from London to the small sleepy town of Penton because they are expecting their first child together. The agree that the small town feels like the perfect place to raise a family. That is until a local shop keeper's body is found just a few feet from where Alice and Joe are attending their prenatal class. What Alice and Joe also don’t expect is that somehow everyone in the class is now a suspect. With that in mind, Alice and the other women in the class has a common goal, to prove that they did not murder the shop keeper and find out who did. Penton is far from the idyllic town that they thought it would be and between the shady commune in the woods to a mysterious death that occurred 10 years prior, moving to the country may not have been the best thing.

I really enjoy small town mysteries as I find that while the small town may look quant to those who are just visiting you have to know that there are probably secret galore in that town as well. Hard to keep secrets when everyone knows each other. What makes this one different from books that you have read in the past is the main two individuals who do the detecting are Pregnant, well along pregnant, like could pop at any moment. This add a unique perspective in what Alice decides to do, I mean when you're pregnant and already off work what better way to spend your time than to investigate a murder.

This is a cute cozy mystery that is not that high on suspense and more about a very pregnant women and one who just had a baby try to figure out who a murderer is. There are some different aspects with the hippie compound that seems to be the center of it all, as well as the death that occurred 10 years ago that seems suspicious. With all this i will say that Ailes did a good job of keeping things straight and not confusing. I was able to figure out one twist but not the other. We only get Alice's POV in this book so i feel like you get to know her quite well and her motivation to investigate the murder is really seeded in her need to find friends.

Helen is the best character and I will not be swayed from this. Really Helen is the hero here.

I like that Ailes highlights at the beginning of a book how hard it is to root up one's life when they are older and how much harder it is to make friends as an adult. It's like we all forgot how to make friends and are just overly concerned that we will say the wrong thing, that we do say the wrong thing. Alice i very conscious of this and often put her foot in her mouth.

The book did feel overly long by the end of it though and everything get tidied up in a neat bow. I think you can also tell with the writing style that this is Ailes debut novel but I have no issue with that.

This was a good easy read, with some fun and funny moments. If you want a break from more serious books, this is one to give a try. I mean they are pregnant, why not investigate a murder.

Enjoy!!!

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Kelley Armstrong: The Boy Who Cried Bear

This is the second book in a spin off series called Haven's Rock. You will at the very least need to read the first book in this series Murder at Haven's Rock in order to understand what Haven's rock is about. However, if you have time I highly reccomend the series that this one is a spin off from, the Rockton series, first book is City of the Lost. Even just reading the first book in that series will set you up with a bit more understanding for this one.

Kelley Armstrong is back in the latest Haven’s Rock first and this time a boy’s life is at stake:

Detective Casey Duncan and Sheriff Eric Dalton already feel comfortable in their new town, hidden in the Yukon Forest but even they are still learning the new forest around them and the new residents in town are even more unprepared in the forest coming from "down south" which is why people are not allowed to wander in the forest alone. While on a planned hike, the youngest member of the town Max (10 years old) is started to see a bear chasing them, but this is no ordinary Bear, Max swears that it was running on two legs and had human eyes. Casey and Eric know the dangers a bear can present, and they set off to find the bear, but while they are gone Max disappears into the forest. Some say he has run off, some say he was taken. it is up to Casey and Eric to find him, but strange occurrences are happening all around them, in town and in the forest and they are not sure what they are up against.

What I really enjoy about Armstrong's writing is that she does not rely on dead body after dead body in order to keep readers attention, instead she relies on old fashion detective work, tracking and setting to create a tense atmosphere to keep it suspenseful and interesting 

In this book, we have a missing child which is the main focus for Casey and Dalton and it is about uncovering clues hidden within the forest and from the residents in town in order to piece together what happened and where Max could have gone and if someone had him. Are there additional interesting side plots where things will be taken further in additional books, absolutely but I found that they were done in a way that intertwined well with this story that it did not become confusing. It personally just made me want to read further in the series to see where Armstrong will take things.

As Haven's Rock is a new place for those who need a place to hide for a few year, it has new rules compared to Rockton. This is really seen with having kids and couples in town instead of just allowing singles to enter. This has created a new dynamic that Casey and Dalton must deal with, as well couples fight, children are curious and Casey and Dalton are still getting a feel for the place. Their authority get questioned a lot more here as well. I personally love the new dynamic and it adds something new from the previous series. And wow, the bomb that gets dropped in this book is just amazing.

I enjoy that Casey and Dalton spent a lot of time in the forest and that the forest is a big unknown here as Dalton did not grow up here and it is not as predictable of a place as it was in their previous home. I think that this unknown forest gives the book additional suspense as they look for Max, as they don’t know the woods like they did before. Their hands are more tied here and they must rely more on Storm and Dalton's tracking skills to try and find him. You can tell on more than one occasion that they are frustrated with their progress and you have to even wonder how much easier their job might have been if they were still in Rockton

One of my favorite additions to this book/setting is their mysterious neighbours, Casey and Dalton know that they cannot trust them, but cannot quite figure out what they are doing way out in the Yukon. There was a lot more interaction with them as well in this book and I can't wait to see that subplot unfold even further in future books. I feel like there is more to come to head with them sooner rather than later

I like Alice’s character growth. even though we don’t see a lot of her in this book, the scene with Kenny is super sweet.

Another solid book by Armstrong. I am a big fan of Dalton and Casey so anytime they are in a book you know i'm going to pick it up. I highly recommend this series, and reading it in order, to fully appreciate the characters, setting and storylines that Armstrong has set up.

Enjoy!!!!

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