May 2019 Reads

 1) Roar \\ Cora Carmack \\ 4 Stars
Torn between 3 & 4 stars, but because the plot was so intriguing, and the characters so colourful, we'll go with four--despite that weird wandering soul stuff at the end that felt pretty creepy and didn't fit the rest of the book. 
Firstly--this book reminds me a lot of Mary E. Pearson's series 'The Remnant Chronicles' so of course, I'm all into that. I mean, what's not to like about the plot--a "princess" of sorts who is supposed to be able to protect her kingdom with all her storm fighting abilities, has none, and to flee an arranged marriage to a potentially really bad prince---joins up with a band of storm hunters to GET SOME ABILITIES to save her kingdom, YO! 
I enjoyed Roar & Locke's (not the prince Locke, but the storm hunter named after the city) relationship, albeit a little high on the steam factor at times for especially a YA novel--but yes--they went well together and there was some pretty swoon-worthy moments to their relationship. They were just so dang cute. 

I don't know if I'll read the second book. I'm really interested to see what happens, but what with the weird soul wandering content that got thrown in at the end...it just felt weird. A bit outside of my jurisdiction, cause I'm not into the spirituality aspect of magic in books. If magic is in a book, fine, whatever. But I just don't like reading about the theory of it...or hearing 'bout them wandering souls--it's creepy & feels kinda dark for my tastes. But, maybe I'll start the second book & see if it continues on the wandering souls tangent or not. Who knows!

2) Cascade \\ Lisa T. Bergren \\ 3 Stars

After reading Cascade three or four times over the last few years, I've come to the conclusion--it's probably the slowest book of the series--though not bad by any stretch, despite the plot does seeming to take half the book to pick up and get going. But the adventure still is entertaining, and the characters sweet, crazy and intense.

3) Fallout \\ Ashley Nikole \\ 5 Stars
As this is my own book, of course I'm gonna rate it 5 stars. So, instead of gushing about my own work, I'll just give you the back cover blurb, cause, why not?

Four months of silence. 
Four months of praying she won’t lose her mind and give away secrets she’s fought so hard to keep. 

Avery Kent escapes with her life, but she is pursued deep into the heart of the British Columbia wilderness by the men who almost took her life—and shattered her mind. 
After wandering for two days in the mountains, she stumbles upon a cabin—but little does she know that the man inside is not the sheltering protector he claims to be. 

Haunted by his past, former CAF soldier Dakota Fontaine is trying to mind his business and keep his head down when a woman stumbles onto his property and collapses, wearing only a hospital gown and a tattered sweater. 
As he nurses the battered woman back to health, he wonders at the way she talks in her sleep but won’t say a word when she’s awake. But Dakota knows better than most that the art of coercion isn’t always violent. Torture isn’t the only way to ferret out a person’s secrets, and he is confident of one thing; Avery Kent will confide in him, one way or another. 

Just as Avery begins to trust Dakota, an unlikely encounter sends her fleeing back into the heart of the city where it all began. 
On the hunt to collect the stash of lethal evidence that will take down her attackers, once and for all, the flashbacks grow stronger, and her grip on reality continues to falter. 
Avery knows the chances of losing her mind before she can bring down her captors, are high—and deadly—and she’s not up to the challenge. 
But she’ll die trying.

4) Storm Rising \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 5 Stars

Okay, what can a girl say about this one? Firstly--it is one of my favourite books of Kendig's. Yes, she has OUTDONE herself--AGAIN. The atmosphere, plot and characters all worked together to create an effortless, but definitely FILLED WITH EFFORT thriller novel. I loved reading all about Midas in the Discarded Hero series, but now we get more of the Metcalfe family? I mean, what? Yes. It is goals. Quite simply, I wish the Metcalfe family had half a dozen more members and that Kendig would write a series about each one! The love runs that deep, if you can believe it. 

So, Iskra & Leif? That chemistry, though! Phew! I loved their interactions and how their relationship progressed. It was just so...dynamic and intense--which is obviously one of the draws with Kendig's work, how intense and raw her characters are. I love when everything is so close to the surface and undignified. But their relationship just kinda made me sing, and gasp, depending on which part of the book I was in--which is what I'm looking for when I read a suspense/thriller book. 

Although the plot did feel a bit slower in the middle of the book, it didn't cast a bad light on the rest of the book--I think I just got so attached to the crazy pace that when it slowed down a little I was like...wait, what? But all in all, what a delightful book. Really alive, punchy characters and a fully immersive atmosphere that takes you from one stretch of the globe to another, all while sitting in your favourite comfy chair. 

Suspense lovers unite and GO READ STORM RISING!!!

*I received a free copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

5) Dance of Thieves \\ Mary E. Pearson \\ 3.5 Stars 

An enjoyable read with unique qualities--though, after the Remnant Chronicles, I'd definitely say I preferred those. But Dance of Thieves was interesting--if a bit slow at times. I enjoyed both Kazi & Jase's characters--their struggles and stories. I will be interested to see what Vow of Thieves is like, being written by Mary's editor, Kate Farrell, instead of Mary--but I'm always excited for a fresh angle. 

Also, I can't claim to be a teenager anymore and know what's in vogue in fiction or reality for this age category, but seriously, every single kiss involved tongues. Yuck. As a reader (an adult one at that) I was just kinda internally cringing that the tongue was brought into nine of the ten or so kisses in the book! It makes a kiss turn from attraction with a side of tasteful sensuality, to erotica in milliseconds. And do we seriously need that in YA fiction? I just don't think so.

6) Torrent \\ Lisa T. Bergren \\ 5 Stars

With this third book, the stakes are even higher. Wow. I loved every minute reading it. Somehow, the plot rarely lags, as there is always another intriguing & dangerous plot twist. A true page-turner filled with courage, sacrifice, true love, plenty of swordplay & adventure. 

And if you'd enjoy a book banter about the River of Time series, I just so happened to have done one of those a few years ago and will add it here for your viewing pleasure :) 

Favourite of the month: 

Storm Rising by Ronie Kendig. 

"Because of men like him, God made warriors like Leif. To do violence on behalf of the innocent." 

April 2019 Reads

1) Red Velvet Cupcake Murder // Joanne Fluke \\ 2 Stars
Ever since watching Murder She Baked on the Hallmark Channel, I've been wanting to read & get through at least one of the books the TV series is based on. So...I listened to this one as an audiobook while working out, and while I didn't necessarily hate it, I really didn't love it. 

On top of this book having a pretty small-town vibe with seemingly all fluff-headed gossipy characters (they didn't seem that way on the TV show and this book was a major let-down for me in the character department), the plot felt incredibly tedious. And slow. And tedious. 
And that love triangle! It wasn't even romantic. Seriously, Hannah stringing along TWO boyfriends for several years but never actually making up her mind to stick with one or the other...ugh. She didn't even seem to have any romantic feelings for either of them. While I haven't read the other books in this series, Mike & Norman almost seemed like unnecessary secondary characters. Certainly not love interests.

Also, speaking of love interests--shoutout to the awkward scene near the beginning of the book where Hannah has a guy in her room and goes on to describe just how great he is without naming him...until we get to the end of the scene and discover it's Moisha. 
Her cat. 
*facepalms for days* 
I don't find that amusing. On so many levels. I love me a good animal companion, but honestly, I don't much care to hear from pets in novels. Nor have the adoration for Moisha at level 500, and have Mike/Norman adoration toned down to...I don't know...3.5? 

It's possible the narrator's bad narrating made the characters seem way more dumb and air-headed than they actually were, but...combine that with a pretty trivial and slow-moving plot and...you have a book that I passed the time working out with and didn't quite dislike--I did like a few parts or phrases, but...let's just say it was far from riveting.  

2) Verity \\ Lisa Bergren \\ 4 Stars

Verity--ah yes, what a lovely tale. So heartwarming and well-paced, with colourful characters and an intriguing plotline. And that tropical atmosphere! It was nice to have a bit of a break from the typical London or New York city vibes for at least part of the book, and get to spend it on the tropical island of Nevis. 
I was so sad to start by hearing of Duncan's demise--he was one of my favourite characters in the previous book, however, meeting and getting to know his brother was fabulous. I felt like the romance was...not rushed, but...just, kinda different, with Verity and Ian. Not nonexistent, but, not as prevalent as I might have hoped. However, I still enjoyed their relationship.

So far, I'm loving this fresh, adventurous series and look forward to reading Selah's book! 

*free ebook copy was given to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

3) Thief's Mark \\ Carla Neggers \\ 3 Stars

Set in a charming, small town in the UK, Thief's Mark had all the proper British, murder-mystery vibes to it. It wasn't quite "my thing" which I'm sure was due, in part, to the fact that I came crashing into the series, at book 7. The characters were a pretty surface-y, and the plot a bit too meandering and slow for my tastes. However, it was a well-crafted plot, and the UK countryside vibe was a good one!

4) Defy Me \\ Taherah Mafi \\ 3 Stars

Fast-paced with some good plot ground covered. I felt Defy Me was a bit...short--almost like a novella--which was kinda disappointing after waiting for so long. It also seemed like Juliette & Warner's romance was fairly nonexistent, until it was just...sex. So yeah. That wasn't my thing, but I still enjoyed reading Defy Me.

5) Unite Me \\ Taherah Mafi \\ 2 Stars

Maybe I'm just not a novella person...but I always feel like there isn't enough actual content to make them count. They feel like they're mostly filler scenes. That was the case with Unite Me. Yes, we got a few insights into Warner and Adam, but...not really enough to make it worth it, in my estimation--but that's just me.

6) Double Blind \\ Iris Johansen \\ 3 Stars

A good change of pace compared to the slower books I've been working through of late. I liked Kendra & Lynch's chemistry. The plot held its own. And while I wasn't over the top in love with Double Blind, I did thoroughly enjoy it!

7) Believe Me \\ JP Delaney \\ 1 Star

What the heck was this sadistic perv trip about?! Yikes! I wish the description was actually accurate--because I would've never picked Believe Me up if I knew the plot would be focused on an uber creepy, sadistic, sexually violent crime spree. Delaney lost me at the part he dropped a serial killer who's into BDSM--into my lap. *raises hands in a placative manner* let's back up, and let me run in the opposite direction, screaming bloody, psychopathic murder.

I was quite intrigued by the concept of this book and knew that, if executed correctly, it would be a real stunner of a thriller. However, in the space of ONE CHAPTER, it took a turn for the MAJOR CREEPS, ya'll. For reference, we got like five, uber descriptive, macabre murders (that were also pretty sexually messed up, just to make it weirder) recapped for us in one chapter, when things started getting weird, and this was only at about 150 pages into the book. I cannot stress enough on the chilly willies I got in that chapter or two--and I've read a lot of crime/suspense books. Add to that a serial killer who's into BDSM & all kinds of pervy crap--and I tossed this book faster than you can say goodbye.

8) The Noble Guardian \\ Michelle Griep \\ 4 Stars 

Such a delightful tale, featuring one of my favourite characters of the series--Thatcher! The Noble Guardian has all the high and low points that will make a reader sing, and is straight up--a robust, well-paced, heart-warming & colourful historical read.

*I was given a free ebook copy on Netgalley via the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion*

Favourite of the month: 

It's a tossup between Verity & The Noble Guardian. Both were so beautiful and entertaining. 

What was your favourite read of the month? 

Injustice For All by Robin Caroll

Summary: 
(taken from goodreads)
A federal judge lies bleeding on his office floor, betrayed by a most unlikely source- people who helped him bring criminals to justice. Now, why would someone working for the FBI need to disappear after witnessing this crime? 
When Remington Wyatt sees her godfather's murder, she recognizes the killers and knows it's only a matter of time before they come to silence her. She must do the only thing possible to stay alive...run. 
FBI agent Rafe Baxter is serious about his career, and solving a cold case involving a federal judge's death puts him in line for a promotion he so desires. But the case leads him to the small town of Hopewell, Louisiana, where some secrets seem inextricably hidden deep within the bayou. 

PLOT: 

It kept along at a pretty steady pace. It was fresh, intriguing. It didn't blow me away with it's "wow" factor, but I genuinely enjoyed it. 

VIOLENCE: 

Suspense fiction whatnot. Hand to hand combat, gunshot wounds, the judge is murdered at the beginning. Just expect the usual action/suspense/murder mystery type violence. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

There's mention of a few affairs, nothing explicit. Characters falling in love, that kind of thing. 

CONS: (what I didn't like) 

1) The religious content felt kinda stiff, uptight and scripted.

2) The phrase 'oh-my-stars' was overused to the extreme. I don't who'd say 'oh-my-stars' in their head if they found someone murdered in their house. And using it upwards of 20-30 times throughout the book, is annoying. But...perhaps things in the deep south are...different? 

3) I didn't understand why the MC puts a rather large emphasis on how much she enjoyed the feeling of being doped up after she's injured and in the hospital. It just didn't make sense, when the book has nothing to do with drugs or drug users, and the character thinks to herself that she would basically do anything to stay feeling 'high'. It seemed an unnecessary addition to the book, especially given the very conservative nature of the characters & author. 

4) Speaking of which, there were a few plot strains that were added to the book, that never got resolved or finished. Thus, that leaves me, as a reader, thinking all they were, were plot "fillers" and not actually needed. 

5) I found it a tad bit confusing, the "Day 1" or "Day 27" sections where the MC is telling the story in the first person. Especially because the timing is jumping back and forth (to all the other parts that are either in the future or the past, comparatively speaking, and are described in the third person), and then they don't even continue throughout the rest of the book. There's three or four or so, and then they just up and go poof. That was just plain tacky, in my opinion. 

CONCLUSION: 

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the characters, especially Hayden. Remington I found a little hard to connect with, and I really was hoping for a little more connecting (getting to know you) time with Rafe, but- I enjoyed this read, even with the above mentioned 'Cons' section. Of course, I would've enjoyed the book more if the mentioned cons weren't in the book, but...it is what it is. 

So I'll give it 3 Stars & I'd recommend this book for readers aged 16+ (it is adult fiction, but some teens may enjoy this read) 

BeoWulf by Ronie Kendig | Books She Loves

Book 3 in the Breed Apart 

series by Ronie Kendig, doesn't disappoint!!

VIOLENCE: 

Military suspense type stuff. Hand to hand combat. People get beat up, shot down, blown up, and there's blood. Nothing terribly up-close gory. There is one scene where an explosion rocks a team, and a soldier's leg is almost blown off. He nearly bleeds out, there's a lot of blood and he's pretty traumatized when he comes to in the middle of it- clearly in a lot of pain.  

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Timbrel has a few painful flashbacks from being raped- not really descriptive, more just the pain that she felt in the moment, or the breath of her abuser etc. 

Our two MC's fall in love. There's attraction between the two (duh, lol) several kisses, some more passionate than others. Nothing very steamy. 

CONCLUSION: 

Adrenaline, suspense, romance, conflict, cat and mouse, solving the mystery- this book has it all.
I loved Candyman & Timbrel as characters. They were relatable, lovable, colourful and unique. I found myself laughing over their blunders, and my heart cried when they weren't doing so hot. These characters are keepers that I will never forget, and will come back to re-read again and again! 

5 Stars, and I'd recommend it for readers 18+ 

A Spy's Devotion by Melanie Dickerson

Hands down, amazing YA Fiction book set in Regency England with a hint of spying & espionage, and a sweet romance on the side. 

VIOLENCE: 

Some manhandling and roughhousing take place with Julia's uncle, and a certain unwanted beau when he's intoxicated. There's an attempted assassination, a character is shot and there's blood. Nothing too graphic. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Characters fall in love. As I think the author was writing this book with primarily Christian Young Adults, she kept the romance clean and innocent. The romance is fairly low key throughout the book.  A kiss is shared at the end that is more descriptive than- THEY KISSED- but...that's romance, my friends. If a semi-descriptive kiss at the end of the book is not your jam, skip it, yo. 

A character (married) tries approaching Julia during a party (he's intoxicated) and we can postulate that he has some inappropriate intentions involving himself and Julia. Nothing happens on that front. 

As Julia corresponds with a friend, said friend depicts her falling in love (or so she thinks) with a man...the correspondence continues throughout the book, and the friend tells Julia eventually that she ran away with said fellow and "gave myself to him fully". Her lover dumps her with a ruined reputation and pregnant with his child. 

CONCLUSION: 

I loved every minute of reading this book. It was a good break from reading all the contemporary suspense and get into the slower, more culturally romantic pace of Regency England, with some spying, espionage and romance thrown in there. The plot was fresh, the characters lovable, and overall this was a delightful YA read. I would recommend it for readers 13+. 

For more conservative young readers, yes, there's a tad of romance, and a...slightly passionate kiss at the end of the book, so for certain readers- that might not be their jam- but personally, this book was the bomb diggity of YA Regency Fiction! 

No One To Trust by Lynette Eason

Summary 

(taken from book cover): 

Summer Abernathy wakes up one morning to find her husband missing, three men in her home intent on finding him, and the life she's been living based on a lie. Which Kyle Abernathy did she marry? The computer programmer she met in line at the bank? Or the one who was apparently using that image as a cover? 

The search for her husband- and answers- takes Summer even deeper into a world of organized crime where people are used one moment and discarded the next. And with her deepest relationship of trust already shattered, Summer doesn't know who to believe. 

VIOLENCE: 

Hand to hand combat. Some explosions. People get shot, some at close range. There's an element of domestic abuse, and a recording a child plays with audio of their parent beating their sibling. Not in great detail, however. 

You can expect general violence that comes with the suspense genre, but nothing that gory or graphic. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

A few kisses are shared between our MC's. When the baddies break into the Abernathy's house at the beginning, one of the goons implies his sick intentions for Summer, but doesn't follow through with them. 

CONCLUSION: 

Overall, this book was...underwhelming. The plot sounded great, and I had high hopes for the characters, but apart from a few cool action scenes, this book just didn't cut it for me. 

I found the characters emotionally flat and hard to identify with because of that. 

The MC kept making comments that irked me...like when someone would ask if she was okay, she'd reply "I have to be" or stuff like that. Without being outright whiny, to me it just felt like she was being a baby and a tad bit entitled. It's just not an attractive quality. At all. 

And her being angry with her husband- I can understand the betrayal- but she just seemed like she was being immature about the whole situation- it was annoying. 

The plot was okay, but it didn't jump out and catch me with being fresh or unique. The villain was eh, and there was nothing that really stood out to me about the characters, plot, or writing style. 

Which, while we're on the writing style, Eason's writing didn't seem succinct enough to be suspense fiction. It would have been fine if she'd been writing general fiction or even historical fiction, but with the suspense genre, I was thinking the writing style would be a bit more to the point, using more powerful, eye catching vocabulary, and taking less time to explain certain situations. 

While there were a few cool action scenes, I wouldn't re-read this book, nor would I recommend it to other readers. Of course, the content explained above might not be annoying to another reader, so part of the "problem" with this book is subjective and will change with each reader. 

2 Stars. I didn't hate this book, but there was nothing that made me stand up and root for it. Ages 15 ish + 

Eye For An Eye by Irene Hannon

PLOT: 

Kept a steady flow throughout the book. 

However, I will say upfront that if the idea of a psychotic killer who thinks he's doing God's work by murdering an innocent person, is not your jam, don't read this book. On the flip side, if you enjoy villains who are mentally askance and think they're doing God a favour and following 'The Good Book' by killing innocents, you'll be having a field day with this book. Just a heads up. It seems Hannon has a thing for creating psychotic religious villains. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Our two MC's used to know each other in high school- dated, in fact, so they have memories of their time together. During the course of the book, they kiss many times, appreciate the way the other person's body is built or how attractive they are, a few times (this is clothed appreciation ;) kissing, being attacted to each other, etc. etc. this is a romantic suspense- so romance is definitely on the menu, but nothing is really steamy. 

There is reference made to someone purchasing a drug with street names like 'Easy Lay, Liquid Ecstasy' and other names- it keeps the body's muscles from responding to the brain's commands (basically paralyzing the user) and muddles the brain whilst keeping the user (or victim) conscious but not thinking entirely straight. While it is not used as it is intended, mention is made that it is a date-rape drug that predators use on unsuspecting women. 

VIOLENCE: 

This is a crime fiction novel, so with law enforcement, comes a certain level of violence. 

A teen commits suicide (we don't see it, but it is relayed by another character) by hanging himself in a barn. Another character is on a murdering rampage. Some typical crime fiction type guns/fighting whatnot. 

CONCLUSION: 

For me, the only thing I really enjoyed about this book was the romance between our two MC's. I enjoyed them together and would have read a book just about them falling in love, outside a suspense environment. 

I'm a huge suspense fiction fan, but honestly, Hannon's psychotic killers who think they are doing God a favor- I've had enough of them. It's gotten old, and it takes suspense fiction to a different level, that I just don't jive with. To me, it's annoying and not at all amusing, entertaining or complex. I realize sick people like the villains in her books exist, but I almost feel that creating a psychotic killer who is beyond insanity- is a very poor writing crutch, and apart from that- grotesque on multiple levels. 

However, that is just my personal opinion. I know a lot of people love psychotic killer villains. I'm just not one of them. 

I keep coming back to Hannon's fiction, somehow forgetting that after every book I read, I feel gross and disturbed and like I wasted several hours on a majorly warped villain. I think I might have set sail from the Irene Hannon fiction-dom. Who knows. 

I just don't appreciate it when the story almost feels like it's more centred around the villain, than it is the MC's. I'm reading the book for the MC's, not the creepy villains that still disgust you long after you put the book down. 

2 Stars for my enjoyment of the MC's romance, and I'd recommend this book for at least 18+

Talon by Ronie Kendig

Book 2 in the Breed Apart series (read review for book one- Trinity, here) follows Aspen Courtland, reeling from the loss of her twin brother, who went MIA overseas. The Marine Corps says he's dead, but Aspen can't accept it as fact. With her brother's traumatized war dog, and a more than mysterious soldier who says he was with her brother the day he 'died', they set out for answers....answers people will kill for. 

PLOT:

Brilliant. Fresh. Action packed. Complex. Everything that should be in an action, suspense, romance book. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Characters fall in love. There's more of an underlying sensual pull between Dane & Aspen, moreso than with most of Ronie's other books, but that suited me fine. Their romance was tastefully written, sweet, kinda tragic and passionate. They kiss a few times. For a cover during an opp, they are married in name only, but nothing happens in regards to bedroom scenes or anything of that nature. A few soldiers make reference to their having made the marriage legitimate, but it's a case of hearsay. 

A soldier's gaze rakes over Aspen, and the context says that he "raped her with his gaze" or something like that. 

Mention is made to someone's father having a mistress (said character is a result of their father having the mistress), and him calling her a whore. 

There may be more references, but as I always say- my point isn't to catch every single one and list it here, it's just to give you a feel as to how each type of content is in the book- and if that is or isn't your jam. 

VIOLENCE:

Typical military/spy/suspense book type stuff. Hand to hand combat, blood, people getting shot- some at close range- people dying etc. There's mention to a character getting beaten as a child, being starved, having no heat or blankets in their room to serve as punishment. Another sub-character is pushed out of a window and falls to their death. 

CONCLUSION:

This book has everything that makes a book a goodie, in my mind. Action, emotion, romance, mystery, emotionally deep characters, a gripping plot- gah! It has it all, people. 

This book would give the Bourne movies a run for their money- but seriously, it would make a fantastic film. 

If you like suspense fiction, or spy type stories...pick this book up and READ IT. NOW. Today! 

5 Stars & I'd recommend it for ages 18+ 

Like watching reviews in video format? You're in luck, I filmed a video review of Talon!

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Lifestyle & Writing: @ToAshleyNikole

Book Reviews & Inspo: @BooksSheLoves

Trinity by Ronie Kendig

Book 1 in the A Breed Apart series (read review for book 2 - Talon, here), Trinity follows the story of Heath Daniels, a once Green Beret, and Darci Kintz, a Military Intelligence Officer. Taking place mostly in Afghanistan- things get  all kinds of crazy when Darci is abducted by some super baddies in the Chinese Military, while Heath and his war dog are sent to find Darci and bring her home alive.

PLOT:

Fast paced. Complex. Just when you think you know what is going on- boom! Plot twist. This book kept me on the edge of my seat, even reading it through a second time.

SEXUAL CONTENT:

Falling in love- attraction type whatnot. While trying to escape a rogue Chinese Military camp, Darci knows if she doesn't escape, they'd kill her, after a brutal gang rape. Thankfully, that doesn't take place, but it's a reality present. It's implied that on a mission, Darci slept with the enemy- both literally and figuratively, to gain information. 

VIOLENCE:

Military combat stuff. People get beaten, shot- some at close range- their guts, brains or blood splattering the people around them, killed, tortured. With the torture, it's mostly electroshock, some roughhousing, nail removal (although the character only finds their nails are gone when they come to, they don't remember it happening). Not low on the violence content. It's a military book. But it's not over the top, make your stomach revolt on you type of explicit grossness. 

CONCLUSION:

Plot, romance, danger, characters, suspense, ON FLEEK! All of it. I loved this book, even reading it the second time through, I was glued to the pages. It has all the needed elements to be fabulous, high gear, intense military suspense read. 

5 Stars

Age Recommendation: 18-19+
If you're looking for the video review, here it is. 

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Lifestyle: @ToAshleyNikole

Book Reviews & Inspo: @BooksSheLoves

Season Of Glory by Lisa T. Bergren (Review by Ashley Nikole)

Book 3 in 'The Remnants' (not to be confused with The Remnant Chronicles by Mary E. Pearson) comes out March 8th! 

PLOT:

I finished reading book 2 - Season Of Fire, last Summer, and have been eagerly awaiting the series' conclusion until now! I devoured this book in a day- cause the suspense of wanting to know what happens to everything, was just eating me. So...in I went! 

The plot was slower than the first two books I'd say. It built steadily, with little mini-attacks and battles here and there, picking up speed around chapter 24. 

It didn't feel as grounded as I think I would have liked- but to each his own! 

SEXUAL CONTENT:

There are references to consummating a marriage- bedding one's wife or husband, etc, etc. Brief kisses between Dri & Ronan, one or two more passionate ones. There's a fairly passionate kissing scene with Dri & Keallach, where they end up laying on top of each other in the street, kissing in the rain- Keallach compelled Dri's body in cooperating. Yes, she cooperated a smidge- but most of it was his controlling her into it. They get interrupted before anything else happens. 

As in book 2, there's an underlying sensual pull between Dri & Keallach, even though they don't spend very much time together alone in this book. 

VIOLENCE:

War type gore. Decapitations. Hand-to-hand combat. People get stabbed, shot, sliced, blown up, cut down. Someone cauterizes a wound with a sword, searing the flesh together to keep the person from bleeding out. A character is beheaded with a sword during battle, in front of Dri. There's the sound of bones breaking, possibly the head hitting the floor and spraying her with blood. 

CONCLUSION:

I had pretty high hopes for this book. Unfortunately most of them weren't met with trumpet's blaring or glory music playing.
It won't be like that for every reader- a lot of it is due to my own personal taste in how plot's flow, and how character's are made and played out.
The plot- to me- felt like it stalled a fair bit, subsequently accomplished too much (but at the same time, not enough) in the last ten pages of the book. I think I was just hoping for a different sort of climax to occur at the 3/4 mark. Oh well. My heart will go on.
I did, however, enjoy the supernatural component to the story...how Dri as an empath worked, how the healer did, how the Remnants prayed over the sick and injured, etc. That was pretty neat. Besides several ideology moments that turned my crank the wrong way, I enjoyed most of the discerning, prayer, healing type content.
There were certain moments in the plot where I had some pretty good 'aha!' moments and I liked where it was going. There were a few scenes where the interactions between characters were touching...but honestly, if I'm going to fully enjoy a book, there have to be more than a few parts here and there that I enjoyed. I need more emotional & romantic connection between the two characters that are in love (Ronan & Dri), not just between characters that are totally forbidden to be together (Keallach & Dri)- and have the most romantic- er- sexual scene nearly being a rape...without any positive romantic/sexual content. That felt a little odd to me.

As I mentioned, there were several elements that did not make this series my favourite. Which is strange- because I really have enjoyed most of Bergen's work...as you know, the River Of Time series is my favourite series to date.
This particular series however, was not my jam. And that's okay. That doesn't mean her writing is bad or anything like that- it's just that this series was not written for me to enjoy. It was written for another person, who will be absolutely crazy about it. And that is awesome!
Bergren writes like a boss, is an incredibly gifted author- but that doesn't mean that every single book she writes, will make me go dancing down the road doing a jig. And that's perfectly normal. I'm still a die-hard Lisa Bergren fan, and I will continue to buy, read and support her career as as author- because I have faith in her and LOVE her reading, even if a book here or there is just not my jam. Ya know?

This time through, I'll give Season Of Glory 3 stars and recommend it for ages 16+ (except maybe that scene with Keallach and Dri- it depends on the reader. If parents are looking for the exact page number- at least in my ARC, it was page 304-307)

If you've been a big fan of the first two books, Season Of Glory hits stores March 8th! Yeehaw! Lemme know how you like it when you get your hands on the conclusion to this series!

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Post Script...

Character Chit-Chat & Confusion:

This book didn't float my boat- for a few reasons. 

#1- I'm not a huge fan of dystopian fiction

#2 - This didn't feel like it was dystopian even...it more felt like it was fantasy, or just slightly askance historical fiction with some elements of fantasy

#3- The relationship between Ronan and Dri was not compelling to me. There was one scene in book 1 that alerted me to their attraction to each other, but if I didn't know better, I would definitely have thought their relationship was strictly brother/sister style. I mean, I would've been okay if it had, but if they're going to be a romantic couple- even a forbidden romantic couple, I just wanted a bit more...substance to their relationship. 

#4- The plot didn't feel overly grounded, to me, personally. To another reader, it could be totally different. It seemed rather...compartmentalized, not like each event flowed well and built into the next. 

#5- There were many elements in this series that just felt...off to me. I don't know why. Not to say that is how it will be for everyone, but to me, if there's this underlying weirdness that I can't quite put my finger on...I don't enjoy the experience as fully as I might. 

Also, I feel like as a reader, I wanted to see more complex characters. Keallach was a fairly in-depth character, as was Niero & most of Keallach's counsel. But honestly, I was wanting to root for Ronan, for more reasons than that he was Dri's sworn protector. Ya know?
And honestly, I couldn't tell whether Keallach was coming or going. It was just plain weird- probably contributing to that weirdness I couldn't quite put my finger on? Yeah, it's probably all Keallach's doing. I mean, I knew there was going to be a certain amount of waffling, but in the end, I didn't even end up liking him- and I thought, at the beginning of the series that Kapriel was going to be focused on more heavily. Even though he's the older twin, he was more of a sub-character.

Bourne & Tributary by Lisa T. Bergren (Review by Ashley Nikole)

Slowly but surely, moving towards having the entire River Of Time series reviewed. You can find the review's for...

Book 1 - Waterfall

Book 2 - Cascade

Book 3 - Torrent 
Book 5 - Deluge
River Of Time series Book Banter video

But today, we are going over the two novella's, Bourne & Tributary. These books pick up where Torrent left off, where the ladies are waiting for Luca, Marcello & Rodolfo to come back from the battle we saw begin at the end of Torrent. 

Today I'll be doing the breakdown separately (First Bourne, then following with Tributary), but in the same blog post, since I got the two novella's combined in one book. I'm not certain if you can get them bound separately as novella's instead of combined...but anywho, let's get started, shall we? 

|| BOURNE ||

PLOT: 

Steady & fast paced throughout. As this is a novella (135 pages), it's shorter and the plot a bit more mini in scale, but no less riveting. It follows our band of Forelli/Greco/Betarrini peeps as the Fiorentini launch an attack against the secret brotherhood with the triangle tattoos. Essentially, they're trying to discover who they are, so they can decimate them, their land, and their families. 

VIOLENCE: 

Battle type stuff. People getting stabbed, pierced with arrows. At one point we come across a Forelli knight who was strung up in a tree, eyes bulging, his tongue sticking out *cue the ew* 

While the assassins go about trying to discover the brotherhood and murder them all, a castello is burned, some of its occupants inside. The rest of the castello (women, children and soldiers) were cut down in the courtyard. The assassins left triangular cuts on their ankles, and for some of their victims, possibly on their necks? I'm not entirely certain. 

People are beaten in combat and in attempting to extract information, but nothing floats toward torture-land. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

Soldiers capture Lia and threaten to do some nasty business if she doesn't give them the information they want. One soldier begins moving his hands up her leg, but that's as far as he goes. 

Between characters there are kisses- some short, some longer, more passionate. 

When Marcello is ill with a fever, Gabi (they are married) climbs into bed with him with little on (a shift or thin nightgown or something like that), pressing her thigh against his and wrapping her arms around his chest- or just on top of. When he wakes, he says, "Wait until I tell the men how you healed me...climbing into bed with none but that on..." 

Later on, Marcello pulls Gabi into their room and they share a passionate kiss. 

"'Shouldn't you return to bed, m'lord?' 

'Undoubtedly,' he said, moving to kiss my lips, parting them with his own. He wrapped his arm around my back and puled me close, grunting in pain but refusing to release me. I settled in, kissing him back with equal passion." 

Later on... "But my husband decided my course of action for me. He opened the door a crack. Finding me alone, he took my hand and pulled me through, back inside. Then he latched and locked the door, lifted my hands to the wall above me, and began to kiss me like he never, ever intended to let me go again." pp. 60-61 

Again, I've not covered ALL the sexual content in this book- there is bound to be stuff I haven't caught in this review- but that wasn't really my intention in the first place. I just include the bulk of the information, to give you a feel of what is present. Cool peas :-P

CONCLUSION:

The only sad thing about this book is that it was so dang short! I was ramping up for the crazy stuff, really enjoying it, and then- boom! It was finished and I was into Tributary. But even in its short form it was delightful. Fast paced. 

These two books shift their focus more to Lia & Luca, and Rodolfo. Except for a few romantic scenes between Marcello and Gabi, it doesn't focus on them as much. Which was okay. They weren't omitted from the books, but the focus shifted a lot to Lia & Luca's romance, and I really enjoyed their relationship and the new-ness of being able to get to know them as an almost couple. 

|| TRIBUTARY ||

PLOT: 

Tributary takes off, I think it's a year after Bourne ends. This one focuses again, on Lia & Luca's budding romance, and also heavily focuses on Rodolfo and a young woman named Alessandra. It was faced paced and I enjoyed reading it- I wish there was a whole book dedicated to Rodolfo Greco and his story. But alas...

VIOLENCE:

Battle type stuff. Arrows shot into people, taking people out with swords. That kinda stuff. Alessandra gets beaten up by a Fiorentini Lord, kicked, slapped and punched. 

SEXUAL CONTENT: 

While in captivity, Alessandra is nearly raped. The head dude leaves her with one of his knights, instructing him to rape her. The knight grabs her, she starts screaming and crying, but he tells her he is her friend and he intends to help her escape. He plays up the facade, yelling for her to come to him, to give in and to stop complaining, then instructs her to scream and shakes her. She does, making it sound as though he's raped her, to anyone listening. He then killed the knight on watch and stripped him of his clothes. When he told her to take off her dress, she thought he was going to take advantage of her, but he turned his back and tossed her the guard's clothes to change into.  

Rodolfo and Alessandra share a kiss at the end of the book. Nothing really steamy, but it wasn't a quick peck on the cheek either. 

CONCLUSION:

Finishing Tributary left me feeling like I'd just finished an appetizer, and was ready for the main course. Unfortunately, the book had finished, and I was like...dude, now I need to read Deluge- which I told myself I'd never do again. But alas...I'm gonna go and do it again. Whoops. #cantstopwontstop 

Anywho, I really enjoyed these books. They were shorter and didn't take as long to work out or resolve, but I enjoyed them just as much. 

As I said in the conclusion above, I really enjoyed getting to watch Lia & Luca fall in love, and also follow Rodolfo's story a bit closer. That was pretty much awesome. 

5 stars and I'd recommend these two books for 16+...just depending on how each person can handle the gory, massacre-type violence and the lightly steamy kissing scene with Marcello & Gabi. 

Have you read Bourne & Tribuary? What were your thoughts?