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." 

2018 \\ Favourites

Well, hasn't it been a hot minute? 

2016 was the last time I posted a review on this blog! Yikes. I haven't stopped writing reviews--I write a review 99% of the time when I finish reading a book, I just don't do content-breakdown reviews, and I post them on Goodreads. However, I like the idea of being able to catalogue by month (and year) what I read, and not have to go to a seperate page to see what my review was and all that rot. So...here's me, attempting to be at least semi-consistent on this blog. Forgive me if I'm not. So, without furthur ado, let's kick off my thirteen favourite reads of 2018! 

1) The Progeny \\ Tosca Lee \\ 5 Stars

What a ride! What a plot! Can't wait for the second book!! I loved the tone of the book, the way the author described settings and people, and the varied characters. I love how emotion packed The Progency was--that is totally up my alley. And Luka? Yes. Go Luka go. 
Now onto book two!

2) My Promise \\ Noah Bolinder \\ 5 Stars

A beautiful tale of epistemology, set in a scenic college campus. What a mysterious read! There's the writing that fills 99% of the market, and then there's that 1% that is just different. Just weird (in a good way) that makes you think and want to (metaphorically) go out to sea to fish for mysteries. 

My Promise was spellbinding, entertaining and thought-provoking. Definitely not a fly-through-the-pages type of book, because of all the intense thought behind it, though I still managed to finish it in just over a day! I was really hoping an ACTUAL romance romance, though...considering how the plot all worked out, I understand why it all happened as it did. 

And now I'm going to go back through the chapters and listen to the soundtrack pieces picked for each chapter--I didn't get to on my first read through because I wasn't around my computer, but...now I have my second batch of work cut out for me, and I'm excited to see how they pair!

3) Whisper \\ Lynette Noni \\ 5 Stars

How much power do our words hold? A lot more than you realize. 

Whoa. What a book. I'm only slightly groaning over here because book 2 is not out yet, and I need it, like--yesterday! 
When I started Whisper I didn't know it was going to turn into mutants or people with special powers, but hey, I didn't mind it when it happened. I was like--hey, cool. I'm digging this. 
I loved the plot--I was surprised by all the twists and turns and gaping like a codfish for others. The characters--check. Loved them and their different relationships with J.D. 

I very much enjoyed the foray into showing just how much power our words truly have. When I started reading I was thinking to myself "wouldn't it be interesting if someone wrote a book showcasing how powerful our words are?" and then bam. That's what the book is about. I loved how it was written and executed and how it played out. Now I really need to get my hands on book 2!

4) Daddy-Long-Legs \\ Jean Webster \\ 5 Stars

A true classic! What a heartwarming, beautiful little book! I love the twists and turns and how the ending came to be. And the writing was so clever and witty--like I said--TOTAL CLASSIC STATUS. Everyone should read this book in their childhood/teen years.

5) Secrets \\ Kristen Heitzmann \\ 4 Stars

I enjoyed how many strains this story held. Very complex, with a good mystery, some romance and a fabulous setting.

6) The Remnant Chronicles \\ Mary E. Pearson 

Book 1 \\ Kiss of Deception: I enjoyed how many strains this story held. Very complex, with a good mystery, some romance and a fabulous setting.

5 Stars

Book 2 \\ The Heart of Betrayal: Book 2 in 'The Remnant Chronicles', The Heart Of Betrayal, picks up right where Kiss Of Deception left off. The intricately woven suspense, ample danger and sparks of romance, had me devouring this book in no time flat. 

PLOT: 
As I mentioned above, it began where book 1 left off, and it never lagged for a moment. There were always nuggets of information being shared, little by little, or dangerous suspenseful moments where it was near impossible to put this one down once I began. The plot was masterminded, and while I knew it was complex in book 1, I was able to more fully comprehend and appreciate how intricate it really was. As the dots were connecting, there were so many "aha!" lightbulb moments. I personally love those. 

CHARACTERS: 
In book 2, they become more vibrant and complex than in book 1. These characters really did jump off the page, and didn't feel even for a moment like they were any less real than if they were standing in the room with me. 
I have come by few authors who create such lifelike paper people, and Pearson did so, quite superbly in this series.

5 Stars

Book 3 \\ The Beauty of Darkness : 

WAHHHHHH!!!!! Second time reading The Beauty of Darkness and all the feels hath gripped me!!

What a sad book! It just rips your heart out and stomps on it again and again and again! But oh so good. What an epic conclusion to an epic saga. Wow. So many weepy feels, cause the heartrending just...never...ends.
Although tragic, the character arcs and growth were so real. Broke my little reader heart.
I wish Kaden had have tried more with Lia in a romantic capacity, especially considering how he felt about her in book 2...but alas. I wasn't so much a fan of the abrupt ending, but...that's that.

All in all, a marvellous book. Pearson's world-creating skills gobbled me whole, and I loved being able to spend...what is it, like 1,600 pages in total, in the Remnant universe and with SUCH A STUNNING LINEUP OF CHARACTERS! Now I'll just go cry in a corner because the feels were just...so...real. **if you want to watch a little chatty video, I did a booktube of the series, which you can watch right here**








7) Price of Priviledge \\ Jessica Dotta \\ 4 Stars


What an intricately woven tale. I am somewhat gobsmacked, to be honest. The way Dotta writes is...unlike any author I've read before. The way she creates her characters and reveals a story, piece by piece--it's an art form. While I wasn't so much a fan of the pervasive sensuality creep factor that came with Mr. Macy, he was a well-done villian-sociopath-psychopath-narcissist character, lol. A veritable head-trip, that one is, as the scariest villains always seem to be. 

I wouldn't recommend this book to younger readers or readers who want to steer clear of more sensual characters who go around seducing young innocent women, but the writing was phenomenal. I can totally see why readers draw the correlation between Austin and the Bronte sisters in Dotta's writing. 

While I rather squirmed my way through much of this book, it was written superbly--hence the three stars. I'm not so much a fan in general of gothic, darker tales, but this one is quite brilliantly written, if not a tad creepy and tragic.



8) If I Run series \\ Terri Blackstock \\ 5 Stars

What a series. I. Tell. You.
If you like a series similar to Harrison Ford's movie 'The Fugative' & really any movies/books with plots involving someone who has been framed and is fleeing from the law while they try to prove their innocence. What an amazing series!





9) Six Months Later \\ Natalie Richards \\ 4 Stars

Apart from the rather (excessive) language, Six Months Later gobbled this reader right up. I didn't know if Six Months Later was a suspense book or not, but whoa--hello suspense!! It kinda reminded me of the Bourne series, but with a YA twist to it. 
It was annoying that Chloe started almost every thought with "God, XYZ this" or "God, XYZ that" or "Hell, XYZ this or that". I know that high school kids swear and I can slog through a great deal of language in my reading, but honestly, 99% of the swearing felt like sloppy filler words that didn't even fit. They felt lazy and ill-placed. The sheer amount--and distinctly lazy use of profanity irked me. That, and I had a bit of a hard time getting through the first few chapters because of the tone of narration--but I eventually got the swing of things. Apart from those two details--great book. Read it in two sittings. 

Although it says this book is for 13+, it just seems a bit too mature for most thirteen-year-olds? I'd probably recommend it for 16 minimum--but then again, it changes from reader to reader.

10) Life After \\ Katie Ganshert \\ 5 Stars

I LOVED Life After. The first paragraph's diatribe about death had me cringing and I was like, um...maybe not this book, but wow--this novel just blessed my heart. It was oddly cathartic to read. 
I loved Katie's writing style. It felt quite unique compared to most author's I've read and I really enjoyed it. The characters were top-notch, seriously. I loved Paul & Autumn's relationship. What a pairing they made. 
I felt the healing journey depicted for all the characters was honouring and beautiful--refreshingly not all about that platitude life like most stories that involve loss and grief. I was impressed. Am impressed. 

The unravelling mysteries kept me turning the pages, waiting to get around the bend and discover "the thing" and I was shocked and surprised and I loved every minute of it. While a heavier read because it focuses so much on grief following a traumatic event and loss, it was refreshing to read a book on the subject, when so many--even inspirational fiction books just don't "go there".


11) The Secret History of Us \\ Jessica Kirby \\ 3 Stars

Kinda reminded me of a Nancy Drew type mystery set in a small harbour town. It was a slower read, but I enjoyed it. My only problem, which is a rather huge problem, lol, is that Walker got five scenes in this entire book. Or six, if you count when he saved Olivia and did CPR and stuff. Two of those five scenes were only a glance shared from a distance (like one sentence long), and then a brief synopsis type scene. So really, he got three talking scenes. THREE. And we didn't even "meet" his character until around the 75% mark. Like what even is that? 
So yes, things felt woefully cut short. Walker's character got almost NO airtime, and for this book being called "The Secret History of US" not "ME", I was hoping for a bit more US, cause as I said, we got three very short "US" related scenes. 
Personally, I'd be into a book written from Walker's perspective and then how they pieced together their relationship after the accident or some such--but without a follow-up book, or some extra content between Walker & Olivia--things felt stunted and cut short. And not tastefully. To me, it felt like a gaping void that wasn't done right.

12) Wolfsbane \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 5 Stars

One of my FAVOURITE suspense books of all time. Geez. So jam-packed with gritty emotions and circumstances and characters that feel so real and relatable. Every minute I was on the edge of my seat--cheering, then wailing "noo!" from scene to scene. 
What a feast for the reading senses. 
The romance--what even. 
The characters--yes, please. Canyon & Dani--like opposites attract in THE BEST WAY. Their relationship. SWOON. I feel like I could read five books all about them and never get bored.
The plot--it's basically the perfect storm. 

IT WILL HAVE YOU ON TENTERHOOKS THE WHOLE TIME, YO. Just do yourself a favour and if you even remotely like romantic suspense or military fiction--go buy and read this book. Do it. Do it now. Righttt nowwwww. Gooooooooooooo!!! #FragOut

I wouldn't recommend this one for younger readers as it has some pretty intense mature themes, including rape, suicide, sex and some other things--it's just better for adult readers, methinks.


13) Operation Zulu \\ Ronie Kendig \\ 5 Stars

An amazing, pulse-pounding series with a plethora of beautiful, strong, lady soldiers. And I'm not a feminist, and to be honest, the way most people describe "strong women" or women in combat roles--it just drives me nuts. However...I felt like Kendig really depicted women in combat beautifully. Not trying to be men. Not trying to be brash and hulking and something they're not. Not wearing an ill-fitting jacket, but something glorious, fiercely unique and incredibly strong.
This is also a whopper of a book, coming in at almost 600 pages. So...you gotta be in for the long haul, but it is SO worth it. So much action and intensity. So many character interactions that were just so...yummy--that sounds weird, but it's true, haha.

All of Ronie Kendig's work is steller, top notch spec-ops stuff, so, in all seriousness, if you like suspense, or military fiction, go check out her stuff. I don't know how my reading life survived before I discovered her work half a decade ago!

That is all for now! 

I cannot promise I will be regular in posting blog posts, but...I do want to attempt doing a monthly roundup of the books I've read, and bring my Goodreads reviews and combine them all on here. Savvy? Alright then! 

Reacting to The Kiss Of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

SPOILER WARNING. 

This is a post, showing you my reaction when reading these books, all in GIF's. So, pull up a chair and enjoy. 

Firstly, when I saw that title, and I was like...whet. What kind of a title is THAT? 

But I digress...flip to the opening scene with Lia, laying face down on a table, half naked getting a wedding kavah done on her back.

Yeah- almost didn't survive that scene...half out of embarrassment for the character, half out of sheer confusion because I honestly couldn't figure out what they were doing. It's a henna tattoo people. In case you're wondering. 

Then Lia commits political AND familial suicide, in running away. Like so-

But she feels pretty fabulous about it. #bossmode

Escaping trackers...scattering her stuff along the trail & in the river...she thinks she's GOT IT GUURL. 

But then the dudes show up, and the FEELZ begin at their first meeting

The Assassin be like...#IveGotDis

 And the Prince...seething internally. #HowCouldSheBetrayMe

And as a reader, I couldn't figure out who was who...was Kaden the Prince? Rafe the Assassin? I couldn't figure it out...

But try as the Assassin might- to act all charming and harmless,

 to get Lia to like him...she ends up going with the Prince...despite his surliness. 

So, despite an underlying weirdness...they end up being friends- er...something. And despite the Prince vowing to hate the woman who jilted him at the alter, he discovers she's not anything like he imagined she'd be. And the Assassin? Well, he's trying to hate Lia, trying real hard, bro- but the more time each dude spends with the princess...they come away saying..."I danced with the enemy- I didn't want to, but when I was with Lia, everything was different and..."

Meanwhile, since no one knew the real identity of the dudes, everyone was probably thinking (like I was) that Kaden was the Prince, and Rafe the Assassin. So, I was losing my marbles, because Lia was falling in love with the Assassin, and I was convinced her lover was going to slit her throat, at any minute.

And with good reason- because when Lia decides to go back to Morrighan, we discover WHO is WHO. THE GLOVES COMETH OFF.

Starting with when the Assassin (whom we think is the Prince) starts shouting in a foreign language.

What's that? Oh, that language is Vendan...Duuude...He's Vendan...which could only mean one thing...

HE'S THE ASSASSIN. And Lia is done for. 

And we are shock. Utterly shock. 

But first, it starts with a little of this...

But then the shock wears off, leaves you like

Betrayal has run it's course through our hearts. Ripped us open and run amok. But still, we can't quite get over how terrible it is. How wonderful we thought Kaden was. 

He's NOT WHO WE THOUGHT HE WAS.

I suppose not...

And yet, there's this terrible thing going on...WE STILL LIKE KADEN. Despite his misgivings. 

Nope. It's not. 

But it comes in waves...we still can't believe Kaden is the traitor. The baddie. Oh man, betrayal floweth deep. 

Meanwhile...Rafe is feeling the burn. 

The betrayal. The OH-MY-GOODNESS-WHY-DIDN'T-I-SEE-THIS-COMING business, yeah. He's pretty messed up about it. And despite his Princely ability to chill in the midst of a non-chillax environment, he's losing it. Slowly but surely. 

And so...mission to find and take back Lia...has begun. 

Meanwhile, Lia traverses across Cam Lanteux with the Vendan Barbarians, drowning in Kaden's betrayal.

And she must find a way to escape them...besides, she's got moves. And the gift. 

 And becomes more confident in her abilities, during their stay with the gypsies.

 Much to Kaden's utter horror..

 Because while he likes to think he believes her gift is a facade...she's seriously starting to creep him out. And, just to be on the safe side, he vehemently tells Lia she shouldn't trust him, and that his people will ALWAYS COME FIRST.

As in, at every stop, you'll be the last and lowest priority concern on my list. #liarliarpantsonfire
And with that, the gypsies send them off- wishing Lia the best of luck- and smuggling her some assistsance- in the form of a weapon. #sneaky 

Things got real with Walther's company of men...and left the readers like...

We see Venda on the horizon...

And all we wanna do is 

But bailing is not a choice...and we wonder just what will we find within the pages of The Heart Of Betrayal? 

Well...stay tuned- crazy & awesome and horrible stuff happens.

Read the content-breakdown review for The Kiss Of Deception

& book 2 The Heart Of Betrayal

And the Book Banter Video !!

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