Tag: audiobook

Book Review: Thief of Sorrows by Kristen M. Long

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Rating: ★★★☆
Audience: Fantasy
Length: 445 pages
Author: Kristen M. Long
Publisher: Self Published
Release Date: January 17th, 2023
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

What if Robin Hood was a female assassin, with deadly powers, who not only steals from the rich and corrupt…she kills them too. Isolde Cotheran is anything but a damsel in need of saving. By day, she is the heir to Thornwood manor and all its lands. By night, she masquerades as the Hood, a brutal outlaw who leads a cadre of thieves and assassins whose mission is simple, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves. When Isolde brutally kills a lord, it forces two men back into her life. Liam, the handsome Captain of the Guard, who was shunned from Thornwood for joining the evil king’s army. And Gage, the Right Hand of the king and murderer of Isolde’s first love.  After a successful heist leaves Gage humiliated and in danger of the king’s wrath for failure to capture the Hood, Isolde’s world is thrown into chaos. Struggling to protect those she loves not only from the dangers of the kingdom but from her own deadly power, Isolde is forced to take action when one of her own is caught in the crosshairs. Choices are made and blood is spilled, forcing the Hood to face her past. A past that is far more dangerous than even she realizes.

Thank you to the author for a gifted audiobook.

I’LL READ THE SECOND.

Audio notes: I loved the audio! The narrator was great. And I think that really helped my overall enjoyment of the book.

I was very intrigued by the gender bend on Robin Hood and liked how it played out. There’s some great action, lots of politicking and some dark evil. Isolde was a FMC you wanted to root for and I liked seeing her strength and determination to right wrongs.

The romance didn’t really set me swooning. It was a relationship already formed and that left me in the dust for catching up on the chemistry. I am genuinely curious where it’ll go in book two now that events have occurred. There’s room for a solid build.

I felt like the plot meandered and in the middle especially. I kept waiting for different aspects of the story to move, or for even sub-plots to get a little more shine. I still have plans to read book two and see the progression. I do think the writing was wonderful and the potential is here.

Overall audience notes:

  • Fantasy
  • Language: some strong
  • Romance: 2-3 open; low-moderate explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of sexual assault and rape, kidnapping children, assault, murder, near death experiences, weapons violence

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Book Review: The Kiss Curse (Ex Hex #2) by Erin Sterling

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Paranormal Romance
Length: 320 pages
Author: Erin Sterling
Publisher: Avon Books
Release Date: September 20th, 2022
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

Welcome to Spooky Season!! The follow-up to Erin Sterling’s New York Times bestselling hit The Ex Hex features fan favorite Gwyn and the spine-tinglingly handsome Wells Penhallow as they battle a new band of witches and their own magical chemistry.

Gwyn Jones is perfectly happy with her life in Graves Glen. She, her mom, and her cousin have formed a new and powerful coven; she’s running a successful witchcraft shop, Something Wicked; and she’s started mentoring some of the younger witches in town. As Halloween approaches, there’s only one problem—Llewellyn “Wells” Penhallow.

Wells has come to Graves Glen to re-establish his family’s connection to the town they founded as well as to make a new life for himself after years of being the dutiful son in Wales. When he opens up a shop of his own, Penhallow’s, just across the street from Something Wicked, he quickly learns he’s gotten more than he bargained for in going up against Gwyn.

When their professional competition leads to a very personal—and very hot—kiss, both Wells and Gwyn are determined to stay away from each other, convinced the kiss was just a magical fluke. But when a mysterious new coven of witches come to town and Gwyn’s powers begin fading, she and Wells must work together to figure out just what these new witches want and how to restore Gwyn’s magic before it’s too late.

BETTER THAN THE FIRST.

I had some *thoughts* on the first book but felt inclined enough to give the second book a go and I liked it so much more!!

The romance was developed in a way I could get behind. There was still that lust component that isn’t for me personally, BUT, it was used here in an easier to handle light that ended with me actually liking this couple. A dash of enemies to lovers / workplace rivals that come together to save the town. Perfect for the season right?

It’s quirky and Gwyn is boisterous and full of banter that is well received by Wells. I especially liked that the third act wasn’t blown out of proportion. There was reasonable befuddlement that led to some simple answers and both Gwyn and Wells actually believed each other! YAY. There’s good tension and fluff mixed into a plot that has the same essence as the The Ex Hex.

Great for the season.

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Violence: medium
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: alcohol consumption, blood depiction, torture mentioned, kidnapping

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Book Review: Starlight (Angels of Elysium #3) by Olivia Wildenstein

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Rating: ★★★★
Audience: Urban/Paranormal Romance
Length: 488 pages
Author: Olivia Wildenstein
Publisher: WildStone Publishing
Release Date: December 28th, 2021
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

ANGELIC FACT NUMBER 100: Having wings doesn’t make one noble; it simply makes one fly.

Naya and Adam have nothing in common. Besides black wings. The same birthday. And fathers who are as close as brothers.

But nothing else.

Sweet, diligent Naya has always abided by the rules. Arrogant, uncivil Adam has made it his life’s mission to break each one.

She is the beloved daughter of an archangel. He is the guilds’ resident bad boy . . . well, bad fletching.

When Naya thrusts herself in Adam’s life to request a place on his clandestine team of guardians, he turns her away. The last thing his unsanctioned squad needs is an archangel’s attention, and the last thing he needs is a bubbly, blonde distraction with a sinful voice and soulful eyes.

Problem is, Naya suddenly, and inexplicably, becomes the only thing he wants.

SATISFYING CONCLUSION.

I have really enjoyed this series. I read it over a month which is unusually fast for me to binge a completed trilogy. While there are some magical system gaps and I still have questions about world building, I had SUCH A GOOD TIME with the stories. It’s intense, and romantic and swoony and all the things.

Naya and Adam’s story has been a long time coming and I love the slow burn edge this book took. There’s a really good build up and I loooove Adam’s alpha side. I can’t help myself. Naya is a strong FMC and if you’re looking for a darker vibe, this book has it. The plot is dark and full of shocking things and it often kept me on the edge of my seat.

This feels like an underrated paranormal romance series. I am so happy I took the chance on it and for someone who’s not usually a paranormal fan this checked off many of my boxes. And they’re fantastic on audio!!

Overall audience notes:

  • Paranormal Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: 3-4 open door; high explicit
  • Violence: high
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of life, kidnapping, medical experimentation, murder, high blood/gore depiction, physical and weapons violence

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Book Review: The Catch (Summer Nights #1) by Lauren H. Mae

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Rating: ★★
Audience: Contemporary Romance
Length: 420 pages
Author: Lauren H. Mae
Publisher: William St. Press
Release Date: January 11th, 2020
Image & Other Reviews on: Goodreads

BOOK SUMMARY:

With Catia Roday has learned the hard way that love always disappoints, so when she finds herself falling for Josh Rideout—the handsome, charming, seemingly-perfect guy she just met on vacation—only to find out they hail from neighboring towns, she has one question: what’s the catch?

Unwilling to let love make a fool of her again, Cat tries desperately to ignore the chemistry between her and Josh, but it isn’t easy when their vacation plans keep overlapping. With the universe constantly throwing them together, and her friends practically staging an intervention to tell her she’s making a huge mistake, she decides to prove her point once and for all. On the way home, she makes a bet. She’ll take her budding vacation romance back to the real world, and when she proves Josh is too good to be true, she wins! (And she avoids another heartbreak.)

What ensues is a series of tests and games with Josh one step ahead of her the whole time, until Cat realizes the friendly wager has her betting against the one man who may be able to revive her faith in love. Worse yet, it turns out Josh might not be the gambling type.

HARD PASS.

Oooooh this was not for me. And now I don’t even want to try any of the other books in this series.

We got off on the wrong foot by throwing in some one night stand vibes (almost went through with it). I have never loved that trope and this is what I get for not reading the synopsis.

I also hated the FMC. I thought she was manipulative and rude. Why would you bait your boyfriend into potentially flirting with someone else just so you can prove he’s not actually a nice guy so you can break up with him? THAT IS NOT OKAY. That scene and others enraged me to no end.

The drama with the third act was, you guessed it, as awful as the rest of this book. Over the top and since I was done with the book at this point I just wanted it to be over. There relationship got fully started before the halfway point and it never recovered. I wasted my time on this one.

Overall audience notes:

  • Contemporary Romance
  • Language: strong
  • Romance: multiple open door
  • Trigger/Content Warnings: mentions of prior divorce

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